2013 Cruze 1.4

[Ovalnut]

I've been picking up dexos oil here and there whenever i see a decent deal.
On the shelf now I've got
Magnatec 5w30
M1 AFE 0w30
RGT 5w30

Which one should I pour in next? It being winter I feel like m1 afe is the reasonable choice and save the others for summer but just wanting opinions.
vehicle has 104k highway mostly..

 

[pbm]

I agree with using the M1 0w30 in the winter although Tennessee doesn't get too cold.
I'd use the RGT in summer because it's on the thick side of 30 weight IIRC...I don't know
the viscosity @ 100*C for the Magnatec.

I had the first year (2011) Cruze with that 1.4T....I liked the engine but I had to trade it in
due to a horrible coolant odor (and loss of coolant) which Chevy could do nothing about.

 

[Ovalnut]

I agree with using the M1 0w30 in the winter although Tennessee doesn't get too cold.
I'd use the RGT in summer because it's on the thick side of 30 weight IIRC...I don't know
the viscosity @ 100*C for the Magnatec.

I had the first year (2011) Cruze with that 1.4T....I liked the engine but I had to trade it in
due to a horrible coolant odor (and loss of coolant) which Chevy could do nothing about.

Thanks.
I've lucked up with my Cruze so far, havent seen any of the common problems found over on cruzetalk. My time is probably coming though..

 

[ssspencerjr]

My wife has a 2016 Trax with the same engine. I managed to pick up about 30 quarts of Rotella Gas Truck for next to nothing, and I have a 2017 Malibu with a 1.5T. Might just use all of it in those cars plus my Silverado.

 

[JT20]

That car shouldn't be too picky on oil, any 5W-30 should work. M1 0W-30 could be a great choice for it.

 

[ssspencerjr]

That car shouldn't be too picky on oil, any 5W-30 should work. M1 0W-30 could be a great choice for it.

I wondered about using that, and going off book for my newer vehicles. I live in SC and it gets WARM in the summers.

 

[Ovalnut]

Thanks guys, about the responses I was expecting..I'll pour it in. Castrol edge 5w30 will be coming out, I may report back on any observations..I expect/hope to gain a couple tenths of mpg..

 

[JT20]

I wondered about using that, and going off book for my newer vehicles. I live in SC and it gets WARM in the summers.

Well, the thing about it is, the W number isn't as relevant in warm weather as cold. 0W, 5W, dare I say it, 10W.. you in South Carolina, you're getting optimal flow with virtually any W number (what is your coldest in winter? Do you see snow, could incidate gets below 32F..?) - I gave M1 0W-30 AFE a shot and I look forward to doing it again.

OP appears to have the 1.4T turbo model, I still don't think it is hard on oil.

 

[ssspencerjr]

Well, the thing about it is, the W number isn't as relevant in warm weather as cold. 0W, 5W, dare I say it, 10W.. you in South Carolina, you're getting optimal flow with virtually any W number (what is your coldest in winter? Do you see snow, could incidate gets below 32F..?) - I gave M1 0W-30 AFE a shot and I look forward to doing it again.

OP appears to have the 1.4T turbo model, I still don't think it is hard on oil.

Thanks for the info, I'm not as well versed in oil specs as what seems to be plenty of members here. It does get cold here sometimes during the winter, mainly overnight. The past few nights it's been toggling above and below 32F. For instance right now at 8:07 AM it's 36F.

Did you notice any fuel economy improvements with the 0W-30 Mobil 1?

 

[JT20]

Thanks for the info, I'm not as well versed in oil specs as what seems to be plenty of members here. It does get cold here sometimes during the winter, mainly overnight. The past few nights it's been toggling above and below 32F. For instance right now at 8:07 AM it's 36F.

Did you notice any fuel economy improvements with the 0W-30 Mobil 1?

The "W" number technically means "Winter."

Truthfully, I've never had M1 0W-30 AFE in my car long enough to observe fuel mileage. However, I'm rather looking forward to giving it a shot. In my car, I was rapidly changing oils trying to quiet an engine noise and it turned out that the noise was not an oil-related issue. I know the engine felt good, and I would not hesitate to put M1 0W-30 in there again.

