Is Redline really worth $9 per qt.?

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I stopped at the local Advance auto parts to look at their oil selection. This is the first time I've seen Redline oil in my area,and was shocked at the $8.99 price tag.

I've read that Redline is a good oil,but do people really pay that much for it?
 
YOur kidding me right? Last time i went there, it was 7 bucks a quart. Imo, g2 and get the oil. Shipping was only about 5.30 for me for 4 quarts of mtl, so it would be worth your time.


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[ June 06, 2004, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
 
I thought about trying it a while back,but never could find it. I didn't want it bad enough to order it,and now that the only place in town that sells it charges $9 per qt,I won't by trying it for sure.
 
i dont believe redline to be worth it unless you have an engine and racing condition which warrants the need for such an oil.
just youre average autocrossing isnt worth redline, certainly no daily driver is either.

however somthing like world rally championship would be fo'sho!

if you have a highly tuned engine with a lifespan of a few thousand miles like a buzzbomb toyota or a prehiperal ported 13b, maybe a 600hp honda civic then redline is probably going to be worth it.
 
I've been considering posting something about my Red Line experience for a while now, but haven't because I know what kind of a s***storm it's going to bring down! So, with that said, keep the following in mind before you respond to my post:

1) I know my experience is just that: experience. This is not a scientific response, nor can any conclusions that I myself have drawn be said to be "scientifically valid."

2) Lots of people here have had experiences that do not mirror mine. They have nothing but good things to say about Red Line, and I say good for them. I guess the bottom line is, it depends on the application.

3) My response may not be the response that someone else might have in the identical circumstances.

4) I am well aware of the other possible diagnoses that could explain the outcome I experienced: I've concluded that, based on my subsequent experiences, Red Line is the culprit. You're free to disagree, but my mind is made up.

5) No, I don't have my oil tested, and never will. (See point 1 above.)

So, here's what happened. I switched to Red Line 5w-40 in my Saturn SL. Previously, I'd been using Delvac1 5w-40 for many tens of thousands of miles before. Why the switch? To make a long story short, I was given a couple of cases of the stuff for free.

Based on what I'd read here, I knew that it would take at least two changes -- if not three -- to really start to see any of the touted benefits of Red Line. So I began running it at (gasp) 3000-mile intervals. (I mentioned it was free, right?)

FYI, this car has seen two full Auto-RX treatments (i.e., 2 X 2-bottle treatments) in its life, the most recent having been a couple of oil changes before the switch.

Here's what I noticed:

Consumption was initially higher than the Delvac 1, but then leveled off to be about the same, which in my case is just over 1.25 quarts every 3000 miles.

Contrary to what I'd heard others say about it, my engine was not noticeably more quiet or smooth than it was with the Delvac 1, and was actually a little rougher running than with the Delvac 1.

The oil, judging by appearances only, was no darker or dirtier than it was using Delvac 1 or Mobil 1 before that.

I developed a rear main seal leak that steadily worsened while using the Red Line. The car hadn't had a leak using an all-synthetic diet up until then. Then again, the car also has 193,000 miles on it.

When I discontinued use of the Red Line, within two oil changes using Delvac 1, the leak lessened significantly. (I.e., it stopped leaving drops on the garage floor overnight.) I'm in the middle of an Auto-RX treatment, and it looks like the leak is drying up completely.

My conclusion? No, it isn't worth the $7+/quart. Why? Because it didn't do anything better than the previous oil had that I could tell. My car is noticeably smoother running any of the following: Delvac 1, Mobil 1, or the dino 10w-30 I have in there now.

Did I develop a leak because Red Line did such a good job of cleaning? Frankly I don't care: I don't need an engine that clean if that's the case! I've always run either Neutra or LC in my oil, and as far as I know Delvac 1 has plenty of detergency, and it was never enought cause leak issues. Maybe the Redline is thicker enough that it caused a pressure issue: I don't know. All I know is that I won't be using it again.
 
Kev99 and Stewart Fan, For extreme applications Redline is one of a # of good choices.

For the money in daily drivers that aren't needing exotic protection a good $1 to 1.50 PCMO with LC and a periodic Auto-RX'ing is enough depending on at least an annual oil analysis test.

Kev99 you are a participant on a oil analysis site and state this;?

" 5) No, I don't have my oil tested, and never will. (See point 1 above.)"

IMHO, you will never know for sure with that course of action , what is the best or most cost effective regime.
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I assure you that the reason the damaged seal leak stops/slows with the D1 and "sounds" quieter is that D1 is thicker,dampens sounds that are generated anyway ....and is thicker/dense so it is more difficult to get past the seal.

D1 is a great oil and with LC can be used for long drains very successfully.

Enjoy but remember to "trust but verify" !


Terry
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quote:

Kev99 you are a participant on a oil analysis site and state this;?

" 5) No, I don't have my oil tested, and never will. (See point 1 above.)"

