i have an 04 silverado with a 5.3 has 115000 miles on it, doesnt leak or burn a drop of oil, is it ok to use maxlife even tho it has no leaks or problems burning oil? i am a big valvoline fan and reading on this site ive learned the moly is a good additive and i see this is the only valvoline oil that has any
question on using maxlife
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No NEED to do so and personally I'd just keep doing what you have been for 115,000 miles (since that DOES work).
All engines have to use some oil (some more than others)
HM oils are a marketing dream for the oil companies. Do they "fix" problems or mask them?
Stick with what works!
Take care, bill
All engines have to use some oil (some more than others)
HM oils are a marketing dream for the oil companies. Do they "fix" problems or mask them?
Stick with what works!
Take care, bill
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Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
No NEED to do so and personally I'd just keep doing what you have been for 115,000 miles (since that DOES work).
All engines have to use some oil (some more than others)
HM oils are a marketing dream for the oil companies. Do they "fix" problems or mask them?
Stick with what works!
Take care, bill
This.
I've never used an HM oil, even on engines that are certainly high miles. I agree with Bill, continue to use what got you there.
No NEED to do so and personally I'd just keep doing what you have been for 115,000 miles (since that DOES work).
All engines have to use some oil (some more than others)
HM oils are a marketing dream for the oil companies. Do they "fix" problems or mask them?
Stick with what works!
Take care, bill
This.
I've never used an HM oil, even on engines that are certainly high miles. I agree with Bill, continue to use what got you there.
Back when I had about 60 or 65K on my truck I used Maxlife 10W30 for about 3 or 4 OCI's. I took a slight hit on MPG and my performance as measured on the butt-dyno went down a bit. I learned here that was because of HM oils being blended at the thicker end of their given viscosity. I changed back to plain Valvoline White Bottle conventional and my MPG and performance both went back to normal. I say stick with what works and don't buy into the HM hype, as long as you have no leaks or abnormal consumption issues.
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
HM oils are a marketing dream for the oil companies. Do they "fix" problems or mask them?
Bought my truck at 80k miles, at 90k it would leak about 1qt every OC, used QSHM and PENNHM for roughly 15k miles till 105k, switched to QSGB/PYB/PEAKBB, until roughly 120K with no leaks, now I am on 5w20/5w30 PEAK Synthetic at 131k with no leaks, so in theory it fixed the problem
lol
HM oils are a marketing dream for the oil companies. Do they "fix" problems or mask them?
Bought my truck at 80k miles, at 90k it would leak about 1qt every OC, used QSHM and PENNHM for roughly 15k miles till 105k, switched to QSGB/PYB/PEAKBB, until roughly 120K with no leaks, now I am on 5w20/5w30 PEAK Synthetic at 131k with no leaks, so in theory it fixed the problem
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Just change your oil by following the OLM or at a min of every 5K with whatever API certified brand name oil you got on sale. Your 5.3 will be going strong.
and for the record, the engine has no sludge...
Lol when it did leak, it leaked Motorcraft/Valvoline/Kendall btw
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hm oils can help by swelling dried out seals and most are blended on the thick side i have used valvoline and pennzoil hm and they both were pretty goos at stopping oil consumption
I miss using MaxLife. I switched to Chevron Supreme from Costco when the oil prices skyrocketed.
I can't put a finger on it, but the engine just seems to run better with MaxLife.
I can't put a finger on it, but the engine just seems to run better with MaxLife.
This is a good question.. Valvoline FAQ says, yes it's ok to use Maxlife in a car of any age (that is, new and old). Some people say it's a good idea to use HM oils in cars that don't consume oil because you shouldn't wait until the things start to leak before you use oil that conditions seals. I have three cars with high miles. None of them consume or leak oil (one of them leaks other things though..). I picked up some Maxlife Nextgen 5W30 with the intention of using it in those cars. The frequent discussions on this topic do make me nervous about it. Otherwise, it seems like a fine oil, with a synthetic blend base oil and better additive than Valvoline conventional.
Originally Posted By: Zako2
The frequent discussions on this topic do make me nervous about it. Otherwise, it seems like a fine oil, with a synthetic blend base oil and better additive than Valvoline conventional.
I wouldn't be nervous about it. However, I wouldn't be jumping to spend extra on oil for a vehicle that didn't have symptoms to address in the first place, or a desire for a non-ILSAC oil (which a lot of the HM ones are). I've used MaxLife and it's a great product. Since my G doesn't leak and the F-150 no longer does, and neither consume oil, I simply have no use for it.
