Fuel efficiency drop in newer models ?

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Many States require such labeling, but some do not. Patrick De Haan from GasBuddy tells us which ones don't:

Does your state require ethanol labeling? - GasBuddy

It's a fact that many know about ethanol- it contains less energy than conventional gasoline, and results in lower fuel efficiency. Some states have moved

www.gasbuddy.com

Spoiler: California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Ohio

Gas Buddy indeed says MN not required to label, but my experience here is opposite. Furthermore, the law requires 10% biofuel (as an oxygenate) in all gasoline sold at retail for on road use (All fuel sold in MN for on road use must be "Oxygenated Gasoline") and further restricts to an ethanol content of 9.2-10%.
Almost all stations label whether it contains Ethanol, and How much, and they definitely label if it does not contain ethanol ("Non Oxygenated" fuel here is, by law, only usable in vehicles not designed for it, off road vehicles, boats, and small engines, and must be minimum 91 octane.) It is not dyed, however, so not sure how exactly they can enforce it. This sometimes leaves one in a lurch to either choose to violate the 'Oxygenated Fuel' law or put lower octane than required in a vehicle, since often the ethanol free is the only 'premium' available at a station.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Forgetting to multiply the gearbox ratios by the axle(s) ratio always creates problems.
Also keep in mind that, from the 70s til the noughties,
axle ratios for vehicles under about 7000lb were artificially pressured by CAFE MpG scores to be lower than desired.

Speaking in terms of GMTs weighing 5000lb or more:
4L60E with anything under 3.73 wastes fuel AND sacrifices gearbox durability / longevity.
6L80E with anything under 3.42 wastes fuel AND sacrifices gearbox durability / longevity.

I do hope they really take advantage of what is possible with 10 speeds ...

NO, YOU DO NOT - at least, not the way automakers are going to take advantage.

*Prepare for turbo-3-inlines to replace 4-inlines, turbo-4-inlines to replace V6s, (V6s will be replaced by 6-inlines),
twin turbo-6-inlines to replace most light-duty / passenger V8s (Stellantis Hurricane turbo-6-inlines killed Hemi V8s),
larger twin turbo-V8s will be EXCLUSIVELY for 2500-&-up work trucks and commercial vehicles,
smaller twin-turbo V8s will compete with larger twin turbo 6-inlines for ne-plus-ultra-luxe-high-performance cars
(twin-turbo V8s are already pretty much done killing V10s & V12s)

Also, due to more 8- 9- & 10-speed transmissions and more turbos,
Variable Valve Timing will look more and more like the Atkinson Cycle, with torque peaking OVER 4200RpM.

 

[viven44]

4L60E with anything under 3.73 wastes fuel

Agreed on the longevity.. no doubts there. Are you talking about city or highway cruising mpg ? Why would a 3.42 not fare better on highway ? For city, I could agree…

And all that Turbo future is scary (from a service standpoint).. maybe I’m used to working on simple things. Glad I started collecting engines/transmissions from wrecked trucks and parts trucks to keep my “fleet” going.

 

[Marky Dissod]

6L80 8L90 & 10L80 prove that 4L60 was effectively wasting fuel in metro/urban stop'n'go ...
GM almost always used 4L60's axle gear to bias the tradeoff toward highway MpG, sacrificing city MpG.
If we use the axle to bias the tradeoff toward city MpG, we sacrifice some highway MpG.

8L90E x 3.23: ... 14.73 ... 9.60 .... 6.72 .... 5.46 . . . . . . . 4.10 ... 3.231 ... 2.75 . . . . . . . 2.10 (7.01 Spread)
4L60E x 3.42: . . . . . . . 10.47 . . . . . . . . . 5.58 . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.42 . . . . . . . . 2.39 (4.43 Spread)
4L60E x 4.10: . . . . . 12.55 . . . . . . . 6.68 . . . . . . . . . . . 4.10 . . . . . . . . 2.86 (4.43 Spread)

Hopefully turbos get better thermal maintenance / longevity - otherwise turbos will NEVER last as long as their engines ...
especially if 4s & 6s start screwing with Cylinder Confusion ...