Engine Oil Makers & OCI?

[Ibrahim]

Hi Friends!

I am trying to understand why would a Synthetic Engine Oil maker NOT come out and say openly & clearly that they believe their oil can extend oil change interval upto so & so many kilometers or at least publish TAN & TBN info in the product data sheet?

Amsoil says up to 25 to 35K
Mobil 1 EP says upto 15K
Heard RP about 9k

All list out conditions in which OIC can be extended with their respective product.

ASSUMING A GENERAL/CONVENTIONAL PASSENGER CAR ENGINE!

Here is my question what is the single most important thing in the Oil which really allows it to be used for extended service purposes?

ADD PACK or BASE OIL?

I have heard conflicting info...some say no if it is made of group IV and above base oil it can be used for xtended purposes and at the same time have also heard that the stronger (higher dose) the ADDITIVES PACKAGE the longer once OCI will be regardless of the base being a highly refined group III.

OR

The Oil being THICKER has anything to do with being able to be used for xtended OCI's?

Please Share Your Thoughts!

since I am at it...would Red Line OW-20 can be assumed to meet GF-4!

 

[Johnny]

About 70% of extended drain intervals can be contributed to the additive package.

 

[ZZman]

Additives. High TBN and detergent/dispersents.

 

[Pablo]

Base oil. If the base oil degrades, game over. Of course the other fellows are correct as well. If the additives deplete early, you will be relying on the base oil.....

Bottom line: You MUST HAVE BOTH.

 

[Bill in Utah]

The reason why oil companies don't come out and say 15k, 25k, 30k is they can not warranty their product dumped in every engine.

That is why EVERY oil company uses those two magic words;

UP TO

I've seen 25k oil pretty well spent @ 10k in a perfectly well maintained engine. If someone took the 25k oil and ran it straight off with a 25k run without a UOA I FEEL (IMO) that damage could happen.

Once you go past the engine MFG recommended OCI blindly, you ARE taking a risk... (and with some (very few) engines, even the recommended OCI is pushing it)

Take care, Bill

PS: And in some engines I've seen 25K oil look like its just starting to be USED up @ 25k. As they say;

"Your milage may vary"

 

[daman]

Because engines very,every engine beats up oil differently,what does well on one will not do the same in another as said already above.

both like pabs said

 

[Shannow]

Ibrahim,
about 20 years ago, Mobil in Oz used to market their oils in terms of "protection".

Super, and Superdrop were conventionals, and had "15,000km (IIRC) of protection"...it was supposed to mean that if you went past an OCI, it didn't grenade.

Their adds had them driving Sydney to Perth, and back...and back (etc.) to prove their point.

Mobil also advertised their Mobil 1 as offering 40,000km protection...Sydney to Perth, and back, and back etc.

The adds were only wrt the "protection" that they offered if you inadvertently went over the OEM OCI.

More recently, I've had a mobil tech agree that 1 year, regardless of mileage is fine for 0W-40.

 

[Ibrahim]

thank you all for the feed back....so basically a good base oil in addition with a good add back will be the BEST oil...generally speaking?

also can all Synthetic 0W-20 oils be assumed to meet GF-4 standard even though it may not be stated....

thanks!