Is Redline 5w30 the correct oil for my 2017 Mustang GT Weekend/Track Car Application

Hi guys, I am a new member.
Welcome to the site!


I have a 2017 Mustang 5.0. it is mainly a weekend car (likely with most drives being spirited driving in the canyons) that will also see some autocross/track time few times a year. Due to the car mainly being driven "hard" when it will be driven on weekends and on the track ... I will be driving a year and the few track events I do; I will most likely end up changing the oil only once per year anyway, which is what I already do. ...
Seems that you've got a good handle on how you use your car and what your intensions are for the application in terms of service.



It is ester based, good HTHS score, good NOACK score, also API SN certified which I believe meets Ford oil spec for my 2017 5.0. In addition, from my understanding, the 5w30 redline is closer to a 5w35 or 5w40" because of how "thick" it is, ...
Using an ester based oil like redline with high heat shear resistance, I think is most beneficial when the oil is used in the setting like on the track, where it sees high temperature.

I still don't understand a lot about engine oil, so feel free to point out why this oil would not be best or why you think it might work.
I'm not sure how you reconcile those two statements above. You speak to the specifics of the oil more than any true "noob', and then you claim to not know a lot about oil.



The oil you've selected will be fine. So would a host of other premium lubes like Amsoil, HPL, Mobil1, Schaeffers, etc. You can experiment with them if you like, but given your maintenance plan, you'll never be able to discern a "best" because of the limitations of time/money that proper testing would require. You'll have to weigh your implied thoughts of visocity vs. the degraded power due to pumping losses. In a normal daily driver, it's more than moot. But if racing is what you seek (where every fractional HP matters), then I'd consider not going too thick.
 
I'd love to know how RedLine isn't better, and in what way, than Mobil1 FS 0w-40 or 5w-40.
Due to the car mainly being driven "hard" when it will be driven on weekends and on the track, I think 5w30 Redline seems like a good choice. It is ester based, good HTHS score, good NOACK score, also API SN certified which I believe meets Ford oil spec for my 2017 5.0. In addition, from my understanding, the 5w30 redline is closer to a 5w35 or 5w40" because of how "thick" it is, I think it might be a good choice for a dual purpose weekend/track car.

I'd like to touch on these two statements/topics. Red Line reformulated their entire High Performance lineup and has been manufacturing and distributing the reformulated motor oils for about six months now. Yet Red Line refuses to update their website with typical properties for the reformulated motor oils. They also did not update their PDS documents, some of them being five years or older. Since I use Red Line 5W-30 and 0W-20. I asked Red Line about the specifications and performance of the reformulated motor oils. I was told that Red Line will update their website, and I kid you not, once the reformulated motor oils will have "reasonable market penetration" and that the wear performance is similar to the old motor oil while TBN retention is worse. Here on BITOG most of us know that TBN retention with Red Line wasn't great to begin with, so how can it get worse? I posted about this exchange in this thread: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...0-and-0w-30-api-sp-elemental-analysis.362576/

The fact that the OP (@mr2raw) can read the typical properties from Red Line's website doesn't mean much, as he might end up with a different product in the crankcase. Also, the fact that Red Line, by its own admission, claims that it put out a worse product than the previous one, and then drags their feet to update the website in an attempt to mislead consumers, for the lack of a better word, seems sleezy to me.

I also inquired about why my 2017 Santa Fe 3.3L GDI engine guzzled up nearly a quart of Red Line in 6800 miles, but Red Line did not want to respond to that one. This engine had Mobil 1 EP 5W-30, Mobil 1 FS 0W-40, QS Euro 5W-40, M1 FS 5W-40, and once a dealer-bulk fill of el-cheapo Shell 5W-30 in it, and never burned any oil.

But wait, there is more: I use Red Line 0W-20 in my 2022 Dodge Durango. The factory fill showed 30 PSI at idle. Red Line 0W-20 shows 27~28 PSI. Not a big deal. Well, we also have a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I switched to HPL PCMO Premium Plus 0W-20, and that one still shows 30 PSI. Both vehicles have the same Pentastar V6 engine. I made that switch here: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...ted-ups-just-dropped-off-the-packages.355350/

I didn't think much about the lower oil pressure in the Durango. Then, not too long ago, I stumbled on a Red Line 0W-20 VOA on oil-club.ru of all places. Long and behold, the cSt @ 100C was 7.03. Yes, 7.03!!! The cSt @ 40C is 36.53. It doesn't even come close to what Red Line advertises on their website. The RL 0W-20 VOA is from January 27, 2022. If you guys want I can post it, however, it's in Russian. As it stands I will have to change the oil early in the Durango and send it in for analysis. We'll see what the UOA says.

