And still $24.04 at Walmart.com. A screaming deal.
FRAM oil is now available @AAP
- Thread starter wemay
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oooops
Don't see no value in this post either.Vw owners run spec oil???
I know I dont!
They have my favorite 20w50, sae 30, sae 40, dont see no 15w40.
forgot to quote post
Maybe for your specific use. But price alone was not that attractive for me, I saw $24 in Advance auto. Its more than Mobil 1 at WM. If I really want no name oil, I think I will go with Costco Kirkland for $12
$30 for 5 quarts and a Fram Titanium isn't bad...
A five (5) quart jug of Fram #F935 is $23.99 @ AAP. $4.80 per quart -- that's less than many conventional oils.
I'm a fan of Costco, but they do not sell a 5W-40. The closest they come is a 15w40, and that has no MB approvals at all, let alone 229.51.
I see the Costco site says, "Kirkland Signature Motor Oil is blended and packaged in the U.S.A. by Warren Distribution, Inc." I've heard of Warren but know nothing about them or their reputation. Costco generally sells high quality products though. If it does turn out to be decent oil, the price -- $3 per quart -- is amazing, esp for synthetic oil.
Of course Costco also sells Mobil 1. On sale it is (last I knew) $26 for a case of 6 quarts, or $4..35 per quart -- cheaper than Walmart (5qt jug). I have a small mountain of cases of 5w30 that will probably last the rest of our lives. I bought it on sale back when my wife and I were still working and doing a lot of driving. Now oil changes are done by time rather than miles. Anyway, that's another option at Costco. I guess it comes down to how the Kirkland oil compares to Mobil 1.
In our case, with the Sprinter, we need an oil that (ideally) is on the Mercedes 229.51 Bevo list, or at least one where the mfr swears on their mother's grave that it meets/exceeds 229.51. Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are expensive. On top of that, MB over-engineers everything. Any number of things -- like a partially clogged DPF -- can put the Sprinter into "limp home mode" (LHM). That is no fun for the owner, or anyone stuck behind them on the highway. That has not happened to us, and I'm trying my best to avoid it!
Swearing on a mother‘s grave that an oil meets or exceeds an approval is truly irrelevant. It’s one of the tricks a blender uses to obfuscate the truth.
And your continued focus on grade is really misplaced. If you have an oil that has the actual approval you need, then it will have the minimum HT/HS required by that approval. An HT/HS is a better indicator of the performance of the oil in use.
The best way for you to avoid problems with your vehicle is to use an oil that has a documented approval that’s required. Not an oil where someone is swearing or guessing. Castrol Edge 5w30 LL for $24.04 at Walmart.com is one is those oils that has what’s required but there are others.
And your continued focus on grade is really misplaced. If you have an oil that has the actual approval you need, then it will have the minimum HT/HS required by that approval. An HT/HS is a better indicator of the performance of the oil in use.
The best way for you to avoid problems with your vehicle is to use an oil that has a documented approval that’s required. Not an oil where someone is swearing or guessing. Castrol Edge 5w30 LL for $24.04 at Walmart.com is one is those oils that has what’s required but there are others.
"...where the mfr swears on their mother's grave" was my attempt at humor, nothing more.
The HT/HS viscosity for Amalie's "Elixir European Formula dexos2® Full-Synthetic Motor Oil" 5-40 is 3.7:
http://www.amalie.com/Passenger-Car...les//7ACB76DC9737/Elixir_European_Formula.pdf
The HT/HS for Fram #F935 is >3.7.
Both are at the high end of the range mentioned above.
I found the specs for the Castrol Edge 5w30 LL Advanced Full Synthetic mentioned above:
https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/...F0679EC802584330026C2B6/$File/bpxe-bdxc8m.pdf
They look good but there is no mention of the HT/HS Viscosity, cP. The 0.5% ash level is good -- under MB's limit of 0.8%.
Attached are the specs for the Fram #F935. It seems to compare well to the Castrol, but as I said above, I'm not an oil guy and much of this is new to me.
https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/...F0679EC802584330026C2B6/$File/bpxe-bdxc8m.pdf
They look good but there is no mention of the HT/HS Viscosity, cP. The 0.5% ash level is good -- under MB's limit of 0.8%.
Attached are the specs for the Fram #F935. It seems to compare well to the Castrol, but as I said above, I'm not an oil guy and much of this is new to me.
It's an ACEA C3 oil and carries several specs based on ACEA C3, it has to have an HTHT150 viscosity above 3.5 in order to be ACEA C3.
Thanks blufeb95.
The Fram #F935 is also an ACEA: C3 oil.
The specs are pretty close, with the Fram #F935 having some sight advantages:
* Cold Cranking Viscosity, cP @ -30 (°C) -- 5600 vs 5700 (very close)
[* Viscosity, Kinematic 100C -- 14.0 vs 11.6] ***
[* Viscosity, Kinematic 40C -- 81 vs 66.] ***
* Viscosity Index -- 175 vs 173 (basically the same)
* Pour Point -- -42*C vs -39*C (again, not much difference)
* Flash Point, PMCC -- 220*C vs 196*C
The Castrol is slightly better when it comes to ash -- 0.75% vs 0.8%.
