Oil for super long, tough commute...Help!

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: andrewg
The pass is steep and will be hot in the summer. My average speed on the commute will be about 70mph. My vehicles are as follows...2002 Ford Ranger 4 cylinder 5 speed manual,

How steep is "steep"? Is it enough to shift from 5th to 4th in your Ranger to climb it? What rpm would that be? Anywhere close to red line?

Personally, I don't think this is such a "tough commute", but then again, I haven't seen it myself. Most oils should do fine in this application. I'd probably do 10k mile oci on synthetic given how quickly you'll be accumulating miles.

If you've ever been over a real mountain pass in the west....then you would know steep....and fairly long. I would have the ranger into 3rd gear part of the time. It's not the highway miles that concern me...it's the pass itself.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: hate2work

You could use the Amsoil SSO and change your oil every two months (8k) or you could use a lesser quality oil ( PP, Synpower, etc )and change your oil once a month (4k).

Will you be driving over Snoqualmie Pass? I have a friend who lives in Cle Elum and works in Bellevue, he drives it every day.

Get some good syn in your AT as well, that's brutal on trannies.

Yes, it is Snqualmie Pass. I would be living in Roslyn....almost exactly where your friend lived. I'd be working over by the airport.

 

[Loobed]

The long run time will be better for you oil than short run times. You may find you get better UOA with the long commute than what you got with a short commute. But any name brand synthetic would be good.

 

[ARB1977]

Eventhough those miles suck driving, your drivetrain is thanking you. Pretty much any oil will serve you well.

 

[jorton]

I know you can't use speed control in the mountain passes because an a/t will downshift and the engine revs to rediculously high rpm's.

I'd run Valvoline Maxlife semisyn 10w-30 because cost is an important factor for me.

 

[ADFD1]

I drive stick, but wouldn't it be better to lock an A/T out of O/D when driving through the mountain passes?

AD

 

[bubbatime]

Which car? I would drive the Ranger or Marquis myself and keep the miles off the Mustang. Use motorcraft oils in the engine. I would worry more about the auto tranny than the engine.

 

[oilyriser]

20w20 should work fine while it's above 15 degrees F, since those cars are probably spec'd for 5w20. Don't they test engines on 5w20 at WOT for 300 hours?

 

[D189379]

I'd think any synthetic would be fine for at least 8000K. That drive isn't going to be as hard on the oil as you think it is.

 

[StevieC]

FWIW:

I forgot to mention... Where I live (on top of a mountain), I have to climb a mountain each day home from work. It's pretty steep and involves 4K RPM for about 3-4 Minutes to get me up there.

I also drive all day long (8-10 hours) with multiple restarts as well. I also sit in the occasional traffic jam for a couple hours.

I do this in our hot-humid summers and our brutally cold winters.

I have run Pennzoil Platinum during this time for 10K KM (6K Mile) OCI's when my manual calls for 6K KM (3500 Miles) OCI's under normal operating conditions.

My UOA's turn out just fine and my engine is spotless and runs like the day I bought it. I have over 170K KM (106K Miles) on it!

So you using Pennzoil Platinum and changing at 5K miles I'm sure would be more than fine and have really great protection!

 

[mrsilv04]

Any thought about adding an oil and/or transmission cooler to whichever vehicle you decide to use for this commute?

(if there hasn't been one already factory installed...)

 

[Benzadmiral]

You're going to do 4K a month? From a practical, oil-changing point of view, try to go with something that will let you do 8K mile OCIs, or maybe 12K. That will set your changes at every 2 to 3 months, and make them easy to remember.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
FWIW:

I forgot to mention... Where I live (on top of a mountain), I have to climb a mountain each day home from work. It's pretty steep and involves 4K RPM for about 3-4 Minutes to get me up there.

I also drive all day long (8-10 hours) with multiple restarts as well. I also sit in the occasional traffic jam for a couple hours.

I do this in our hot-humid summers and our brutally cold winters.

I have run Pennzoil Platinum during this time for 10K KM (6K Mile) OCI's when my manual calls for 6K KM (3500 Miles) OCI's under normal operating conditions.

My UOA's turn out just fine and my engine is spotless and runs like the day I bought it. I have over 170K KM (106K Miles) on it!

So you using Pennzoil Platinum and changing at 5K miles I'm sure would be more than fine and have really great protection!

