Choosing Oil by......

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Specs or Base Oil Grouping. Recently I see a lot of threads where people are choosing what oil to buy from what the specs say. Seems like people are fixated on the coldest pour points or what base group an oil is. I see random threads where Pour Point is very critical and a oil with a pour point of -54F will give you less wear than a oil spec'd at -40F?? Are you guys serious??? Another thing I have noticed too is the frequent postings where people equate Group V oils to be better than Group IV oil and Group IV oils to be better than Group III oils because the spec sheet has better numbers?? For an example I have seen more bad UOA's of Redline in the entire time I have been on BITOG than any PP UOA combined.(Those that want to call me out on proof please use the search function.) Spec's are good if you like oil geekery and most people do here but that doesn't mean SQUAT as to how it will perform in their particular application! To those jumping out of their shoes to claim better base oil means longer drain interval, 90% of the people who choose oil from a spec sheet usually don't plan to extend drain intervals. The saying "You get what you pay for" doesn't apply in all cases. Sorry for the rant but I don't like the path this forum is headed.
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PP is better than RL because of some "in your opinion" bad UOA's!???? The UOA issue with some folks using RL has been gone over too many times to count by Dave of Redline and Terry.Many theories for why this is. No im not going to go digging up old posts as I have better things to do. I think for 90% of passenger cars, the base oil is a non issue and oils like PP are more than good enough. Now for my drag car would I ever use PP, uh [censored] no!

And lately I have seen quite a few good UOAs from RL
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I have had several good ones from my tacoma. Not like I put very much stock in UOAs, besides getting an idea of how long I can stretch my OCI.

I agree that some go a bit too far with their theories on what makes an oil better. I use mostly RL and amsoil. But I also use PP and can't say enough about MC syn blend which continues to impress me. I think base oils mattered alot more back in the 80's and 90's before oils had evolved to the point they are today with advanced additive packs and whatnot. Back then a synthetic would trounce any Dino with ease. Now that gap has closed for "most" synthetics.
 
Isn't the base oil the main factor of an oil staying within viscosity and shearing? I see the base oil as the "Heart" of the oil where as the limbs are the additives that do all the "work." Or something like that.
 
Quote:
Sorry for the rant


Well, I'd say that your observations are fairly accurate. There appears to be a "wishful thinking" and more of those who are assertive in that mindset being more imposing with their views. They tend to prevail since people who will offer more broad and sensible views just get tired and don't bother.

This is how you make a new truth. You just repeat it often enough and eventually all of those around you just give up for the lost cause you present.

I don't know if I'd agree with all of your conclusions based on the observations ..but ..so?
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Originally Posted By: peterdes
Isn't the base oil the main factor of an oil staying within viscosity and shearing? I see the base oil as the "Heart" of the oil where as the limbs are the additives that do all the "work." Or something like that.


Yes ..sometimes ..many times ..no times
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..but it's not all that simple. That's like saying that royal jelly is better for your skin because only the queen bee has access to it.

The focus needs to be on performance and value. Keep in mind that my core product is Group IV oils. You can also note that many synthetic oils aren't marketed as extended drain oils nor high performance oils. Some are.

Some are highly additized ..some aren't.

There is no such thing as magic oil. Some last longer in normal service. Some endure stress better and/or longer in severe service. Some perform at extremes in temperature better. The idea with all the fancy alchemy is to provide appropriate lubrication under the encountered conditions ...over the desired duration of use. That can alter your selection depending on your service duty.
 
Originally Posted By: peterdes
Isn't the base oil the main factor of an oil staying within viscosity and shearing? I see the base oil as the "Heart" of the oil where as the limbs are the additives that do all the "work." Or something like that.


Yes but there are so many UOA's where the oil will shear to a lower grade but wear numbers are still great. Just because an oil shearing doesn't equate to more wear. Simply put, don't judge a book by its cover, which to me also applies with motor oil. It's a trial and error process in most part.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: peterdes
Isn't the base oil the main factor of an oil staying within viscosity and shearing? I see the base oil as the "Heart" of the oil where as the limbs are the additives that do all the "work." Or something like that.


Yes ..sometimes ..many times ..no times
21.gif
..but it's not all that simple. That's like saying that royal jelly is better for your skin because only the queen bee has access to it.

The focus needs to be on performance and value. Keep in mind that my core product is Group IV oils. You can also note that many synthetic oils aren't marketed as extended drain oils nor high performance oils. Some are.

Some are highly additized ..some aren't.

There is no such thing as magic oil. Some last longer in normal service. Some endure stress better and/or longer in severe service. Some perform at extremes in temperature better. The idea with all the fancy alchemy is to provide appropriate lubrication under the encountered conditions ...over the desired duration of use. That can alter your selection depending on your service duty.


+1
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