I am assuming the last photo shows the before as it had some buildup on it and the 2nd photos shows less. Maybe I am wrong but it appears to be cleaner
Which HM Oil to reach 500K?
- Thread starter Vapor Lock
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Carlostrece
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Of the 3 you listed, I like the 100C viscosity of the 5w30 Supertech High Mileage Full Synthetic the best. Also, the Supertech is synthetic, which is a second area of superiority over Maxlife Blend (red bottle).
So of the three 5w30 you asked about, I'd choose 5w30 Supertech High Mileage Full Synthetic.
What I don't like about 5w30 Castrol Edge High Mileage FS is it's 100C viscosity is kinda low for a High Mileage 5w30 oil. However, 10w30 Castrol Edge High Mileage FS has a good viscosity that's equivalent to a good High Mileage 5w30 oil.
I recommend these High Mileage oils (in no particular order):
5w30 Supertech High Mileage Full Synthetic
10w30 Castrol Edge High Mileage FS
5w30 Valvoline Extended Protection High Mileage Full Synthetic
5w30 Havoline Lifelong High Mileage Full Synthetic
I think the 5w30 V EP High Mileage FS is probably the best High Mileage oil, but the others I recommended are all excellent, IMO. You won't go wrong with any of them.
I suggest using any good name brand paper air filter (not oiled foam, and not synthetic). Paper (cellulose) filters the best for keep dust out of engine. The best oil filter is a good air filter, especially when you drive on dusty roads or offroad.
I suggest using a high quality oil filter that filters 25 microns @ 99% or better. The smaller the number for microns the better. 20-25 microns @ 99% is excellent. 30 microns @ 99% is adequate. Smaller than 30 microns is gravy.
My preferred filters are NAPA Gold. My second choice is Oreilly Microgard Select. There are many other good brands that are also made by Premium Guard (Gold, Select/Premium/XL are at the end of the names of the various brand names of premium filters made by Premium Guard).
I suggest keep changing oil and filter at 5K miles because that's the modern severe service OCI. More often than that would be a waste of time and money. Very little (if any) dust will enter your engine if you use a good paper air filter and have a properly funtioning PCV.
You should change your air filter on a severe service schedule if you frequently drive in dusty conditions.
I'd be concerned about dust and/or water getting into your differentials and transmission. If you want some advice for how to prevent that, please let me know.
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"Fine-tuning" viscosity within a grade is pretty useless. First off it's being based on a PDS typical value which we've seen here to be quite undescriptive of any particular lot. Heck, some manufacturers post API grade limits as typical in a PDS.
Beyond that what really matters is HT/HS not the viscosity. And there again if the blender posts it in a PDS it may or may not be accurate. It's far better to rely on an approval minimum to achieve some desired value.
Even if what's listed in a PDS is exactly accurate there's no requirement for a blender to adhere to those values in the future. Only what's required by the SAE grade or license and approval requirements.
Beyond that what really matters is HT/HS not the viscosity. And there again if the blender posts it in a PDS it may or may not be accurate. It's far better to rely on an approval minimum to achieve some desired value.
Even if what's listed in a PDS is exactly accurate there's no requirement for a blender to adhere to those values in the future. Only what's required by the SAE grade or license and approval requirements.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
I'd rather base it on viscosity shown in a VOA than a data sheet, but I worked with the info he posted. Sometimes data sheets viscosity info is accurate. In any case, it was the info he posted.
I have experienced more oil consumption with brands that are thin for 30 grade. I've experienced less oil consumption with brands that are thick for 30 grade. So choosing a brand of High Mileage oil that's thicker within grade has served me well.
All those High Mileage oils are likely to have the same approvals. Even if there was some difference in their approvals for some brand of Euro car, it's not relevant to the OP's vehicle as long as the oil has the approval needed for his car. I'm sure all the oils I recommended meet or exceed what his car needs.
That is true and unfortunate. However, they do eventually update their data sheets to reflect changes. In the absence of VOAs, I go by the data sheet, which is what he posted.
