Jump to content

Oil Recommendation


Recommended Posts

Honestly there's not a lot of differences in these dexos approved 0W20 synthetics. They all have to meet specifications for the liscense...NOACK under 13 (I believe), be able to handle fuel dilution, etc. They're all pretty good. For the people knocking the Walmart Super Tech 0W20, have you seen the additives and specs of that oil? For the price, you can't beat it.

 

I'm running Pennzoil Platinum 0W20 right now, simply because I've heard good things about it, but once again...hey, it's just another Dexos approved 0W20. I jumped on their recent rebate, so I only ended up paying 24 bucks for 10 quarts. That's even cheaper than the Walmart Super Tech. But I think any over the counter 0W20 would be good...Mobil 1, Castrol, Quaker State, Valvoline, Pennzoil.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly there's not a lot of differences in these dexos approved 0W20 synthetics. They all have to meet specifications for the liscense...NOACK under 13 (I believe), be able to handle fuel dilution, etc. They're all pretty good. For the people knocking the Walmart Super Tech 0W20, have you seen the additives and specs of that oil? For the price, you can't beat it.
 
I'm running Pennzoil Platinum 0W20 right now, simply because I've heard good things about it, but once again...hey, it's just another Dexos approved 0W20. I jumped on their recent rebate, so I only ended up paying 24 bucks for 10 quarts. That's even cheaper than the Walmart Super Tech. But I think any over the counter 0W20 would be good...Mobil 1, Castrol, Quaker State, Valvoline, Pennzoil.


If it works for you then that’s all that matters. Just because it says Dexos approved doesn’t mean that it’s what someone is looking for in an oil. I look at having the maximum amount of protection available in order to minimize wear and tear in my engine components. Literally, any Dexos approved oil will lubricate your engine but there’s always the one that goes extreme protection and that will always lean on Amsoil for its incredible protection that each and every test lab has raved about its protection properties. It’s the stock rating you’ve got to look at. A full synthetic is a blend of low stock oils but a 100% synthetic is higher stock grade. A bottle of Mobil1 Annual oil is approximately $8-$9 dollars a quart, a bottle of Amsoil after discount is $10 dollars per quart. It’s a no brainer and the majority that doesn’t look at Amsoil is because it’s not found in auto supply shops, online/phone call order only or specialty oil change shops. A couple dollars difference between fake synthetic and real 100% synthetic makes a huge difference down the road.


Sent from above
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is what the law calls synthetic and there is what the English language defines as synthetic. By law a Group III is the synthetic but what is it really? It's a molecule that ALLREADY exist in nature and in crude oil. Just not in a quantity that is economically viable to distil. So they crack and hydrotreat longer chains and reform shorter chains to enhance the volume of what already exist. 

 

Group IV, PAO is a synthetic. A synthetic hydrocarbon in a state of saturation that does not exist in nature even though it is made from those things found in the crudes in nature. Dino juice on steroids. 

 

Propane C3H8, Propene C3H6, Propyne C3H4. Only Propane exist in nature. (example) 

 

Group V is everything else. including silicone, phosphate ester, polyalkylene glycol (PAG), polyolester, etc. 

 

Even if a bottle says 100% Synthetic doesn't mean it didn't start life as a dinosaur. The law is whatever someone can lobby it to be. You can call, in the USA, an item REAL leather IF it's content is 51% leather and 49% man made materials. Don't get to hung up on the difference between Full syn and 100% syn. It's a distinction not worth making.

 

Oil needs to be slippery. A thing called lubricity. How slippery is a lubricant? Depends on how polar it is. Esters are very polar while PAO is very non-polar. Polar molecules are slippery. Slippery is good. Esters win that one. 

 

Oil is a coolant and needs a high thermal capacity. Esters win that one to by almost 15%. 

 

Oil needs to prevent metal to metal contact. Film strength and while tied to viscosity it isn't viscosity. A less viscous liquid of another 'type' can have a higher film strength. Within a 'type' more viscosity is also more film strength. 

 

It needs to flow both hot and cold. Viscosity. The viscosity that matters most isn't what is printed in some SAE Group guide. The viscosity that matters is what it is AT THE TEMPERATURE it IS at. 

 

It needs to accept and hold corrosion, oxidation, wear, antifoam additives and so on in sufficient quantities in suspension. Something paraffinic and naphthenic oil excel at. That said the thing no one talks about is 'how much is enough'. Yes A Group I or II will hold more add pack than an ester or a PAO but does it matter if the ester will hold enough? And it will. 

