What kind of Oil do you use?

u_s_marine said:

Mobil One --- If its good enough to be in porsches, corvette, etc....... Its good enough for my cars

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That's what I said @ the Rolex 24. My friend was on the pit crew for one of the GT3s and I got to sneak into the hot pits for a couple of stops/driver changes. They had all Mobil 1. So I was thinking, if it's good enough for a Porsche GT3R running for 24 hours straight at full tilt, it's gotta be good enough for my little daily driver Mustang that sees the track a couple times a month.

Castrol syntec. Good stuff.

Just keep it changed regularly.....there will be no problems in my opinion......

Personally, even though you already decided, I think they're all good. Mobil1 stay away from the 0 weight oil (just my opinion). I'm not sure about Royal Purple, but I know Mobil1 doesnt make a synthetic 5w20, but Amsoil does (and did before mobil made their 0w20). I've used Amsoil and Mobil, car seems to like Amsoil better (weeks squeak from 2nd to 3rd where with mobil they never did).
Gagan

MOBIL 1 5w30 i have had no problems with this oil ever in my car.

Roush21 said:

Owned is like a huge exclamation saying that what you said sucked and I came back over top to prove my point and made you look like a dumb ass. That's how you got owned. Another way you could get owned is if you bring that saleen over here and i blow the S281 emblems right off it How bout that?

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Dude, you are a joke!!! And a moron!!!
You've got a Cobra with Saleen parts, Roush parts and on top of that
a ugly paint job.
Do you even know what kind of car you drive anymore???
Talk about RICE. You've been playing Need for Speed underground too much.
Anytime you want to bring that (Cobra,Faleen,Foush) or whatever it is.
BRING IT!!!! How bout the 40TH??????? BRING IT!!!!!!!!

I use amsoil, it's good stuff and it lasts for about 25k miles. Only have to change the filter every couple thousand miles.

I run Amsoil in my vehicles as well. We use the long life stuff in my truck and the wife's car, and we go high miles between changes. (15k between full changes) Just do a filter change every 3 thousand miles and top it off. And the oil is actually pretty clean when we do change it out.

I run it in my Vortech'ed Mustang and it makes my SC really quiet. A lot quieter than a friend of mines with the exact same setup. And he uses conventional oil.

My dad had a 97 F-150 which he sold with 220,000km on it. The truck ran like a top and the only oil we ever used was regular 10-30 "No-Name" oil for like 2 dollars a liter. Seriously, I think changing your oil every 3k has more effect than the kind of oil you use.

As for my GT, I use Mobil 1 5-30 in it.

Whever I see a "Which oil is better" thread you can always bet there will be one amsoil fanatic..

"AMSOIL: It's not an oil, it's a religion!!"

(zips up flame suit )

Riley

it's not the oil that is important...it's the filter

if you change your oil and filter regularly it DOES NOT matter what BRAND of oil you use.

as far as amsoil being superiour...yes it is superiour in price

no "independent" test has been able to prove that one is better than the other. each company says that its oil is better than the other company. it is called marketing.

It seems like their was a post a week or so ago and somebody posted data and it rated all the top syns like MObil Castrol and the dino oils they did not have redline or RoyalP, but Amsoil came out on top every time sometimes with a commanding lead, by the way I am not a Amsoil user or seller ! If somebody has that post put it up I'll try and find it!

Here it that info and the link to the thread
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=426631&highlight=royal+purple

Even though these were Amsoil conducted this thread at the beginning where a tribiologist gives his input saying these weren't loaded tests.
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79898


The Big Oil Post
These are the most comprehensive and recent ones I could find. They date to March 2003 and May 2003. I will post the numbers, add a comment or two, and answer any questions you may care to pose. These tests were commisioned by Amsoil, but since they use standardized ASTM protocols, they could easily be verified, and any deception challenged. Based on my experiences with the products from all these companies, and the results of similar but less comprehensive tests posted elsewhere, these do not look doctored or suspect. But as I did not oversee them, I cannot and will not be accountable for any discrepancies, real or imagined. This was a lot of work to type, and I strived to get them right.

