Comments and Opinions on Oil Comparison

[addyguy]

Oil A is PP, oil B is Valvoline Synpower, I'd guess.

 

[jmb106]

I second that! joe

 

[FrankN4]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan

My comment is that if these are comparably priced synthetics ..then way too many people are doing 3k OCI's to even assemble this much data.

Greetings Gary When I first came to BITOG, I thought I was the only person left in the world that had a 3000 mile OCI. After much reading and going back in the archives to January of 2004, I learned I was not alone. From the searching and research that I have been able to do, on BITOG and other forums, the very large numbers of PM's I have received, I have learned that there are a great deal of folk that still have 3000 OCI. 5000 seems to be the most popular but 3000 is alive and well. The local Walmarts that have service bays, the local quick lube places, the local mom and pop lube, tires, and AC places, still promote, recommend, push 3000 OCI and most folk do this. I think that most "change my own oil" folk look at the prices at the various oil change places. You can buy a 5 quart jug of Mobil 1, Valvoline Synpower, or Pennzoil Platinum, along with a Wix or Purolator filter for less than the price of an oil change with conventional oil and a Fram filter at one of the lube places. You can get a 5 quart jug of Mobil 5000, Valvoline Premium, or Pennzoil conventional, and a Wix or Purolator filter for ABOUT half the price of a lube place conventional OCI, so they change more frequently. One of the chain auto parts places recently had a special for 5 quarts of Castrol and a filter for $9.99! For $30.00, you get 3 oil changes. That is about the price for one change at Walmart or some of the lube businesses. I can buy 5 quarts of Amsoil, pay shipping, get a Wix filter locally, for about the same price for a change with one of the HM oils at Walmart. Our local Walmart charges $55.00 for a change with bulk synthetic and $58.00 for any off the shelf synthetic, and your choice of a Fram, AC, or Super-tech filter. I think, my opinion only, 5000 is, or is becoming, the norm and 3000 will be around until there is some sort of regulation.

 

[Gary Allan]

Hello Frank In my loose observations ..the OCI, more often than not, ends up being a time component that falls on a convenient mileage. This is more noticeable in distinct 4 season climates. It's either 2, 3, or 4 times a year with some influence with how high the annual mileage is. Demographics is coming into play for many.. so 3k may be 6 months where it used to be 3 or 4. The 18k soccer/commuter parent may be down to 12k or less. 12k - to 9k ..etc..etc. Lots of influences can make 3k more appealing even to someone who used to do 5-7k

 

[zoomzoom]

syn oils can/should do well in 7-10K OCI..regular oils can handle 5K ones

 

[fdcg27]

Hi Frank, I was once a strong proponent of the 3K change. After lurking here for some time, I decided that 4K was fine for conventional with 5K being good for anything labeled as syn. Either brew could likely go much longer, particularly as we use our cars. I like to get value for my money, so I don't wish to change before getting a decent mileage out of an OCI. Now, one advantage of syn is that I don't worry about going longer should the weather be really cold, for example, with me not really wanting to lie on the garage floor, or should an extreme stack-up of other needed projects or repairs make an oil change seem deferable. I don't think anyone here doubts that any Grp III is capable of 6K in most apps.

 

[river_rat]

How does one get the HTHS figure on an oil anyway? Do they test this when you send it in for a VOA?

 

[fdcg27]

Some PDSs will give you HTHS. Mobil does, for example. PDSs are really inconsistent. You can sometimes get TBN and sometimes not, for example. On Castrol PDSs, there is often a space for HTHS, but it is often blank. In the case of M1, the 15W-50 EP I just drained has an HTHS of 4.6, while the 0W-30 it replaced has an HTHS of 2.99. This tells you all you need to know about which oil will yield better fuel economy, as well as which oil will protect better under the kind of extreme internal engine conditions that you can't even get with a Honda Accord, IMHO.

 

[ottotheclown]

Looking at the UOA pages the mystery oils would have to be either PP Amsoil or Mobil 1> that is really all there is in any large number to make the thread make sense.So what else is new? No definite answer as usual.

 

[fdcg27]

Otto, If you look back aways, easily done using Google as your search tool, you'll find that a number of different oils have had their day in the sun. Now, M1 is a long-time gearhead favorite, while GC remains popular with a certain crowd (I like it myself) but Max Life, TropArtic, Havoline, and so on have been all the rage in times past. There are also a number of members who prefer Amsoil, along with a smaller number who like Schaffers. You then have a handful who have found the one true oil in RLI, RP, Motul and so on. Now, Amsoil products seem to yield consistently good UOAs on extended drains. Other than that, any oil named anywhere in this thread will have its share of really good UOAs. I do think that your theory of identity, based upon numbers of UOAs posted, makes perfect sense.

 

[jmb106]

So Frank, what are the two oils? Joe

 

[JDR15467]

The 2 oils were never given?