Walmart also doesn't carry the Castrol 0W-30, also known as the GC (that I know of.) That would be a very heavy or thick for its grade 30, anyways. The Mobil 1 is either a light or mid-30, if that makes sense.

Another way to put it is.. for the number on the right, "30." That represents a range of values that an oil can fall in and still be called 30. In essence, anything 30.1 to 39.9 can be called a 30. Imagine the hot sauce chart at a local wing spot. It probably has from "Mild" (in green, at the bottom) to a whole middle Yellow range, to Red with an arrow going hot when it gets to Thermo-Nuclear, colors transitioning in between. 30 would be somewhere in the yellow, and could be thicker or thinner, (hotter or milder as my comparison is to that there is a range,); and this could contribute to an engine feeling a difference. Could. Castrol 0W-30 would be thicker and there are some oils like Pennzoil Ultra that just barely squeak in to being a 30.

Plus, and correct me if I am wrong on this as I'm talking about oil information, but every now and then you will get a 10W-30 with either a thicker HTHS or a LOWER NOACK burn-off rate (probably the lower NOACK burn-off rate) or possibly even both. But defer to the experts on that.

 

[Ovalnut]

Well, the thing about it is, the W number isn't as relevant in warm weather as cold. 0W, 5W, dare I say it, 10W.. you in South Carolina, you're getting optimal flow with virtually any W number (what is your coldest in winter? Do you see snow, could incidate gets below 32F..?) - I gave M1 0W-30 AFE a shot and I look forward to doing it again.

OP appears to have the 1.4T turbo model, I still don't think it is hard on oil.

Yep 1.4t. Granted last week it got down to about 22F for a few nights in a row here..I know that's practically irrelevant though

 

[JT20]

Yep 1.4t. Granted last week it got down to about 22F for a few nights in a row here..I know that's practically irrelevant though

Haha. 22F is right in the ballpark of a 5W oil. Sure, 0W oil will work.. we can debate on which one flows better at 22 degrees.

Never seen a Cruze with a 1.8, by the way.

 

[ssspencerjr]

Thanks for the info, and apologies to OP for hijacking the thread.

 

[Ovalnut]

Thanks for the info, and apologies to OP for hijacking the thread.

No prob, reading discussions is how I learn most the time anyway.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Used bought all of those and you missed the best moderate priced synthetic in the "Walmart Market" Valvoline Advanced 5w30.

0W only matters at temps so cold you wouldn't even leave the house, and you would think its the end of the world!

If you were driving in temps below 15 degrees F, I would run the AFE.
But then a again you have a Turbo. Where I would Run M1 AP or EP - if you like EXxonMobil

Otherwise it does not matter. Spin the wheel or Roll the dice.

Enjoy the warm weather! Up here anything above 32 is "balmy" in the Winter

 

[ssspencerjr]

Used bought all of those and you missed the best moderate priced synthetic in the "Walmart Market" Valvoline Advanced 5w30.

0W only matters at temps so cold you wouldn't even leave the house, and you would think its the end of the world!

If you were driving in temps below 15 degrees F, I would run the AFE.
But then a again you have a Turbo. Where I would Run M1 AP or EP - if you like EXxonMobil

Otherwise it does not matter. Spin the wheel or Roll the dice.

Enjoy the warm weather! Up here anything above 32 is "balmy" in the Winter

I've been running M1 5W-30, but have been looking at either SuperTech or the Costco oil, supposed to be very good and at a lower price. The wife and I drive 20k miles a year, so the pricing difference is somewhat significant compared to M1 pricing.

 

[Ovalnut]

Used bought all of those and you missed the best moderate priced synthetic in the "Walmart Market" Valvoline Advanced 5w30.

I've been wanting to try the valvoline, it will probably replace the m1 afe on my shelf...

 

[JT20]

I've been wanting to try the valvoline, it will probably replace the m1 afe on my shelf...

Yeah I've been thinking about giving Valvoline a shake too.

White bottle?

 

[mahanddeem]

The engine will not care a bit. This matter will just makes us chew oil related discussion over and over again.

 

[Ovalnut]

White bottle?

Greyish I believe...