2004 Pontiac GTO - Valvoline Maxlife

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Hi, all. I have a 2004 Pontiac GTO that I'm currently using to commute to work. My daily commute is 120 miles round trip, 110 miles or so is steady, 70mph highway.

The manufacturer recommends Mobil 1 5w30 synthetic, however... I've tried many others including Royal Purple, Pennzoil Platinum, and Mobil 1 0w30.

I was spending a good bit of money on oil changes (which I did roughly 6k-8k miles), so I decided to give something new a try: Valvoline Maxlife synthetic-blend for high mileage motors (I'm just shy of 75k on the odo). Will there be any ill effect from making this change? I plan on sending a sample to Blackstone once I drain this batch.

I also switched from K&N oil filters to WIX. Half the price I was paying before! :)

This is the first day since the oil change, and the engine's former valvetrain racket seems to have become muffled. I assume this is because the 0w30 was a bit thinner, but the valvetrain used to be very loud even when the car was at operating temps. She just sounds healthier now. I'm wondering if this is all in my head though.

Anyways, I just wanted to see if there is anything wrong with switching to a semi-synthetic or if it will offer less protection than the others. I did a little bit of research before joining, and mixing seemed to be ok.

Thanks for reading my mini-novel.
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I don't think its all in your head but check back after 1000 miles. I notice the same thing right after an oil change too. Maxlife syn blend is a great oil and has a robust add pack too. Wix is a great oil filter so you sure have a great combo and 1/2 the price of your prior changes to boot.
 
1000 miles? I'll let you guys know next week then! :D

Thanks for the reassurance. I did a little research on Maxlife/WIX which is why I went that route. I'll probably go until the car's service alert to change the oil comes up or 8k miles (whichever comes first).

I'm hoping the oil will be good for at least 6k. That's not too optimistic, is it?
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Nice car, I too have an 04 GTO. I drive mine as my daily driver in the spring/summer and then switch over to my truck for the fall winter months but I only drive about 80mi round trip for my daily commute.

Even though the factory fill was M1, the 04 GTO LS1 does not require a synthetic oil. The only factory spec required is the GM6094M spec.

http://www.gm.com/corporate/responsibility/environment/maintenance/gm_approved_engine_oils.pdf

I have ran dino in my GTO when I was in a pinch and had to have the dealership do the OC and I didn't feel like paying the price for a full synth change. However, I never ran it more than 3k before the next OCI.

The only thing I have seen from the Valvoline products is that they don't seem to hold up to longer OCI's like the M1 and PP do based on some UOAs I have seen on this site.
 
That GTO calls for M1 oil because it needs an oil that is GM 4718M-certified for high-temp protection. It's your engine, but I wouldn't use anything other than a high-quality synthetic in it.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
That GTO calls for M1 oil because it needs an oil that is GM 4718M-certified for high-temp protection. It's your engine, but I wouldn't use anything other than a high-quality synthetic in it.


I agree and would recommend a syn oil in that motor over a dino and/or blend. I was only stating the 6094M spec because that is all that is stated as a requirement in the OM.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
That GTO calls for M1 oil because it needs an oil that is GM 4718M-certified for high-temp protection. It's your engine, but I wouldn't use anything other than a high-quality synthetic in it.


I read that all the time, but I had an '04 GTO that I bought new and I'm not aware of any evidence that it came with M1 or that there is any requirement that synthetic oil be used in the LS1 in that application.

The manual only specified GM6094M.

Despite that, I awitched to Havoline Synthetic 10/30 at about 700 miles, and ran that exclusively except for one interval of Lucas 5/30 synthetic, and the beginning of one interval of Amsoil 10/30.

Mine never consumed a drop of oil, and never piston slapped until I put the Amsoil in it, when it began to very faintly piston slap on cool / cold mornings. It had about 30K on it at that time when I traded it for the G8.

The valvetrain on your car should be very quiet, at least mine was.

They're great cars, If I can find another '04 like mine that has not been beaten on by some kid, I will buy it.
 
