Anyone doing a 'frankenbatch' of oil?

[apollo18]

hey all, i noticed some people on here really like several oils or some are stuck to a certain one in particular

i have read about some people mixing but i assumed on a forum full of enthusiasts, more people would be mixing and making a frankenbatch

i don't necessarily see a harm in this but wondering what yall think about it and what brews you all are running? maybe we can make some recipes for ultra cleaning, ultra long OCI, ultra stabile

in the future when i get the time, i'm thinking of running 1/2 PUP + 1/2 Castrol Edge EP for fun

or maybe even mixing VRP with some other high detergency oil

**truth be told, i know we can't formulate a better product, this is just for fun / being an enthusiast**

ty!

 

[OVERKILL]

hey all, i noticed some people on here really like several oils or some are stuck to a certain one in particular

i have read about some people mixing but i assumed on a forum full of enthusiasts, more people would be mixing and making a frankenbatch

i don't necessarily see a harm in this but wondering what yall think about it and what brews you all are running? maybe we can make some recipes for ultra cleaning, ultra long OCI, ultra stabile

in the future when i get the time, i'm thinking of running 1/2 PUP + 1/2 Castrol Edge EP for fun

ty!

This post is unfortunately premised on the idea that mixing fully formulated products could somehow result in a product that's superior to any of its individual constituents. The odds of that being the case are so remote that it borders on the impossible. It's the "infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of typewriters could produce literature superior to Shakespeare" theory manifest.

 

[Hohn]

There are some who do, but most hardcore oil nerds will tell you that an oil is a fully balanced recipe.

Do you put ketchup and relish on your pancakes? Why not? Perhaps because they are difference recipes?

 

[JavierH19]

All oil gets mixed if we want to get pedantic. There's a wet and dry fill and it's usually around 1.5-2 quarts for most engines sometimes lower or higher than that. Mixing isn't optimal but mixing isn't as harmful like some believe as long as the oils aren't far apart. Some additives may clash and lower performance but not to a meaningful degree unless it's extreme like basic off the shelf oil and something stellar like hpl for example. Pup and castrol ep use different group 3 bases but the additive packs aren't that far away since pup got reformulated a while ago. The new pup isn't regarded as a cleaning oil though it could be I don't know.

 

[Panda87]

There are some who do, but most hardcore oil nerds will tell you that an oil is a fully balanced recipe.

Do you put ketchup and relish on your pancakes? Why not? Perhaps because they are difference recipes?

That sounds like something one of my boys would try to do when their mom makes them homemade.

 

[Astro14]

hey all, i noticed some people on here really like several oils or some are stuck to a certain one in particular

i have read about some people mixing but i assumed on a forum full of enthusiasts, more people would be mixing and making a frankenbatch

i don't necessarily see a harm in this but wondering what yall think about it and what brews you all are running? maybe we can make some recipes for ultra cleaning, ultra long OCI, ultra stabile

in the future when i get the time, i'm thinking of running 1/2 PUP + 1/2 Castrol Edge EP for fun

ty!

Run whatever you like. In the cars you own, at the interval that you use, it won’t make any difference positive or negative.

The idea that you are better equipped to formulate an oil for specific purposes, based on a set of suppositions, than the people who have millions of dollars of lab equipment, and whose formulations are validated though extensive testing, is amusing at best.

The recipes for “ultra cleaning, ultra long OCI, and ultra stabile (sic),“, have already been developed and are already commercially available.

 

[Hohn]

All oil gets mixed if we want to get pedantic. There's a wet and dry fill and it's usually around 1.5-2 quarts for most engines sometimes lower or higher than that. Mixing isn't optimal but mixing isn't as harmful like some believe as long as the oils aren't far apart. Some additives may clash and lower performance but not to a meaningful degree unless it's extreme like basic off the shelf oil and something stellar like hpl for example. Pup and castrol ep are different group 3 bases and the additive packs aren't that far away since pup got reformulated a while ago. The new pup isn't regarded as a cleaning oil though it could be I don't know.

While true, it's a completely different thing to say "mixing happens, we accept that out of necessity" vs trying to make it happen on purpose.

Old oil is a contaminant for new oil.

 

[Urshurak776]

Doing oil changes with different oils won't hurt anything, as long as the spec for each is what the car calls for. Like others have mentioned already, you're certainly not gaining anything. Likely just hurting your wallet if any of those quarts are expensive boutique brands.

I have, in the past, done just this on an old 200K plus car when I'm trying to clear shelf space of odds and ends quarts. I also do this in small engines (mower). My mowers just get leftovers from the oil changes in my cars.

 

[kschachn]

I think there are a few existing threads on oil mixing, and/or Frankenblends or whatever you want to call them. What happens, what doesn't happen, what makes for a "blend" and what is just garage-level ad hoc mixing.

Not sure, but I think there are.

 

[FoxProTwisty]

I think I've only used a single brand and viscosity once in the past 3-4 years. No matter what I blend, the engine just never seems to care. It really does need an attitude adjustment.

 

[dadto2]

Once I filled up my old beater Volvo with open quarts of whatever we found in my friend's deceased father's garage. IIRC it was some Citgo, some Mobil Super, some Quaker State, and probably some Formula Shell I had laying around. Ran it for a full 5,000 miles. It was pretty uneventful. Was a good way to use up that old oil.

 

[4WD]

First rule of thumb here tends to be staying within a brand if you are just cleaning shelf stock … I do that from time to time - but the suggestion in the OP start - is a nonstarter for me …
What can go wrong? I worry about two VM’s not performing to the fullest when I wanted say, a 5W30 …

 

[Tdog02]

I have mixed, but not intentionally. Nothing blew up. I make sure that it's all the same when changing oil. Topping off in a pinch? I'll mix if I have to, not like I'm trying to reinvent the wheel.

It's like tires. I'm anal about tire maintenance and because I like them to match as a set, I replace all 4 at the same time when I can ($). I had a nissan hardbody truck once upon a time that had 4 different tires because it was a town car. (only used in town)

 

[joekingcorvette]

I just changed the oil in my Civic and used some leftover truck and suv Mobil 1 synthetic 0W20 (2quarts) and I mixed it with a little under 2 quarts of Kirkland 0W20. It's nice to get rid of those partial jugs.

 

[Dave Hess]

I mix various clearance oils, no problem.

I only care about proper oil level.

***Info added****
I found some PYB, Havoline HM and Havoline Syn oil from like 12 years ago.
I will mix this up for a Mazda oil change.

Will take photo tomorrow of this antique oil.

 

[Patman]

Unless you’re using up a couple of different leftovers in your garage there’s no logical reason to do this. I find it especially odd when people say that they do it all of the time on purpose (like certain former members here). They think they can mix themselves up the perfect oil but they can’t. If there is something special that they desire then they should contact HPL to see if they will custom blend them an oil.

 

[Tdbo]

When I do this, the rationale is merely to create room on my shelf.

 

[_Will_]

When I do this, the rationale is merely to create room on my shelf.

This, and then it goes in my lawnmower.

 

[ripcord]

I've been doing top offs for quite a while from two jugs of Quaker State 20w-50 in a couple rigs that need a little bit between changes. No problems so far as I know. Without a multi-million dollar lab there's no way to measure it. All that leaves is conjecture and theory.

 

[nomas]

Over the years I've committed every BITOG infraction you can think of . Mixed brands , weights of oil . Synthetic and conventional , etc. Even did my first OC on a new vehicle at 5k .. I've slept good and my vehicles have never had an oil related issue .
And here's the big one .. I've never even held an Amsoil product of any kind in my hand . Yeah , I'm living on the edge .