You could just run Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 for years in that engine and never second guess yourself. Or you could run Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 if you're a stickler for obeying the owner's manual... even though the same engine in a Corvette calls for 0W-40.
ExxonMobil is at the forefront of R&D, always has been. They are a vertically integrated manufacturer. There's a reason why they're the best. ExxonMobil and Shell own Infineum, probably the world's best additive manufacturer. The amount of R&D these companies undertake boggles the mind.
HPL is a small industrial blender that has it's lubricants formulated by the world's foremost expert and the godfather of synthetic lubricants, Dr. Leslie R. Rudnick.
Both of the above are great choices for people who want to have the best lubricant in their vehicle that they don't have to second guess or think about.
Yet you choose:
Valvoline - A Saudi Aramco owned company that blends everything that they label "synthetic" with whatever Group III is on sale and use Lubrizol as their additive supplier. Is it bad oil? No. Does Valvoline make bad products? No, they do not. Valvoline makes decent products. Is Valvoline worth Mobil 1 money? Absolutely not!
You're paying a lot of money for a cheap oil that you want to mix with blue smurf juice that will do absolutely nothing for your engine.
Also going from a HEMI with "maybe lifter issues" to a GM Vortec engine with "guaranteed lifter issues" that you want to experiment on probably wasn't the best idea. Therefore you should take care of that engine, not experiment on it.
