Amsoil SS 5w30 - 22 Colorado 3.6L - 5,490 miles

[buster]

22 ZR2 3.6L

Sample#1 M1 EP
Sample#2 Amsoil SS
Sample#3 Amsoil SS

Mostly short trips, some less than a mile during cold days.

It's much better than I thought. I posted picks of my filter and how black the oil was. Looks are definitely deceiving when it comes to oil.

Looks like the oil and filter did a great job. I may just stick with this oil for now, but I've considered HPL Euro 5w30 (bit more viscosity than SS), Mobil 1 ESP or Valvoline Restore and Protect.

 

[Glenda W.]

Great run in severe conditions! Thanks

 

[tired]

Isn't the oxidation level a bit high? What was the recommendation? Changed at the right time or shorten the interval?

 

[buster]

Isn't the oxidation level a bit high? What was the recommendation? Changed at the right time or shorten the interval?

No the virgin oxidation for this oil is 46-52. It's the presence of an ester that is triggering the oxidation. It's spot on. The oil did lose 1 cSt in viscosity though.

Sample#1 was Mobil 1 but the engine was still new. You'll notice the oxidation is only 12. That's because it starts at 12. They're not using ester in Mobil 1 Triple.

 

[fantastic]

Good evidence to show that the black filter wasn't something to be too concerned about but to take notes. Shows you are around that 2% Fuel and that is mostly why. With results like this you can be confident in your choices & everything is as it should be under the situation of shorter trips. After all who wants to walk a mile in cold weather...I'm driving!

Looks like your last two >30k samples have shown your engine has "broken in". Excellent results & these 3.6L have been around for a while & in my opinion GM has done a good job to iron them out over that time (Looks like the k9 is enjoying the ride in the avatar). Plenty of power for that Colorado. Next time tag me... You know I was just as excited for your UOA as you were...(asking via PM's). Any of those other flavors should do well too. I do wonder if the R&P would keep things clean from your fuel dilution but that is just speculation. I'd keep an extended type oil filter for your use case though & I'm sure you've thought about that too. Thanks for sharing your Colorado UOA. You've got your oil change interval down pat.

 

[OneLonelyBurrito]

Looks great! What was the OLM showing when you changed it?

 

[buster]

Looks great! What was the OLM showing when you changed it?

About 23% I believe. This is the first vehicle I've had that has a cartridge filter. I never looked at them before. This particular run the filter was extremely black and so was the oil. More than I'm used to seeing. Based on my results I could go further. Oil is easy to change on the truck so I don't mind it every 6 months.

Thread 'Amsoil Oil Filter 5k miles'

Mar 11, 2025

About 5,500 miles (haven’t looked to see what it is exactly yet). Filter is dirtier than its every been. Short trips in winter. Grabbed a sample and will send off this week.

Kind of surprised it's this black, but I often don't look at the filter. Wasn't until recently I started paying attention just out of curiosity.

• buster
• Replies: 24
• Forum: Engine Oil Filters

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[buster]

Good evidence to show that the black filter wasn't something to be too concerned about but to take notes. Shows you are around that 2% Fuel and that is mostly why. With results like this you can be confident in your choices & everything is as it should be under the situation of shorter trips. After all who wants to walk a mile in cold weather...I'm driving!

Looks like your last two >30k samples have shown your engine has "broken in". Excellent results & these 3.6L have been around for a while & in my opinion GM has done a good job to iron them out over that time (Looks like the k9 is enjoying the ride in the avatar). Plenty of power for that Colorado. Next time tag me... You know I was just as excited for your UOA as you were...(asking via PM's). Any of those other flavors should do well too. I do wonder if the R&P would keep things clean from your fuel dilution but that is just speculation. I'd keep an extended type oil filter for your use case though & I'm sure you've thought about that too. Thanks for sharing your Colorado UOA. You've got your oil change interval down pat.

Good point. Not having looked at filters in the past, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought? Either way results were good and better than expected.

 

[Slick3914]

Do you think there is a benefit over Mobil 1 EP with Amsoil costing roughly 2.5 times as much?

 

[buster]

Do you think there is a benefit over Mobil 1 EP with Amsoil costing roughly 2.5 times as much?

Honestly, probably not much, especially at the 5k intervals I've been doing. I've definitely been draining on the conservative side.

 

[ltslimjim]

Honestly, probably not much, especially at the 5k intervals I've been doing. I've definitely been draining on the conservative side.

Personally, I like how the SS is formulated by comparison. It ended with a stronger TBN each run compared to the EP though more samples are needed. SS has more moly and boron plus a very high oxidation. While most EP appears to be GTL base these days (outside of maybe EP 0w-20), the Signature series is still more akin to high end PP HPL with plenty of PAO and esters. Obviously, that’s simply more expensive to blend.