*** Edit to indicate that the kinematic viscosity cannot be directly compared because Castrol uses "mm2/s" and Fram uses "cSt"
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But the Castrol is actually approved.
Can't argue with that.
I've been on Sprinter-Source since 2009. In 12 years you get to know whose opinion to take into consideration. Regarding fluids, essentially everyone agrees that it's best to stick with those on the MB Bevo list. However, many of those same people point out that as long as the MB specs are met, you're good.
One very important spec is SAPs/ash. MB specifies no more that 0.8%. All other mfrs of diesel engines with DPFs call for
Some long-time members of Sprinter-Source who want to continue using 5W-40 have switched to oils like Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 that are
That seems like a reasonable trade-off. With the Fram #F935 however, there is no trade-off -- the ash spec is 0.8%.
The Castrol is good oil, but because I'm not a petroleum engineer, and the two companies use some different testing methods/units it's hard for me to tell if the protection of Castrol's 5w30 = Fram's 5W-40. It may, IDK. But it does seem strange that the viscosity grades would overlap like that.
The totality of the Mercedes-Benz approval is much more than just the ash level. There are requirements for wear, sludge formation, oxidative thickening and deposit formation to name a few. One cannot determine the suitability of the oil in these respects through a used oil analysis, VOA nor the typical values reported on a PDS so that's why a verifiable approval is critical and essential. Otherwise you are just guessing and hoping.Can't argue with that.
I've been on Sprinter-Source since 2009. In 12 years you get to know whose opinion to take into consideration. Regarding fluids, essentially everyone agrees that it's best to stick with those on the MB Bevo list. However, many of those same people point out that as long as the MB specs are met, you're good.
One very important spec is SAPs/ash. MB specifies no more that 0.8%. All other mfrs of diesel engines with DPFs call for
Some long-time members of Sprinter-Source who want to continue using 5W-40 have switched to oils like Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 that are
That seems like a reasonable trade-off. With the Fram #F935 however, there is no trade-off -- the ash spec is 0.8%.
The Castrol is good oil, but because I'm not a petroleum engineer, and the two companies use some different testing methods/units it's hard for me to tell if the protection of Castrol's 5w30 = Fram's 5W-40. It may, IDK. But it does seem strange that the viscosity grades would overlap like that.
Considering the reasonable cost of an oil with the actual approval I find it mystifying why anyone would do anything else.
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You're still hung up on 5w30 vs 5w-40.Can't argue with that.
I've been on Sprinter-Source since 2009. In 12 years you get to know whose opinion to take into consideration. Regarding fluids, essentially everyone agrees that it's best to stick with those on the MB Bevo list. However, many of those same people point out that as long as the MB specs are met, you're good.
One very important spec is SAPs/ash. MB specifies no more that 0.8%. All other mfrs of diesel engines with DPFs call for
Some long-time members of Sprinter-Source who want to continue using 5W-40 have switched to oils like Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 that are
That seems like a reasonable trade-off. With the Fram #F935 however, there is no trade-off -- the ash spec is 0.8%.
The Castrol is good oil, but because I'm not a petroleum engineer, and the two companies use some different testing methods/units it's hard for me to tell if the protection of Castrol's 5w30 = Fram's 5W-40. It may, IDK. But it does seem strange that the viscosity grades would overlap like that.
People always pick the biggest letters or numbers to worry about, don't you know that? It's because they are - right there.
All the time they breeze right over the most important data which is the approval, specification or license.
True, I am.
As I mentioned above, 5w-40 was the recommended SAE grade from day 1. Not 5w30 or 5w-40 -- 5w-40 period.
If we had a bread or flower delivery company that would be one thing, but we have an 11,000+ lb box (RV) with the aerodynamics of a billboard. The engine is run at full load a large percentage of the time. Just driving into a headwind sometimes requires that the throttle be floored and the rpm held close to the redline. Downhill grades require engine braking which also often means high rpm (for that engine) operation. Climbing mountains is usually in 3rd gear, flat-out, within a few hundred rpm of redline, with coolant temps reaching over 220*F (250* is the max). Also, it already burns 2-3 quarts of oil between 10,000 mile oil changes, a lighter weight oil would mean more oil consumption.
The SAE specs for viscosity grade do not overlap. Unless a mfr is disregarding the SAE guidelines, all 5w-40 oils are thicker than all 5w30 oils:
https://www.gofurthergofs.com/Porta...pers/SAE-Viscosity-Grades-for-Engine-Oils.pdf
https://wiki.anton-paar.com/en/sae-viscosity-grades/
To my non-engineer brain, that means more protection and less oil consumption.
If I'm missing something I'm happy to learn.
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You have already been given lots of information to clear up your understanding on this topic. The Castrol 5w30 ll previously mentioned has the MB approvals. It's hard to tell if the fram oil is approved for any of the applications it lists. It's hard to say. Most mid and low SAPS oils are in the 0w-30, 5w30, and 0w-20 viscosity. The viscosity is not important, rather the approval. As also previously mentioned, the HTHS is an important part of the approval. I don't know what anyone else can add to improve your misunderstanding.
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