Attributes of a motor oil you look for

[Braapdaddy]

Brand nostalgia
For me

Castrol
Mystic

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

More approvals the better.

 

[Son_of_shots]

35k mile OCIs, bundled with 35k mile oil filter, & high-paying warranty good for 1.5 million miles

 

[buster]

Oils that greatly exceed the most demanding engine tests/specs (IIIH etc.). I like to see as much as possible when it comes to industry standard test results. In terms of chemistry, it's the total formulation but in general the best base oils/low Noack/solvency.

"We were trying to put together an oil that would just crush all of those tests and well exceed the limits for those, "Salvesen says - XOM

 

[StumblingElk]

I'll throw a wrench into this by adding an attribute that is subjective and that some members will agree with and some will say isn't real:

Quiet engine operation/perception of smoothness. What leads to this? In my experience, boron content. I prefer an oil with boron content and I don't care what anybody here says. I have felt the difference in multiple vehicles.

What's your short list of these oils?

 

[FTTSHO]

These are some of the attributes I look for:

- Does it meet the specs that my engine needs? I got a 4.3 sbc Vortec. This engine runs on anything that resembles oil. There really isn’t a “spec” as long as it’s oil, and there is enough oil in the oil pan.


All jokes aside, here we go:

- Is the viscosity what my engine specs? Which is 5w-30 or 10w-30. I use 5w-30 in my GM 4.3 Vortec.

- Does the oil have the latest Dexos 1 Gen 3 cert?

- How well does the oil stay in its viscosity range after 3k miles?

- How cheap is the oil? It better be less than $26 for a 5 quart jug, or I ain’t buying it. I’m cheap.



That’s really all I look for.

 

[Accent Abuser]

Along with all the above, I like an oil with a slick-ery feel when lugging and then the ability to rev out without excess noise or loss of power. I also keep an eye on fuel mileage and an ear out for quiet running.
In the wife's subaru I appreciate an oil that also doesn't varnish around the cam sprocket - which is visible right under the oil fill cap.

As for synthetic, I finally had a dealer oil change after 5 oil changes by me (using various premium synthetic) and the bulk "conventional" they used is performing better overall than any premuim "synthetic" oil I installed which included, Valvoline Advanced, Castrol Edge, Castrol Magnetec and Quaker State FS. That was a wake up call. I still have to verify what oil they use.

-Arco

This is why I love Mobil 1 15w-50 and 5w-50, not only does it do those things but it really clings to everything, even after sitting 4 hours during a valve cover gasket replacement (I was working on it in between customers cars) the roller tappet for the hpfp and the journal it rides in had a very slippery oil film on it so good at being slippery I had to remove it with a magnet because I couldn't get a hold of it, when I went to reinstall it it literally slid down the journal like it was being lowered hydraulically because the oil film was still present.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

What's your short list of these oils?

I don't have one. Seems to change over the years, as Quaker State per VOAs used to have a good slug of boron in year's past, but now Castrol does.

 

[53' Stude]

M1 0w30, 0w40 and ESP 5w30

 

[picklyrickly1073]

Viscosity as specified in the owner’s manual
Available readily and cheapily
No boutique