2023 Explorer 2.3 Turbo

[2019F250SD]

Which oil offers the best protection in this engine? Northern Indiana so it will see warm summers and cold winters. I’m basically trying to decide between Amsoill SS or one of HPL’s offerings. Also, should I stick with the factory recommend 5w-30 weight? Thanks!

 

[BISCUT]

Which oil offers the best protection in this engine? Northern Indiana so it will see warm summers and cold winters. I’m basically trying to decide between Amsoill SS or one of HPL’s offerings. Also, should I stick with the factory recommend 5w-30 weight? Thanks!

IMO, a 5K OCI with Mobil 1 or Penz or comparable is more important than Amsoil or HPL. Not that you couldn't benefit from both of those, as they are solid oils. If cost isn't a concern, I'd run HPL.

 

[Cujet]

M1, 5W-30 EP. It is an AN based oil, holds up perfectly to turbocharger's heat and is commonly available at Walmart. Change regularly. Either HPL or Ams will be great choices too. Keep in mind that viscosity matters more for wear than does oil choice. In fact in test after test, oil brand is shown not to matter with regard to wear.

Carbon, varnish, piston ring sticking and turbocharger lifespan are all affected by oil brand and choice. But with regard to wear, it does not matter much, if at all.

FYI, An HTHS of 3.8 (often rounded up to 4.0) is the point at which an increase in an oil's viscosity reaches a point of diminishing returns (higher produces no significant reduction) with regard to wear rate. In most normal cases. For some race car and air cooled engines running 300 degree oil temperatures, then an HTHS of above 4.5 is a good idea.

 

[Hirev]

I would not use oils with higher calcium levels in your boosted engine.

 

[E150GT]

I choose amsoil. And that's whats currently in my 2023 Ford Explorer with a 2.3. I also always drive it in sport mode.

 

[Japanese]

I’m basically trying to decide between Amsoill SS or one of HPL’s offerings.

Either of those will work great. Also, either 0W/5W-30 or 0W/5W-40 viscosity will great too. Just make sure the HTHS viscosity is at least 3.5 cP or over. That's usually mentioned on the oil's PDS or just ask the manufacturer. Those are usually covered by the Euro series oils.

 

[GI_GRIFF]

Which oil offers the best protection in this engine? Northern Indiana so it will see warm summers and cold winters. I’m basically trying to decide between Amsoill SS or one of HPL’s offerings. Also, should I stick with the factory recommend 5w-30 weight? Thanks!

https://www.redlineoil.com/5w30-motor-oil

https://amsoilcontent.com/ams/lit/databulletins/g3395.pdf

https://www.royalpurple.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Royal-Purple-HPS-PDS-26Mar2026.pdf

This # 15304 Red line 5W-30 has a HTHS vis of 3.7. If you look around online, I think you can get it for $15-$16 a quart. Last I checked, Amazon had a couple decent prices and if you are already paying for Amazon Prime there is no shipping cost. Your Amsoil and HPL idea is good too. Get the offerings with the higher HTHS # though, that is a direct connection to the oil film strength under heat and load. Your European oils with the ACEA C3 rating have a minimum >3.5 HTHS on a 0W or 5W-30 engine oil. Most of your API rated 5W-30 oils are around 2.7-3.1 HTHS. You may catch heat here on Bitog, but Royal Purple makes a non-API line of engine oils called HPS. Their 5W-30 HPS has an HTHS of 3.8. Keep in mind, the 5W-30 High-Performance API rated Royal Purple you can buy off the Walmart shelves is not the same as their HPS line. The magic formula in the HPS is called "Synerlec". Amsoil also has their European oil line. The 5W-30 European Amsoil is referred to as "AEL" on the spec sheet. I supplied a couple links to look at.

 

[facility1]

AMSOIL SS 0w-30 year round!

 

[MNgopher]

Any quality name brand 5w30 should do just fine... Running 5w30 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum in our 2021 Explorer with 2.3.

 

[GI_GRIFF]

Any quality name brand 5w30 should do just fine... Running 5w30 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum in our 2021 Explorer with 2.3.

Actually, MNgopher is correct to a point. The problem is the question that was asked originally. The question was: "Which oil offers the best protection in this engine?". You have to define "best protection". There are 30 weight oils out there in different price ranges that offer different kinds and levels of "protection". Walmart 5W-30 Supertech will protect the engine, along with many other choices. It is a matter of definitions, how much money do you want to spend and what exact kind of "protection" at what level are you looking for?