Attributes of a motor oil you look for

[Patman]

For my Corvette it’s important to me to have an oil with a 3.5 HTHS as well as holding it’s viscosity over a 7000 mile interval, while keeping the engine as clean as possible. Being easily accessible and at a reasonable price is important too. ESP 5w30 fits the bill nicely here.

For my Civic I’m not as picky because I drive the car very gently and so pretty much any 0w20 can do the job here. So I have tried quite a few different oils so far. But I am looking forward to running VRP in it for a few intervals starting with the next oil change (which will be sometime in November most likely)

 

[midnightlaundry]

This is a forum full of Bro Science Engineer's.. LOL
Most opinions revolve around pure opinion and brand loyalty..

 

[Malo83]

This is a forum full of Bro Science Engineer's.. LOL
Most opinions revolve around pure opinion and brand loyalty..

No truer words.

 

[JustN89]

I only look for one thing, and that is a motor oil that is colored blue. Blue is my favorite color. I've yet to find this, so my engines are currently running without oil. @High Performance Lubricants please save my engines and offer a blue-dyed motor oil.

It always bugged me that purple was produced by Royal Purple, but royal purple isn't a color. Royal blue is, however. Seems like a slam dunk.

 

[Chris142]

None of my cars need any real special oils. As long as the oil meeds the spec and is in the clearance isle I will use it. Brand does not matter to me.

My cars rarely get the same oil 2x in a row.

But I still refuse to use Purolater filters.

 

[KGMtech]

Big brand, meets required spec's, priced to my liking. Also, I avoid Castrol. I don't need to have a technical reason other than I hate their marketing BS.

 

[BLND1]

How did you determine that it was "performing better"?

I use “bottle color” and “cool design” to determine which oil performs better.

It’s as accurate as any other metric.

 

[Leo99]

Very few are tribiogists. The professional tribiologists and vehicle engineers made it easy for us. They came up with specifications for the oil to meet that contains an assortment of attributes. I use an oil that meets the specs for my vehicles. Easy.

 

[Yolo]

For the most part, made by ExxonMobil. I’ll dabble a lot though.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I prefer oils that state they EXCEED the specs. I'm just fortunate my kids and grandkids now allow me to look beyond their everyday needs and spend a little more money these days on myself and the wife. So my last two purchases has been Amsoil and HPL.

 

[carguy84]

I only look for one thing, and that is a motor oil that is colored blue. Blue is my favorite color. I've yet to find this, so my engines are currently running without oil. @High Performance Lubricants please save my engines and offer a blue-dyed motor oil.

Here you go..

 

[ripcord]

On sale

 

[Plumb Bob]

Licenses, certs, and approvals. If not satisfied, then more stringent licenses, certs, and approvals. Or a boutique oil from a trusted manufacturer, e.g., HPL.
For me, that should cover most, if not all, of the "unknowns".

 

[LineArrayNut]

Specifically licensed A40, 229.5 or "meets / exceeds"
Low Noack
Known base oils and additives
So, these days, HPL NO VII

 

[TiGeo]

This is a forum full of Bro Science Engineer's.. LOL
Most opinions revolve around pure opinion and brand loyalty..

The power of BITOG compels you!

I use “bottle color” and “cool design” to determine which oil performs better.

It’s as accurate as any other metric.

100%, LM bottles are by far the best.

 

[nascarnation]

Cheapest Dexos spec is fine with since all mine are GMs. Maintaining the level and changing on a good schedule are what's important.

 

[wpod]

Considering any off the shelf at Walmart syn will allow engine life well beyond my ownership of the vehicle, M1 0W-40 Euro is my go to over kill oil. Over kill is underestimated.

 

[userfriendly]

On sale

On sale on 30x Canadian Tire money day.

 

[Mewbs]

Long time member here. I've read so many threads on what kind of oil to use. Admittedly, I'm not a tribologist. To help me understand the more important characteristics of a specific oil, I'm asking for those interested to list the three, or more if necessary. most important attributes of an oil you look for that moves you to use it, and if so inclined, why. I'm assuming already that a full synthetic is a given. Appreciate the help.

Depends on your application and use case, of course when in doubt you can always look in the owners manual. But if you want to have a choice based on your driving conditions, regional weather, and level of protection you want. You a have a lot of choices to choose from. Problem is not many oil brands disclose full relevant specifications of their oils.

My use case for example:

Driving conditions: 100 miles daily round trip
Driving style: Occasional spirited to highly spirited
Regional Weather: Warm to very hot all year
OEM calls for 5W-30 grade, I choose to run 5W-40 in the near future as my vehicle ages.
HPL because I have a keen interest in long term vehicle ownership and engine cleanliness is a priority and willing to pay for it. They have been very open about what base oils and viscosity index improvers they use if you do some reading around the forums.

What I look for an oil to choose from.

Oils meeting target OEM specifications/approvals - I choose Porsche A40 in my recent oil shopping based on driving habits.
Viscosity Index - The higher the more thermally stable.
HTHS - High Temperature High Shear Viscosity - >3.5 Extra headroom if you drive hard. In my application, my daily is a naturally high revving engine should benefit from a higher HTHS.

There is a whole lot more than this when selecting oils. If you live in a colder climate region then stuff like Pour Points, MRV viscosity, and Cold Cranking Simulator specs might be worth paying attention to.

 

[Nesterenko]

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

Keep us posted if you don't mind. Thanks.