My new plan

[JohnnyO]

Finished the double ARX treatment on my decrepit '87 Astro work van (129k) a few months ago. Currently has four quarts of DuraBlend with one quart of Synpower I had laying around, both 10w30. I figured that would be good for winter.
I'm thinking of running MaxLife 10w30 in the summer and DuraBlend 10w30 in the winter. I had used Havoline 5w30 last winter but it would smoke at start-up (before the ARX). I haven't tried 5w since. At work we do not put a lot of miles on it, mostly short trips and about 7 to 8000 miles a year, so a change every six months should be fine. I prefer Valvoline simply because they have a plant in my town and I feel like a traitor for using Mobil 1 in my other vehicles.

Or just ante up the big money and use MaxLife Synthetic all the time?

 

[TallPaul]

I think the Maxlife and Durablend would be fine for the 6 month, 4000 mile OCIs. Maxlife has about 15% PAO and Durablend is said to have 30% synthetic (Group III presumably). I don't think there is much advantage of one over the other for cold properties, so you could run one year round. I kinda prefer the Maxlife.

 

[JohnnyO]

TallPaul, since you're the Valvoline guru, might I be good with Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 in the winter then? Or would that vs. 10w30 DuraBlend not really matter much? (which is what I'm guessing) Mostly I'm a little nervous about running an oil with a seal sweller ALL the time.

 

[TallPaul]

Thanks for the compliment. Hmmm maybe Valvoline Nut

describes it better than guru.

And I do have a lot of non-Valvoline oil now because of the closeouts.

I don't know what your coldest temps are, but probably you would feel more comfortable with a 5w30 in the dead of winter (I cheat with an oil pan heater and 10wXX on my outdoor vehicle). If you park in the garage, probably can do 10w30 year round. My garage stays about 10 F warmer than outside.

For 5w30 there may be some advantage to the Durablend since it has more synthetic. On paper the 5w30 Durablend looks better than the Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 for cold properties. I don't see where there would be any problem switching off either.

The seal thing is supposed to be a "conditioner" not "sweller" although components of the conditioner surely are swellers, just balanced out with ?antiswellers?--or so I relay what I understood from talking with Valvo techs.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Cycle Freak]

WOW I didn't know you were a Valvoline freak too, I have been using valvoline faithfully since my 1969 Dodge Dart with the 225 CID slant six when it came in cardboard cans with metal and then plastic bottom and metal tops. I am currently running Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 in my Sonoma but since reading so much on this website about other oils being good too I am going to try some other brands I have bought on clearance, discount, or with rebates. The only other oils I have used in the last 23 years were Kendall motorcyle Oil that I got directly from an Oil distributor in Pontiac and Castrol Motorcycle Oil I found at a Wal Mart in the Thumb for 1.99 a quart for Motorcycle Specific Oil.

Another Valvoline Freak
Cycle Freak
Michigan

 

[Ignatz]

I still call it, Mark Martin oil.