"Lower tier " oils you have run...

I ran the napa 0w20 syn a couple times in a FB25(forester) both times it came out really thin and black in 4000 miles.. went back to M1/PP etc.. as I found them on rebate at a good price.
 
I bought cases of Amalie / Wolf's Head oils and transmission fluids when the amaliestore.com was up and running.
That reminds me to see if they're back.

Would cheap jugs of Havoline or quarts of "Formula Shell" count as "lower tier oils"?
My friend who's perennially on a budget LOVES it when I show up with $11 jugs of oil. He don't need no fancy synthetics!
 
The only time I run "lower tier" oils is when I get them for free or close to it and use them in small engine applications. A neighbor was moving last week and had an entire box of Texaco SAE30 he gave me. It's perfect for using in lawn mowers.
 
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I have used coastal many times and seems to do just fine. All I can say about it is if you have a car that smokes alittle with whatever oil, it will smoke more with coastal. Not sure why. Just my observation.
 
I have not used Supertech, but in the past five years I have used Lubrigold and Rural King (now Providence) synthetics and Citgo Supergard and Cam2 synthetic blends. If I had a high performance car or one with a turbocharged engine, I'd probably stick with one of the majors. As for majors, I still have 40 quarts of RGT I got for 50 cents a quart during the 2018 Autozone clearance.

This past fall my local NAPA store increased pricing on Cam2, so its price advantage is shrinking.
 
I used to use AA'p's house brand oil after using higher priced oils, and didn't notice any difference, beside cost. Now I use their FRAM branded oils, and the results are the same. Both my vehicle use a bit of oil, and after trying different brands with no difference in results, I just use heavier wt oil. Only thing that cuts consumption for me.,,
 
Back in my early days of driving used to run Thrifty Drugs motor oil. That jet was a big influence. :LOL:
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I’ve run Providence 15w40 in my ‘85 GMC van and it did just as well as the Rotella. My valve seals are bad, so I get some smoke on startup, regardless of oil brand. I may switch to Providence, Citgo, or Mystik when my Rotella stash is gone. I run a gallon of 15w40 plus a quart of Mobil 1 HM.
 
bbhero said:
I'm just curious how many others on here have done the same in the past 4-5 years.
Click to expand...

I think I was about 1-2yrs into BITOG when I went to "lower tier" motor oils. Mostly Supertech and Napa, with an occasional CarQuest/Advance, tractor supply, etc. thrown in.

I recently mail-ordered a bunch of Havoline synthetic 5w30 6 quart boxes that I found OK deals on compared to current house brand prices. That's the only reason why I bought it. Supertech went up ~30% in cost overnight. That's the only name brand I can think of that I've purchased since probably 2004-ish.
 
A few years ago I was doing an oil change on a buddy's Hyundai out in the middle of cow country and needed two extra quarts of oil. Instead of driving 15-20 miles to get to the nearest store like Walmart, I went to a mom and pop gas station across the street and picked up some Master Pro Tech motor oil. Buddy didn't care, he just wanted his oil changed by whatever means available and preferably ASAP. PQIA reviewed the product and it looks serviceable as a throw-in oil despite having an incredibly weak add pack.

http://www.pqiadata.org/Master_ProTech_5W20.html
 
Supertech oil and transmission fluid.

Federated Auto Parts engine oil. Napa branded engine oil.

American XT and Wolf’s Head transmission fluids.

The last Ford dealership I was at kept Dexos certified oil in stock for servicing GM vehicles. They just bought whatever was cheapest from the distributor that met Dexos specifications. FVP for awhile a few others after that. Never knew of any issues and wouldn’t expect any from a certified oil.
 
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cb_13 said:
Never knew of any issues and wouldn’t expect any from a certified oil.
Click to expand...
Exactly, follow the certificate, that's why they started API and ACEA etc.

If I haven't heard of the brand, I do a bit of research first and make sure they are listed on the dexos (GM), MB (bevo), API, etc, web site first.

Before I purchased that $2 per litre Gulf Western oil mentioned above, I made sure the company was listed on the API web page. It's a 10W30 semi-synthetic that's API SP, that will do me.
 
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