oil poll

[onslow]

Hi Guys & Gals-

A lot of food for thought in these posts. this is certainly a worthy topic. So, here's my two cents' worth...hopefully it's not more info than any of you wanted:

I am the third owner of my car. It has 80K.

POLL RESPONSE: The previous owner specified Mobil 1, 15W-50...so that is what I have been using.

I am giving some thought to what one of our esteemed senior members said about too wide a spread between the viscosity numbers possibly being of concern. I do not know anything about this, but may try to find more info.

FILTER: I am currently using the PF 52 filter. However, I may use the PF 47 next time because I think there is some merit to the belief that a smaller filter pressurizes faster than a larger one at start up.

OIL CHANGES: I change oil every 3K miles...with a new filter. With a turbo that spins at 100K RPM, I will not take a chance with longer change intervals.

LIFTER NOISE: I have only had lifter noise after the car sat for over a month, even after I primed it (ECM unplugged) there was some click that disappeared after about 30-45 seconds. I get no tappet sound if the car sits for up to two weeks and I prime it.

FACT OR FRICTION?: The following is out of a 2004 Mobil 1 brochure with a lot of FAQs about oil and should help answer some previous questions posted in this thread:

OEM USAGE: Mobil 1 is "original equipment" for the following cars: Corvette, Porsche, MB-AMG, Aston Martin, Mustang Cobra.

VISCOSITY: 'At very low temperatures, when the oil needs to be "thinner" to flow readily, Mobil 1 is capable of pumping easily while conventional oils can thicken substantially. At very high temperatures, when the oil needs to be thick enough to provide a film on engine parts...Mobil 1 resists being squeezed out of the contact area between metal surfaces by maintaining its viscosity.'

HIGH TEMP PERFORMANCE: Mobil 1 is "capable of protecting engines at temperatures up to 400 degs. F."

FLOW CHARACTERISTICS (Pumpability): 5W-30: -51 deg. F; 10W-30: -42 deg. F; 15W-50: -35 deg. F.

VISCOSITY FORMULAS: The 15W-50 is the "Performance Driving Formula," "excellent for supercharged and turbocharged engines, muscle cars, and amateur racers." It is M1's highest viscosity oil and is "race proven."

10W-30 is described as "Higher-Mileage Vehicle Formula." It is M1's best seller.

5W-30 is "Newer Vehicle Formula."

ADDITIVE PACKAGE: Some members use the GM EOS or Valvoline Syn Power Oil Additive for the Zinc and Phosphorous additives.

M1 says it includes anti-wear agents including SuperSyn - a proprietary anti-wear system that "has astounding protective properties. Instead of breaking down during extreme high-stress, high-temperature conditions, the SuperSyn actually excels..."

SuperSyn was originally developed in response to the engine protection needs of drag racers running supercharged nitro-methane engines. The first use of experimental M1 with the additive package allowed their engines to last longer. NASCAR also used the new formula and "it provided incredible performance."

Check this out: ExxonMobil does NOT recommend the use of oil supplements with Mobil 1. 'According to the American Petroleum Institute (API) and Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), "certified oils eliminate the need for supplemental oil additives."'

Now, how much of this is science and how much is the protection of corporate interests is up for debate. I would like to know if there is any independent lab testing with contrary data. If any of you guys/gals believe supplements are necessary, please post the link to the scientific data so the rest of us can see the proof of a need for supplements (other than Vit C and B-complex...oops, wrong forum).

TURBO BENEFITS: M1 helps "prevent coking (oil literally turning to carbon) in an oil-cooled turbocharger" because it provides "high-temperature oxidation stability." Since turbo engines generate significantly higher temps, "especially in the area of the turbocharger bearings after engine shutdown...these elevated temperatures can cause coking of conventional motor oil."

ENGINE BREAK-IN: It is a "myth" that new engines need a break-in period using conventional motor oils. Summing up the info on this...in the past, engine break-in was necessary to remove metal flashing left inside the engine after machining.

"Today's engines are built with much tighter tolerances...much improved machining...under much cleaner conditions compared to engines of 10 or 20 (that's US) years ago. ...Mobil 1 has shown excellent results in industry standard ASTM tests" for rebuilt engines. "...these tests demonstrate that proper break-in using Mobil 1 is not a concern."

My feeling is that I would rather go with a conventional 30wt break-in and drive the first 1k miles on 30wt (easy on the turbo juice-no red line runs) before switching to a synthetic. Why? Cheaper and just a personal preference...as long as I did not punish the turbo. I guess if someone wanted to spend more money on synthetic as the break-in oil, and be able to spool up now and then knowing that the synthetic would protect the turbo, that would probably be okay too.

SEAL LEAKS: "Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. It is fully compatible elastomer materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made. If an older engine does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine." So, if you got a leak, fix it.

