Switching to Mobil 1 0w-40.

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d00df00d

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There was a time when I never thought I'd see this day...

I've been using RLI quite happily for tens of thousands of miles. Unfortunately, I've had to do some serious belt tightening lately, and the fact that Mobil 1 0w-40 can be had for $5/qt WITHOUT discounts is just too good to pass up. I don't think there's anything that even comes close, dollar-for-dollar.

I'll be putting the Mobil 1 in at the next oil change. I'm definitely sad to leave RLI -- it's a great all-American company, run by great people, with a great product. Hopefully my finances will improve and I can return...
 
I've filled my cart and then left RLI's site many, many times over the years. I simply could not justify the added expense.

For me, I'm tightening my belt in the form of switching from Dyson analyses to Blackstone, at least for the FF. Even when you're not hurting for cash, a little belt tightening never hurts, and when you look back you may realize that RLI was an unnecessary expense all along.

With that said, this is our hobby, and there are worse things to spend money on, IMHO.
 
Wasn't that RLI grade you were using substantially thicker than the M1 0W-40 (considering how the M1 is on the thinner side of a 40 weight as far as HTHSV is concerned, and is the same as RLI's 0W-30, at 3.8)?
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I know that RLI will only make a 0W-40 on a custom order basis.
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RLI 5w40 has an HTHS of around 4.3-4.5, I believe. I'd be inclined to mix some of their 0w30 in to bring it down to 4.0.

Bill G has told me that the 5w40 is almost a 0w40, and that they label it as 5w40 because that grade is popular and recognizable.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
RLI 5w40 has an HTHS of around 4.3-4.5, I believe. I'd be inclined to mix some of their 0w30 in to bring it down to 4.0.

Bill G has told me that the 5w40 is almost a 0w40, and that they label it as 5w40 because that grade is popular and recognizable.


Except that d00d was using their 15W-40, not their 5W-40.

But I went on their site, and the only "low ash" 15W-40 they list is the BioSyn Xtra HD Plus, which has a 3.7 HTHSV (which I take for granted is the ONE d00d was using), so I was WRONG, and it is essentially the same weight as M1 0W-40 as far as that is concerned (I did not look at MRVs).

He also picks up 8 points worth of VI by going to the M1.
What is M1 0W040's NOACK (the RLI 15W-40 is @ 9.0%).
RLI does not give the TBNs so we cannot compare those unless we have a reliable VOA on the RLI to compare to the M1's 11.5 (??).
 
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: dparm
RLI 5w40 has an HTHS of around 4.3-4.5, I believe. I'd be inclined to mix some of their 0w30 in to bring it down to 4.0.

Bill G has told me that the 5w40 is almost a 0w40, and that they label it as 5w40 because that grade is popular and recognizable.


Except that dOOd was using their 15W-40 @ a , not their 5W-40.

But I went on their site, and the only "low ash" 15W-40 they list is the BioSyn Xtra HD Plus, which has a 3.7 HTHSV, so I was WRONG, and it is essentially the same weight as M1 0W-40 as far as that is concerned (I did not look at MRVs).

He also picks up 8 points worth of VI by going to the M1.
What is M1 0W040's NOACK (the RLI 15W-40 is @ 9.0%).
RLI does not give the TBNs so we cannot compare those unless we have a reliable VOA on the RLI to compare to the M1's 11.5 (??).


NOACK on M1 0w-40 is 8.8%.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: dparm
RLI 5w40 has an HTHS of around 4.3-4.5, I believe. I'd be inclined to mix some of their 0w30 in to bring it down to 4.0.

Bill G has told me that the 5w40 is almost a 0w40, and that they label it as 5w40 because that grade is popular and recognizable.


Except that dOOd was using their 15W-40 @ a , not their 5W-40.

But I went on their site, and the only "low ash" 15W-40 they list is the BioSyn Xtra HD Plus, which has a 3.7 HTHSV, so I was WRONG, and it is essentially the same weight as M1 0W-40 as far as that is concerned (I did not look at MRVs).

He also picks up 8 points worth of VI by going to the M1.
What is M1 0W040's NOACK (the RLI 15W-40 is @ 9.0%).
RLI does not give the TBNs so we cannot compare those unless we have a reliable VOA on the RLI to compare to the M1's 11.5 (??).


NOACK on M1 0w-40 is 8.8%.


Good, so they are also the same on that front.
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I'm not one for drawing conclusions based on spec sheets. I have UOA data to suggest that the RLI 15w-40 Low Ash does well in my engine, whereas I have no such data whatsoever on Mobil 1 0w-40. I'm not ready to say how the two oils compare in my application because there's just no way to tell.

