If every single top tier oil UOA is in spec at 3k, it’s proof that driving behavior & usage doesn’t make a difference. Why’d you start arguments about UOAs with multiple people just to backpedal out of them?
Amsoil Euro 5w-30, 2.7k mi / '21 wrx, 24k mi
- Thread starter Orangepeel
- Start date
Who has 3500 mi of 100% track driving in a street car in a year? I'll do 8-10 days a year and that's ~200 miles at most during a typical event so 2k? 3500 would be a huge amount of track use for anyone in a daily-driven car but I'd put money the Amsoil would look normal after that.
Edit. My plan is to run the HPL I have in since Jan all year so 8k miles total with a few k of track time.
I'm asking for an explanation to why you guys think the OP is wasting his money on UOA when he can establish trends. Seems perfectly valid to me.
We do about 1200 in a single weekend, but that's not really the point. I'm trying to follow why the OP's UOA is useless when he can use this as a baseline for trends specific to his driving, oil selection and vehicle.
If he continues to run UOAs sure.
In the car you drive to/from the track and daily drive?
If we assume he isn't going to do another UOA, then was there value checking the additive levels or making sure there isn't heavy contamination happening?
That's where I'd say it's of no real value. Again, a premium oil like Amsoil, used normally or even for mild track use would never show an issue on a newer car with 3500 miles, there are many UOAs on this site showing that even with average OTS oils. What that UOA says to me is go longer if you want to maximize what that oil was intended for and save some money/value b/c it costs a lot more than other oils you can buy and will look the same after 3500 in a UOA - if they do that based on this then the UOA had value. If they just keep doing 3500 mile oil changes on Amsoil, no. 3500 miles is "nothing" on this or other premium products for normal driving b/c there is no reason the UOA would ever look "bad". Maybe what I am trying to say is, you don't need a $35 UOA to tell you Amsoil can go 3500 miles.
If he’s using them to get a limited glimpse into how his engine is operating then it is of value. If he’s using them to try and ascertain relative oil quality then it is not.
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Nothing wrong with trends, but generally speaking, when you do the first one at 2.7k and see everything is OK, you’re never gonna do another one. 6 qts Amsoil = ~$70 shipped, plus UOA = $105+. To do this every 3k to establish trends on something even SuperTech can do easily borders on silly, even if money is not a factor.
Generally speaking, as TiGeo mentioned and you can see “most” people who use UOAs here, you drive a given distance and sample to see if the oil is still serviceable, and then determine how far the next OCI will go on a given oil and use case. Next time, the mileage is a little longer, and sample. If oil still OK, move the yardsticks more next time, and so on.
Maybe I jumped a little hard on you the first time, so if you’re interested search my UOAs on my 2011 Fusion. I started off around 7k OCIs using PUP and kept stretching the OCIs each successive time; the last oil change I had the car went a hair over 17k miles and just went out of grade from oxidative thickening. This more than doubled the mileage traveled on the same exact oil, with zero detriment to the equipment. This is a good way to use UOAs.
In OP’s case, he certainly can continue this way if he wants to; but the oil shows it can certainly go longer. Looking at OP’s current numbers, I’d probably say 4500-5k miles would be a good in-service (don’t change oil) sample point- send off the sample and make sure viscosity and everything is still OK, and if so, push out at least another 1k-1500 depending on how the numbers looked.
Triple_Se7en
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Dropping out in 5w30 is why I quit using Platinum around four years ago. But I can't recall any other name-brands doing so, unless they contained dilution city.
If anyone wants to do a search, I would concentrate on the Honda 1.5 engine UOAs. They are the cream of the crop diluters. But it may be almost impossible to find one with only 3k OCIs.
9.3 is still a 30 grade. But there are just too many variables to draw any meaningful conclusions from a single or even a handful of uoa's IMO but people attempt to do it all the time. Yes, a high flashpoint points to low fuel dilution but that doesn't necessarily mean it's non-existent. We can only speculate.
- What was the exact starting viscosity of the virgin oil?
- Is the lab result 100% accurate?
- How many runs were on the same oil? Any residual thinner oil in the engine?
- What was the sampling method?
- Is there any chance for sample contamination?
And of course, one of my favorite articles on BITOG:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/used-oil-analysis/
The EJ was a different animal and the required severe service interval of 3,750 miles for the turbo came about only after the banjo bolt screen clogging issue. Of course, Subaru changed that design in the EJ a few years later (around the time of your EJ) and removed the banjo bolts.