How did this idea of synthetic oil leaks get started? The Mobil brochure explains: 'Over 25 years ago, when Mobil 1 was first introduced during the energy crisis, it was a very low viscosity grade (5W-20) for optimizing fuel economy. At that time, engines were designed for much heavier grades of oil (e.g. 10W-40), and tolerances were much "looser" than in today's engines.

Ironically, the original formula in Mobil 1 in an older engine sometimes leaked out the sludge that was keeping oil from leaking. The result was that Mobil 1 literally leaked out of some engines.

...with engine designs produced since the mid-1970s, this phenomenon has totally disappeared.'

Whew! Hope that helps.

Steve

 

[CHANCE]

lot a votes for mobil1

 

[441120]

Specifically which Mobil 1 are you using?

Mobil 1 10w30
10 RWHP lol

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

Mobil 1 10w30
10 RWHP lol

My 10w40 Mobil drive clean was 11 RWHP more :wink: LOL

Mobile oil hasnt let me down in the last 10 years :biggrin:

BW

 

[Powder]

mobile 1, 10/30 in several vehicles. MLH

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Yea, mobile 1 is the $hit though. I cant complain. when i cant find amsoil around, i feel no less protected with 10w30 sythetic M1 in my honeys engine.... it is quality stuff.

 

[CHANCE]

mobil 1

 

[mikestertwo]

Kendall 10-40

 

[SloGN]

AmsOil is the best. thing to do is take a sample of oil and have it test after you have run it for x amount of miles.



Amsoil garrentees you safe protection my local dealer has gotten 400k on a 01 ford deisel 7.3L using amsoil changing the oil @ 25k and changing the filter @ 12.5K

i can run the oil in the buick for 3k and it's still pretty clean and slick. The only problem that i have is when i would run race gas or alky making the oil dirty faster.

If i only run 93 the oil stays clean for @ least 3k.


the state of tune the motor is in makes a big impact on how the oil breaks down in the engine also. like i stated above if i didn't run high boost along with the racegas or alky the oil stayed cleaner much longer.

 

[ronbuick]

You left out DELO to coincide with rotella??

Ron

 

[CHANCE]

This needs to be a sticky for quick ref. also we need a poll on spark plugs, oil filters and plug wires

 

[441120]

This needs to be a sticky for quick ref. also we need a poll on spark plugs, oil filters and plug wires

+1

 

[RUQWKNF]

Back when I was a Customer Service Rep for Ergon Oil Company in Mississippi (circa '97-2000), I sold the Base oil to all of the major Oil refineries/manufacturers around the country. Namely the big 4. Here are some things that I stashed away for future reference.
Every manufacturer uses their own proprietary blend of additive packages.
Valvoline bought the best and most refined base oil that was used in their conventional oil. This refined base oil was about 99% pure base oil and had a very clear but slightly yellow tint to it. It even smelled good. I was given a sample which I still have today that I use for a light gun oil. Even after 8 years, this base oil is still unchanged in color or viscosity.
Second was Castrol, which wasn't the same base oil, not quit as clear, but definitely better than the last place.
Third was Mobil, fourth was Pennzoil and last was Quaker State. When you would look at the different samples, the stuff that QS used in their conventional oil was atrocious looking. Had the color of molasses.
Now, when it comes to the Full Synthetic stuff, Mobil 1 was #1 and Valvoline was #2, Castrol #3.
I've always told people to use Valvoline for conventional oil, and Mobil 1 for Synthetic. Even my Evo MR came standard with Mobil 1 from Japan and it even says in the warranty paperwork that if you use any oil other than Mobil 1, they can void your warranty. There are many factory turbo cars that came standard with Mobil 1 synthetic. I have used conventional Valvoline 10w30 in all of my N/A vehicles and either Mobil 1 synthetic or Valvoline Syn Power in my turbo cars.
Here are a couple of links.
Valvoline.com - Products
Oils
Castrol USA - For You
Pennzoil
Quaker State: Products and Services: Passenger Car Motor Oil

Hope this helps.

Patrick

 

[zeus87gn]

I voted Mobil 1, but I believe it is synthetic?

I actually use Mobil high mileage 10W-40 with the seal conditioners.
I believe it is dino oil. Got it in all 4 of my vehicles.

Works great.

 

[turbov6joe]

After years of running Castrol in my LC2 powered cars I recently jumped ship and switched over to Rotella for the following reasons I think are valid.

Diesel oil in general is made for extreeme operating conditions and have many of the important additives that most gas motor oils have had to remove due to more stringent pollution standards. Rotella has been and is currently used in just about every large semi fleet in the nation. Diesel oil has to meet stricter standards for warranty reasons of the newer diesel motors...and these standards also apply to gas powered cars.

