German Castrol vs. M1 0w40 vs. M1 5w30

[Garry]

Great Board!!!

Which oil would be better for my Toyota 01 4Runner 3.4L V6.

I live in Toronto, Canada (capital of SARS, West Nile, Mad Cow, etc...). The temperatures here are on the extreme side. Cold winters, hot and humid summers, a lot of stop and go traffic.

Thank you in advance.

--Garry

 

[pscholte]

Garry,

Since this is your first post...

To answer your question: we are all still pretty new with the German Castrol, so we are in the assessment phase...having said that, since it is a European formulated syn, you probably can't go wrong...if you want to go with what we have more Used Oil Assessments for, and experience with, I think I would go with the 0W-40 with your motor; it's got a good additive package and I believe you would have great success with it year 'round there are the shores of Lake Ontario. You may get as many recommendations for the 5W30 as you do 0W40 (or maybe even some other brand options) but the 0W40 is how I would do it.

Again...

 

[Patman]

First of all,

Since Mobil 1 0w40 is very hard to find up here, the German 0w30 would be a good choice for you. Especially if we have another cold winter like the last one!

 

[Garry]

Thank you both for your feedback. I get M1 0w40 from a distributor called NOCO. The German Castol can be found at a Wallmart off HWY 7.

I heard that the 0w40 weight is the prefered choice in Europe where they are more concerned about engine protection than fuel economy. I would bw willing to give up some efficiency gains for longer engine life. My only concern with the 0w40 weight is that it is quite a range and may have significant VI improvers to achieve this where the 0w30 would have less VI improvers. Did I get this right?

I will continue to read the board to see what the consensus will be once the Castrol product has been around for a while.

Thank you again.
--Garry

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by Garry:
My only concern with the 0w40 weight is that it is quite a range and may have significant VI improvers to achieve this where the 0w30 would have less VI improvers. Did I get this right?

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Because of the inherently high VI of the base oils used, neither Mobil 1 or the German Castrol will have excessive VI improvers added. My gut feeling is that because the base oil blend of the German Syntec 0w30 is mostly esters, it may well have NO VI improver.

And if the Mobil 1 0w40 has VI improvers, it's not enough to worry about.

 

[Garry]

Excellent insight Patman. I will go with German Castrol as my oil of choice. Also, I find it interesting that many German automakers specify a 0w40 weight, yet the German Castrol is a 0w30 weight. Does this mean that it is intended for the NA market only?

--Garry

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by Garry:
Excellent insight Patman. I will go with German Castrol as my oil of choice. Also, I find it interesting that many German automakers specify a 0w40 weight, yet the German Castrol is a 0w30 weight. Does this mean that it is intended for the NA market only?

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Not at all. Currently the toughest OEM extended drain spec in Europe is Mercedes 229.5. With the exception of Mobil 1 0w40, every oil that meets this spec is a 5w30. VW/Audi cars are all coming with low HT/HS 0w30 from the factory now. Most of the oils made and sold in Europe that meet GM's European extended drain spec are 0w30.

 

[pscholte]

G-Man,

Interestingly though, the oil that I am hearing has replaced SLX (German Castrol 0W-30) in OZ is Formula R 0W-40.

 

[Patman]

I have a strong feeling that the Castrol 0w30 has no VI improvers either. My sister's batch of this oil at 5500 miles came in at 11.5 cst, while the virgin sample GMan sent in was 11.9. But if you factor in the fact that some of my sister's oil was slightly mixed with the old run of Mobil 1 5w30, that 11.5 viscosity could very well have been 11.6 or 11.7 if it were 100% Castrol.

And 0w40 Mobil 1 has shown itself to drop more than 1 cst, possibly even 2 in a few cases if I remember correctly. So in the end, with Mobil 1 0w40 you probably end up with a viscosity similar to 0w30 Castrol anyways, but at least by using the Castrol you have no VII breaking down and causing sludge.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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VW/Audi cars are all coming with low HT/HS 0w30 from the factory now.

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Are you saying all new VW/Audi gas engines require VW 503.00? I find that information hard to come by here in the US, so I'd be interested in knowing for sure.

 

[Quattro Pete]

quote:

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Originally posted by pscholte:
G-Man,

Interestingly though, the oil that I am hearing has replaced SLX (German Castrol 0W-30) in OZ is Formula R 0W-40.

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Formula R 0w-40 did not replace the SLX. Both of them exist, at least on the European market. There is also Formula RS 10w-60.