Give us your general theory on oil etc.

[dmcnelly]

Synthetic: Mobil 1
Conventional: Castrol GTX or Mobil 5000
Filter: K&N (Sometimes you feel like a nut), Mobil 1, or WIX (Sometimes you don't)

Vehicles > 100,000 miles: High Mileage formula every other oil change

 

[JohnBrowning]

I think that staying ahead of oxidation and not leaving a lot of deposits behind is the key to long drive train or machinery life. I would rather have more additives then I need then just the bare minimum to do the job. I like an HTHS of 3.5 as a good comprimise for most applications.Tis way you have more protection then most things need and still have decent fuel ecconomy. Since Redline can make a 5W20 with an hths of 3.3 it is not a requirment to have a high viscosity oil it just takes good base stocks!

 

[JT1]

I believe, like some others here, that a specific oil should be used based on application. Other factors include how long you plan on owning that vehicle(or engine if you're like me and like to swap out for more power), and your expected drain interval.

Application-Unless your vehicle specifies synthetic you likely don't benefit as much as you think.

Length of Ownership-Any engine(excluding those specifying synthetic) is able to last upwards of 100k on conventional.

Long OCI-No doubt this is where most synthetics shine, use them as such.

This is no doubt one of the strangest hobbies a person can have engine oilology. Ehh whatever.

 

[hardcore302]

I believe in a 5000 mile oci maximum. and i believe that motorcraft oils and filters are a steal for how well they perform.

 

[finnautti]

Always synthetic, never dino.

OCI what manual recommends, but minimum of 10kkm, usually 15kkm. Any car any condition. Wasting oil is crime.

Any filter goes, but if i have to choose i take the expensive one. One filter one oil change.

 

[LS2JSTS]

....my theory is along the following lines....ahem. ahem. Oil at one time was thin at one end, much much thicker in the middle, and then thin again at the far end. That is the theory that I have and which is mine, and what it is too......

 

[gfh77665]

Newer car: Synthetic, go by OLM up to 7500 miles.
Older (out of warranty): Dino, 5000 miles.
Filters: Anything but Fram. Usually NAPA Gold.

I don't even blink paying the extra $10 to use syns in the new cars. It virtually pays for itself with the extended interval, and even if it didn't, $10 is negligible over the long run.

 

[virginoil]

FrankN4 I am leaning towards using the M1 15w50 in my Buick equivalent 1995 3800 V6 engine. Have you ever considered using the Mobil Delvac 1 5w40 in your vehicles?

 

[labman]

Long time dino and the owner's manual OCI. I recently put M1 in my truck and have samples off at Blackstone. My truck only sees a few thousand miles a year. I am hoping to greatly extend the every 3 months I have been doing for years.

I had a bad sludge problem about 20 years ago. I am hoping the M1 is enough better than the SF Quaker State dino I was running at the time to allow a much longer interval.

 

[zulu]

My general rule of thumb is that the manufacturer knows a heck of a lot more than I do, so:

Correct oil weight/spec for the manufacturer's recommended OCI= long healthy engine.

Most everything else, while making you feel good, is just excessive.

 

[levi]

I believe in using whatever oil is on sale, not picky at all about the weight, dino most of the time, for an OCI of 5K and any filter other than Fram.

 

[HighViscosity]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
....my theory is along the following lines....ahem. ahem. Oil at one time was thin at one end, much much thicker in the middle, and then thin again at the far end. That is the theory that I have and which is mine, and what it is too......




Oil obsession can tear apart a family. My dreams are all dead and burried, some times I wish the sun would just explode. When the good lord comes and calls me to his kingdom I'll take all you sonsabitches when I go!

Don't touch the trim!

 

[Bryanccfshr]

I believe in what my vehicle manufacturer recome3nds. I believe in those recomended specifications (ex;;5w20 SM GF4)
OCI's and extending the OCI only after determining through UOA's that the vehicle is in a condition to do so.

I believe there is no significant performance difference between Synthetics and conventionals and that SYns advantages are limited to Cold weather performance and oxidation stability in extreme high operating conditions(Turbos). Their advantage in extended OCI's while meeting SM GF4 SPecs are limited.

I believe that brand loyalty is bad for a consumer and that one should seek out the best deals onse can get in the recomended oils.

I believe in Oil Life monitors. They are much better than target numbers.

 

[cjhepburn]

My theory is that if you want quality oil, you have to pay a premium price. Also, no matter how much you spend on oil changes, it's still the cheapest preventive maintenance you can do.

 

[Audi Junkie]

A lot of generalizations in the post above. Is he saying $2 dino oils lack quality? That synth is no good if it's on sale? Who needs something more than dino SM oil anyway?
It's also not the cheapest maintenance you can do. $60+++ oil changes verses simple PCV cleaning, piston soak, intake cleaning or $2 PS flushes and the like.

I'm sorry, but so many people think they need "the best" w/o knowing why or what that even is. Plain dino oil ran out to 80% of capacity works fine in nearly every case. That's 5000-6000 miles.

 

[coffee]

I have found as Dr. Haas stated that thinner is better and use 5w20 MaxLife with a SuperTech filter for 5k OCI's on both my Volvo's and it seems to be the perfect fit for me.

 

[BovineScapegoat]

Here's my theory. For cars other than my own I use and preach a quality name brand oil with any filter other than Fram extraguard and their clones at 3-4K miles OCIs.
For my daily driver use Group III like PP for 5-6K oci.
Ultimately the goal is a clean engine for long engine life.

 

[MrWideTires]

-GC and M1 0w40 will make almost anything run better
-RTS is simply one of the toughest oils out there
-Supertech filters are great bang for the back... but the one with metal end caps, I refuse to use the felt ones that look like toys.
-Motorcraft is amazing value
-Mobil Clean 5000 is the only dino I buy because it's so much cheaper than the other ones and is just as good.

 

[RISUPERCREWMAN]

Motor oil lubricates & protects moving engine parts! Simple as that!

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: RISUPERCREWMAN
Motor oil lubricates & protects moving engine parts! Simple as that!


Reminds me of an Einstein quote.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."