My neighbor is the fleet manager for Trans Am trucking and a former big truck mechanic. A good buddy of his is the head wrencher for their fleet there at TA. One day he and I were talking about the condition of the motors when they come in for their scheduled break down and reconditioning. This guy told me the following: When we were using another brand of diesel oil (not Rotella) the internals of our motors looked like crap and needed a lot more overhauling then expected. Since we switched over to nothing but Rotella, the internals typically look great and require substantially less service from us. He said since switching over to Rotella they have been able to lengthen the mileage of their service intervals with no adverse affect to the internals.

I have always run Rotella in my diesel trucks and have never had any problems with it. I fingered I'd give this Rotella thing a try in my TR and see what happens...can't loose anything other then some bearings

 

[Gary Wells]

Rotella has already cut back in the type of additives that we consider best for our cars, namely the anit-scuff agents/compounds, and if you shop at Wallyworld, you might have already seen the difference on the container design on the shelves. Pays to read & check before you buy. If you are running Mobil 1, take a look at the 00-40 weight, which does not carry the star on the container. I believe that it is the highest rated in addetive amount of mobil 1 oils.

 

[VadersV6]

Tried Mobil 1 in my cobra for 4000 miles. This is an EXTREMELY clean burning engine. I drained it out and it was like maple syrup. Black as tar and THICK. Smelled totally fried. Knowing how big business works, a fleet of car manufacturers running a specific brand, doesnt mean that this brand is the best. Its political. I was very unhappy with mobil 1.
Ive been VERY happy with
Redline
Royal Purple
Quaker State Q
Valvoline SYN.
Plus the additive spectrum is really good in all of these oils.
But dont use any synthetic for break in.
Dont run any oil that has the starburst symbol, cause its an EPA friendly oil that doesnt have enough additives to protect a flat tappet cam.
For supplements, I like Valvoline SYN treatment in the oil and marvel mystery oil in the gas. Both have tons of moly. I ran a few bottles of MM in my gas over the past 2 years, and the other day i popped off the gas cap, and theres a bright shiny ring of moly that the MM left around the O-ring. So it definetely coats the internals of the fuel system with moly. This last oil change, I added 1/3 bottle of lucas oil treatment and half a bottle of SYN treatment.
Whatever you do, dont ever run FRAM oil filters. They're JUNK. Not only is the filter element basically made from cardboard, it took me 3 HOURS to remove a FRAM filter that I had spun on, only hand tight, just the day before. It was totally seized on. I ended up tearing the filter completely to pieces, until all that was left was the metal ring that screws on. That thing had completely frozen on the filter hub. Took 3 hours of hammering and prying before I got it off. I was miserable to say the least. And yes, I had used new oil on the o-ring. Its the first time, and last time I used any FRAM product. I use K&N filters. I used motorcraft on my cobra. Those are really good filters, and K&N seems pretty comparable in terms of design.
I cant vote on this poll cause I use several of those oils depending on whats available at the parts store. This past time I ran some regular dino oil. Cant even remember what it was. But if you run synthetic for a long time, the cylinder walls/rings can glaze, and make leakdown get worse and worse with time, which also increases blow by and emissions. If you run 1 or 2 changes with dino oil a year, it can get rid of the wall glazing and improve leakdown substantially. This was something the mustang guys figured out with synthetics. Alot of people thought they were going to have to rebuild their engines cause the leakdown had gotten so bad. But after a few changes with dino oil every 500-1000 miles, their leakdown had improved from rebuild status to almost new engine numbers.

 

[turbov6joe]

Rotella has already cut back in the type of additives that we consider best for our cars, namely the anit-scuff agents/compounds, and if you shop at Wallyworld, you might have already seen the difference on the container design on the shelves. Pays to read & check before you buy. If you are running Mobil 1, take a look at the 00-40 weight, which does not carry the star on the container. I believe that it is the highest rated in addetive amount of mobil 1 oils.

It's been cut back yes, but it still has more of the good stuff then the name brand gas motor oils.

 

[JM_in_TX]

ROYAL PURPLE.
We used it in the bearings on some high HP high speed electric motors where I used to work. They ran for years (24/7) without the normally required bearing changes.
I started using it in my T-Type after I broke in the new engine on regular hydrocarbon oil. Still holding 25-30 psi at hot idle with 5w-20. I'm going to switch both of my other vehicles over to it. It also has the high pressure additives, especially the extreme duty stuff.

John

 

[conn84gn]

Ran Mobil 1 till I lost the aftermarket flat tappet cam/lifter.
Now Rotella for the Gn with another Flat tappet cam
Blew a head gasket so when I was in there checked the new cam and lifters
they were prefect after 3500 miles