IMHO, you will never know for sure with that course of action , what is the best or most cost effective regime.
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Well I suppose I never thought of BITOG as an "oil analysis site" as much as an "oil enthusiast site," but I'll take your comments under advisement!
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advance auto parts is carrying redline oil, in limited weights, near me. I was suprised to see them selling it for only $8/qt, last time I looked. You can't get it any less for $7 and change from any online place, and then you have to pay for shipping. If anything, I thought it was nice of Adv auto to carry redline at that price, unless they're able to get it at a much lower rate and still able to make profit.

I've run redline 10w40 in a GM 3.0L boat motor, and noticed after an oil change it came out like water. So it doesn't surprise me that it might possibly leak more out the rear main seal of a hi-mile engine vs delvac1.
Oil analysis on this motor with redline wasn't all that either. I too have doubts about redline being worth $8/qt.. given the typical engine most people use it in, there are much more economical oils that'll perform no worse than what would be noticed with redline.
 
I share similar views to cryptokid. Unless your drag racing, NO, Redline is not worth it. I still believe your solid PAO based oils, like Amsoil/M1/GC/RP/Synergyn etc. are your best choices for daily drivers. There are others as well.

For certain racing applications, Redline excells I'm sure. Drag racing is it's forte. But look at what NASCAR is running- PAO/POE based synthetics. I'd like to see more proof that RL is an exceptional oil, bc to be honest, I don't think we have. I respect all others theories and liking of the oil but my personal view of it is that something is just not right with their oils. After all the talking I've done with others,and trying to understand this oil, it does seem that their MIGHT be a formulation issue with RL on some level. But again, for drag racing, they are King. We don't even know if they are fully POE or have some PAO in them. Go to Redline's homepage under "Why Redline?" and you'll see what I mean.
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[ June 03, 2004, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: buster ]
 
My $.02 on Redline. Their Gear oils, Trany Fluids,shock fluids and assembly lube are well worth every single penny! I am slightly biased towards their products. I will say that I do not often run their crancase oils either due to cost and availability I hate mail ordering oil.. I think they make one of the finest oils available. I do not think it would make any significant difference in the long run if I ran German Castrol or M1 instead of Redline.

By difference I mean that my Camry engine is not going to last an extra 100,000-200,000 miles just because I used Redline instead of M1 or GC!

I am currently in the process of testing a lot of different oils to try to find out if I really have a need for high priced boutique oils!
 
I buy Redline for $6.13/qt.

Delvac 1 is the only M1 product I'd use and it's more expensive than RL.

I did buy some Delvac 1300s for an old Honda but that's more for experimentation.
 
Hmm, i've been thinking of giving Redline "another" chance. I've tried it in the past, but didn't really follow-up on it (no UOA) and then switched to M1.... Right now Im running M1 T&SUV, but was thinking of trying Redline 5W-40 in the next interval. I dont really care about the price, just want the best oil
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I'm running a supercharged LT1, dont race it much, but would like most protection I can get for bearings and the cam. I'm hoping the excess of moly would help me out there....

My other choice is GC.... not sure yet what I'll pick. BTW, i will be doing a UOA on the T&SUV in about 1k miles (just running it for 2k though, im not very happy with the noise my engine is making with it)....
 
Hello all,

I just wanted to throw in to the mix that I've been using Redline 10W30 in my Honda S2000 for the past 4,500 miles and it has suprisingly tapered off the oil consumption that I had prior to using it.

The first 12,000 miles I had the car I used Castrol 10W30 and I made the switch over to Redline at 12,500. I'm almost at 17,000 now and the average of 1 qt. a month in consumption has now gone down to about 1/3 of a qt. every month.

Unfortunately I did not have a UOA done on any of the Castrol fills before making the change but I do plan on having one done for this batch of Redline to see what it looks like.

Would that be considered a VOA or UOA? Does the term VOA only apply to the factory fill on a new car?

Also, what place(s) do you'll recommend for an oil analysis?
 
I thought that Redline was much better in our cars than Mobil 1.

Driving over the mountain passes in Colorado or out in the desert heat the engines sounded and ran much better with lower oil temps.
 
Hey if you're interested, I can buy the SUV oil from my local store and ship it to you if you pay for the shipping cost, i think its 4.79 a qt....
 
I am fine right now on the oil front but thanks for the offer. Sooner or latter it has to make it here! I already ran Redline 5W40 but the UOA was lost in the mail!! So I will have to run it again. I currently have lowly $5.88 a gallon Delvac 1300 in my car. The Delvac 1300 is going to be my control oil. I normaly run synthetics but I wanted to establish some sort of base line with conventional oil first. I want to see how big of a difference their really is between differnet oils in my application. After my summer run of Delvac 1300 comes a winter run of M1R 0W30. Then some type of 5W40 not sure what brand yet. Probably retest Redline 5W40 then Delvac-1. When I test Delvac-1 I will use Delvac-1 from a gallon of Delvac-1 just to make sure. Then I will test 5W40 SUV and then we should se close to identical results if they are simalar products!

[ June 06, 2004, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: JohnBrowning ]
 
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