Best cheap motor oil

[conradcliff]

Oh, also, so if it isn't a name brand but states it is an SM oil it still might not match up to the specifications?

 

[sparkplug]

Pennzoil.

 

[GMFan]

Originally Posted By: conradcliff
Oh, also, so if it isn't a name brand but states it is an SM oil it still might not match up to the specifications?


No. SM oil is a approved by the API (America Petroleum Institute) and it meets stringent specs for use in gas engines. SM is the latest formulation of oil....meaning it is the best available oil right now.

I simply use name brand products because I like to know what oil I'm getting. Some of the no-name brands can be from different suppliers although they are still perfectly safe to use.

 

[Clipse3GT]

Castrol GTX,

Using it in a 500whp supercharged v6 for 30k miles, no issues.

 

[conradcliff]

Originally Posted By: GMFan
I simply use name brand products because I like to know what oil I'm getting. Some of the no-name brands can be from different suppliers although they are still perfectly safe to use.


So, getting like an incredibly cheap oil that is SM rated is perfectly safe but what are the cons?

Also, are just the dino oils SM rated or does that rating apply to synthetics as well? Still not clear on the ratings..sorry, I'll do some more searching; if anyone has a link to the oil ratings I would really appreciate it.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Plenty (most) of the oils out there ARE SM rated. It does not matter if its syn or conventional for the rating.

Its the additives that they put in to make the API rating.

Since SL motor oils have improved a LOT IMO. People have gotten hundreds of thousands of miles using yesterdays oils so today it really does not matter what type of oil you run in most engines these days.

What DOES matter is that you follow the OCI recommended by the MFG. Changing the oil is a good thing.

Just don't do it too often. With ANY oil.

Take care, bill

PS: Here is a list of the API ratings and their dates --> Nice PDF sheet with API info!

 

[cfromc]

The SM standard applies to any oil that meets it, including semi-synth and synth. The only "con" may be for older engines because some of the beneficial additives that could also damage the cat-conv are reduced a little.

 

[Nederlander75]

My vote is Motorcraft, any flavor.

 

[tripleM]

Some are calling for PP to be serviced @ 10k or more but what are some off the shelf filters that can handle that easily?

 

[conradcliff]

Awesome, thanks for the info..I did some googling on the ratings..quite simple really. So, the API rating, e.g. SM, is a standard determining the additives in the oil which may be of 1, or a combination of different oil groups..is that correct?

So when GMFan said:
Originally Posted By: GMFan
(For me, I follow this rule as long as it is a name brand)
he was worried about the oil itself and not the additives therein..at least this is what I'm assuming.

So, that poses a new question for me(assuming my first assumption is correct): Are there differences between different brand oils of the same group?
I thought I read that synthetic oil is a group 4 and dinos are group 3 and below but I'm not sure.

If anyone can bring some clarity to this I would really appreciate it.

Originally Posted By: tripleM
Some are calling for PP to be serviced @ 10k or more but what are some off the shelf filters that can handle that easily?


I was hoping to get 10Kmi on PP for my next OCI but it looks like it only wanted to go to around 7.5K in my UOA. What do you guys think?

Thanks again for all the info!