Everyone is free to purchase and use whatever lubricant they want. As far as I'm concerned, and for the reasons I outlined above, I will no longer purchase and use Red Line lubricants. I don't expect a blender to open up to me about their secrets and everything that goes into their oils. I respect trade secrets. I do, however, have a reasonable expectation that I'm provided with somewhat accurate typical properties of the products that I'm buying. After all, I'm spending my hard earned money, and I'd like to know what I'm getting in return.
 
Glad this isn't a Santa-Fe or Durango thread since nobody wants to hear my experiences with either of their makers.

Threadstarter did say Mustang and 5w30.

The RedLine 5w30 silenced a couple of my noisy Nissans. Great oil. And, they have 0w40 and 5w40 if the threadstarter thinks he needs anything thicker too.
 
Glad this isn't a Santa-Fe or Durango thread since nobody wants to hear my experiences with either of their makers.

Threadstarter did say Mustang and 5w30.

The RedLine 5w30 silenced a couple of my noisy Nissans. Great oil. And, they have 0w40 and 5w40 if the threadstarter thinks he needs anything thicker too.
I'm glad you support your statements with facts and not the proverbial "trust me bro". 🙄
 
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The RedLine 5w30 silenced a couple of my noisy Nissans. Great oil.
I've used plenty of Red Line 5W-30. Not a single engine I used it in, including HEMIs, sounded any different than on any other oil. It's just more forum lore.

Also, less engine noise doesn't translate to less wear. Otherwise everyone would be running Castrol GTX 20W-50 along with a couple of quarts of Lucas Engine Oil Stabilizer for good measure. For a little while it'd be the quietest engine on earth, and then it would go dead silent for sure.
 
The higher Pb in RL I attribute to the large % of POE they were using and bearings. Some bearing materials didn't have this problem and Pb would be low. RL is more of a niche oil and better suited for racing applications than daily driver applications. IMO.
 
Glad this isn't a Santa-Fe or Durango thread since nobody wants to hear my experiences with either of their makers.

Threadstarter did say Mustang and 5w30.

The RedLine 5w30 silenced a couple of my noisy Nissans. Great oil. And, they have 0w40 and 5w40 if the threadstarter thinks he needs anything thicker too.
I think the bit you are missing is that the Redline 5W-30 you've used may not be the same Redline 5W-30 now on the shelves, or at least that's my takeaway from his comments.
 
Still got more moly than most. Supposedly still has the HTHS. And, still has more than GF6/SP zddp. Useable newer addictive tech is better than non-usable overdosed additives. I wonder how the supply chain affected RedLine. As long as they keep their PAO/Ester majority, I have no issue using them. With VOA/UOA data jumping all over the place over the years, I won't draw any conclusions. I don't purposely search for or need RedLine but have no issue installing/recommending their products. So, I didn't miss any of the rumors.
 
Still got more moly than most. Supposedly still has the HTHS. And, still has more than GF6/SP zddp. Useable newer addictive tech is better than non-usable overdosed additives. I wonder how the supply chain affected RedLine. As long as they keep their PAO/Ester majority, I have no issue using them. With VOA/UOA data jumping all over the place over the years, I won't draw any conclusions. I don't purposely search for or need RedLine but have no issue installing/recommending their products. So, I didn't miss any of the rumors.
I was referencing specifically this bit from the post you replied to:
Red Line reformulated their entire High Performance lineup and has been manufacturing and distributing the reformulated motor oils for about six months now. Yet Red Line refuses to update their website with typical properties for the reformulated motor oils. They also did not update their PDS documents, some of them being five years or older. Since I use Red Line 5W-30 and 0W-20. I asked Red Line about the specifications and performance of the reformulated motor oils. I was told that Red Line will update their website, and I kid you not, once the reformulated motor oils will have "reasonable market penetration"

Given this appears to be "from the horse's mouth" so to speak, personally, I'd be inclined to reserve judgement until after we've seen what this looks like in application, in terms of the actual typical properties for the oils, once available, and what ZDDP, moly and other additive levels look like on VOA's.

To each their own of course.
 
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