Finally made it home a little after midnight last night. Google Maps shows the trip was 4,354 miles, but with in and around driving in Moab, Colorado Springs, and Wisconsin it was probably well over 5,000. I changed the oil before we left Wisconsin, and after burning 6-7 quarts over the first 3,500 miles or so we burned only half a quart on the way home. That's despite the last 200-300 miles spent climbing the mountains through southeast Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia, during which I burned maybe 1/4 quart. The major difference was that the speed limit was no higher than 70 MPH on the way back, with many of the miles at 65 or under (vs. 75 MPH through much of the lower Midwest). This seems to confirm my theory that oil burn (at least for my VX) is largely driven by how fast I'm driving, with the tipping point being right around 75 MPH. Anything less than that and I barely burn, anything over that and I start hemorrhaging oil. I also kept track of my MPG for much of the trip, so I'll post that whenever I get it off my phone.
Here's the final map showing our route. Saw a lot of America along the way, 14 states by my count. I must say I felt like it was a major accomplishment to drive a 12 year old vehicle with 95K miles and an oil burning engine that far with zero mechanical issues.
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Originally Posted by JoFotoz
