1500+ km GC impression on Focus

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hi there,

I am the guy who said a while ago that he was underwhelmed. Things seem to have changed in my car.

I have noticed the following in a positive way:

1) Milage was not affected negatively, car still gets summer gas fuel efficicency despite it being winter.
2) Drove 1000+ km at 120-160 km average speeds and car did not seem to burn any oil, nor did the colour seem to darken much according to the dipstick. A number of cold starts also.
3) The engine got smoother in stop and go traffic. When I first poured it in, the car would vibrate at idle, etc. I think the ECU has now gotten used to it. Now the car idles smoother than before at stops and I don't notice the idle needle jerking around. This is good because I have an underdrive pulley, so perhaps some compensation is taking place here. I am happy about point 3, my car feels better as a result.
4) It seems easier to maintain a constant rpm without it spinning up and down as much.

Negatively:

1) Car still drives like it's a brick. What I mean by this is that in stop and go traffic, it does not zoom up the rpms as fast as the Canadian Tire 100% Synth 5w30 I was using before. This means moving out from a stop is slower. Car also feels like it has more inertia or heavy mass while driving, like if I hit something it would do more damage.

So I think A3 ratings are great. I would like to try a full synth A3 rated 0w20 or 5w20 just see if it is more rev happy but I don't think any exist. I need to get those revs up quicker, so I can get needed torque happening. Looking at some specs, QS 5w30 might be worth looking at, it's a A3 10.50 whereas 0w30 GC is 12 something. Both QS and Pennzoil 5w20 full synths meet the Ford spec, the Mobil 1 0w20 gets 2.61 HTHS while Pennzoil gets 2.70 which I find interesting.

Of course, none of these products are yet available on the Canadian market that I can see other than the GC. I feel frustruated by this. Probably the Ford dealers don't have full synth 5w20 either. Royal Purple 5w20 MIGHT be available at a store I've not been to.

Oh, something Mobil 1 is doing here now, they're now bundling their oil in 4.5 or 5 litre jugs. I don't like that, more is not always better if one uses 4 litres at a time for oil changes.

So yeah. I'm ok with GC but do wish it revved faster. That's why people myself included feel it has lost the car some power.

You know what I also wonder? Given that Shell makes Quaker State and Pennzoil, and the Canadian Tire stuff, if I was buying 100% Synth, does this mean I was already getting essentially QS/PZ or something different just for C.T.?
 
I don't think they are a big enough customer to get a special brew from Shell.

I asked Shell and Can.Tire some questions during the holidays season, so we will have to wait a little before we can get the answer.

Are we going to resolve that Can Tire oil mystery ??
 
I posted similar results awhile ago concerning GC in my sons Focus Zetec 2.0 DOHC. Engine was smooth and quiet, but down on gas mileage and spunk.

If you are going to pop for a synthetic, try Torco SR-1 5W-20. A full sysnthetic oil that is on the "thin" side of 20W. Better MPG and butt dyno. Under $5 a qt. delivered to your door (ordered from companies website). Synergyn 0W-20 is also a great full synthetic match for the Zetec.

The best bang for the buck IMO is Exxon Superflo 5W-20. Also on the "thin" side, a little over a buck a qt and UOA seeme to be good. Ny son used it one time, and car ran great and mpg was up there also.

[ January 02, 2004, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: tenderloin ]
 
Technarch,

Please give more details about your car. What type of engine (displacement) do you have? From previous post it appears that GC might not work as well in Fords but it might be the ideal oil for an engine such as the LS1 that has wide tolerances. I find your post interesting.
 
Engine type: 16-valve, DOHC In-line 4; 2.0 liters

Crank Horsepower: 130 @ 5,300 rpm

Crank Torque: 135 @ 4,500 rpm

Compression Ratio: 9.6:1

Displacement (cu in/cc): 121/1988

When I got the engine (2000) it was requiring 5w30 for warranty purposes. After 2000, Ford then started requiring 5w20 for warranty purposes for the exact same engine.

Tenderloin: Thanks for recommending those oils. I'm not a big fan of mail ordering oil though, prefer to buy it at the store, usually at the last minute. I don't think any of those 3 are available here. There is Esso at Walmart, but it's dino oil. Though, I could always check out an Esso station to see if they have a better selection.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Brett Miller:
I don't think you can get a 0w20 or 5w20 oil with the A3 rating. Hopefully Tooslick will chime in and help.

You definitely will not find a 20wt oil with the A3 rating, since in order to get an HTHS of 3.5 or more you would definitely need an oil that is a mid 30wt. There is absolutely no way an oil thinner than 9.3cst at 100c could get an HTHS that high. Most A3 rated oils are 10.5cst or more. (it's more common to see them 11 or more actually)

[ January 02, 2004, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: Patman ]
 
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