Mobil 1 5w30 OR GC 0w-30?

[ukmastermind]

Changing the oil on a '09 G37 w/ 52k this weekend. As his bumper sticker states, he "drives it like he stole it."

So the choices are Mobil 1 5w30 or German Castrol 0w-30. Aside from small MPG gains, any benefit to trying the Castrol?

The price between the 2 are only a few dollars.

 

[Falken]

I'd pick GC over Mobil 1.

GC has a lot of Long Life specs and is very robust.

Mobil 1 has spotty used oil analysis in my opinion.

GC is a "real" synthetic.

 

[OVERKILL]

Those two oils aren't cross-shopped, as GC is a Euro oil and much more similar to Mobil 1 0w-40.

So my recommendation is Mobil 1 0w-40

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: ukmastermind
Changing the oil on a '09 G37 w/ 52k this weekend. As his bumper sticker states, he "drives it like he stole it."

So the choices are Mobil 1 5w30 or German Castrol 0w-30. Aside from small MPG gains, any benefit to trying the Castrol?

"He drives it like he stole it" may simply mean he doesn't warm the car up before getting heavy on the gas! In which case the lighter A5/B5 Mobil 1 5w30 (the spec' grade btw) would be the better choice.

Without more information I'd stick with the spec' oil grade.

 

[Brule]

GC lost me .5 mpg vs 'Mobil 1 5w30 in my 350z. But that's besides the point. GC is one of the best oils to put into these Nissan engines known to be tough on oil.

 

[randomhero439]

Mobil 1 5w30.

Unless he track races the car, doing 0-60s or pulls on the highway dont really do much to heat up the oil. Your WOT for what... ten seconds?

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: ukmastermind

So the choices are Mobil 1 5w30 or German Castrol 0w-30. Aside from small MPG gains, any benefit to trying the Castrol?


There would be no mpg gains from using GC. There MIGHT be from running Mobil 1 though. Mobil 1 is thinner at operating temps than GC. I think you were thinking the 0w part of GC would give you better MPG's....which not what the cold viscosity is all about. You don't understand how oil viscosities work. Do some reading.

But like someone else already stated.....Mobil 1 0w40 is closer to GC than Mobil 1 5w30. And between those two oil...it's a toss up based on prior knowledge and experience of other users.

 

[danthaman1980]

Originally Posted By: Brule
GC lost me .5 mpg vs 'Mobil 1 5w30 in my 350z. But that's besides the point. GC is one of the best oils to put into these Nissan engines known to be tough on oil.


^This

GC isn't going to help you in the MPG arena unless you're using it to step down from an xW-40.

GC is a great oil... especially in very warm weather and/or in vehicles that are very hard on oil. But it does have its limitations - it is thicker than most xW-30s at room temp and it has an unimpressive VI, which together makes it not the best oil for short trips (unless you have a problem with fuel dilution). It also lacks the newer Mo/B/Ti additive chemistries. If you spend a lot of time idling in traffic in SoCal or have a long commute, it might be a good choice. If your commute is like 2 miles, think twice.

This is based on my recent experience with GC. It is in my crankcase now, as it was my summer oil of choice when I lived in DFW and had a 1 hour/26 mile commute... but in SE WI where I live now, and for a relatively cool summer like we are having up here, and for my 2 mile commute, it is not ideal. YMMV.

 

[Trav]

You cant go far wrong with Mobil 1 0w40 in that engine. They consume less oil and are considerably quieter.

 

[A_Harman]

A car built in 2009 will not specify an SL oil, which is what GC is. In southern California, Mobil 1 5w30 or 10w30 would be OK.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
A car built in 2009 will not specify an SL oil, which is what GC is. In southern California, Mobil 1 5w30 or 10w30 would be OK.

Or even Mobil 1 0W-30.
Check out the following UOA of a G37 after a track day; pretty decent:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/2205090/

 

[JimPghPA]

GC will have much less oil usage (oil level low due to oil being burned in the engine due to leakage via the valve seals, and the piston rings). And GC is very good for the seals of the engine such as the main seals, and the valve covers. There was a thread hear on BITOG (I remember it well, but have not been able to find it recently) about Mercedes not specific GC for their vehicles sold her in the. Some of the owners used GC and had no problems. The owners who did not use GC had the main seals leak. Mercedes had to issue a recall and replace the main seals and then told the customer to only use GC.

