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For wear protection, absolutely. But what a UOA doesn't tell you is how coked up the piston rings are, how the valve stem and other seals are doing or how clean/dirty your intake valves are. Those are areas where oil composition can make a difference.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. UOA results do not indicate internal engine condition. Or whether the oil will result in varnish, coking and carbon. The difference between stuck oil rings or not, is oil choice.
This should come as no surprise to anyone here.
Should learn to read the whole thread and not reply to the first post that peaks my interest.
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I don’t know, we’ve all seen some of the testing Mobil1 does. I wouldn’t call that resting on their laurels, plus they just changed most of their lineup to their triple action formula a year ago, which they claim is an improvement. I personally think all these companies are pretty similar right now with their additive package/base oils/etc. Ten years ago I thought the additive packages of, let’s say Valvoline, was “different”. They used a lot of sodium instead of moly, and they weren’t the only ones. Now, they all at least look similar on paper.
Yeah, I do think if you want to spend more you may get a little bit better of a product with a boutique oil, but most of us probably aren't going to need the little extra benefit/performance they provide. IMO. I’d still like to try one of those brand though...probables is to justify it I’d have to run an extended drain, and I’m not the type to do that (consistently). Although I have run a few 10,000 mile intervals using Mobil1 EP.
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This is my biggest concern with oil, and oil change intervals...the piston groves, the oil control ring, and stuck/clogged rings. And I don’t think UOA’s show what really could be happening in that department, because it’s a gradual thing...the cleanliness or lack of cleanliness. That stuff is coking into those areas. It’s not so much the actual wear metals in an analysis, it’s the stuff accumulating in that oil ring groove, between the expander and two control rings. I’ve taken apart engines that look spotless up top, only to pull the pitons out and see carbon and soot trapped in those areas with rings that will not come out into the lands...and oil control rings clogged solid.Nothing could be farther from the truth. UOA results do not indicate internal engine condition. Or whether the oil will result in varnish, coking and carbon. The difference between stuck oil rings or not, is oil choice.
This should come as no surprise to anyone here.
If the Subaru guys scrapped off and analyzed the piston deposits left from that volatile ROTella, they'd find the rest of their wear metals.
I currently have the Mobil 1 "Triple Action" formula in my engine. We shall see how it stacks up against SuperTechs "Advanced" formula or Quaker States "Ultimate Protection". "Ultimate" seems to indicate it cant get sny better then this whereas a quadruple action beats a triple action.
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I’m looking forward to when Mobil1 releases a “Dynamic” oil, because then I’ll be able to put it in all my vehicles.
I’m currently running their triple action regular 5W30. I usually run their triple action EP but for some reason the price shot up $4-$5 bucks per five quart jug, and I figured...well you’re only doing 7,500 mile intervals, why bother with the EP? And of course now it’s back to it’s regular price.
There is no "resistance to fuel dilution". There is resistance to mechanical shearing. Different.
What about molecular fuel-dissolving particles?
I bet Liquimoly has an addictive for that.What about molecular fuel-dissolving particles?
Do you really think these differences prove that T6 is better? It proves the exact opposite.
Shell Rotella T6 5W40 is a wonderful oil. However according to Shells technical people its not gas rated because its not good for the catalytic converter. This is important because you dont want that wearing out early. So at the time in 2018 I turned to Mobil 1 Delvac 5W40 ESP which worked great. Now I see they.have a 5W30 version.
Delvac is still a great oil, but fast forward to today where Ford made some reliability enhancements to the engine such as redesigning the cooling system and then came the API SP. I found it easier and cheaper at the Walmart shelf versus internet mailorder through Summit Racing.
These Subaru people use kits to push their engines way past the designed limits and then run it at the track. So they wondered into Walmart and found Rotella. They were not wrong in seeking an HDEO. They were wrong in not consulting with Summit Racing first which has a team ready to give out advice. Summit sells the gas rated HDEO Mobil 1 Delvac line as well as other oils more appropriate for modified cars and track racers.
gathermewool
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I haven’t been paying much attention. Could you point me to where this was evidenced?
That’s not how I read your post, so I’m confused about what you really mean.
@bbhero
You drive 70 thousand miles per year and change your oil every 3k? That’s twice a month, right? I don’t see how your UOA posted later proves this as being necessary; however, you likely do so for the peace of mind given the truck is your livelihood.
Edit: Also, your recent mileage must have changed, since the mileage based on your UOA is closer to half, which is a bit confusing. Maybe you’re using a conversion of idle hours to miles? I‘m curious how you’re doing this, if you don’t mind sharing.
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Not the word I would use to describe it. It's 12% Noack, has no moly/FM, foams easily, and is loaded with VII. It's a minimum standard CK-4 oil at best. I know quite a few engines that have eaten a bearing on that oil due to aeration causing bearing cavitation. Every one of them, on teardown, showed a lot of piston deposits as a result of the high volatility.
For a diesel, sure. It's quite lacking in EP which may not pose a problem for an EJ255 but some engines will not be happy with that formula. A local builder to me was venturing into high rpm solid roller LS engines and was just destroyed valvetrain parts, mainly pushrods. He was using Delvac and swearing by it, been using it 20+ years, insisted the pushrod manufacturer was to blame. Switched suppliers twice, same issue, and finally took my advice to switch the oil. He hasn't had a pushrod failure since.
There's quite a few here doing that as well, myself included.
There's nothing special about a CK-4 oil, especially for racing use. They tend to be volatile and lacking in friction reducing additives which is the opposite for what you want for a racing oil. You want low volatility so the oil doesn't evaporate as much around the rings and can hold a better, thicker oil film. You want a lot of friction modifier to drop the CoF for less friction and more power. You want minimal VII loading to ensure the oil is shear stable. There's no CK-4 oil on the shelf at Walmart that caters to that environment. An oil formulated for a diesel engine turning 4000 rpm max with a big oil capacity measured in gallons isn't going to be favorable to a gas engine turning twice that rpm with half (or less) the oil capacity. They're two very different environments that like distinctly different formulas.
That wouldn't be peace of mind for me, neither maintenance wise nor financially speaking. That's a lot of oil.
At $23.48/gal ($5.87/qt) at Walmart for T6, that's $35.22 +tax per 6 quart oil change done every 15 days. That's 24 oil changes a year for $845.28 +tax in oil cost. Amsoil Signature or HPL Premium would easily go 20k miles and have just 3 oil changes a year for <$400.
I have never gotten the obsession with Rotella. QS 5W40 Euro is a better product for the gas applications. BRO-Tella.
It's cheap and their engine didn't spontaneously explode. Therefore, it's the greatest thing ever.
I don't quite get why you started this thread in the first place.
You've taken a couple swipes at Amsoil by name. Why? Why not just use a generic term like "more expensive oil" or include Redline, HPL, etc?
NO one forces anyone to use Amsoil, but it is ironically funny that Amsoil is the lowest in Fe per mile, even if it is useless
So, you're comparing UOAs taken 4 years apart, from a different API certification, between two completely different engine families, your sample had 50% fewer miles, and your interpretation from a single data point on each oil you've come to the conclusion that Amsoil as a company is obsolete?
Dang, dude, you should talk to wwilson and see if this site can arrange your own Comedy Central social hour. You definitely got some jokes!
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