Which brand of engine oil did you choose?

gm runs mineral oil, and recommends going to 10% OLM. i find the engine gets thrashy below 65% with mineral oil, which equals 10,000 km for me. i picked up two jugs of pennzoil synthetic oil on sale for $27 yesterday, and it's only a few bucks more than mineral oil. i find synthetic makes the engine run smoother. syn flows better at low temps, so oil pressure comes up quicker to lessen wear, and the engine turns over easier.

i've spoken to lube engineers and they've told me that mineral oil gets slicker when you run *over* 3000 miles. 5k is not a problem. the base oil is fine, it's the detergents and additives that get used up. the latest api service rating is 'SN'. redline, royal purple, and amsoil are very high quality, and belong in race engines, not malibus.

i used to run syn to 10,000km, and change the filter at 5,000 km. what i've learned is that the detergents in the oil keep dirt in suspension - so it's SUPPOSED to be black - and the particles are too fine to be filtered. so changing the filter between oil changes is pointless.

i want to know how to reset the olm...

I decided on Pennzoil Ultra and a NAPA Platinum filter and then change oil and filter twice a year which should come to 3,000 miles or so. Lots of short trips, less than 5 miles to work, across town shopping or whatever. I'm a dealer tech and just can't wrap my arms around the OLM system. I watched an Emerging Issues segment over a year ago and a guy that wrote the algorithm for the OLM was interviewed. He said the algorithm is conservative. If you ran the OLM to 0%, reset it and ran to 80%, the oil would be 'used up'. Okay, I'm no engineer but I do see what happens to these engines at relatively low miles and when rings are frozen by deposits on the pistons ( a good number of V8's ) and the 3.6 with it's timing chain wear issues, I just have to think something isn't right. Using 7,500 miles as an example, if you put that on during highway driving in 6 weeks or whether it's done in a year of short trips with little highway driving is a big difference. I bought 6 different oil filters, cut them open and just by what I saw, chose the NAPA Platinum. Between reading BITOG and The Motor Oil Bible I decided on Pennzoil Ultra. I'm not convinced Mobil1 is top dog but I have no proof to back that up, just my personal opinion and nothing more. For those that might want to know, there is an Ultraguard filter under the ACDelco brand, the UPF48R which is used on the late model Corvette. Some of the Ultraguard line has what appears to be a synthetic media, however the UPF48R does not. The ADBV is different and the can and plate are heavier but the filter media looks the same. If you haven't read BITOG and The Motor Oil Bible, they are worth the time to read and if nothing else, they should provoke some thought on oil and filters. For those that wish to get all they can out of their oil, oil analysis is probably a good idea but even then it is only a guide. I'd also add that a drain plug with a good magnet in it can't hurt even if it does no real good, whatever is on it when you drain the oil isn't circulating through the engine until you drain the oil. Just my 2 cents.

I've run Mobil 1 5w30 in my 01 Impala LS since new for 8+ years before handing it over to my brother. Had my tC and used the Toyota 5w20, Xterra ran everything from Valvoline Synpower, Mobil 1, QS, Pennzoil YB/Plat, G6 with Mobil 1 0w30, Formula Shell 5w30 etc.

And you know what? It doesn't matter what you run! So long as the oil you run meets manufacturer's recommendations(11 Bu owners need to run a "Dexos" certified oil to keep warranty), and change your oil in a timely manner. Meaning if you follow the OLM or do it every 5-10k(conventional - Synthetic). Just don't go 24,000 miles on conventional. I've heard horror stories about people who never even changed their oil for years(excess of 50k+ miles) and their engines are either sludged up or knocking/sound like they are on their last legs. BITOG is a great place to learn about oil and has a plethora of results in their UOA/VOA section on oils.

So in review, run an oil that:

-Meets Manufacturer recommendations(Dexos for 11+ GM cars).
-Reasonable OCI
-Cheapeast oil/sale oil that meets those standards!

Pocket the difference and buy yourself a case of beer or a coffee and enjoy it while you tinker on your car.

ThePhotographer said:

Amsoil isn't approved in the 5th generation camaros or corvettes, and I wouldn't use Pennzoil in my Briggs and Stratton engines. Every V8 Camaro and Vette comes with mobil1 from the factory.

I don't think censoring a thread ( or closing it ) because you don't like Mobil1 is the American Way!

Click to expand...

I use AMSoil in my '11 V6. If you read the owner's manual where it talks about the oil and warranty you'll notice it says that an equivalent may be used and still be under warranty. AMSoil meets or exceeds that standard so it meets warranty requirements. Silver's comment about Mobil1 tells you his experience with it and uncovers any research or evidence he's found.

Your comment about closing your Mobil1 thread runs just a leeeeetle bit towards inciting. He commented on how many threads there must be about oil and then closed it. He also said in his comment he was closing it.

Sorry about that - but he beat me to it. It is our duty to help keep this forum organized. Occasionally that means merging like threads together, or in the case of yours that had no real comments yet, closing it. So, if that doesn't meet with your approval we apologize all over ourselves, but that's what we have to do.

You'll be able to help save us a little effort along those lines if you'll do a little research by using the Search function instead of starting new threads that have been discussed thoroughly. If you start more don't be surprised if every once in a while they might get merged. That won't mean that you didn't look; it'll just mean that when you looked you weren't able to find it. We don't get paid for our efforts so it's obvious that we do it because we care about this site. Please join us in showing appreciation and respect for all the other members.

One of your posts says you're retired military, and your Eagle avatar suggests that you're a red-blooded, flag-waving Patriot. What was done wasn't anti-American at all. It was simply common sense. If common sense is no longer considered a part of the American Way then that's not a problem. We'll continue using common sense on this site.

Please take a look at your comment and see just how grating it was and why it got a response like this. We have a zero-tolerance policy about calling people names. In the past it was tolerated a little, very little, but as the membership has grown it has also encompassed many more personalities. On the internet some folks (personalities) feel like they're safer because their real identity isn't known so they pop off and stir things up. We're an active site and that just ain't gonna go on no mo'.

It's more than just American to keep things decent - it's elevated to the level of being truly Godly!