Wow...that is a rough day in the saddle! My commute doesn't sound as bad after all.
I'm not positive this commute of mine will happen, but if it does I can see from the posts that my auto tranny in the Merc and the Mustang may be a concern in the long run and a change out to synthetic may be a good idea. I already run Redline in the Mustang so perhaps I'll just put it in all three vehicles. I'm tempted to use a 5w-30 instead of a 20 though. Maybe there is no valid reason other than concern that a 20w will not hold up as well. Am I wrong? Maybe even a 10w-30? I would go to about an 8k OCI with Redline (I trust that oil more than most).

 

[ccs v2.0]

Agreed Banz, except there are three vehicles, so none will get the 4K mile per month.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: andrewg

If you've ever been over a real mountain pass in the west....then you would know steep....and fairly long. I would have the ranger into 3rd gear part of the time. It's not the highway miles that concern me...it's the pass itself.

Yes, I have been over a mountain pass in the west. Again, what rpms would you be at and for how long when climbing? I really don't think these conditions are that tough, unless you're towing a trailer behind you.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: andrewg

If you've ever been over a real mountain pass in the west....then you would know steep....and fairly long. I would have the ranger into 3rd gear part of the time. It's not the highway miles that concern me...it's the pass itself.

Yes, I have been over a mountain pass in the west. Again, what rpms would you be at and for how long when climbing? I really don't think these conditions are that tough, unless you're towing a trailer behind you.

Not exactly sure.....I will be taking different vehicles during the week to spread out the miles so the vehicles will last a few years. For the Ranger I would say my rpm's would be around 3500 for about five minutes or so then alternating up and down from that for another five minutes. Before I would get to the steepest portion of the pass the climb actually starts much earlier (maybe ten to fifteen minutes). No way my little ranger can do it in 5th gear either so the engine would be under some strain for a total of about 20 minutes....then of course it's all downhill on the other side with a reverse repeat on the way home. The Mustang and Merc have the hp to not rev high but the tranny does downshift quite a bit.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: andrewg

Yes, it is Snqualmie Pass. I would be living in Roslyn....almost exactly where your friend lived. I'd be working over by the airport.



Ah, the town where "Northern Exposure" was filmed. I'd gladly burn up a Ford a year to live in that setting!

Seriously, I don't see it as a tough commute. Most engines spend their lives running too lightly-loaded. Any good synthetic oil will protect just fine- but I would look for high TBN oils to allow you to push the oil change intervals out so you aren't changing oil every couple of months. I'd love to recommend an HDEO like RTS 5w40, but its just too thick for your engines.

 

[AzFireGuy79]

I have had good results running the RL 5w-30 here phoenix for the past couple of years. Granted I am in severe conditions in comparison to your use and its in a Toyota truck, but UOA's at around 8K look good. I think any of the oils mentioned will work fine for use described.

As others here have mentioned a good synthetic ATF is much more important along with some added filtration and maybe some auxillary cooling. I actually grew up in Issaquah and use to make that trip many times.

 

[Ken2]

Originally Posted By: synman
SCHAEFFERS oil in the engine ,tranny , diffs !

YES! Your choice, the syn blend 5W-30 or full syn 5W-30, either for 10,000 mile oil drain interval. Let the rpms rise as the transmission downshifts up those passes...the engine will be running easier at high rpms vs. hard at low rpms given the same vehicle weight and same speed. Heat kills transmissions, and allowing very frequent downshifts and upshifts kills transmissions faster. Manually downshift if needed. If needed for summer, install an additional transmission cooler.

Originally Posted By: jorton
I know you can't use speed control in the mountain passes because an a/t will downshift and the engine revs to ridiculously high rpm's.

What! Do downshift for speed control on the downgrades. The engine is safe all the way up to its red line. The transmission is made for that. Riding the brakes downhill may result in overheated brakes and a wreck. When you do need to brake, brake moderately hard to get below the speed you feel is your safe speed for your rig on that grade, then get off the brakes and let them cool. When you're back up to your safe max, brake again, then get off them again.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: andrewg

Yes, it is Snqualmie Pass. I would be living in Roslyn....almost exactly where your friend lived. I'd be working over by the airport.



Ah, the town where "Northern Exposure" was filmed. I'd gladly burn up a Ford a year to live in that setting!

Seriously, I don't see it as a tough commute. Most engines spend their lives running too lightly-loaded. Any good synthetic oil will protect just fine- but I would look for high TBN oils to allow you to push the oil change intervals out so you aren't changing oil every couple of months. I'd love to recommend an HDEO like RTS 5w40, but its just too thick for your engines.

Yep....it's the same town. Looks exactly the same as when the series was filmed there.