Mobil 1 Recommendations for a Volvo Turbo?

[VeeDubb]

Just discovered this site last night and wow! What a great source of info on oils. Thank you bobtheoilguy

Quick question. Our 1995 Volve 850 Turbo has 90K on it and we just switched over to Mobil 1 10w-30. After perusing some of the posts here, I'm thinking of switching it over to 0w-40 Mobil 1 because it seems that some are of the opinion that it is the "best" Mobil 1. Only concern is that the 10w-30 is so "Higher Mileage Vehicle formula". So would it hurt our car to use the 0w-40 instead?

FYI, we live in Ohio which means below freezing winter temperatures and above 90F summer temperatures. About 50-50 street vs highway driving. What oil change interval would you recommend on the recommended Mobil 1?

Thanks all.

 

[Brad]

Welcome to the site.

Personally, I feel you will be fine with 10w-30. But, I am no expert.....I am sure others will chime in.

What part of Ohio are you from? I am in Cincinnati.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by VeeDubb:
Thanks for all your responses. I noticed that there is some oil consumption with the 10w-30 Mobil 1 which makes me a bit nervous about switching to 0w-40 because consumption may increase even more. Should I ditch synthetic all together to reduce the oil consumption?

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Why do you think synthetics cause the consumption?

As far as 0w40 consuming more than 10w30, the opposite would be true. Most of your consumption with an engine will occur once the engine is warmed up (since most engines spend more of their time warmed up) so it's the warm operation viscosity which will determine how much oil you consume. So a 0w40 oil will be less likely to burn than a 10w30. I personally am still uncomfortable with that much of a viscosity spread. I'm a huge 10w30 fan myself.

 

[VeeDubb]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:


Why do you think synthetics cause the consumption?

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The mechanic that did my last oil changed warned me that switching to synthetic could cause oil consumption because some of the build up around the seals will be removed. Also, I wanted to run 5w-30 but he suggested the 10w-30 to "reduce the possibility of oil consumption". So my thinking is based on the heresay of one mechanic. But I'm all ears to other thoughts.

 

[Patman]

I do agree that 5w30 will burn more than 10w30, it certainly seems to be the case with the f-body guys I know. That's mostly because a lot of the 5w30 oils they use start out with a thinner viscosity at 100c to begin with, plus the fact that the 5w30s tend to thin out more on the analysis results too. On the analysis results I have seen with hard driven cars, 5w30 tends to thin out to a 5w20 rather quick, especially Mobil 1 5w30.

 

[MolaKule]

I would stick with the 10W30. I am currently running M1 10W30 now after switching from Amsoil 10W30 ATM to determine which oil has the best performance/economy rating for me.

I haven't seen any higher volatility with the M1 10W30 and have almost 1,000 miles on it already. As I have said in other posts, I prefer 10W30 for its low viscous drag, higher film thickness, and overall economy.

 

[Johnny]

Well, let the Pennzoil guy jump in here. Now hold on George, you ain't going to believe what I am about to say.

VeeDubb: I would recommend the Mobil 1 0W40. Now I have not seen actual anaylis, and I don't think anyone has but George, but we do have a tech lab in Houston and they have tore this product down anyway they can. The reports I get from our chemist is the Mobil 1 0W40 is some good stuff. And that's good enough for me.

 

[dbrowne1]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
I do agree that 5w30 will burn more than 10w30, it certainly seems to be the case with the f-body guys I know. That's mostly because a lot of the 5w30 oils they use start out with a thinner viscosity at 100c to begin with, plus the fact that the 5w30s tend to thin out more on the analysis results too. On the analysis results I have seen with hard driven cars, 5w30 tends to thin out to a 5w20 rather quick, especially Mobil 1 5w30.

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American V8s and European turbocharged inline engines are very different environments for oil. My experience with Mobil 1 5W30 is that it actually thickens in the VW/Audi 1.8 Turbo engine, and another analysis posted from a stock 1.8T in a Passat showed thickening of Amsoil 5W30.

I just changed my oil today from Supersyn 5W30 to Supersyn 0W40, and I will have the SS 5W30 analysis up as soon as I get it.

 

[Patman]

I've also seen the 5w30 Mobil 1 samples thin out on the Maxima.org spreadsheet too, which is mostly Maximas, but also includes a few other imports and domestics.

I always thought that before an oil would actually thicken up, it would have to be severely oxidized first? In other words, first it thins right out, then once it's oxidized a lot, then it thickens up? Am I correct?

 

[dbrowne1]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
I've also seen the 5w30 Mobil 1 samples thin out on the Maxima.org spreadsheet too, which is mostly Maximas, but also includes a few other imports and domestics.

I always thought that before an oil would actually thicken up, it would have to be severely oxidized first? In other words, first it thins right out, then once it's oxidized a lot, then it thickens up? Am I correct?

