I just signed up for this site this morning, but I have been reading it for a few months now. I was having some issues with the engine in my one car and I was pointed to this site and have been checking it out daily since. A little quick background on me: I work for a local auto auction doing vehicle inspections. I have 2 cars, a 1986 Mercury Capri with 218,000 miles and a 1988 Ford Mustang with 76,000 on it. Both cars are powered by Ford's weak but trusty 2.3L OHC engine. The Capri has always had, since I bought it (2000) Valvoline MaxLife 10W40 with Motorcraft or Napa Gold filters. Just put a remanufactured head on it and the one that came off was totally sludge and varnish free. Really amazing! The Mustang, from what the previous owner told me, has always had synthetic oil used in it. So I continue that with either Mobil 1 15W50 or Rotella T synthetic 15W40 and a Motorcraft filter. From what I can tell, these 3 oils are very good, which kind of makes me feel better as I wasn't sure about the quality of these. All this being said, I have ran across a ton of acronyms and abbreviations on this site and I couldn't decipher some of them. Is there somewhere on this site that has a list? Like what is SLOB and VSOT? Also, there seems to be a consensus that Lucas oil stabilizer is junk, what about the synthetic oil stabilizer (same type bottle, but black label)? I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions, but so I'm not longwinded, I'll stop there.
Hello everyone!
- Thread starter ethangsmith
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It used to be a sticky on most of the forum headers.
btw- Rotella T synthetic (psst! 5w-40) is commonly called RTS
SLOB - street legal oil boost (I forget who makes it)
VSOT- Valvoline Synpower oil treatment.
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...true#Post119035
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...true#Post393668
my fellow PA poster
btw- Rotella T synthetic (psst! 5w-40) is commonly called RTS
SLOB - street legal oil boost (I forget who makes it)
VSOT- Valvoline Synpower oil treatment.
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...true#Post119035
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...true#Post393668
Thanks for the response! Now a lot of the posts make a heck of a lot more sense. This site has really changed my view of oils and oil additives even the short time I have been reading the posts. I was always under the assumption that synthetic = synthetic and that automatically equalled a good thing. I was always told lucas oil stabilizer was a good thing as well, but I'm now glad I stayed away from it. My uncle, who's been an auto mechanic since the 50's, got me set on the right path early on though. He told me "I've always used Valvoline in my engines and if I had some valve noise, I poured in a small amount of Marvel Mystery Oil. Never let me down." Out of curiousity, is the oil and oil filters at WalMart "de-speced" (made to cheaper standards)?? A bunch of memebers, including myself, got into an argument on another car site about whether or not that is the case.
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WM oil and filter products are probably just more cheaply bought. The oils must still meet the spec's on the jug ..and the filters must meet the OEM spec's ..just like any other oil or filter. I don't really think that there are any "bad" oils on the market at this time, assuming that they meet current spec's (and some former spec's). There are those oils that may serve your needs better than others ..and oils can vary on how they perform within the given hurdles that they're tested under in attaining the specs.
As far as filters go, they vary too. Most are just fine and tend to provide added utility and features that are reflected in their price. Others, the price is dictated by marketing more than it is by content. Fram tends to get a good bit of criticism due to its cheaper construction ..coupled with a premium price (more than other filters). They still work, usually, but most would rather pay less for a better constructed filter. ST filters appear to work well as do other cheaper filters. No filter manufacturer has had zero defective filters hit the market ..so one instance of failure or problem cannot be taken as a reflection of the entire line.
As far as filters go, they vary too. Most are just fine and tend to provide added utility and features that are reflected in their price. Others, the price is dictated by marketing more than it is by content. Fram tends to get a good bit of criticism due to its cheaper construction ..coupled with a premium price (more than other filters). They still work, usually, but most would rather pay less for a better constructed filter. ST filters appear to work well as do other cheaper filters. No filter manufacturer has had zero defective filters hit the market ..so one instance of failure or problem cannot be taken as a reflection of the entire line.
Nope, Walmart Supertech filters are pretty decent. Made by Champion Labs, so they are identical in construction to STP, some AC Delcos, and older Bosch filters. They do have a cheaper filter media, but it's still fine.
The flaws they have, like the clicker bypass valve in certain part numbers, are shared between all the filter brands listed above.
And Supertech oil has proven time and time again based on used oil analysis to do a fine job at protecting an engine.
The flaws they have, like the clicker bypass valve in certain part numbers, are shared between all the filter brands listed above.
And Supertech oil has proven time and time again based on used oil analysis to do a fine job at protecting an engine.
Good to know. I've been buying my oils and motorcraft filters at WalMart for years and I haven't had a problem, but over on the car site I'm a member of, some are convinced that the oil and filters that they sell at WalMart are secondhand or "de-speced." I was kind of skeptical about it, since like mentioned above, it must meet quality standards. I ended up at WalMart today staring at the oil and saw Mobil 1 High Mileage oil there. Never saw it before, but it sounds like it's good stuff. Anyone use it yet? Also, from reading this site, I discovered that Valvoline MaxLife makes a fully synthetic version. I stopped at WalMart, Advance Auto, and Pep Boys and no one stocks it. Where can I get it?
We visited a very nice teddy bear store in Manheim on our way to Lititz. Very friendly !!
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Wait, people from Canada know of Lititz and Manheim?? I lived in Lititz for 22 years (since I was born till last year when I got married). Now I have a house here in Manheim. If you can get past the constant manure smell off the fields, it's a really nice area to live.
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