How to pick a motor oil....
- Thread starter Scott S
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3 criteria in order:
Big number
Shiny jug
Pretty picture on jug
Big number
Shiny jug
Pretty picture on jug
Well I'm not saying I can afford the best, better probably, for example, Schaefer or Red line being the best, Mobil 1 or Castrol Edge being better.
How do you find out, some of this stuff since all of it is not shared? What have you found out in your searches? If you don't mind me asking?
Tell me more about VOA’s… Are they not just PPM of one element? Can you load up a oil just to make it good on a VOA?
Yes they are just one element. I did state that. It's only one part of the picture..
Read this thread.
Automated calculator for the A_Harman index, VII content, and base-oil viscosity
I have now fully automated my A_Harman index, effective VII content, and base-oil viscosity calculator by building in the ASTM D341 viscosity - temperature relation (Walther formula) into the spreadsheet. If you want to calculate these values for an oil, you can either (a) make a copy of the...
bobistheoilguy.com
Like Dinuclear vs Trinuclear moly. Star Viscosity Index Improvers, Base oil purity exc… VOA is great to see but it is a balance act. The tests like cloud point, pour point on the low end and HTHS on the high end.
This video, combined with what has been said on BITOG, combined with availability and price and how long I want my vehicle to last, all added up to me choosing Penzoil Ultra Platinum that I buy in five-quart jugs from Walmart online at 2 or more at a time to get free shipping. Sure, Amsoil is a little better in the La-Briskey test, but not by much at all, and Amsoil is about twice the price of PUP, and difficult to get. PUP is, to me a better choice. PUP is so close to Amsoil in the La-Briskey test, and it has a very low NOAC, lower than Amsoil, which is a big deal with today's direct injection engines to help keep the intake valves clean. Also, PUP is known for keeping the insides of an engine clean, and clean passageways are a big deal to keep the variable cam system working because it uses the oil as a hydraulic fluid, and it has small filters built into it that require a lot of labor and some not so cheap parts to fix it if they get clogged.
Also, a new Fram Ultra filter every OC.
At least for my application PUP is a great choice.
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Step 1 The type of vehicle it is and what kind of oil it would like for you to use in the owners manual to get an idea as to where to start.
Step 2 (optional) Try to do a bit of research on that particular engine for information about its characteristics towards oil and from others and their experiences with it.
Step 3 (optional) Think about the environment it'll be in year round and the driving conditions/style it will endure.
Step 4 Find applicable oils and get the blind fold and dart board out and throw.
Sure there are most definitely oils that appear more attractive on paper. But truth be told a sub $20 full syn jug with an average/below average looking ad pack being changed accordingly for what it can handle and possibly 1 grade thicker and/or with a higher w rating for less viscosity improvers and better stability if it isn't too cold should still make the engine last many hundreds of thousands of miles unless the engine was a poorly engineered and/or manufactured hunk of metal that no oil could've saved. So maybe pick a car worthy of your time and effort maintaining it for a long long time.
Step 2 (optional) Try to do a bit of research on that particular engine for information about its characteristics towards oil and from others and their experiences with it.
Step 3 (optional) Think about the environment it'll be in year round and the driving conditions/style it will endure.
Step 4 Find applicable oils and get the blind fold and dart board out and throw.
Sure there are most definitely oils that appear more attractive on paper. But truth be told a sub $20 full syn jug with an average/below average looking ad pack being changed accordingly for what it can handle and possibly 1 grade thicker and/or with a higher w rating for less viscosity improvers and better stability if it isn't too cold should still make the engine last many hundreds of thousands of miles unless the engine was a poorly engineered and/or manufactured hunk of metal that no oil could've saved. So maybe pick a car worthy of your time and effort maintaining it for a long long time.
OP you seem to have a lot of free time in your hands
Changing the oil and filter on a regular basis ("regular" will vary for vehicle and driving conditions and several other factors) and keeping oil at correct levels are more important than which brand oil you use.
As others mentioned, using an oil with the correct viscosity and API spec will get you similar results between brands when changed appropriately.
The engine will be the last thing to wear out due to oil related issues on most any modern vehicle that has regular OCI.
I have similar standards as others here have mentioned.
First thing I look at is the oil viscosity for the vehicle I am changing the oil on, then what is the price of the oil.
As others mentioned, using an oil with the correct viscosity and API spec will get you similar results between brands when changed appropriately.
The engine will be the last thing to wear out due to oil related issues on most any modern vehicle that has regular OCI.
I have similar standards as others here have mentioned.
First thing I look at is the oil viscosity for the vehicle I am changing the oil on, then what is the price of the oil.
that is a lot to grasp..
Yes I do unfortunately, been disabled for 11 years.. cant do a whole lot anymore.. COPD, asthma, heart problems, arthritis...
You can pick any one of those oils… I picked PUP too…
Ah we're sorry to hear that friend.
That was pretty interesting..
Yep ... oil can become rocket science if you want it to.
Any 5W20 or 5W30 on the shelves at WM will work just fine in my trucks engine. Some people put too much thought in buying an engine oil.
Curious how come ultra Platinum would not be dexos approved.. ?? But yet Platinum would.. sort of odd...
I read on another site.. that with the natural gas.. that Pennzoil Platinum is more susceptible to oil usage.. I don't know how true that is.. just something I read.. . Internet could be a dangerous thing.. sometimes.. LOL. I'M interested in the 5W20
This shows there is a lot you don’t understand about oil. Given that, your attempt to pick the “best” through $30 spectrographic analyses, typical values on a PDS, reading the tea leaves of an SDS or goofy YouTube videos is especially meaningless. None of these is how you pick an oil and especially not how you determine if one has demonstrated superior performance.
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