daily driver oil?

[2000sunfire]

Hi, I'm new here as a poster but am a reader for sometime. I'll cut to the chase: 2000 sunfire 2.2 daily driver 90 000km on odometer do my own oil changes. Recently became a Napa Gold Filter believer (best thing I can find around here for 7 bucks each).
Was wondering what I should choose for an oil, car has previously had whatever brand of 5w30 conventional was on sale that week. Now I have a few questions:
1) It will be SUPER cold here this winter, -30 celsius not uncommon for cold start in morning should I use a 0W30? My options of what is readily available are:
Canadian tire full OR semisynth Formula 1
Esso 0W30 synthetic
Mobil 1 0W30
Kind of nervous about switching to a synthetic though, since it's expensive and I heard it can promote burning/leaking of oil, is that true(right now car does not burn any noticable amount per oil change)? I find it hard to believe "plain" oil isn't good enough for this particular car
2) This is NOT any type of performance car (duh) and I don't drive hard at all. Would I be crazy to just throw any old API SL rated 5W30 in it (like a no name dollar a quart oil) and hope for the best? This summer I used Motomaster Nugold and it sounded like the engine liked it well enough. Right now it has Motomaster Formula One Conventional and it seems to sound the exact same. I'm VERY reliable about changing my oil between 3 and 5 thousand kilometers or if it looked pretty gross on the stick I would change it then too.
3)If I'm gonna be cheap on the oil should I just go back to 3$ canadian tire (fram made) filters? My room mate uses the candian tire fram filters and whatever oil is on sale (usually candian tire Nugold or supreme) since his car was new and he has 350 000km on his engine which still runs happily.

Well lemm know what you think. Also please don't suggest too many exotic oils like Redline or Amsoil, I'm in college and just don't have the bucks!

 

[pitzel]

A 2000 Sunfire with 90k really isn't very much 'used' and the gaskets and seals should be just fine for synthetic use.

Try and locate an Esso bulk dealer and pick up a case of Esso XD-3 0W30 synthetic heavy duty motor oil. It has superior specs to the Esso Superflo synthetic product, and can be had for as little as $2.50 Canadian/quart + taxes.

Between 3-5k km oil changes is pretty excessive if you end up using a good conventional or synthetic product. With any of the synthetic products, I'd feel perfectly safe going at least the recommendation in your owners manual, (change oil every 7500miles/12,000km), and more if you either obtain an oil analysis, or obtain representative data on this site or elsewhere that your particular oil in your particular family of engines is capable of longer intervals.

 

[Marlin]

Don't use Fram filters. Go to Auto-Zone, Wal-Mart, Advance auto, etc... and use their $2 oil filter.


0w30 Mobil 1 year round would work juts fine. Easy to find, and works.

 

[Al]

I assume you have a block heater. I would just go with one of the GF-4 (see the back of the bottle) oils. 0w30 would be good.

 

[427Z06]

quote:

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Originally posted by pitzel:
Try and locate an Esso bulk dealer and pick up a case of Esso XD-3 0W30 synthetic heavy duty motor oil. It has superior specs to the Esso Superflo synthetic product, and can be had for as little as $2.50 Canadian/quart + taxes.

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I wish we had this stuff in the states at this price.

Is this stuff all PAO or Group III or some other combination?

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by 427Z06:

quote:

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Originally posted by pitzel:
Try and locate an Esso bulk dealer and pick up a case of Esso XD-3 0W30 synthetic heavy duty motor oil. It has superior specs to the Esso Superflo synthetic product, and can be had for as little as $2.50 Canadian/quart + taxes.

---

I wish we had this stuff in the states at this price.

Is this stuff all PAO or Group III or some other combination?

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According to Esso it is a PAO synthetic! It definitely is the bargain synthetic up here, and in the one UOA we've seen on it so far it did well. I'm sure we'll be seeing more used oil analysis on it over the coming months too.

 

[2000sunfire]

hey guys in terms of the Esso oil it is made by Exxon/Mobil, as is any oil that comes in a jug with three stars on the bottom of it. I doubt that it's the same recipe as the more expensive Mobil 1 but it's probably pretty good stuff.

Also what oils do you guys like for something VERY cheap. I've got a F150 beater I do the maintenance on and I like to try to give the guy oil changes for fifteen or twenty bucks. Is anything that has an API sympol on it "good enough" for a non-performance application? thanks

 

[427Z06]

quote:

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Originally posted by 2000sunfire:
I've got a F150 beater

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What year, engine, does it leak or burn any oil, how hard is the truck used, do you want to do extended change intervals?

 

[pitzel]

quote:

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Originally posted by 2000sunfire:
Also what oils do you guys like for something VERY cheap. I've got a F150 beater I do the maintenance on and I like to try to give the guy oil changes for fifteen or twenty bucks. Is anything that has an API sympol on it "good enough" for a non-performance application? thanks

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Why not just procure XD-3 for the beater as well? They sell it branded as President's Choice Motor Oil, in the bottles as you describe, and its usually around $6 for a 4L jug or so around here, in 5w30, 10W30, and 15W40 viscosity grades.

Only having one family of oil on the shelf for both the 'good' cars and the 'beaters' definitely makes for very safe mixing as well.