Switching oils might be the way..?

[Swift]

Just reading the thread about using the same oil for the life of the car. Then it hits me (I arent to smart), switching up brands every so often could be the way to a healthy engine. Since every oil has a different add pack and will leave behind differing residues. Each will have different cleaning properties. Healthy engine = changing up brands frequently?

 

[TallPaul]

I think switching oil brands all the time has only two benefits: 1) You can always buy the one that's on sale. 2) If there are one or two brands that are sub par oils, it prevents you from always using that particular oil. Maybe something to the cleaning effect, but probably more in line with #2 by preventing you from always using the one with poor cleaning qualities. But if you want cleaning, I understand "high mileage" oils have a lot of detergent. Diesel rated oils have even more.

 

[DJ]

On my last motor(not blown replaced for more power inseret Tim Allen grunt) I bought the car at 50K have no idea what the old owner used I got it from a dealer I then switched oils every so often. I would once a year do a short interval like 1K with whatever was cheapest usually WakMarts house brand, then if going on a long trip I would dump in some Synpower or Durablend, I really was hard on the thing too we are talking a 4.3L V8 moving a Caprice. When I took it out it was spotles inside, a friend that was over at the time was amazed, he has been into drag and circle track racing for longer than I have been alive and he said if he didn't trust me he would have sworn I had dropped the pan and cleaned it within the last 10K. I get more crap out of the bottom of my tranny pan than I did out of that oil pan. I can not say with any scientific explaination why it was so clean, but at the time I attributed it at least in part to the occasional short OCI with an off brand. Don't worry though with the modded LT1 and the knowledge I have picked up here I am treating my motors better.

 

[haley10]

I think this theory works to some degree for gasolines and their additive packages. For engine oil, I doubt it. If you've been using good oil all along at normal oci's, I don't think another oil will clean much. Great oils will help to maintain a level of cleanliness. but only additives like Auto RX, and LC will significantly clean. Even with the best engine oil I think you will get some minor builup over time. I see what your saying and I have often thought about this, but I don't think so. I'm of the mind to switch til you find the right oil and let the chemistry wear in and stay with it. LC might be able to stabilize the oil and do some cleaning if you're looking for longer oci's.

 

[Swift]

It was just a thought.