Maxlife blend vs. Maxlife full synthetic

[05Blazer]

Is there any signifiant improvement in the full synthetic vs. the blend Maxlife in past UOA's? Or is it just a matter of OCI mileage limits?

I have used Mobil1 Truck/SUV 5W30 Super Syn since my first OCI in my '05' 4.3L Vortec. I recently purchased some Maxlife Blend from Walmart for the next OCI but am debating if I should stick to full synthetic as this vehicle is fleet driven with 15+ starts a day on 4 different days.

thanks

 

[ARB1977]

The only difference if i remember correctly was the full synthetic was alittle thicker then the blend.

 

[Jason8691]

And a few dollars per quart more expensive

 

[genynnc]

go with the blend, it's an outstanding oil... in my UOA that's posted on here, I went 5,700 miles with a 3.7 TBN remaining- could have gone 6,500-7K easy (however it was in a 03 corolla, so I would assume it is easier on the oil than a 4.3 v6)

 

[ZR2grizz]

Hey 05Blazer,

I was wondering how many miles on your rig, and why the switch to to a different brand? I have about 115,000 on my 99 4.3, and have ran M1 5-30 for the first 100,000. Just started switching myself. Currently running RP 5-30, and recently purchased a jug of Max-Life Syn due to the fact it was only $20 at WM.

I just felt like a change.

 

[05Blazer]

ZR2 I'm bout to roll 29,000 original miles. I have had the oil pan gasket and crank seal replaced via warranty through dealer. I am now fighting GM to replace my leaking oil cooler lines which were 30days out of factory warranty. I don't think the Mobil1 has caused any of the issues but for the price of it I think it is inferior to others out there based on the UOAs posted with Pennzoil Plat and Valvoline. So I figured I go with an oil with seal conditoners. I'm just debating semi-synthetic or fully synthetic Maxlife with lots of idle time and cold starts.

By the way, my Wait4MeTune was the best thing I ever did for my Jimmy, I highly reccommend it!

 

[ZR2grizz]

I'm pretty new to the lube info, I have a little problem with frequent OCI's.(give or take 3000mi., but I learning from this site thats overkill!!!)

I think I'm done stickin money into the S10 besides general maint. (have heard the PCM mods are great though)

Had a question on the seal conditioner additives, since they effect the seals by swelling , can this weaken them over time also?

 

[FrankN4]

Originally Posted By: ZR2grizz


Had a question on the seal conditioner additives, since they effect the seals by swelling , can this weaken them over time also?


I was concerned about swelling so I asked Valvoline. This is their response and Mobil 1 said basically the same thing:


Quote:
Valvoline seal reconditioners used in the MaxLife High Mileage Oils, are not swelling additives. The seal reconditioners used in our formula help to condition the seals back to their original elastic form and shape, to allow proper sealing, but not swelling.

 

[ZR2grizz]

Hmmmm...I guess I have never heard of gasket failure due to High-Mileage add-packs, lol. Conditioning back to original elasticity sort of sounds impossible, but testimonials seem to have proven these oils can work for minor leaks.

I dont currently have any leaking, but I was hoping for some piece of mind with a HM syn oil, and to try something new/different at a fairly good price. Thanks for the info.

 

[05Blazer]

Well based from their website this is how the 2 Maxlife 5W30 oils compare to each other "effective 1/22/09 for Blend and 2/3/09 for Fully Synthetic" with the Blend #s on the left and Fully Synthetic on the right.

Blend 5W30 Full Synthetic

Vis @ 100*C 11.5 11.7
Vis @ 40*C 67 70
Viscosity Index 163 162
Spec Gravity @ 60*F 0.87 0.85
Density 7.2 7.1
Total Base# 8.3 8.3
Flash Point 221 225
Pour Point Max -42 -42
CCS cP 5800@-30C 6000@-30C
MRV TP-1 18000@-35C 20000@-35C
Noack % off @250*C Sulfated Ash 0.93 0.93
Zinc/Phosphorus wt.% .083/.076 .083/.076
Calcium/Moly wt.% .191/.03 .191/.03
Sodium wt.% .049 .049

These two oils look near identical in #'s with the exception of the 4% Noack Volatility% difference. I wonder if that evaporation loss would make adifference with lots of short trip fuel dillution.

Comments/opinons?

 

[Nickdfresh]

I wish I had this dilemma, but only the syn blend is available here apparently...

 

[NightRiderQ45]

Originally Posted By: Nickdfresh
I wish I had this dilemma, but only the syn blend is available here apparently...

Well looking at those numbers that were posted, I think it's silly to purchase the full synthetic since the numbers are almost the same.

 

[Nickdfresh]

They've either reformulated the syn blend or updated the sheets, because they are different from the last time I checked...

The pour point is now -42C where is was -39C for the 5W-20/30 and 10w30...

Also, the 5w30 is slightly thicker, but not by much...

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: FrankN4
Originally Posted By: ZR2grizz


Had a question on the seal conditioner additives, since they effect the seals by swelling , can this weaken them over time also?


I was concerned about swelling so I asked Valvoline. This is their response and Mobil 1 said basically the same thing:


Quote:
Valvoline seal reconditioners used in the MaxLife High Mileage Oils, are not swelling additives. The seal reconditioners used in our formula help to condition the seals back to their original elastic form and shape, to allow proper sealing, but not swelling.



Was told the same thing a few weeks ago.