quote:
We have the Fuchs oil here under the "Silkolene" badge
I called Fuchs today bc I wanted to see if they were going to start selling oils here. I was directed to their Baltimore, MD division. I talked to a very informative guy who gave me some good info that goes along with things said here on BITOG.
Fuchs is on the cutting edge of lubricant technology according to him. I told him about BITOG and he was aware of it. He had good things to say about RL, Amsoil and M1. He said for daily driver cars, he recommended a OTC synthetic like a Mobil 1/Amsoil. Said both were good quality. He said ester based Synthetics like Silkolene, which is available here, and RL, are best choices for racing and real hard driving conditions. He was very honest and said for someone like myself, a PAO retail synthetic would serve me well.
He said I wouldn't really see the benefits of using a RL/FUCHS ester based synthetic. I have to agree.
I then mentioned the 0w-20/CAFE argument. He said 99.9% of most US cars/drivers don't demand a thicker oil or even an ester oil. 80mph driving on the highway in my car doesn't call for it essentially. It can be used, but not necessary.
So I guess if your really pushing your car hard, and driving at really high speeds is when I'd look to an A3 Amsoil/RL or Fuchs type oil, otherwise it's over kill. BTW, all the analysis on here suggests this is true. He went on to mention that technology is much better then it used to and it's not as simple as it seems.
Fuchs lays low according to him in the US for competitive reasons. The guy was very nice, and extremely honest. He flat out said, for me, I'd be better served using a M1/Amsoil. If I were into hard core racing, then move to an ester based sythetic. He basically saying, I don't need to go through the hassle of importing Fuchs 0w-20 for my application and that the PAO M1/Amsoils etc. are perfectly fine.
Somtimes we ignore the obvious. If the UOA's look good, why switch? If your 3.1 HT/HS gives you great wear, and didn't shear in your application, why move? Makes ZERO sense. Tooslick said it earlier and that is as the engine ages, then you'll start wanting to use a thicker oil. I'm finally getting exhausted of this subject.