What’s your favorite motor oil?

[Stephen]

Regular oil is change at 3k as it’s already black by then.. full synthetic seems to last way longer.. It’s normally still very clean at 5k and I keep a close eye on it after and my anxiety just won’t let me go past 7-8k (I think I’m stuck in the old Dino oil days).. but even when I drain at those miles it’s kinda dark but not black.. it’s like a very clean dark if that makes any sense..

[Tx Redneck]

Regular oil is change at 3k as it’s already black by then.. full synthetic seems to last way longer.. It’s normally still very clean at 5k and I keep a close eye on it after and my anxiety just won’t let me go past 7-8k (I think I’m stuck in the old Dino oil days).. but even when I drain at those miles it’s kinda dark but not black.. it’s like a very clean dark if that makes any sense..

I've read numerous articles about the ability to run 15-20k on your standard synthetic, you just need to change the filter every 5-8k depending on the conditions you typically drive in.

[War Machine]

Castrol edge and Purolator filter

[Gasser64]

Regular oil is change at 3k as it’s already black by then.. full synthetic seems to last way longer.. It’s normally still very clean at 5k and I keep a close eye on it after and my anxiety just won’t let me go past 7-8k (I think I’m stuck in the old Dino oil days).. but even when I drain at those miles it’s kinda dark but not black.. it’s like a very clean dark if that makes any sense..

Back to bobistheoilguy, they'll tell you that they could make a filter that would clog in 1k miles. From all that junk that it removed from your oil. So maybe they could make that filter 5x larger and it would keep your oil squeaky clean. But then the oil wore out and lost it's viscosity.

[renold5]

Rotella if Mobil 1 is not available.

[mikeb]

Pennzoil blurred the lines on what constitutes a synthetic oil when they sued (and lost) claiming that Castrol was marketing their Syntec oil as a synthetic oil even though it wasn't made from a group 4 PAO base stock - it was made from highly refined group 3 base stocks.

The court decision may not have been that far off - the bad old days of coking up a motor on waxy Pennzoil or Valvoline are over (unless you never change it). Any group 3 base stock based oil meeting the current API rating is a very good oil.

I personally use Mobil 1 in everything because I've had zero issues running it. My old Jeep also gets a can of STP added in because it has a flat tappet cam and needs the zinc. Its got 258,000 miles on it and its still going.

[kingjason]

I've read numerous articles about the ability to run 15-20k on your standard synthetic, you just need to change the filter every 5-8k depending on the conditions you typically drive in.

This. My buddys dad ran a very upstanding shop in Cedar Hill at one point. He changed his synthetic ever 10k with filter changes in the middle. He sent his oil out for analysis all the time and it was always in good shape. I use Mobile One Synthetic in things I change myself. Hell I just put Mobile 1 synthetic ATF in my Z3 and now it shifts like butter. Really smoothed up the ole 5 speed. That car came from the factory 19 years ago recommending 10k oil changes. The tranny was supposed to be lifetime never needing service, but well, it liked the new juice. Although I think I saw that meant never serviced during the warranty service period.

[SS Junk]

I drove an '85 Camaro from 23K to 210K using Pennzoil. Faithful oil changes and even though it was a V6 I dogged the shit out of it. Now use Quaker State for the cars and Rotella T5 for the bike.

[Grape]

This right here, I never go past 5k-7k miles, even using synthetic. I'm sure GRAPE can confirm what a mechanic/truck series driver once told me. He had a NASTRUCK and trans am race car, he was changing the oil after a race and the the oil was clean looking, I was like, you can't get another race out of it, your oil looks new (dual oil filter set up), he was like don't let the looks fool you, its been broken down, the filters are keeping it clean looking. That race motor is expensive and oil is cheap. He only used Valvoline too...

race oils are always clean because they have no detergents, detergents can make them detonate..........same reason why folks should stay away from diesel oil in high performance stuff. however, our engines we build i tell our customers, if it looks and smells fine, it probably is. and this oil is in engines that make over 3.5 hp per inch N/A. and that valvoline stuff is decent but technology has passed it by, nobody runs crazy loose bearing clearances anymore that require a 20/50. most are using mobil 1 race 0-50.....atleast we are in the indycar deal.

[Strychnine]

There are new API oil standards rolling out May 1, and I have some downtime today (and don't have the 'rona), so I figured I'd bump this thread. I generally play with fuels, but sometimes dabble in oils. My counterpart who's an lube oil expert sent over API's newest 2020 guide. This might help someone in the future when trying to make decisions in the engine lube oil realm.

Here's the summary:

The attached brochure describes the API system of licensing motor oils. Sometimes the jargon gets way too difficult, so this kind of puts it in a digestible format. It talks first about the "Starburst" and the new "Shield" for 0W-16 oils. These symbols are what the OEMs put in their owners manuals. When a new category is authorized they don't change so the consumer always is buying the latest technology. Once the "first licensing" date arrives blenders can claim to meet GF-6 on the front of the bottle - but the consumer looks for the unchanging Starburst or Shield. A year after first licensing, the older technology (GF-5) can no longer show the symbols. Licensed oils must also display the Doughnut on the back which tells which API category the oil met. GF-5 has an API counterpart called API SN. May 1 is first licensing day for GF-6. Bottles will appear with the Starburst and Shield as well as the doughnut showing API SN for the older technology and API SP for the newest GF-6 technology. May 1, 2021 the API SN oils will no longer be allowed to be distributed with the Starburst or Shield.

Fun fact: The SA category oils, not for use in engines made after 1930, can still be found on the shelf in some dollar stores and other places.





And just in case someone searches for this later, here's other base oil 'group' info I'd posted in the past that may help:

When you make the base oils for lube oils there are different Group classifications. Don't worry about the nitty gritty, but the molecules in Groups 1-3 are traditional petroleum based (longer hydrocarbon chains form petroleum that are refined and hydrocracked down into the length needed). Group 3+ is "Gas to liquid" (shorter hydrocarbon chains from natural gas that are reacted into to longer chains, at an exact length). Group 4 and 5 are engineered from ethylene.


Mineral = Groups 1,2 for all intents and purposes
VHVI = Group 3 (this is the majority of engine oils)
PAO = Group 4

[Stephen]

On sale until 5/10 for the diy guys!

[red89notch]

Fun fact: The SA category oils, not for use in engines made after 1930, can still be found on the shelf in some dollar stores and other places.

Golden State oil in the yellow bottle! I use that shit in everything!

[Ruffdaddy]

On sale until 5/10 for the diy guys!

Now I won't charge them to take it...but trying to claim I should pay them $21 for that is absurd. Don't they know its 2Q2020?