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Motor Oil Choice

by BabyBird200, April 15, 2006

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hey guys i was thinking about changing the oil to something better then what the dealer gives me, what do you suggest i have been recommended by my dad to use one of the castrol, but i want your opinion.

Max

Castrol is very good. Seems like last we discussed this, Pennzoil also came up as a good choice.

Everyone loves Mobil-1. I've heard W Mart has good prices.

I've used the basic Amsoil Synth in several cars, including the Corolla. I like it because it is highly detergent but doesn't have any additives. Keyz (sic) at 9th gen recently posted a link to a guy that would sell at a discount. I get a case with four jugs and it lasts through several changes. I do notice a bit more engine noise with it. No dramatic changes, just keeps the engine very clean over the long haul.

I'm very partial to Mobil1. It seems to do exactly what it should do for a very long time, which is all I ask of in a motor oil default_wink

Bikeman982

What about Quaker State? I have used it before and thought it was very good as well.

Access-Denied (+1)

Any oil and you should be fine with it. But if your wanting the best, go with mobil 1. imo, even if you go with cheap stuff, just make sure you change if often. If anything, spend a few extra bucks on a good filter.

I will definately recommend Mobile-1 Synthetic and WIX filters.

Royal Purple and Amsoil synthetics have also been given high ratings.

From my understanding some of the other "synthetic" motor oils are actually a synthetic/dino blend. That is the reason for their lower cost. I am not saying they are bad, just not as good as a true synthetic.

Read up on http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ forums.

I've been running wix filters and mobil 1 oil, but I think I am just going to go with super tech filters and super tech synthetic oil. While not 100% varified yet I don't think, it looks like Meijers sythetic oil is the same as super tech. It can be hard to find the 5w 30 at wally world.

  • 1,424 posts

I would not use non-synthetic Penzoil or Quaker State. The oil that comes from those deposits in PA naturally contain parafin wax. In certain vehicles this causes problems with oil loss due to the parafin wax boiling off. I won't use either of those oils again after how they worked in my last car.

Bikeman982

I used to use Quaker State and never had any problems. I have not used Penzoil, but have seen repair places use it, which leads me to believe it is not the best available.

i use penzoil in my lawnmowers default_tongue mobil 1 or mobil blend (7500miles) in the car.

friendly_jacek

LOL, everyone thinks that mobil1 is the best, I guess the comercials work well to brainwash.

Go to BITOG, check the UOAs and you will see little difference between different brands. And no, mobil1 doesn't have the lowest wear metal levels.

Bikeman982

Seems like Mobil 1 is the oil of choice. I have not used it but after I run out of the supply of oil I am using in my garage, I may give it a try.

LOL, everyone thinks that mobil1 is the best, I guess the comercials work well to brainwash.Go to BITOG, check the UOAs and you will see little difference between different brands. And no, mobil1 doesn't have the lowest wear metal levels.

 

Often times people do oil test on used cars after they have used Mobil 1 just once. The test can be contaminated by oil left over from the last oil change, using Mobil 1 once on a older engine and then testing the oil. I've yet to see a really good controled test and most people only pay for one used oil test because they cost so much.

Have you ever started a car below zero with Mobil 1 in it? If not, please don't bash it. It's great stuff and for the price of 5 quart jugs at wally world, it doesn't even break the bank.

Bikeman982

My car has not seen temperature below zero, since I have owned it.

friendly_jacek

LOL, everyone thinks that mobil1 is the best, I guess the comercials work well to brainwash.

Go to BITOG, check the UOAs and you will see little difference between different brands. And no, mobil1 doesn't have the lowest wear metal levels.

 

Often times people do oil test on used cars after they have used Mobil 1 just once. The test can be contaminated by oil left over from the last oil change, using Mobil 1 once on a older engine and then testing the oil. I've yet to see a really good controled test and most people only pay for one used oil test because they cost so much.

Have you ever started a car below zero with Mobil 1 in it? If not, please don't bash it. It's great stuff and for the price of 5 quart jugs at wally world, it doesn't even break the bank.

I agree with you on this one. If you live in arctric conditions, synthetic (I mean true synthetic, group 4 or 5) is the way to go. Another good reason to use synthetic (even pseudosynth group 3) is high oil temp. Racing cars and towing come to mind as good examples. As I live in mild climate and never race or tow with my corolla, any 5W30 API:SM oil is good enough. I did UOA with dino oil at 5000 miles and the wear metals were very low. This is consistent in 1zzfe engines with any oil and any interval I saw.

Bikeman982

Mobil 1 synthetic oil 5W-30W is about $5.65 a quart where I can purchase it. Is it worth getting considering frequency of change and benefits, when regular oil is only $2.25 a quart??

Just refer to friendly_jacek post above - as long as you change the oil on a regular basis and make sure the oil you are putting has an API grade of SJ or better. API rate SM conventional oils can give synthetics a good run - ie, conventional oils are much better now then what they were even a few years ago.