What I do know is that Mobil 1 0w-40 carries the right approval for my engine and is a heck of a product otherwise, so it's unlikely to do much worse than the RLI 15w-40 Low Ash. That's why I feel safe switching to save some money for now, and that's all I'm prepared to say for sure.

I won't be doing any more oil analysis on this engine. Oil analysis wouldn't pick up any problem that I'd bother to fix at this point; I'm going to run this engine until it fails catastrophically or I have enough spare cash for a rebuild or swap.

This engine is coming up on 205k miles, which is impressive given the sketchy life it had under its first owner (I am the third - the second was great). All I need is for it to keep going for another year or so. Anything more is gravy.
 
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
But I went on their site, and the only "low ash" 15W-40 they list is the BioSyn Xtra HD Plus, which has a 3.7 HTHSV (which I take for granted is the ONE d00d was using), so I was WRONG, and it is essentially the same weight as M1 0W-40 as far as that is concerned (I did not look at MRVs).

RLI's data sheet says ">3.7" for HTHS, not 3.7 exactly. I'm pretty sure the real value is well above that.

MRVs are not comparable because they are indicated at different temps per the 15w/0w difference.


For me, the draw of RLI's 15w-40 Low Ash was twofold:

1. Low VII content. I hoped this would help control fuel dilution and oil consumption.
2. Low ash content. I hoped this would help control deposits and protect my emissions equipment (O2 sensors etc.).

Mobil 1 0w-40 has a higher number for sulfated ash (1.3% vs. 1.0% for the RLI) and presumably has more VII content.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
But I went on their site, and the only "low ash" 15W-40 they list is the BioSyn Xtra HD Plus, which has a 3.7 HTHSV (which I take for granted is the ONE d00d was using), so I was WRONG, and it is essentially the same weight as M1 0W-40 as far as that is concerned (I did not look at MRVs).

RLI's data sheet says ">3.7" for HTHS, not 3.7 exactly. I'm pretty sure the real value is well above that.

MRVs are not comparable because they are indicated at different temps per the 15w/0w difference.


For me, the draw of RLI's 15w-40 Low Ash was twofold:

1. Low VII content. I hoped this would help control fuel dilution and oil consumption.
2. Low ash content. I hoped this would help control deposits and protect my emissions equipment (O2 sensors etc.).

Mobil 1 0w-40 has a higher number for sulfated ash (1.3% vs. 1.0% for the RLI) and presumably has more VII content.


But it also has the "cat's a$$" and "ultra sexy!" content, LMAO!!!

Seriously, its the most certified/approved oil on the market. You aren't going to be doing wrong using it. I use it in my M5, as do a pile of other E39 M5 owners. It is probably the best readily available oil in existence.
 
I get the impression from Bill G @ RLI that their 15w40 and 5w40 are the same oil, just marketed differently. He has said that the 15w40 meets the specs for a 5w40, and almost for those of a 0w40.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
There was a time when I never thought I'd see this day...

I've been using RLI quite happily for tens of thousands of miles. Unfortunately, I've had to do some serious belt tightening lately, and the fact that Mobil 1 0w-40 can be had for $5/qt WITHOUT discounts is just too good to pass up. I don't think there's anything that even comes close, dollar-for-dollar.

I'll be putting the Mobil 1 in at the next oil change. I'm definitely sad to leave RLI -- it's a great all-American company, run by great people, with a great product. Hopefully my finances will improve and I can return...



You won't. Mobil 1 is great oil and you will probably be a lifer.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
How's the cold flow performance of 0W-40 compared to 10W-30 conventional ?


Interesting question. Well, down near the MRV numbers, it appears viscosity roughly doubles for every 5 degrees.

So if we to look at PYB 10w-30:

MRV: 15,400 @ -30C

And M1 0w-40:

MRV: 31,000 @ -40C

And then extrapolate based on the doubling thing:

PYB:
@-30 - 15,400
@-35 - 30,800
@-40 - 61,600

M1:
@-40 - 31,000
@-35 - 15,500
@-30 - 7,750

So basically, at -30C (and the pour point for PYB 10w-30 is also listed at -30C BTW) M1 0w-40 is twice as thin as PYB 10w-30.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
How's the cold flow performance of 0W-40 compared to 10W-30 conventional ?

What's considered "cold" in Clovis, CA? 32F maybe?

M1_vs_PYB.png
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
How's the cold flow performance of 0W-40 compared to 10W-30 conventional ?



Better.
 
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