Citgo Synthetic?

[olefam]

My local retailer sells the Citgo brand of synthetic oil for about 1/2 the price of mobil 1. I've always stood by Mobil 1, but it's a little hard to justify paying $5.10/qt for it vs $2.98/qt for Citgo.
The usual wording about meeting new car warranties are on both brands. Is Citgo a PAO base oil? Has anyone had any experience, either positive or negative with Citgo? Finall, I can only find the Citgo in 5w-30 and 10w-30 weights. Is it made in 5w-20?
Any help would be appreciated.
Glen

 

[TallPaul]

I am going to guess it probably is Group III.

 

[JonS]

I think it is an excellent oil. I have used it before. When compared to Mobil 1 5w-30 for cold weather viscosity,
the Citgo is 5727 at -30c
the Mobil 1 is 7121 at -30c
That is a big difference to me for cold weather starts. The Citgo is way more fluid than Mobil 1. I have used M1 in winter and it reminds me of how a dino oil acts when cold (-20f). Go with the Citgo.

 

[BigAl]

My local FleetFarm sells it. I have it in one of my cars right now. It's a very good Group III based synthetic, and a comparative bargain.

 

[MNgopher]

Group III synthetic, but seems to work pretty well, and the specs are pretty good.

I posted a UOA of the 5w30 in my '99 F150 and the 10w30 in my Jeep a few months ago, and it did well in both applications.

 

[JonS]

MN Gopher:
How did you feel it performed in the cold? Cold cranking vs someything else?

 

[olefam]

Thank you to all who replied. I am unfamiliar with Group II, III, IV, and V. I suspect that conventional oil from Saudi Arabia are probably group II. Groups III, IV, and V are presumably synthetic oils. But all synthetics are not alike. So, which ones are formulated from PAO's, estthers, and the like? And which ones are "super refined" conventional oils such as Castrol Syntec, Valvoline, etc?
Thank you in advance.
Glen

 

[MNgopher]

JonS - I just started using the Citgo around May or June, so I haven't had the thrill of a well below zero morning to comment on actual cold start performance yet.

In strict terms, Group IV and up are "true" synthetics - PAO's and esters, etc... Group III is highly refined dino oil that is often sold as synthetic, but some folks frown on calling it that. My personal opinion is that so long as the product is priced appropiately and meets the demands of my use, you can call it whatever you want. Trouble is, some are priced too high for the level of product you recieve. So far, the Citgo seems to be priced right for the product.

 

[thedude_888]

I hate Citgo. I have Citgo 5w-30 Synthetic in my 97 Cavalier right now. I can't wait to change the oil. I tend to go through a 1-2 qts per 3k miles. Previously to putting in Citgo I was using Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5w-40, which is a great oil, but the winter caused a run on Rotella T synthetic- can't find it anywhere in the state. I should have reached for the Chevron Delo 15w-40 over this Citgo, but I wanted to stay synthetic & now I regret it. I tried an experiment of adding a quart of Mobil 1 0w-30 when the oil went down a quart and it made a huge difference. The engine was running like a top. Now it seems the 0w-30 had a cleansing effect on the oil. 2200 miles into the oil and the stick is too dirty + it just got down to 20 degrees in North Jersey and the car had a hard start. I'm changing the oil next week, probably to Delo 15w-40 and see what happens.

Call me crazy, but I don't mind experimenting with this. My 97 cavalier 2.2L has 243k miles on it.

If you don't experiment a little, how will you ever learn?

Note:
Citgo versus Mobil? When have you ever heard of Citgo winning any awards or holding any patents? BUT, if your budget is really tight. Citgo does make a 5w-20, and here is their spec sheet. I don't believe it. This 5w-30 doesn't act like a VI of 174.

http://www.docs.citgo.com/msds_pi/906818.pdf

 

[Gilitar]

Where do you find Citgo synthetic?

 

[BigAl]

I bought mine at Mills Fleet Farm for $2.50 per quart after rebate. I have been using the 5W30 for about 10,000 miles now. It has run perfectly, just like every other brand of conventional or synthetic oil I have ever used. Cold starts are great, just like every 5W30 oil I have ever used. My only complaint is that it cost $1.50 per quart more than the regular Citgo 5W30 oil, which also worked perfectly.

 

[CharBaby]

thedude_888,
Your comparing Citgo Syn 5W30 at aprox 10.3 cST with Rotella T Syn 5W40 at almost 15 cST in an engine with over 240,000 miles on the clock. No doubt that your losing a qt+ every 3000 miles! Probably no 5/10W30 would be the correct oil for your particular engine unless you use a xxW30 oil that is nearing a 40 weight.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Citgo dino is basically group I. Check out their site for the breakdown. The synthetic version may be the only one that's extended service dependable. Regular price for Citgo synthetic around here is about $4. You can buy Mobil-1 in 5-quart jugs for that ballpark price.

You have to decide if saving $5 & change on this oil change is worth the quality difference. Only your vehicle knows which one it likes better. So buy it & let your vehicle tell you how it likes it.

 

[Black Thunder]

Yeah last time it checked the Citgo Syn was around $3.79, so if you can find it for $2.98 i'd definitely think about using it.

 

[MNgopher]

Gotta agree with Char Baby - comparing an xw30 to an xw40 in car with that many miles - no huge surprise that your consumption is up on the thinner oil!

Lately, Citgo syn is running about 3.95 a quart at Fleet Farm. The new SM formulation has shown up in the last month or so at my local store, I'm still running the SL stock I have on hand.

I'll have another 10w30 run in the Jeep in the UOA's in a week or so. So far, both vehicles are perfectly happy with the Citgo Synthetic oil, and the little cold weather starting we've had has been just fine.