The Best HM Oils And Why?

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I started using Maxlife at the 80K mark in the Impreza. At the time I had zero oil related problems, but went with it for two reasons: the dealer group I worked for used Valvoline products exclusively (aside from manufacturer oils) so I was able to get it at a nice discount when having it serviced in the shop, and I read up on it at the Valvoline website and liked what they said. Now, at 132K, I still have zero oil related problems, at least as far as I can see when inspecting things during maintenance in the driveway. During that time the car has always seen either red bottle Maxlife or the NextGen variant, except for ~2 OCIs. Unlike many, I did not switch to High Mileage oil to fix an existing problem, but it hasn't seemed to cause any either. I've been tempted to switch over the Corolla, which has been fed a steady diet of M1 & Synpower most of it's life, to a High Mileage oil, but that car also has zero oil related problems, so I don't want to mess with what is working.
 
I used Castrol GTX HM to help with a rear main seal leak in the Burb and it stopped it up within the first OCI. I then switched to Valvoline MaxLife NextGen and the leak came back almost immediately. I think I ran a full 4,000 mile OCI on that before having the seal replaced. Both are synthetic blends, so that probably had nothing to do with the difference in performance.

I don't have significant consumption in either vehicle, but have a stash of about 17 qt of Valvoline MaxLife NextGen and will be using it in the GP following the OLM to determine my OCI.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Looks good. I noticed that the 20W-50 you used still has a decent amount of moly. From reading here recently, it seems the API starburst grades of Maxlife have no more moly. Do you know if the latest 10W-40 and 20W-50 still have moly in them?


I wonder the same as well. And also,where do you buy the 20W50? I haven`t seen it at any of the parts stores,Walmart,etc.
we have 20w50 in all the parts stores and walmarts around here. Most people just dont notice them.


Is it in the 5 quart jugs,and/or just quarts? I can't remember if I'd seen it on WM's website or not. Can they special order I wonder?
I have only seen it in qts. I would think any parts store could order it for you but I don't know that Wal Mart would.
 
In the newest SN formulations,I wonder how different the Max Life 20W50 is vs the white bottle 20W50,besides the ML being a syn blend?
 
Without current VOA's on some of these new formulations we will never know. One High Mileage oil I would like to try is Kendall syn-blend 10W-40 High Mileage, but no one seems to sell it besides their online store. In fact no stores around here sell anything Kendall, including Pep Boys and AZ. Kendall oils have generally been priced reasonably in the past, compared to some of the more popular brands.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Looks good. I noticed that the 20W-50 you used still has a decent amount of moly. From reading here recently, it seems the API starburst grades of Maxlife have no more moly. Do you know if the latest 10W-40 and 20W-50 still have moly in them?


Don't know. I have one more fill of the SM made in packaged in 2008. And recently bought the Maxlife OC special at AAP and the new stuff was SN Packaged in late 2012. It will be a couple years before I can answer that. I have not looked on Valvoline Website to see. Frankly, their website leaves a lot to be desired. There is no API Starburst on the SN 20w-50.
 
Originally Posted By: Hermann
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Looks good. I noticed that the 20W-50 you used still has a decent amount of moly. From reading here recently, it seems the API starburst grades of Maxlife have no more moly. Do you know if the latest 10W-40 and 20W-50 still have moly in them?


Don't know. I have one more fill of the SM made in packaged in 2008. And recently bought the Maxlife OC special at AAP and the new stuff was SN Packaged in late 2012. It will be a couple years before I can answer that. I have not looked on Valvoline Website to see. Frankly, their website leaves a lot to be desired. There is no API Starburst on the SN 20w-50.

Can these High Mileage oils you members are posting about in motorcycles be applied to automotive engines just as well?
 
Sure, the engine on my motorcycle is not a shared sump design. It only lubricates the engine. In weather above 40F I would not be concerned about using a 20w-xx oil. When pouring this oil into the funnel it flows like liquid, not like syrup. The average RPM's on my bike when riding is between 3500-4500 RPM's. What impresses me the most about the Maxlife is the TBN retention. Yes I added 8oz of oil 2/3 of the way through the OCI. But still 7.4 TBN in a air cooled engine with only a 2.5qt sump, is impressive.
 
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