What's everyone's opinion on Kendall GT-1 synthetic oil?

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Quattro Pete

Quattro Pete

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How does it compare to the likes of Mobil 1, Amsoil, etc? Anyone ran any used oil analyses on it? It seems to contain some Zinc additive, which is supposed to provide protection if two engine parts happen to come in direct contact with eachother, but on the other hand I've read that too much zinc can be responsible for deposit buildups.
confused.gif


I am considering the 5w40 grade. I've been using Mobil 1 5w30 in my 4-cylinder 1.8 turbo. Since it's a relatively high-revving engine, I want to switch to something with a bit more top-end high-temp protection.

Kendall GT-1 Specs (pdf)
Kendall GT-1 5w40 MSDS (pdf)

Thanks!
cheers.gif


[ November 04, 2002, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: Quattro Pete ]
 
Here is a list of Mercedes-approved synthetics, I rearranged them in order of preferance. I put in some time reading up and listening to experts. Mobil 1 is realtively low ranked, I know that will cause some complaints, but I have my reasons. Hopfully comments will be limited to turbo-oriented applications. The Kendall GT-1 Synth is almost a specialty oil in it's rarity. I listed #1 due to it's race reputation, there is not a big base of info here, that's why Pete started a thread. I am inserting some keywords for fellow VW owners, Audi and my 1.8t turbo buddies are picking up this product and we will most likely be testing it before and after use. Any help interperting the results will help. Thanks.
 
I forgot, here's the list of Mercedes-approved synthetics, arranged by me.

1)Kendall GT-1 FullSynth 5W-40
2)Chevron Supreme Synthetic 5W-40
3)Valvoline Synpower 5W-40
4)Havoline Synthetic 5W-40
5)Pennzoil Synthetic Euro 5W-40
6)Mobil 1 0W-40 and 15W-50
7)Quaker State Synthetic Euro 5W-40
8)Castrol Syntec 10W-40 and 5W-50
 
quote: Go up one visc. grade on the Mobil 1 to 10W30

MolaKule, 10w-40 M1 is not a Mercedes-approved oil, in fact they caution against it. Pete's specs call for 0w oil, mostly for mpg and cold start-up, so his group of users are looking more at 5w-XX. 5w-40 seems to be the Euro viscosity range.
 
Pete, I think there is less zink now than when build-up was a problem. I have seen posts saying no problem and you can prevent oil entering your combustion chamber by not downshifting hard. Our engines are relatively tight anyway!
 
Hmmm... am I missing something here??

"Mobil 1 is the only oil we use for our engines as the first filling. And then we put the sticker in the engine compartment just to make sure that people know what's in their engines."
– Domingos Piedade, Managing Director,
Mercedes-Benz AMG"
 
I looked over the MSDS on the Kendall 5w-40 and I didn't seem to notice or see and info that shows if the oil is group III or PAO/ester. Does anybody see it in there or know which it is?

As an edit to this post; the reason I ask is if you look at the pour points of the three grades, the 5w-40 looks like it would probably be PAO/ester, whereas the 5w-30 and 10w-30 look like they more likely be Group III.

[ November 04, 2002, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: Kernel Potter ]
 
Kendall is another one of ConocoPhillips brands:

"Phillips, of Bartlesville, Okla., has a large family of motor oil brands thanks to a series of acquisitions. It bought Tosco Corp. last year, not long after Tosco’s 76 Lubricants acquired the Kendall business from Sunoco. Phillips already had its own brand, Trop-Arctic.

"The consolidation of Kendall lines eliminates the Superb, Victory and Elite names. Superb, for example, had been slotted as Kendall’s standard motor oil, whereas GT-1 was marketed as a high-performance product developed on race tracks and drag strips. Kendall customers will still have formula options, as GT-1 will include products made from mineral oil, synthetic blend and full synthetic base stocks."
http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_article000076084.cfm

Ken
 
Thanks Ken, I know the history. I was just hoping someone knows the product. The particular one I referenced above is the GT-1 Full Synthetic (whatever that means of course). I'm not interested in the other two (GT-1 High Performance and GT-1 Synthetic Blend), which are not available in 5w40 grade.
 
The GT-1 full synthetic is indeed a Group III. They kinda hide it a bit by saying "Synthetic Base Oil 76-79%" but the CAS# shows it's Group III.

ferb!
 
Am I missing something as well?

"quote: Go up one visc. grade on the Mobil 1 to 10W30

MolaKule, 10w-40 M1 is not a Mercedes-approved oil, in fact they caution against it. Pete's specs call for 0w oil, mostly for mpg and cold start-up, so his group of users are looking more at 5w-XX. 5w-40 seems to be the Euro viscosity range. "

Why is he using a 5W30 then? It appears that neither 5W30 nor 10W30 nor 10W40 is an approved viscosity.
confused.gif
 
quote:
Originally posted by MolaKule:
Why is he using a 5W30 then? It appears that neither 5W30 nor 10W30 nor 10W40 is an approved viscosity.
confused.gif

Click to expand...
The manual recommends 0w30, but states that 5w30 and 5w40 are acceptable as well. The reason I stopped using 0w30 is that I was getting a lot of "valve chatter" at startup. 5w30 eliminated it. Why I want to go up to 5w40, I already explained in the original post.

Well, it seems that we won't find out anything about Kendall GT-1 until someone posts some oil analysis info. I guess I'll just wait. For my upcoming oil change, I'll keep using M1.
 
Okay, thanks Quatro for the clarification. So you can use 5W30 and above.

I think 5W30 for the winter should be sufficient if the valve clatter goes away. You might want to wait for summer before trying the 5W40, and if you can afford it, send some UOA results our way.

[ November 04, 2002, 11:34 PM: Message edited by: MolaKule ]
 
quote:
Originally posted by MolaKule:
...and if you can afford it, send some UOA results our way.
Click to expand...
Any good companies you'd recommend for UOA? I need a sample kit that I can give to my dealer to collect some of the oil when they do my oil change next week - assuming I can convince them to do it. I could then post UOA results of my M1 SS 5w30 that I've been running for the past 5K miles, and then compare to whatever I decide to switch to in the future...
 
Audi Junkie: Could you explain some of your reasoning behind that particular order? A lot of people on this board hold M1 in pretty high regard (for an on the shelf oil).

I'm currently considering a number of oils for my turbo application (02 Volvo S40). High heat stability is one of my main requirements as deposit build up in the oil passages is the primary cause of turbo failure....keeping this car a long time. So I'm tending to stay away from group III oils. Not saying they're no good, many are excellent. PAO and esters generally have higher flash points. Would like to go to Redline but not API certified, don't want warranty issues. OK, they probably won't know and I'm probably being a little paranoid about that.
 
Al, what about other Mercedes? My friend has a `97 S600 that he's using Mobil 1 5w-30. He doesn't know the correct grade for this vehicle as it somehow doesn't state the proper grade in the owner's manual...weird. The local dealerships all have different answers like "use what you want...5-30 is OK".

Anyways, what is the correct grade for this vehicle? Should he be using the M-1 15-50 instead?
 
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