1. All the oils were 10w30 viscosity
2. The oils tested were:
Amsoil (syn)
Castrol GTX Drive Hard (mineral)
Valvoline Synpower (syn)
Mobil Drive Clean (min) - isn't this the rebadged Honda oil?
Pennzoil Purebase (min)
Quaker State (Syn)
Quaker State Peak Perf (min)
Castrol Syntec (syn)
Valvoline (min)
Pennzoil Synthetic (syn)
Mobil1 SuperSyn (syn)

The following ASTM tests were run:
Thin-film Oxygen Uptake ( D-4742)
High Temp/High Shear ( D-4683)
NOACK Volatility ( D-5900)
Pout Point (D-97)
Total Base Number (D-2896)
Cold Cranking Simulator D-5293)
4-Ball Wear (D-4172)
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Test 1: Thin Film Oxygen Uptake:
Measures the oxidation stability of an oil.
The induction time (break point) in minutes is measured. The test uses standard amounts of fuel dilution, soluble metals, and water to offer a real-world applicability.

Results for this test(all units in minutes):
Amsoil: >500 (no break)
Mobil1: 397
Pennzoil Purebase: 242
Castrol Syntec: 221
Valvoline: 219
Vavoline SynPower: 211
Mobil Drive Clean: 209
Quaker State Peak Performance: 192
Pennzoil Synthetic: 159
Quaker State Synthetic: 159
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 132

Test 2: High Temperature/High Shear (HT/HS)
Measures a lube's performance under severe heat and shear (mechanical stress) as would be found in the journal bearings under heavy load. The units displayed are viscosity based, using the centipose unit (cP). The minimum spec for a 30w is 2.9 cP.

Results for this test (all units in cP):
Amsoil: 3.51
Quaker State Peak Performance: 3.37
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 3.35
Vavoline SynPower: 3.30
Mobil1: 3.30
Valvoline: 3.30
Mobil Drive Clean: 3.28
Pennzoil Purebase: 3.16
Quaker State Synthetic: 3.15
Pennzoil Synthetic: 3.14
Castrol Syntec: 3.13

Test 3: NOACK Volatility.
Measures the evaporative loss of lubricants in high temperature conditions. The higher the number, the thicker the lubricant will become. API SL and GF-3 specs allow for a 15% evaporation limit. In this test, obviously, lower is better. Syns almost always have an advantage due to their monomolecularity.

Results for this test (% weight loss):
Amsoil: 4.86
Vavoline SynPower: 7.03
Castrol Syntec: 7.77
Quaker State Synthetic: 7.80
Pennzoil Synthetic: 8.15
Mobil1: 8.92
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 8.93
Quaker State Peak Performance: 10.63
Mobil Drive Clean: 10.83
Pennzoil Purebase: 10.93
Valvoline: 12.18

Test 4: Pour Point
This test reveals the lowest temperature at which a lubricant will flow when cooled under test conditions. The lower, the better the product will perform in getting from the oil pan to the upper oil galleys, and in providing oil pressure quickly. Synoils generally are the best, because they are free of wax crystals, but today's mineral oils are better refined to remove wax impurities, and use advanced pour point depressant additives to help offset the synoils' intrinsically better properties.

Results for this test (all units in degrees Centigrade):
Amsoil: -48
Mobil1: -46
Vavoline SynPower: -46
Castrol Syntec: -43
Pennzoil Synthetic: -40
Quaker State Synthetic: -40
Pennzoil Purebase: -37
Valvoline: -37
Mobil Drive Clean: -37
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: -37
Quaker State Peak Performance: -34

Test 5: Total Base Number (TBN)
TBN displays the lubricant's reserve alkalinity, and is, of course, the opposite of TAN (total acid number). A high TBN will help resist the formation of acids from sulfur and other sources. It is also a good indicator of reserve resistance to oxidation. The higher the number, the superior ability to suspend contaminants and the greater the ability to provide long-drain intervals
Results for this test (all units in mg KOH/g):
Amsoil: 12.34
Vavoline SynPower: 11.38
Castrol Syntec: 10.39
Pennzoil Synthetic: 9.73
Mobil1: 8.57
Valvoline: 7.88
Quaker State Synthetic: 7.82
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 7.74
Mobil Drive Clean: 7.71
Quaker State Peak Performance: 7.55
Pennzoil Purebase: 7.40

RR's comments: I was very impressed with all the oils, as the mineral oils have significantly improved, consistent with previous comments about how mineral oils are closing in, and that the GF-3 spec has resulted in very good performing products. Mobil1's showing is the best i have seen for that product, which usually was in the 5-6 range previously. It certainly also supports my previous comments that the 3K oil change "necessity" is out of place with current technology. Like an enema for a dead man, while it may not help to do a 3K change, it wouldn't hurt I guess.

