No highway, only short trips. Which 5W20 or OCI?

[djmc]

My wife drives an '03 Ford Escape V6 with 86 kmiles on it. Currently with MC 5W20 which I have to change soon.
As a realtor she drives a lot of miles in the city and short trips (12kmiles p/y) here in Houston. No highway at all. Not a speed devil, she never goes over 3000 rpm.

Currently I use MC 5W20 with 3k OCI.
Do you guys have any other recommendations for oil or OCI, base on driving style/conditions.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Wow! She's a realtor and a woman, and drives BELOW 3000rpm - that's unheard of!

Got a keeper.

Could probably go to 4k, but I wouldn't go much above that with a lot of short trips.

 

[smokey1]

geesh , so many things to consider , could start off w/ PENNZOIL : S.U.V. , Mini-Van , TRUCK synthetic blend (30% syn-oil , 70% regular) that's formulated for short trips , heavy loads ( imagine she totes alot of clients to their future homes ) , and the extreme heat of south . Last , I knew BIG LOTS in your area had it for under $2 a quart . Here in the N.E. almost $4 a quart when not on sale , which is very rare . Here's a few websites if interested www.pennzoil.com/products/motor_oil/synth_blend.html or www.pzlqs.com/Tech/Pdsheet/DomesticMarketing/EngineOils/pdf/SUVTruckMinivanMotorOil.PDF . You'll be getting an overload of suggestions ( for each their own ), so good luck in your decision .

 

[06VtecV6]

I would give PP or M1 a shot with stock filter for 5k changes so you can go as long as an MMS will get you. USe good gas too..it's just as important as oil.

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:

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Currently I use MC 5W20 with 3k OCI.

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That's perfect; stay with that regimen and your wife's car will see 300K easy.

 

[smokey1]

also may be able to find the PENNZOIL : S.U.V. , Mini-Van , Truck syn-blend at local ADVANCE AUTO PARTS for .95 cents a quart , maybe you'll hit it w/ a phone call to a nearby A.A.P. store . See where they've had some grand openings in your region . Yeh never know . Let the hunt begin .

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Stay with the MC - or switch to Havoline DS. Both oils get mentioned here for use in law enforcement vehicles.

 

[Gene K]

I know the IL State Police use 5000 mi OCI with MC and get good results despite extremely high idle time and pursuit work. The used to do just as well on 15,000 mi OCI with Mobil 1 on the Chevy LT1 but the Ford 4.6L uses oil and they kept blowing them up because the officers didnt check the oil level.

A conservative way to estimate oil change interval for a low cost blend or conventional;

(Oil capacity + Add Oil) x mpg x 60 = OCI

Higher Cost Blend or Cheap Synthetic x 90

Premium Synthetic x 120

Of course when a UOA with TBN only runs $16 why not just run a couple of UOA's to prove your interval.

 

[djmc]

Let's see: (5qt + 0qt) x 20 mpg x 60 = 6000 OCI for MC 5W20.
That is a pretty long interval, I think.

 

[M1Accord]

Houstine is pretty warm so cold start isn't an issue since realtor drive a lot each day too. 4K sounds right and replace filter too while you're at it. It should takes 30 min to do both with SUV since you don't need a jack them up.

 

[M1Accord]

and use castrol 5W20 since they can protect against sludge. Otherwise use MClean 7500.

 

[Gene K]

Quote:

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Let's see: (5qt + 0qt) x 20 mpg x 60 = 6000 OCI for MC 5W20.
That is a pretty long interval, I think.

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Or 5 qt x 10 mpg X 60 = 3000 mi OCI in a city driven 4x4 Truck.

Or 4 qt x 41 mpg x 60 = 9840 mi in Highway Driven Honda Civic.

Mileage doesnt really mean anything. Given good engine design and condition oil degradation is basically a function of fuel volume through the engine and oil capacity.

Of course since you have no idea of actual engine condition and dont always know about design flaws a UOA should always be performed to prove your interval.

 

[02FocusZX5]

amsoil asm or xlm?

 

[06VtecV6]

Quote:

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My wife drives an '03 Ford Escape V6 with 86 kmiles on it. Currently with MC 5W20 which I have to change soon.
As a realtor she drives a lot of miles in the city and short trips (12kmiles p/y) here in Houston. No highway at all. Not a speed devil, she never goes over 3000 rpm.

Currently I use MC 5W20 with 3k OCI.
Do you guys have any other recommendations for oil or OCI, base on driving style/conditions.

---

Isn't MC more of a racing type oil in terms of being a bit thinner then others within the same viscosity. I used it and it revs like a mutha but since this application will be predominantly city driving, I would go with a thicker oil in the same grade for better low end perfromance and less revving. I mean 5k is pushing it for MC but it can be done to 5k. I know PP is thicker and so is M1. MC can be conscrued as too thin for Houston but if you are diligent about 5k changes, it should work.. I should know..that's where *I* am and I used it but I didn't do a UOA. Do a UOA on the current MC and go from there. I'm gunning for M1 and stock A01 filter coming up after my clean cycle with PP! I am having too much fun getting to 5k on my current fill with the S2000 filter. Btw, I changed stations and I be-weave I found a winner. Watch out for Ethanol, it's a leech!

 

[javacontour]

Quote:

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A conservative way to estimate oil change interval for a low cost blend or conventional;

(Oil capacity + Add Oil) x mpg x 60 = OCI

Higher Cost Blend or Cheap Synthetic x 90

Premium Synthetic x 120

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Hmm, if I'm using a quart every 2500 miles and I average 32 MPG, will I ever need to change my oil?

1quart * 32MPG * 60 = 1920 miles.

So when my consumption exceeds 1 quart in 1920 miles, according to this formula, I'll never need to change my oil again

Of course the other way is to improve fuel economy.

So if I can get fuel economy to 42MPG, I would never need to change oil again, just change the filter every 10K miles