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No internal pics.
Before and after usage of Valvoline Restore and Protect. Cleaned or reduced varnish build up where my oil filter mounts. Reasonable to conclude same cleansing action or varnish build up is removed internally within engine?
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For your 500k goal, I would run Valvoline Restore and Protect indefinitely or a Euro oil like Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 or Quaker State Euro 5W-40. That'll get you there.
So you decided to shorten your OCI from 5k to 3.5K and go with cheaper synthetic blend oils, except the Super Tech which is Full Synthetic.
Let me do the math again:
We need 100,000 miles to reach 500,000 miles.
Cheaper synthetic blend oil
100,000 : 3,500 = 28.5 oil changes x $20 (5qt) = $570 roughly
In this case I would recommend SuperTech High Mileage
Better Full Synthetic oil
100,000 : 5,000 = 20 oil changes x $25 (5qt) = $500 roughly
100,000 : 4,000 = 25 oil changes x $25 (5qt) = $625 roughly
In the last two cases I would choose Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 OR Mobil 1 0W-40 Euro FS or Valvoline Extended Protection High Mileage 5w30.
These 3 oils can run for at least 5,000 miles. The first 2 will easily go to 7,000.
I would choose the last two scenarios because I think they'll get you in a safer and more efficient way to the 500,000 miles goal.
Its a simple question of what company do you trust? Valvoline...Warren...Castrol... I believe Valvoline over the years has been the king of the Walmart shelf high mileage oils. So if we were in the Walmart aisle I would say Valvoline Maxlife product. They seem to be the specialists in this and their "Maxlife" brand has been going for a long time.
So without looking at any kind of laboratory analysis or anything of substance...I would tell you that Valvoline seems to be the pioneer and longstanding champion of the high mileage segment.
First high mileage oil and now going on 25 years.
So without looking at any kind of laboratory analysis or anything of substance...I would tell you that Valvoline seems to be the pioneer and longstanding champion of the high mileage segment.
First high mileage oil and now going on 25 years.
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Quaker State Euro 5w 40 is interesting option.
Thicker oil will certainly help in hotter months while on trails. My Tacoma has more weight due to Overland upgrades i.e. steel skid plates, steel bumpers, rock sliders etc.
Does thicker oil have better HTHS numbers? Can't find additive specs on this oil.
Question how much parasitic drag would jump to 5w 40 weight cause on engine?
Will try one run of this oil to see how truck runs and if MPG takes hit. Thanks.
I've always had good results with Castrol gtx and Syntec in my Geo Prizm way back. My cavalier is at 255k and still going.
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I attached before and after pics on earlier thread.
Valvoline Restore and Protect did nice job cleaning / removing varnish build up.
Vapor Lock - in your overlanding adventures, is the truck seeing extreme mud, rock-climbing, high speed dune running, etc? Or is this basically running on gravel roads to the nearest campsite? I agree with the poster above about dust and dirt contamination, and even with a great air filter, you'll still get a little contamination.
I think this could be use specific, but as others have stated, you picked a super reliable rig and must have done something right to get to 400k. Supertech would be my choice out of the group. Its got a decent cold weather viscosity, so while we may be splitting hairs on the hot viscosity, the cold is much better than the other two.
I think this could be use specific, but as others have stated, you picked a super reliable rig and must have done something right to get to 400k. Supertech would be my choice out of the group. Its got a decent cold weather viscosity, so while we may be splitting hairs on the hot viscosity, the cold is much better than the other two.
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Thanks for feedback. Grateful.
No rock climbing. I do find myself in some challenging trails and miles of off road dirt trails. Truck will eat it's share of dust (mud when raining) especially when not the lead vehicle. I minimized this with S&B Cold Air Take and snorkel. I agree good air filter is important.
Where did you find ST high mileage viscosity data, etc? I can't seem to find product data sheets for this oil.
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>3.5
None, never seen any less mpgs going thicker in any vehicle I've owned, your right foot contributes way more than going up a grade
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