As for conditioning seals, all API/ILSAC oils (and, for that matter, the non-rated boutique oils, ACEA oils, and so forth) all have seal compatibility taken into account with their formulation. But, if only HM oils were available, or I was given only MaxLife to use, I'd use it happily and without worry, be it a new or old vehicle. In the old truck, the MaxLife definitely withstood the fuel dilution better than other 5w30s, and it certainly helped minimize leaking until I was able to actually address the real problems.
The frequent discussions on this topic do make me nervous about it. Otherwise, it seems like a fine oil, with a synthetic blend base oil and better additive than Valvoline conventional.
I wouldn't be nervous about it. However, I wouldn't be jumping to spend extra on oil for a vehicle that didn't have symptoms to address in the first place, or a desire for a non-ILSAC oil (which a lot of the HM ones are). I've used MaxLife and it's a great product. Since my G doesn't leak and the F-150 no longer does, and neither consume oil, I simply have no use for it.
As for conditioning seals, all API/ILSAC oils (and, for that matter, the non-rated boutique oils, ACEA oils, and so forth) all have seal compatibility taken into account with their formulation. But, if only HM oils were available, or I was given only MaxLife to use, I'd use it happily and without worry, be it a new or old vehicle. In the old truck, the MaxLife definitely withstood the fuel dilution better than other 5w30s, and it certainly helped minimize leaking until I was able to actually address the real problems.
The Valvoline Maxlife is a fantastic product, maybe their best when you add value into the equation, but it has lower HTHS than most high mileage oils...for most people that's a good thing shouldn't effect flow and economy as much as some of the thicker HM oils.
Valvoline tells me their Maxlife 5w30 HTHS is 3.0, up over 2.9 for VWB. The 3.0 is the same as standard PYB in 5w30. For comparison sake Castrol HM 5w30 is 3.3 and Defy, PYB are both 3.2, notably thicker.
Valvoline tells me their Maxlife 5w30 HTHS is 3.0, up over 2.9 for VWB. The 3.0 is the same as standard PYB in 5w30. For comparison sake Castrol HM 5w30 is 3.3 and Defy, PYB are both 3.2, notably thicker.
So I’ve been running Mobil Super High Mileage that past year and a half. I really can’t tell if it’s done anything or not. Both my cars have seepage. I chose the Mobil Super HM over all other HM brands because they are still “resource conserving” and figured that maybe I would still maintain a decent MPG. After hear some of your thoughts on HM I’m tempted to say screw it and go back to PYB. Is it really just all a bunch of hype? Am I the only one out there who has been using this stuff? I never hear a peep out of anyone about Mobil Super HM.
Originally Posted By: Mark72
So I’ve been running Mobil Super High Mileage that past year and a half. I really can’t tell if it’s done anything or not. Both my cars have seepage. I chose the Mobil Super HM over all other HM brands because they are still “resource conserving” and figured that maybe I would still maintain a decent MPG. After hear some of your thoughts on HM I’m tempted to say screw it and go back to PYB. Is it really just all a bunch of hype? Am I the only one out there who has been using this stuff? I never hear a peep out of anyone about Mobil Super HM.
You may want to give Maxlife or Maxlife Nextgen a try. Unlike Mobil Super HM, Maxlife does seem thicker than the regular Valvoline Premium Conventional oil. I have been checking the kinematic viscosity specs of Mobil Super and Super HM, and strangely the Super HM seems to be thinner in many/most cases. Maxlife does have a better add pack than VW conventional (higher TBN, more moly and boron).
So I’ve been running Mobil Super High Mileage that past year and a half. I really can’t tell if it’s done anything or not. Both my cars have seepage. I chose the Mobil Super HM over all other HM brands because they are still “resource conserving” and figured that maybe I would still maintain a decent MPG. After hear some of your thoughts on HM I’m tempted to say screw it and go back to PYB. Is it really just all a bunch of hype? Am I the only one out there who has been using this stuff? I never hear a peep out of anyone about Mobil Super HM.
You may want to give Maxlife or Maxlife Nextgen a try. Unlike Mobil Super HM, Maxlife does seem thicker than the regular Valvoline Premium Conventional oil. I have been checking the kinematic viscosity specs of Mobil Super and Super HM, and strangely the Super HM seems to be thinner in many/most cases. Maxlife does have a better add pack than VW conventional (higher TBN, more moly and boron).