Mobil is more likely to burn off and to leak from the main and valve covers, and cause your oil level to be low. GC is more likely to not burn off, and may even cause engine seals and gaskets to not leak.

I run GC in our 2001 Impala with the 3.4 Liter gas engine. My last run of GC was for 8K miles over 24 months. The TBN was 2 and the oil thickened to the middle of the 40 weight range probably due to it absorbing and neutralizing acids.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
GC will have much less oil usage (oil level low due to oil being burned in the engine due to leakage via the valve seals, and the piston rings). And GC is very good for the seals of the engine such as the main seals, and the valve covers. There was a thread hear on BITOG (I remember it well, but have not been able to find it recently) about Mercedes not specific GC for their vehicles sold her in the. Some of the owners used GC and had no problems. The owners who did not use GC had the main seals leak. Mercedes had to issue a recall and replace the main seals and then told the customer to only use GC.

Mobil is more likely to burn off and to leak from the main and valve covers, and cause your oil level to be low. GC is more likely to not burn off, and may even cause engine seals and gaskets to not leak.

I run GC in our 2001 Impala with the 3.4 Liter gas engine. My last run of GC was for 8K miles over 24 months. The TBN was 2 and the oil thickened to the middle of the 40 weight range probably due to it absorbing and neutralizing acids.


Jim:

Mercedes specs an oil spec, not an oil brand.

Castrol GC PDS:
http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_usa/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/p,q/Edge_BLACK_PDS_Sept_2011.pdf

notable euro specs:
BMW Longlife 01
Mercedes-Benz 229.1
Mercedes-Benz 229.3
Mercedes-Benz 229.5
VW 505.00
VW 502.00

It carries 3x OEM Mercedes approvals, so I'm not sure why/how somebody is saying Mercedes does not recommending GC for their vehicles, since Mercedes approved it

That sounds like something that perhaps is a bit long on anecdote and short on facts, FWIW.

And Mobil, in the same category as GC, which is Mobil 1 0w-40, isn't any more likely to burn off, leak or do anything GC doesn't do.

 

[Oregoonian]

Originally Posted By: Trav
You cant go far wrong with Mobil 1 0w40 in that engine. They consume less oil and are considerably quieter.

Agree....Mobil 1 0w40...Is a much loved oil on this website....and is considered a top-tier oil.....one of the best that Exxon/Mobil produces. Its easily available and should easily do a 10K OCI.

I would suggest the Fram 'ULTRA' filter (WalMart).....and you should be set.

 

[Cooper]

GC ran great in my previous Nissan engine. I would recommend that.

 

[05LGTLtd]

My preferences (top of list is preferred):

GC 0w-30
Mobil 1 0w-40
Pennzoil Ultra 10w30
Pennzoil Ultra 5w30
...
..
.
Mobil 1 5w30

(You could probably slide Castrol Edge 0w-40 (BC) in right below Mobil 1 0w-40..)

 

[Garak]

If he's under warranty and concerned about it, the Mobil 1 5w30 is the way to go. Otherwise, he's free to experiment. I liked using Pennzoil Conventional in mine, and Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40 is working fine, too.

 

[tig1]

Mobil 1 5w30 is one of the best 5-30 oils out there. It carries several engine builder specs including the Honda high temp low deposit HTO-06, Dexos1,and others. It's also an excellant extended drain oil.

 

[steve20]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Mobil 1 5w30 is one of the best 5-30 oils out there. It carries several engine builder specs including the Honda high temp low deposit HTO-06, Dexos1,and others. It's also an excellant extended drain oil.


I'm sure we are aloud to disagree with these statements..............
BTW Quaker State Ultimate Durability meets the HT06 spec as well

 

[ukmastermind]

Nice

Thanks for all the input everyone.

After some consideration, my buddy has decided on Mobil 1 0w-40. Apparently it holds up very well, has lots of anti-wear additives and is a "thinner" 40 wt.

Very Cool!