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Car & Driver Long Term Shelby GT350

17RubyShelbyGT350

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April issue of C&D has latest update of their long term GT350. Good news is they still love the performance and handling after 23,200 miles. Bad news - they say they are getting tired of having to fill-up and check the oil every 250 miles. They say the car has used 5 quarts of oil in the last 3000 miles. They claim that 'most" of their current driving is in freeways. Of course, it goes without saying that they surely beat the living snot out the car during most of its stay with them.

Still, this is not the kind of news we like to hear! :(
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rushca01

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Interesting, I wonder if it has to do with the break in process and the rings not seating properly. Another member detailed their process for break in, same theybjse for motorcycles and they havenā€™t had any issues.
 
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17RubyShelbyGT350

17RubyShelbyGT350

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C&D Shelby

I broke mine in "gently" with all the aspects of accel and decell and no problems yet - but of course I only have 2200 miles as of now. Seems C&D oil usage spiked after 20k miles.
 

Tomster

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I forget..... What is the oil consumption that ford considers excessive? ^^^ 5 qts in 3000 miles sounds like a lot
 

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MrCincinnati

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I forget..... What is the oil consumption that ford considers excessive? ^^^ 5 qts in 3000 miles sounds like a lot
Ford says 1 quart / 500mi is normal depending on driving conditions/habits.

"You can drive high performance vehicles
in such a way that may lead to higher oil
consumption (this includes extended time
at high engine speeds, high loads, engine
braking, hard cornering maneuvers, and
track use). Under these conditions, oil
consumption of approximately 1 quart per
500 miles (1 liter per 800 km) is possible.
As a result, you need to check the engine
oil level at every refueling and adjust to
maintain proper levels to avoid engine
damage."

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/F...350-Supplement-version-3_su_EN-US_03_2017.pdf
 

SVTinAR

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Interesting - my memory may be failing me but I think 1 qt/500 miles was the standard Chevrolet used as a yardstick for their V8s back in the 60/70s for max, normal consumption. Maybe engine technology hasn't progressed all that much after all in the area of ring sealing and oil control.
 
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17RubyShelbyGT350

17RubyShelbyGT350

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Maybe

Ford says 1 quart / 500mi is normal depending on driving conditions/habits.

"You can drive high performance vehicles
in such a way that may lead to higher oil
consumption (this includes extended time
at high engine speeds, high loads, engine
braking, hard cornering maneuvers, and
track use). Under these conditions, oil
consumption of approximately 1 quart per
500 miles (1 liter per 800 km) is possible.
As a result, you need to check the engine
oil level at every refueling and adjust to
maintain proper levels to avoid engine
damage."

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/F...350-Supplement-version-3_su_EN-US_03_2017.pdf
Well, maybe.. You know that C&D ran this car very hard, especially in the beginning of their time with it. Seems curious that they are only just now reporting that over the preceding 3000 miles after logging 20k miles, the car is burning about one quart every 600 miles. Maybe one of their staffers got a hold of it and abused the crap out of it, incurring some engine damage??

I have been following their long term testing of this car with heightened interest, wondering if there would be an increase in oil usage. It will be real interesting to see what their next report has to say.
 

MrCincinnati

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Well, maybe.. You know that C&D ran this car very hard, especially in the beginning of their time with it. Seems curious that they are only just now reporting that over the preceding 3000 miles after logging 20k miles, the car is burning about one quart every 600 miles. Maybe one of their staffers got a hold of it and abused the crap out of it, incurring some engine damage??

I have been following their long term testing of this car with heightened interest, wondering if there would be an increase in oil usage. It will be real interesting to see what their next report has to say.
It's not difficult to get any of these engines to burn that much oil. leave it in 4 and 5 on the highway without cruise control - and don't get arrested.. then rev match downshift all the time and engine brake to supplement your actual brakes all the time.
 

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TDC

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Weird how much oil usage varies from engine to engine. 8k miles here and after a long drive to and from a full weekend track event no oil usage. Knock on wood it stays this way.
 

96cobra

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Mine burned 1 quart in about 2K miles.. seems reasonable. I was very careful about a proper break-in period.

In comparison, my BMW 550I (V8 twin turbo) burns about 1 quart every 5K miles. The good thing? The car is smart enough to alert me that I needs oil before it's a problem, which the GT350 apparently does not do.
 

EdKSr.

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I just changed the oil at 12,900 miles, second time. Monitor said 30 per cent oil life remaining, 15 months old. I'm 70 years old and the tach has not seen anything above 5500 rpm ever, I still have a 79 corvette, period chevy engines seem to float at anything above 5700 rpm. old dogs do not learn new tricks. I have yet to put even a 1/4 quart of oil in the engine.
 

MrCincinnati

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I just changed the oil at 12,900 miles, second time. Monitor said 30 per cent oil life remaining, 15 months old. I'm 70 years old and the tach has not seen anything above 5500 rpm ever, I still have a 79 corvette, period chevy engines seem to float at anything above 5700 rpm. old dogs do not learn new tricks. I have yet to put even a 1/4 quart of oil in the engine.
With all due respect..if your car hasnā€™t seen over 5500rpm in nearly 13k miles I think itā€™s safe to say your usage and consumption is abnormal.. given this is a high performance vehicle and youā€™ve basically never been more than a few hundred revs into the powerband.
 

Sl13cobra

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The GT350 is a great looking and performing vehicle. It's obviously a fantastic car.

However, the FPC is new territory for Ford.

I presume Ford did a kazillion hours of testing on it. I hope it stands the test of time out in the real world.
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