I wouldn`t even use Maxlife. Just use white bottle if you wanna use Valvoline. I don`t consider 75k high miles,especially on that beast of a motor.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I'll be sticking with Maxlife for now. I'll post the results from Blackstone when I get them back. It'll be a couple months though.

Honestly, I think the Maxlife will provide ample protection for my engine. Perhaps even better than Mobil1 0w30 did.

quick question: I've been told that highway miles are easier on a motor than city miles, thus you can get more time between oil changes. Is this true? If it is, will the oil change monitor be able to tell the difference, or does it simply go by miles (such as every 5k miles, service engine oil light)?
 
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You'll be fine, I had an 05 GTO with the LS2-it came with Mobil 1 in it from the factory. But if it doesnt specify it anywhere that it MUST have a synthetic, then the Maxlife will be fine. You could just get the synthetic Maxlife and satisfy both requirements.
 
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Originally Posted By: Win
Despite that, I awitched to Havoline Synthetic 10/30 at about 700 miles


Where did you find it? I can't find Chevron/Havoline synthetic for a reasonable price to save my life.
 
Cool.

Honestly, I was just getting tired of spending a hefty amount of money on oil changes (which I do often since I drive so much). 6.5qts synthetic + K&N oil filter was a lot.

This Maxlife and WIX filter was roughly half of what I'd normally spend.
cool.gif
 
My offering is that if you feel you spent too much on oil changes, you were changing them too often. With your commute, if you insist on 6k oil changes (did I read that correctly) then the cheapest spec oil you can find is your best bet. You're so in the sweet spot for way too long to fatigue oil in any conventional sense.

No warmup/start up wear ratio to speak of. Therefore no filter loading per mile quotient to speak of. No fuel dilution factor to speak of. No moisture aspect to factor in. You're down to virtual straight line durability considerations ..and getting your money's worth out of that aspect alone.
 
I thought that is a GM vehicle came with M1 from the factory, it was because it required it for high-temperature protection.

Vehicles that don't need a 4718M oil don't come with it from the factory. If it came with M1 in it, or it says M1 rec. on the cap, it needs a 4718M oil for high-temp protection. Its very cut and dry on this - no guess work involved.

Again, I don't understand people who make the effort to buy a high-buck performance car, and then desperately try to cheap out on the maintenance.....BUT if this car doesn't need a 4718M oil, then you have made an excellent choice of oil - Maxlife is great stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
My offering is that if you feel you spent too much on oil changes, you were changing them too often. With your commute, if you insist on 6k oil changes (did I read that correctly) then the cheapest spec oil you can find is your best bet. You're so in the sweet spot for way too long to fatigue oil in any conventional sense.

No warmup/start up wear ratio to speak of. Therefore no filter loading per mile quotient to speak of. No fuel dilution factor to speak of. No moisture aspect to factor in. You're down to virtual straight line durability considerations ..and getting your money's worth out of that aspect alone.

Gary,

Thanks for responding! I tried my best to change oil in the 6-8k range. Do you think I should wait 'til the service engine oil light comes on? I reset it every oil change, even if it doesn't come on. If not, how long?

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Again, I don't understand people who make the effort to buy a high-buck performance car, and then desperately try to cheap out on the maintenance.....BUT if this car doesn't need a 4718M oil, then you have made an excellent choice of oil - Maxlife is great stuff.

I wouldn't consider the GTO a high dollar performance car, but either way, I don't see why I should spend twice the amount of money for the same protection. You said yourself that Maxlife is good stuff. :)
 
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Gary,

Thanks for responding! I tried my best to change oil in the 6-8k range. Do you think I should wait 'til the service engine oil light comes on? I reset it every oil change, even if it doesn't come on. If not, how long?


(faint visions of HAL telling them to reinstall the unit and allow it to fail)

Try this. Do your regular oil changes the way you have been. DON'T reset the service minder. Record when it goes off and then reset it then and when you change the oil next. When you get that figure, you should have a decent idea on how long you can go with spec'd oil. If it's too long for you (stress-wise), you can either continue what you're doing, or get a more robust oil to go deeper into that span.

..but no matter what, get your money's worth out of the oil.
 
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