Oil recommendation - Suburban w/ miles + towing

[Bryce]

1. What kind of vehicle you have
2001 Chevy Suburban K1500 w/ 5.3L engine. Currently has 205k miles on it.
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
5w-30 meeting GM standard GM6094M. Change oil within 500 miles of when oil life indicator says to change oil.
3. Where you live
Wisconsin (summers are not too hot and winters are cold)
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
Wife can have a bit of a lead foot sometimes.
5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
Plenty of short trips.
6. Whether your car has any known problems
It runs great. Only "issue" is some engine noise at start-up.

I've been happy with running whatever 5w-30 oil is cheap with a good oil filter (usually a M1) and changing it out when the OLI tells me to. We acquired a boat that weighs about 5000 lbs with trailer, so I'm wondering if I should change to a "truck/SUV" oil or an HM oil or a synthetic. Most of the time the towing will be for a short distance - the lake we will frequent most often is about 5 miles from our house. Should I switch, or just keep running whatever is cheap?

 

[Bill in Utah]

I'd keep running what got you to 205,000 miles!

The OLM will see the towing of the boat and adjust the OCI.

Good to go!

Take care, bill

 

[addyguy]

Bill is absolutely correct.

BUT, I'll admit I still like the 'idea' of a slightly heavier oil when towing will be done, especially in the summer.

So I'd get a 5W-30 HM oil - Valvoline Maxlife is a fave on here - and get the 'benefit' of a slightly thicker oil that will stay a 30-weight, instead of most likely shearing down to a high 20-weight.

 

[ledslinger]

10-30 Rotella would be good for the summer.

 

[EMPIRE]

"cheap" is subjective.

using a quality synth can be the same costs as using a dino oil on a annual basis. depends on how long you use the oil.

nobody here can just tell you "use this oil". but we can give you a procedure to use which will help you choose the right oil and how long to use that oil.

1. perhaps start with Valvoline max-life 5w/30 (year-round). get a UOA done at 5k and see what it looks like. adjust oil and/or oil usage accordingly.
2. get a 2nd UOA, adjust oil and/or oil usage accordingly.
3. then do UOA every 2nd or 3rd OCI to keep an eye on things.

btw, if you want to save some $$$ on the filter then get into the WIX line. best bang for the buck. much of the WIX line comes in master pack (MP) form, so buying a MP will definitely save you $$ in the long run, etc.

also, does the truck have any sort of oil psi gauge on it (not a l-h gauge, actual psi)? if not then perhaps try to get one installed. this will give you some info on how well the oil is pumping, which can indicate excessive wear or oil pump issue (lower than norm psi). it could also indicate that you might be using the wrong oil grade (a 10w30 might show higher than norm psi when cold, indicating the oil is too thick at startup, or it might show just fine, or, possibly lower than norm psi while hot indicating you might want to use a w40 grade, etc).