Test 6: Cold Crank Sumulator
This one determines the apparent viscosity of the oils at low temperatures and high shear rates, simulating the dreaded cold start. It has direct applicability to engine cranking, the lower the number the better in terms of stress on the battery, starter, etc. A 10w is tested at -25degF and must show a vis <7000 cP to pass.

Results for this test (all units cP at -25degC):
Pennzoil Synthetic: 3538
Amsoil: 3590
Mobil1: 3967
Quaker State Synthetic: 4142
Vavoline SynPower: 4541
Quaker State Peak Performance: 4620
Castrol Syntec: 4783
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 5804
Pennzoil Purebase: 5936
Mobil Drive Clean: 6448
Valvoline: 6458

RR Comments: If you live and drive your car in very cold climates, the advantage of the synoils is obvious. Keep in mind that the NOACK performance figures here as well, as this tests hows the performance of fresh oil - after a few thousand miles, the oils with higher volatility will likely have thickened, unless there has been high dilution from fuel, such as can occur if excessive startup idling warmups are employed.


Test 7: Four Ball Wear
This one is a good indicator of the wear protection of a lubricant, although in the real-world it is should be factored in with the TBN of the oil. Three metal balls are clamped together, and a rotating 4th one is pressed against them in sliding contact. A scar is produced, since at some point the film strength (resistance to being squeezed out) of the oil will be exceeded. The scar is then measured, and the smaller the average wear scar, the better. This test is affected by both the base stock of the oil, and its additive package.

Results for this test (all units in inches):
Amsoil: 0.40
Castrol Syntec: 0.45
Vavoline SynPower: 0.55
Quaker State Synthetic: 0.55
Mobil Drive Clean: 0.55
Pennzoil Synthetic: 0.60
Mobil1: 0.60
Valvoline: 0.60
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 0.60
Quaker State Peak Performance: 0.60
Pennzoil Purebase: 0.65


RR Comments: Amsoil and Castrol Syntec are the clear frontrunners, indicating excellent chemistry and use of anti-wear additives. Once again, the high performance of the mineral oils against the 2nd tier synoils is notable, although one cannot dismiss the superiroity of the synoils across the board.

However, it is also admirable how well many of the mass-produced mineral oils fared. If you do frequent oil changes, they are very worth considering. The gap between synoil and the hydro-isomerized GIII mineral oils has significantly narrowed, especially when the GF-3 spec was implemented.

I've used Havoline for years (in 2 vehicles), but recently switched to the Mobil 1 5W-30 dinojuice. I honestly can't notice any differences, and my gas mileage has remained the same.

Mike98GT said:

Those specs don't mean jack to me. I like to see every day people telling their experience with the oil they use every day.

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everyone has their own different opinion. you can't go wrong with mobil 1, amsoil, castrol, valvaline.....etc.

that test looks good on paper, but in real world senerio's it won't make a BIG enough difference, at least you won't be able to tell after you pour it in. regaurdless of which brand you choose, your car will/should still run the same. amsoil is a great product and some people run it for 15k miles before changing the oil(they do change the filter every 4-5k) and they don't have any problems. if you can justify spending the extra money, then go for it. it is kinda like a peace of mind insurance to some people. if you change your oil at 3-5k like most of us, then you would be wasting money "in my opinion"....i use mobil 1 because it is cheap. i've used royal purple, redline, castrol, amsoil, mobil 1, penzoil, valvaline..etc. and i could not tell a difference in any way. it's your choice. if you are the type of person that only wants the best for their car, buy amsoil!

good post true blue!

I'm sorry but in auto performance specs are everything. Your motor is built to specs, bolts are torqued to spec. Most oils you put in your motor won't make you feel any different anytime as far as sensing or noticing things. But its whats going on inside that matters and that is why you have specs VOILA SCience at its best! I'm not saying that this is the say all and end all to oil but it certainly lets you know what the differences are. But I think with any oil the best thing you can do is regular, scheduled maintenance!

MAn I sound anal in that last post Don't take that the wrong way

Motorcraft 5w20 + Motorcraft FL-820S filter. Changed at 500 and 3000 miles. Looks like I'll finally hit 6000 miles this weekend, so it'll get changed again then.

Edit - I'll switch to Mobil1 if they ever come out with a 5w-20.

mobil 1 10W-30 synthetic and motorcraft filter every 3,000 miles. doing it myself costs about the same as taking it somewhere. I would rather know I did it myself and have better oil than somethin cheap.