I posted in another thread a question of how long can you go between oil changes on Mobil 1, which I have in my current car, and Valvoline Durablend Semi-synthetic which I had in my previous car.
Let me explain a bit about the question.
This forum gets lot's of "what would you recommend for....." type questions.
Any answer you get should be taken with a grain of salt, in my opinion.
There are three factors.
1: Engine manufacturers " recommendations ". And maybe waranty considerations if your vehicle is within it's warranty period.
2: Oils. While all oils blended today meet vehicle manufacturers "spec" ( do you know of any that doesn't at your local part store? ) each brand has properties that give the consumer a choice.
3: Filters. Again, every filter made by US companies meets or exceeds OEM specifications.
One can argue about how good or poor those specs are but that is why consumers are given a choice as to various "properties" or differences in construction. A filters job is to plug the hole so you don't leak oil everywhere and filter the oil. The level of protection ( how good it filters) is a consumers choice.
So back to Mobil 1 and Valvoline Durablend.
Having worked in the filter industry since 1982, having sat through various Oil company presentations ( Mobil, Valvoline, Shell, Chevron, Citgo to name a few and did a training seminar at Valvolines headquarters in Ashland, KY), i've been to the county fair and hog calling contest.
People in here can talk from personal experiences. And that is fine for their personal situation. As no two individuals or vehicles are the same, no two results will be the same.
When I used Valvoline Durablend 5W-30 in my 1996 Taurus I routinely changed oil over 9,000 miles.
My last 3 oil changes were in reverse order: 9009, 9184, 9660. My oil did not break down as the report came back " The condition of the oil is acceptable for the time in service".
On my 2003 Taurus my first oil change on genuine Ford oil was at 2,300 miles. I then added Mobil 1 0W-20 and went 9198 miles. I received a report that "the oil viscosity is higher than normal". Which concerned me so I called the lab and inquired. Due to my working for Champ, I talked to the lab manager and he personally reran the test to confirm. His report, as he ran extra tests also said... "the TAN** level is at the top end of the recommended limit". In other words my oil was at the breakdown stage.
So that leaves the question begging, why on semi synthetic oil could I go 9,000+ miles with no problems and when I went to the "premium" synthetic oil I couldn't get 9,000 miles? My driving habits were no different.
Obviously two different engines and two different oils.
But being one of the few who routinely does oil analysis every oil change I am able to determine for my situation what I can and can't do. But what I also can not do is tell you what you can do. I do not know what conditions you drive under, if you've been religious with your oil changes, do you use oil anaylsis, does your vehicle burn oil and you need to top off between oil changes, the total miles on your vehicle, etc.
Which is why OEM's "recommend" oil change intervals.
Nowhere on the Mobil 1 quart bottle does it mention how many miles one can go between oil changes.
On the Valvoline Semi-synthetic it says " Change your oil every 3 months or 3,000 miles for maximium protection"
So for those engine with 5,000 mile or 10,000 mile change intervals can you use Valvoline? Do you no longer have "maximum" protection after 3,000 miles? Would Mobil 1 last the 10,000 mile change recommendation, it didn't for me. (And btw, I still am using Mobil 1.)
I think I remember Turbo Jim stating his Toyota had a recommended "normal" oil change interval of 10,000 miles. He changes his oil near every 3,000 miles. Yet he still had sludge and did repair work on the engine which has over 100,000 miles on it. What he wondered was; what would have happend if he followed Toyota's recommendation of 10,000 miles? How much extra expense would he have incurred with maintenance?
So the choice ultimately boils down to the consumer what filter to use, what oil to use, and what works best for them.
TAN**
Total Acid Number:
A titration method designed to indicate the relative acidity in a lubricant. The acid number is used as a guide to follow the oxidative degeneration of an oil in service. Oil changes are often indicated when the TAN value reaches a predetermined level for a given lubricant and application.
Let me explain a bit about the question.
This forum gets lot's of "what would you recommend for....." type questions.
Any answer you get should be taken with a grain of salt, in my opinion.
There are three factors.
1: Engine manufacturers " recommendations ". And maybe waranty considerations if your vehicle is within it's warranty period.
2: Oils. While all oils blended today meet vehicle manufacturers "spec" ( do you know of any that doesn't at your local part store? ) each brand has properties that give the consumer a choice.
3: Filters. Again, every filter made by US companies meets or exceeds OEM specifications.
One can argue about how good or poor those specs are but that is why consumers are given a choice as to various "properties" or differences in construction. A filters job is to plug the hole so you don't leak oil everywhere and filter the oil. The level of protection ( how good it filters) is a consumers choice.
So back to Mobil 1 and Valvoline Durablend.
Having worked in the filter industry since 1982, having sat through various Oil company presentations ( Mobil, Valvoline, Shell, Chevron, Citgo to name a few and did a training seminar at Valvolines headquarters in Ashland, KY), i've been to the county fair and hog calling contest.
People in here can talk from personal experiences. And that is fine for their personal situation. As no two individuals or vehicles are the same, no two results will be the same.
When I used Valvoline Durablend 5W-30 in my 1996 Taurus I routinely changed oil over 9,000 miles.
My last 3 oil changes were in reverse order: 9009, 9184, 9660. My oil did not break down as the report came back " The condition of the oil is acceptable for the time in service".
On my 2003 Taurus my first oil change on genuine Ford oil was at 2,300 miles. I then added Mobil 1 0W-20 and went 9198 miles. I received a report that "the oil viscosity is higher than normal". Which concerned me so I called the lab and inquired. Due to my working for Champ, I talked to the lab manager and he personally reran the test to confirm. His report, as he ran extra tests also said... "the TAN** level is at the top end of the recommended limit". In other words my oil was at the breakdown stage.
So that leaves the question begging, why on semi synthetic oil could I go 9,000+ miles with no problems and when I went to the "premium" synthetic oil I couldn't get 9,000 miles? My driving habits were no different.
Obviously two different engines and two different oils.
But being one of the few who routinely does oil analysis every oil change I am able to determine for my situation what I can and can't do. But what I also can not do is tell you what you can do. I do not know what conditions you drive under, if you've been religious with your oil changes, do you use oil anaylsis, does your vehicle burn oil and you need to top off between oil changes, the total miles on your vehicle, etc.
Which is why OEM's "recommend" oil change intervals.
Nowhere on the Mobil 1 quart bottle does it mention how many miles one can go between oil changes.
On the Valvoline Semi-synthetic it says " Change your oil every 3 months or 3,000 miles for maximium protection"
So for those engine with 5,000 mile or 10,000 mile change intervals can you use Valvoline? Do you no longer have "maximum" protection after 3,000 miles? Would Mobil 1 last the 10,000 mile change recommendation, it didn't for me. (And btw, I still am using Mobil 1.)
I think I remember Turbo Jim stating his Toyota had a recommended "normal" oil change interval of 10,000 miles. He changes his oil near every 3,000 miles. Yet he still had sludge and did repair work on the engine which has over 100,000 miles on it. What he wondered was; what would have happend if he followed Toyota's recommendation of 10,000 miles? How much extra expense would he have incurred with maintenance?
So the choice ultimately boils down to the consumer what filter to use, what oil to use, and what works best for them.
TAN**
Total Acid Number:
A titration method designed to indicate the relative acidity in a lubricant. The acid number is used as a guide to follow the oxidative degeneration of an oil in service. Oil changes are often indicated when the TAN value reaches a predetermined level for a given lubricant and application.