Originally Posted By: Zako2
Originally Posted By: Mark72
So I’ve been running Mobil Super High Mileage that past year and a half. I really can’t tell if it’s done anything or not. Both my cars have seepage. I chose the Mobil Super HM over all other HM brands because they are still “resource conserving” and figured that maybe I would still maintain a decent MPG. After hear some of your thoughts on HM I’m tempted to say screw it and go back to PYB. Is it really just all a bunch of hype? Am I the only one out there who has been using this stuff? I never hear a peep out of anyone about Mobil Super HM.
You may want to give Maxlife or Maxlife Nextgen a try. Unlike Mobil Super HM, Maxlife does seem thicker than the regular Valvoline Premium Conventional oil. I have been checking the kinematic viscosity specs of Mobil Super and Super HM, and strangely the Super HM seems to be thinner in many/most cases. Maxlife does have a better add pack than VW conventional (higher TBN, more moly and boron).
But when using a HM oil on a vehicle that has tighter clearances and does not need thick oil, but where you want the HM stuff...would it not be preferred to have a thinner high mileage oil like Mobil Super vs Maxlife. I’ve read for years and years here that thicker is not always better.
Originally Posted By: Mark72
So I’ve been running Mobil Super High Mileage that past year and a half. I really can’t tell if it’s done anything or not. Both my cars have seepage. I chose the Mobil Super HM over all other HM brands because they are still “resource conserving” and figured that maybe I would still maintain a decent MPG. After hear some of your thoughts on HM I’m tempted to say screw it and go back to PYB. Is it really just all a bunch of hype? Am I the only one out there who has been using this stuff? I never hear a peep out of anyone about Mobil Super HM.
You may want to give Maxlife or Maxlife Nextgen a try. Unlike Mobil Super HM, Maxlife does seem thicker than the regular Valvoline Premium Conventional oil. I have been checking the kinematic viscosity specs of Mobil Super and Super HM, and strangely the Super HM seems to be thinner in many/most cases. Maxlife does have a better add pack than VW conventional (higher TBN, more moly and boron).
But when using a HM oil on a vehicle that has tighter clearances and does not need thick oil, but where you want the HM stuff...would it not be preferred to have a thinner high mileage oil like Mobil Super vs Maxlife. I’ve read for years and years here that thicker is not always better.
Originally Posted By: Mark72
But when using a HM oil on a vehicle that has tighter clearances and does not need thick oil, but where you want the HM stuff...would it not be preferred to have a thinner high mileage oil like Mobil Super vs Maxlife. I’ve read for years and years here that thicker is not always better.
I am not arguing. However, the oil you tried did not seem to fix your problem. Time to try something else. Maxlife is not _that_ thick. The 5W20 VW Maxlife and conventional are very close. The 5W30 Maxlife has somewhat thicker kinemactic viscosity spec than Conventional, but not by a lot. It still stays within the 5W30 grade and has manufacturer approvals. Just use the grade that your vehicle calls for.
But when using a HM oil on a vehicle that has tighter clearances and does not need thick oil, but where you want the HM stuff...would it not be preferred to have a thinner high mileage oil like Mobil Super vs Maxlife. I’ve read for years and years here that thicker is not always better.
I am not arguing. However, the oil you tried did not seem to fix your problem. Time to try something else. Maxlife is not _that_ thick. The 5W20 VW Maxlife and conventional are very close. The 5W30 Maxlife has somewhat thicker kinemactic viscosity spec than Conventional, but not by a lot. It still stays within the 5W30 grade and has manufacturer approvals. Just use the grade that your vehicle calls for.
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Well it is my opinion that the Mobil Super High Mileage is what ALL conventional oils should be. All of them should have the ingredients that substantiate the difference between a HM and non-HM oil. Proves the fact that it’s all about money and making a higher profit. At least Mobil Super HM is “resource conserving” and said to be thinner than all the other HM oils. That’s a good thing. So what it would seem is that if you have a brand new car and want to use conventional oil..just use the Super HM and be done with it. Best of both worlds
Count me in as a guy that likes MaxLife. Been running it in my 01 GMC van that's been using a quart in 1500 miles. Seems to have slowed consumption t a quart in about 2200-2500 miles, but that's only for one oci so far. I just changed it with NextGen MaxLife, and took a sample to send to Blackstone, so i'll see how that goes.
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