So I plan to DD my 2017 Z51 year round from 10-20 degrees to 95 degrees. I can use DEXOS 5w30 Mobil 1 but I would like to use readily available 0w 40 like Mobil 1 FS euro spec from Walmart. I also have 10 qts leftover Mobil 1 5w40 from earlier this year I’d like to use up. I have no warranty and will do yearly oil change at 4-5k miles, maybe a little more some years. No track duty. I have zero inclination to chase down Mobil 1 supercar oil for the extra money. All considered, should it really matter using euro spec oil versus latest of several DEXOS certifications that have evolved? The 40w might get a little less mpg, but cold start if of more concern to me as well as longevity. It’s a 10k mile car now. Should supposed emissions equipment benefits make a difference as long as the car burns little to no oil? Would a high quality 0w30 be better ever for my situation? I understand GM engineers create oil specs to be met, and that those specs change over time, but I’m not as interested in a certain certification as much as what should or shouldn’t work fine for my situation. Thanks for helping.
2017 Corvette Z51 oil choice.
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Patman
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FWIW I never bothered worrying about running a dexos1 oil in my 2018 Corvette and so I decided on the second oil change that I was going to use Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5w30, which was a dexos2 rated oil. That oil was renamed simply ESP 5w30 a few years ago and dropped the dexos2 approval but that didn’t matter to me either way. I chose to run that oil for all of the other approvals that it has and I wanted a low SAPs oil that was similar to the ESP Formula 0w40 back then (which is now renamed Supercar 0w40). I have 62,000 miles on my C7 now.
Any of those and similar will be good. And as long as it's not burning or very little emissions wouldn't be an issue. An oil burner sure I'd use something thicker and low saps means for emissions system protection mobil (esp). Use any 30/40 grade euro. I saw a 0.1-0.2 mpg drop switching from 20 to 40 grade in my escalade so that's not a concern. 0w30 could be better if you're driving in sub zero winters but I don't know any corvette owner who would but if not a 0/5w30/40 oil is plenty thin at startup. I run 15w40 in my two old trucks and they start just fine in winter lows though it almost never hits 20's in Texas but I run 5w-40 just because she gives it no idle time at all. As soon as she presses the start button she puts it right into gear so I use 0/5w-40 in it so it hopefully pumps a bit faster. I always let my two old trucks idle long enough for the oil pressure to stop climbing.
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FWIW, Mobil 1 0w30 is also d1g3, just like the 5w30. Since you're not driving it hard, it is probably the best oil for your driving conditions.
If you actually drove it hard and saw track time with it, then the 0w40 would make more sense. In fact, the 0w40 is a popular track oil.
FWIW, Mobil 1 0w30 is also d1g3, just like the 5w30. Since you're not driving it hard, it is probably the best oil for your driving conditions.
If you actually drove it hard and saw track time with it, then the 0w40 would make more sense. In fact, the 0w40 is a popular track oil.
100,000 kilometres sounds better
The main thing to look for in higher compressiom gas engine oils is you want to see a lower Sulfated Ash number. Over 1% is a high ash oil and should be avoided in a performance application. I use dexos 1 in my corvettes so the ECU does not pull back timming more than necessary.
Patman
Staff member
Patman
Staff member
The low sulfated ash of ESP Formula 5w30 was another reason why I chose it originally. That formula had only 0.6%. When they reformulated it, the new version has 0.8%. Still good, but it was disappointing that they made the newer version just a little bit less desirable
But it’s still an excellent choice for the LT1 Corvette and it’s considerably less than Supercar 0w40 and you can get ESP 5w30 in 5 qt jugs too.
Thanks for responses. I’ll keep track of any oil loss so I don’t have an issue on the emission equipment side. I’ll probably mix a jug of Mobil 1 5w40 and 0w40 for the corvette and see how it goes using up my old Porsche 997 oil then decide what to use the next year. A really good 0w30 is attractive for cold whether and mpg, I just, probably from lack of knowledge, tend to think they are designed more for mileage ratings than engine protection. For my car use it probably matters less.
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ESP 0w30 is pretty thick for a Xw-30… and easy to find.
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An oil with a 0W rating is only guaranteed to be thinner at temperatures below about -30 or so. Above that it may be thinner or thicker than one with a 5W rating.
And as far as mileage ratings go, that isn't a universal truth. Grade is an imperfect indicator of "thickness", a better measure is HT/HS. As noted above Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 (available at Walmart for a great price) has a minimum HT/HS of 3.5 unlike Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy. It also has VW 504 00, Porsche C30 and Mercedes-Benz 229.52 approvals which demonstrate performance. It gives you anything the dexos license has and more.
It would work well in your Corvette, but so would a Euro 40-grade full-SAPS as you mention. There is zero reason to mix the two, just get the 0W-40 and use it year-round.
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How did you come up with this and how exactly does the ECU know what oil you’re running in order to pull “timming”?
The knock sensor picks up detonation or pre-ignition from high ash oils and talks to the ECU.
Do you know the difference between LSPI and common pre-ignition knock? Apparently not.
Why not just run the OEM recommended oil? https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants.../our-products/products/mobil-1-supercar-0w-40
That's what I've put in my ZR-1, at least.
That's what I've put in my ZR-1, at least.
So, is that why Porsche recommends an ACEA A3/B4 oil for their high performance engines?
For one, as stated up front, I want to use 5qt jugs from Walmart. They do have multiple choices but I have euro spec Mobil 1 from my Porsche I just sold to get a Corvette, and I guess I just wanted someone to say that the euro 0W or 5W40 was reasonable to use up. I would probably move to DEXOS spec oil of some weight after. When supercar Mobil 1 is $25-30 for 5 qt, I will happily use it. The OEM oil recommendation has been through multiple generations of 5W30 and now the supercar DEXOS R I guess. The track oil recommendation for my 2017 was Mobil 1 15w50 per Chevrolet, and that wasn’t even DEXOS certified, I believe, so maybe DEXOS in and of itself shouldn’t hold much weight.
Well, I would pour Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 0w40 into almost anything. Certainly into my ZR-1. If Supercar didn't exist, that is what I would do, and maybe will be going forward because everything else is on Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 0w40. I mostly thought it was funny it was called Supercar.
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