Should I Dump Maxlife Synthetic?

[Bryanccfshr]

I thought I could take it. I really did think that the great addative package in the valvoline Maxlife synthetic would make me secure in running it to the max recomended OCI's for the Mitsubishi Outlander. In a couple of weeks My wife and I are going to take a 4000 mile round trip to the east coast to visit her family.

I just put the Maxlife synthetic in with some lubecontrol 2 weeks ago in anticipation.

2 things trouble me.
Will I pay a MPG penalty with this thick 30wt?

By running through the complete stash (I have enough for over 3 OCI's on this vehicle)of this Maxlife synthetic am I doing any harm?

When I get through with the maxlife I was going to go to Mobil 1. Maybe I will dump it before teh trip and save the Maxlife for something else.

No real good reason to do this other than I am wondering if there is a penalty for running an oil this thick(It is an A3 oil) in an engine that is specced for 5w20 or 5w30 (temperature dependent).

So gurus and opinionated fellow oil nuts, what would you do? The motor is barely of 10k miles old. Dump it or run it till I am out of it?

Am I gaining anything from an A3 rated oil in this case or am I going to get a few hundred miles into the trip and notice it in my MPG? (We will be cruising 70-80 most of the miles)

 

[drive it forever]

Use what you have on hand first. Dumping this oil out because you think you might lose some fuel economy is "false economy". If your worried about fuel economy, why are you going to drive 70-80 mph?

 

[Ugly3]

Temperature and tire pressure will have more to do with MPG than the oil viscosity. Roll and relax.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ugly3:
Temperature and tire pressure will have more to do with MPG than the oil viscosity. Roll and relax.

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Couldn't have said it better myself.

A couple cSt will not make ANY fuel economy difference.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

That Maxlife synthetic is fine oil. You could possibly see lower wear with it vs the Mobil-1. Lower wear saves gas too! Plus, the 5w30 is better engine compensation dealing with your Corpus Christi heat index this summer. Stick with it. Should be fine for extended OCIs... just like the Mobil-1.

 

[TallPaul]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bryanccfshr:
I thought I could take it. I really did think that the great addative package in the valvoline Maxlife synthetic would make me secure in running it to the max recomended OCI's for the Mitsubishi Outlander. In a couple of weeks My wife and I are going to take a 4000 mile round trip to the east coast to visit her family.

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You should be fine. I ran regular Maxlife 10w30 4400 miles in my motorhome and the UOA (on this site) showed the oil was in fine shape and could have been run longer.

 

[mikemc]

If I understand correctly, the motor is spec'd for 5w30 and that's what the Valvoline is? Use this good oil without worries. Any minor potential gain in fuel economy could never be offset by dumping an oil pan full of 2 week old oil.

 

[haley10]

An A3 oil is exactly what you need for all that 70-80 mph Interstate cruising. Relax and have a good trip.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Thanks everyone for reenforcing my initial thoughts on using this oil. With the recent viscosity discussions I was beggining to become unhinged!


This oil should work great in this high reving (3200 RPM at 80MPH) 4 banger.

 

[Blue99]

The slightly heavier base stocks in the 11.5 cSt, 5w30 Maxlife Syn make it an excellent choice in high temperature situations where volatility may be an issue.

As far as gas mileage, I would expect to see less than a 1/2 gallon per mile differential, if anything.

BTW, when on a long interstate trip at constant highway speed, IMHO, it's the best time to run a bottle of Techron or a stronger dose of FP in the gas tank for optimized combustion chamber cleaning.

 

[Blue99]

Sorry, Edit to remove double post.

 

[Drew99GT]

The Maxlife Synthetic will cause your engine to blow. Send the rest of your stash to me. I'll take it off your hands

 

[Blue99]

LOL, Drew, you know how to jump on these opportunities!

I like Gary Allen's phrase, "It will grenade your engine.." when he describes the use of any oils heavier than 5W-20!

Gary - You need to add the little trademark symbol to "grenade" to indicate your patent rights to the term & concept!

 

[haley10]

I think it may have been Pitzel who already has the trademark rights to the Ford Grenada.

 

[Bob The Builder]

Well, I suggest that you take out the Maxlife and use it in a vehicle that has a lot of miles on it. That is what Maxlife is for ya know.

Instead, spend an extra 2 bucks and get a 5 quart bottle of Mobil 1 EP 5w30 at WallMart for 24 bucks. Now that sounds like a good idea.

BtB

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Bob,
Is it really for older engines or is it just a better formulated oil marketed for older vehicles??

That is the crux, it has a much greater concentration of additives compared to plain Valvoline synthetic.

Whe I run through the 3 fills of Maxlife I will consider changing the car to an EP oil, for the 2 bucks a quart the Maxlife synthetic was a great deal! Compare them.

Maxlife synthetic

Mobil EP 5w30

Yeah, it's just UOA
s but I suspect that the Maxlife is group III and some esters AW adds.

My only concern is the seal conditioning aspects. It could be positive it could be negative.

 

[fuel tanker man]

The "high mileage" moniker is just a way for the motor oil manufacturers to market a "healthier" add pack without gettin' smacked down by the environmentalist wack-o's.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

quote:

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Originally posted by fuel tanker man:
The "high mileage" moniker is just a way for the motor oil manufacturers to market a "healthier" add pack without gettin' smacked down by the environmentalist wack-o's.

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I am starting to come around to that conclusion.

 

[kreativ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bryanccfshr:

quote:

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Originally posted by fuel tanker man:
The "high mileage" moniker is just a way for the motor oil manufacturers to market a "healthier" add pack without gettin' smacked down by the environmentalist wack-o's.

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I am starting to come around to that conclusion.

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But how about the seal conditioners? I guess that's what makes it a high mileage oil?

 

[Bryanccfshr]

In a way don't all motor oils utilize a seal conditioner? Basicly maintaining a compatable chemestry with the seals is part of the formulation?