Pick one of these 50wt oils:

[aquariuscsm]

If these oils were all at the same price point,which one would you choose and why? Base your choice on personal preference,experience with use (smoother/quieter,etc),specs on paper,and additives/base stock quality. I`m wanting an SM or earlier,if possible. Nothing that`s been "watered down (removal of zddp,etc)". Royal Purple HPS or old formula Royal Purple (SJ rated) Synpower VR1 synthetic (I noticed this one is SL) Mobil 1 15W50 (is the new SN rated one as good at the old SM?) I chose these because they are all over the counter oils.

 

[84zmyfavorite]

Mobil 1 15w-50 has been around as long as I can remember for High Performance engines, so I would choose that. I Have seen it perform in many High Performance engines very well, so experience with that product influences my choice.

 

[fdcg27]

I ran M1 15W-50 in the BMW for 6K last summer. Consumption was less then a quart in 2K, willingness to rev seemed fine and fuel economy was very good. I have not used any of the other oils you've mentioned, but I would recommend the M1 based upon my experience with it. I thought such a heavy, high HTHS oil might kill engine pep and fuel economy, but that proved not to be the case.

 

[A_Harman]

No on Synpower; it has a low level of zddp. Yes on VR1 Synthetic; it is Synpower with more zddp. Yes on M1 15w50; I'd pick it over Valvoline. I'm lukewarm towards Royal Purple; it's probably no better than M1, but is more expensive.

 

[Cristobal]

Mobil 1 15W50 is what I'd go for. Is the new SN rated one as good at the old SM? I think probably it is. I drove with Mobil 1 15W50 a few years back in solid 122 degree temperatures east of Death Valley, and it performed great on that trip I drove 2997 miles on 100 gallons of gas which meant it did not kill my mileage one bit. I ran it the whole 10,000 miles to the next OCI.

 

[45ACP]

Id give the time of day to Royal Purple 0W-40 and 5W-20 (they do not make a 0W-30) and they would be great and id use them in cars.. however, Mobil 1 15W-50 wins that comparo. Go mail order and get Redline 5W-50. They make a 15W-50 too but the 5W-50 has same HTHS so why get 15W-50

 

[67lemans]

I've used the VR1 SAE 50 in my transfer case and have had no issues. Got a small stash of the old castrol 5W50 that I havent used yet

 

[GhostFlame]

M1, Castrol Syntec 5w-50, That's the extent of my personal 50w knowlege. Both of these oils quiet the engine, they help with oil consumption in higher mileage engines. no problem going extended drains.

 

[Nick R]

I'd go with Delo or Delvac if you can find them.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm

If these oils were all at the same price point,which one would you choose and why?

I'd choose the RP based on availability up here, if they were all the same price. The other thing I like about RP is that there is higher ZDDP content in many grades, not just non-ILSAC grades. The downside is that all synthetics are expensive. If I were inclined to run a synthetic in my old F-150, which I'd rather not do, RP would win hands down, since I could easily obtain a high ZDDP 5w-30 grade, without being relegated to a 40 or 50 weight, which would be a bonus since it's used mostly in winter.