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I'm not totally sure, but my guess is that the higher revving N/A imports tend to shear the larger molecules and the VI improvers more, leading to thinning. The competing effect is heat (which causes the smaller molecules to vapor off, leaving larger ones behind). The shearing outweighs the heat in most cars, but in a turbocharged car, the effect of the heat outweighs the shearing.

That's my theory, anyway.

 

[TooSlick]

VeeDub,

I'd run the Delvac 1 in the Passat turbo if you can easily find it locally. If not regular mobil 1 will work fine as well. I do think you would be able to safely run longer change intervals with Delvac 1 in both these engines - say 7500 miles instead of 5000 miles.

Ted

 

[Patman]

How can Mobil 1 make this 0w40 so well, without it thinning out, when their 5w30 thins out so easily? Does their 0w40 have a better base oil? Wouldn't this oil have a TON of VII in it?

 

[M Smith]

Where do you guys find the Mobil 1 0W-40, Wal Mart, Auto Zone, Pep Boys? I can't find it anywhere down here. Of course, this community is a few years behind the rest of the world. Heck, the new '00 models are just hitting the car lots here!

 

[VeeDubb]

quote:

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Originally posted by M Smith:
Where do you guys find the Mobil 1 0W-40, Wal Mart, Auto Zone, Pep Boys? I can't find it anywhere down here. Of course, this community is a few years behind the rest of the world. Heck, the new '00 models are just hitting the car lots here!

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I saw a whole shelf full at my local Autozone.

 

[GeorgeCLS]

Regarding the Mobil 1 0W-40. As Johnny has indicated, this new Mobil 1 has some neat new trick chemistry. I have reviewed recent results from several Porsche Twin Turbos that have been run pretty brutally and the 0W-40 is right on vis and in 2 cases a significant decrease in wear metals occured after they switched from Mobil 1 15W-50..
Yes, Mobil 1 0W-40 can be a challenge to find. If you cannot find it locally, it is available at AVlube.com which you can get to via Bob's Order Page.
George

 

[TooSlick]

Veedub,

If you are running Delvac 1, 5w-40 in your TDI, I'd just use that in the Volvo. In the twenty years I've been an amsoil dealer, it is the best competitive product I've seen. Extremely shear stable and very resistant to oxidation ....Mobil 1 is a good synthetic for the price, but the additive chemistry of Delvac 1 is more robust.

If you want to stick with mobil 1, either the 10w-30 or 0w-40 will be fine. The 0w-40 does meet some of the more demanding European specs, like ACEA A3/B4 and Mercedes 229.3. This is the spec for their new engines with the flexible service schedules ....

TooSlick

 

[icruse]

VeeDubb,
What does your manual call for? If the 10W30 is okay then reading the type of driving that you do and where you live I would say that would be just fine.
Another thing, read the many posts here and learn from what you read, but remember everybody has their own "favorite" and some also have their own stories that they have heard from someone who knew someone, etc. as to what a certain oil caused, blah, blah, blah. Or they saw some test somewhere (which the oil companies and car makers themselves do no use as as deciding factor)that just proves a certain oil is junk.
I would say that any rated SL oil now would do fine for what your driving is (along with regular inspection and changes), and that Mobil 1 SuperSyn oil is a very good oil choice (whatever weight you need).
By the way, welcome to oil-minded like nuts.
Good Day,
Steven

 

[GeorgeCLS]

Echoing Ted's comments, the Mobil 1 0W-40, 10W-30 may be more readily available to you than the Delvac 1 and would be fine. The Porsche Twin Turbo comes with Mobil 1 0W-40 from the factory and is extremely shear stable.
The 10W-30 would be just fine also. There are several "new" vehicles that come with 10W-30 in the crankcase.. The operational chemistries of 0W/5W/10W is the same, identical..
Mobil Marketing is trying to get on the "for older cars" bandwagon market segment but other than the fact that older cars called for a 10W-30 viscosity, that is it. No special additization in the oil and the label is now making it confusing for the end user..
Of course, that is what this site is all about! Knowledge....

George Morrison, STLE CLS

 

[VeeDubb]

Thanks for all your responses. I noticed that there is some oil consumption with the 10w-30 Mobil 1 which makes me a bit nervous about switching to 0w-40 because consumption may increase even more. Should I ditch synthetic all together to reduce the oil consumption?

BTW Ted, you bring up an interesting point about the 5w-40 Delvac. I don't actually have a TDI, I have a Passat 1.8T. The owner's manual calls for 5w-40 but I can't seem to find it anywhere except for the diesel oils. Can I run it in the 1.8T even though it is not a diesel? And would it be preferred over 0w-40?

 

[VeeDubb]

Brad, I live in Columbus. Just moved up there from North Carolina. Nice city.