Mobil 1 Classic 0W30: best cold weather oil?

Pour point: -65F. Out of character, Mobil even posted an MRV at -40F for this oil: 16200. Both numbers beat Ravenol SSO 0W-30 for a record low. This may be the best cold weather oil you can buy, especially if you need to meet a Ford specification: It is one of only three oils available in the US that “Meets or exceeds” Ford’s WSS-M2C963-A1 Spec. (the others are Mobil 1 AFE 0W30 and Castrol Edge 0W-30 DX). In comparison, Mobil 1 AFE 0W-30 currently claims only a -43F pour point, and Castrol 0W-30 DX only -42F.

 

[Alien]

HPL CK-4 0w30 Cold Climate has a pour point of -80*F. As wwillson has demonstrated, it is just fine for normal use.

Impressive! In addition to taking the king of Pour Points title, it also beats everything else in my table on MRV@-40C at 15014. But not on CCS@35C, where the winner is still HPL Premium Plus 0W30 at 4150.

Thanks!

 

[02zx9r rev2]

Weird, doesn't look anything like that for me.

On a pc it will look like that. If using phone it wont

 

[Alien]

Here is an interesting chart on CCS from the German site https://www.ato24.de/pub/media/wysiwyg/ATO24_Oelanalysen_ACEA_C2_0W30.pdf :

In the tradeoffs and compromises that go into formulating engine oil, it looks like BMW, recognizing that CCS values inflate over an OCI, decided to go for a low initial CCS in order to protect their start-stop engines over the long OCIs they have been recommending. Mobil, on the other hand, went for the highest CCS they could get away with without sacrificing the 0W designation of ESP. (How Fuchs gets away with a CCS that violates the definition of 0W is mystery.)

 

[Revving2Redline]

Castrol Edge Euro 0W-30 A3/B4 has a pour point of -60 but again, pour point is not a figure of merit unless you want to win a freezer oil race.

And just a thought that came to me, my guess is the @High Performance Lubricants and Redline have a higher ester content which I would favour over a PAO that might flow better but doesn't have polarity. While hths wouldn't matter in winter, my suspicion is that it clings better and stays in the bearings longer for a more protected startup.

 

[CarbonSteel]

And just a thought that came to me, my guess is the @High Performance Lubricants and Redline have a higher ester content which I would favour over a PAO that might flow better but doesn't have polarity. While hths wouldn't matter in winter, my suspicion is that it clings better and stays in the bearings longer for a more protected startup.

ESP has a high ester content as well. Oxidation levels in a VOA of ESP that I sent to Polaris were initially flagged as exceptionally high which was later explained by ester content.

 

[OVERKILL]

Here is an interesting chart on CCS from the German site https://www.ato24.de/pub/media/wysiwyg/ATO24_Oelanalysen_ACEA_C2_0W30.pdf :

View attachment 204021

In the tradeoffs and compromises that go into formulating engine oil, it looks like BMW, recognizing that CCS values inflate over an OCI, decided to go for a low initial CCS in order to protect their start-stop engines over the long OCIs they have been recommending. Mobil, on the other hand, went for the highest CCS they could get away with without sacrificing the 0W designation of ESP. (How Fuchs gets away with a CCS that violates the definition of 0W is mystery.)

The higher/lower CCS isn't protecting the start-stop engines, it's just reducing the fuel economy hit. Remember, the CCS visc limit is just to limit the amount of load put on the starter and ensure adequate cranking speed... and at -35C with a 0W-xx. If you've ever owned an old(er) vehicle that might not have had the strongest starter, this can become quite apparent.

 

[buster]

ESP has a high ester content as well. Oxidation levels in a VOA of ESP that I sent to Polaris were initially flagged as exceptionally high which was later explained by ester content.

The new SP appears to no longer have the high oxidation value (5w30 SP grade for sure). Could be ANs or something else. No one knows.

 

[CarbonSteel]

The new SP appears to no longer have the high oxidation value (5w30 SP grade for sure). Could be ANs or something else. No one knows.

The oxidation value was 31 from a batch in November 2022. Not sure when the change happened.

 

[OVERKILL]

The new SP appears to no longer have the high oxidation value (5w30 SP grade for sure). Could be ANs or something else. No one knows.

IIRC, AN's don't drive up the oxidation, that's why that tanked with the updated M1 FS 0W-40 from what I recall with my conversation with @Vitamin Yoda about the changeover from esters to AN's in that product.

 

[buster]

That is right. The new SP has an oxidation value of 10 or under like the entire line now.

If some of those articles are any indication of what made it's way into the current gen Mobil 1:

"ExxonMobil evaluated non-traditional lubricant components in pursuit of break-through performance. As an example, materials from the cosmetics industry were incorporated to enhance the product’s protective properties. The complex formulation is a careful balance of materials each designed to deliver specific performance benefits including more than 25% bio-sourced content and low ash additive chemistry."

 

[CheezWhiz]

what do you guys feed your reindeer this time of year?

 

[CarbonSteel]

That is right. The new SP has an oxidation value of 10 or under like the entire line now.

If some of those articles are any indication of what made it's way into the current gen Mobil 1:

"ExxonMobil evaluated non-traditional lubricant components in pursuit of break-through performance. As an example, materials from the cosmetics industry were incorporated to enhance the product’s protective properties. The complex formulation is a careful balance of materials each designed to deliver specific performance benefits including more than 25% bio-sourced content and low ash additive chemistry."

Sounds like I need to do another VOA of the later formula as a baseline.

 

[nate379]

On a pc it will look like that. If using phone it wont

Gotcha, havent used a pc for internet forums in probably 15 years.

 

[TheRuley]

what do you guys feed your reindeer this time of year?

Poutine

 

[Yolo]

I didn’t see the weight mentioned anywhere.