If you live in extreme temperature enviroments or want to run an extended oil change interval - synthetics are the way to go. Otherwise, it would be hard to recoup the initial investment in using the synthetic oil. I personally use Mobil 1 - since it is relatively cheap and easy to find, I enjoy better fuel economy compared to conventional motor oil (Mobil 1 tends to be on the thinner side of 5w-30 range oils, and can go 8K mile+ between changes easily (several time got up to 10K-12K miles between changes, UOA wear levels are always low).

Bikeman982

Just refer to friendly_jacek post above - as long as you change the oil on a regular basis and make sure the oil you are putting has an API grade of SJ or better. API rate SM conventional oils can give synthetics a good run - ie, conventional oils are much better now then what they were even a few years ago.

If you live in extreme temperature enviroments or want to run an extended oil change interval - synthetics are the way to go. Otherwise, it would be hard to recoup the initial investment in using the synthetic oil. I personally use Mobil 1 - since it is relatively cheap and easy to find, I enjoy better fuel economy compared to conventional motor oil (Mobil 1 tends to be on the thinner side of 5w-30 range oils, and can go 8K mile+ between changes easily (several time got up to 10K-12K miles between changes, UOA wear levels are always low).

Well, I don't live in an extreme temperature area, but if it helps my engine and also improves my fuel economy, I am willing to give it a chance with the Mobil 1. I will also increase the change interval and that may compensate somewhat for the price differential. I still have several quarts of new oil left in the garage to use up first. It may take a few months before I actually put it in my car.

 

 

I wouldn't expect double mileage or anything - but running my change interval to 8000 miles and noting that I get about an extra 3-4 MPG on the highway - evens out the higher initial costs. This was also done on my car that I bought new - not sure exactly what will happen if you switched with a high mileage motor that had been running convential oil previously - maybe you would be willing to be the "guinea pig" on this. default_biggrin

+1 For Mobil 1 Synthetic

Castrol GTX is a good one too. I think there a bunch of good choices out there and like the last few posts have stated a lot of the decision should be based on your driving conditions and basically how much you're willing to spend.

Only oil I would steer clear of is Penzoil. I used to work for my step dad doing engine work. We would see pretty bad engine sludge and ask the customer about their oil changing habits and what they used. I would say about 90% of the time we already knew the answer...they got their oil changed every 3000 miles at a local lube shopp and they used Penzoil. On the flip side of that we would see some really high mileage cars come in and the top end of the engine would be clean enough to eat off of...and they almost always said they used Castrol GTX.

Just my $.02 worth.....

friendly_jacek

+1 For Mobil 1 Synthetic

Castrol GTX is a good one too. I think there a bunch of good choices out there and like the last few posts have stated a lot of the decision should be based on your driving conditions and basically how much you're willing to spend.

Only oil I would steer clear of is Penzoil. I used to work for my step dad doing engine work. We would see pretty bad engine sludge and ask the customer about their oil changing habits and what they used. I would say about 90% of the time we already knew the answer...they got their oil changed every 3000 miles at a local lube shopp and they used Penzoil. On the flip side of that we would see some really high mileage cars come in and the top end of the engine would be clean enough to eat off of...and they almost always said they used Castrol GTX.

Just my $.02 worth.....

True, this is a true story and Penzoil went out of business. Now, shell purchased the brand and Penzoil is one of the better brands. Basically, brands don't matter anymore. Certifications such as API:SM, ACEA:A1, ACEA:A3 are stringent enough to guarantee than any certified oil is good for general purpose..

I wouldn't expect double mileage or anything - but running my change interval to 8000 miles and noting that I get about an extra 3-4 MPG on the highway - evens out the higher initial costs. This was also done on my car that I bought new - not sure exactly what will happen if you switched with a high mileage motor that had been running convential oil previously - maybe you would be willing to be the "guinea pig" on this. default_biggrin
I switched over from conventional oil at 75K... I used Mobil 1 EP 5w30. I went from 30mpg to almost 33 mpg.

 

 

I have a 2005 Corolla S 5-speed with just over 30,000 miles on it. I would like to drain the transmission gear oil and clean off the drain plug magnet. I would like to use Mobil 1 75W-90 Synthetic gear oil (GL-5). The owner's manual specifies GL-4 or GL-5, but nothing more than that. It doesn't go into detail whether or not to use a gear oil with or without a limited slip additive. I don't want to use something that is not recommended or something that would be harmful to the transmission. I use the Mobil 5000 or Mobil 7500 oil for the engine, and I change it according to the 5,000 mile interval in the owner's manual. Any suggestions?

Unless you have a LSD - no need for the additive. If you add gear lube that was formulated with the limited slip additive in it - all you'll end up doing is chewing parts up prematurely. Some have noted that not all synthetic gear lubes have worked well - some complained about excessive transaxle noise. Personally, I've run RedLine branded synthetic lubes - Mobil 1 for the motor oil - no problems at all in three different cars.



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