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Oisiaa-
I also believe that higher heat usage directly corresponds to about 2 mpg loss in fuel economy.

Nope, that loss of MPG is due to longer warm up times in colder temperatures. Rest a trip on your DIC in the winter, think you will be shocked to see how low your MPG is the first 5-10 minutes of driving. That times X number of days really brings down your monthly averages.

 

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What I have noticed is that lower engine loads result in higher temperatures and higher engine loads can result in dramatically lower (185 F) engine temperatures.

Same thing here, fully warmed engine will cool 20F+ when you start driving up a hill. Amazing how that electronic thermostat works.