 

It needs to be a solvent something Groups IV and V are pretty unbeatable at. You don't have to clean a deposit it never forms and the last two are pretty good at cleaning what has been left behind. 

 

If your choice of oil lacks in some quality then just change it more often. Use a good filter and treat your equipment nice. 

 

 

Edited by Grumpy Bear
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used Mobil-1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline, GM's oil, and Walmart Supertech. All dexos rated, really couldn't tell much difference across them all. I always use the Delco oil filter.

I will say this: around here, a dealer oil change is $58 and they top up washer fluid, rotate tires, and check the other fluids in the truck. Takes about 30 minutes. I can't beat the price buying my own, and there's a record of all your oil changes if anyone asks. If they dork something up, it's on them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, HeySkippyDog said:

I've used Mobil-1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline, GM's oil, and Walmart Supertech. All dexos rated, really couldn't tell much difference across them all. I always use the Delco oil filter.

I will say this: around here, a dealer oil change is $58 and they top up washer fluid, rotate tires, and check the other fluids in the truck. Takes about 30 minutes. I can't beat the price buying my own, and there's a record of all your oil changes if anyone asks. If they dork something up, it's on them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using Tapatalk
 

And they don’t mind one bit if you provide the oil and filter if that’s what you wanna do either. I like the little pluses the dealer does and as you said...it’s right there in its history!

Edited by SS502
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used Mobil-1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline, GM's oil, and Walmart Supertech. All dexos rated, really couldn't tell much difference across them all. I always use the Delco oil filter.

I will say this: around here, a dealer oil change is $58 and they top up washer fluid, rotate tires, and check the other fluids in the truck. Takes about 30 minutes. I can't beat the price buying my own, and there's a record of all your oil changes if anyone asks. If they dork something up, it's on them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using Tapatalk




There’s always going to be a plus and minus, dealerships are convenient but not always the best choice considering the amount of BS involved when servicing and whether it was done right. Just last night I saw on the news how a Jeep customer got his vehicle back after a dealership performed an oil change and forgot to add oil lmao or lots of scammers putting in recycled oil and not the premium. Pretty much like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Dealerships gotta make money somewhere. First of 2019, had a marketing firm introduce to me the new make believe mind scam that’s out today that’s completely misleading population in believing something that doesn’t exist. It’s up to us to filter out the BS but at a $1-$2 difference I’ll stick with Amsoil. Good luck and GodBless


Sent from above
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



There’s always going to be a plus and minus, dealerships are convenient but not always the best choice considering the amount of BS involved when servicing and whether it was done right. Just last night I saw on the news how a Jeep customer got his vehicle back after a dealership performed an oil change and forgot to add oil lmao or lots of scammers putting in recycled oil and not the premium. Pretty much like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Dealerships gotta make money somewhere. First of 2019, had a marketing firm introduce to me the new make believe mind scam that’s out today that’s completely misleading population in believing something that doesn’t exist. It’s up to us to filter out the BS but at a $1-$2 difference I’ll stick with Amsoil. Good luck and GodBless


Sent from above
If a GM dealer is putting in used oil, I'd be highly surprised. It's priced how it is because they're buying in mass quantity, and it's a way to get you back in to sell other services or entice you to buy another vehicle.

I've had bad dealer experiences but never at the one I visit for service. I've never bought a car from them either. One time, the tech who changed the oil and rotated the tires came in to the lounge to apologize that he left handprints in the brake dust on the wheels. Truck was due for a wash, I was not surprised or concerned by it.

BRAKE DUST! I kid you not. Poor guy probably had been grilled about it before. I really doubt they're trying to sneak one past.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Jacoby said:

The Amsoil push in here is strong 

It always ends up that way when the old oil debate comes around LOL...Like I mentioned (and find very nice) the AMSOIL guy isn't the one talking it up. Do I use it? Yeah but that doesn't make it the best. I like the fact I can do the order online and usually it's right at $100 (with more than just oil!!) so it ships for free to my door in 2 days because the distribution center is close. Makes it easy since most of my around town travel is on my scooter :thumbs: and I can't carry that much stuff. I'd be willing to bet that if someone was truly dedicated to doing their oil changes at 3-5K and not go by the OLM, it wouldn't matter what brand you used. I also think a quality filter is probably even more important than brand specific oil.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, TXGREEK said:

 

 


There’s always going to be a plus and minus, dealerships are convenient but not always the best choice considering the amount of BS involved when servicing and whether it was done right. Just last night I saw on the news how a Jeep customer got his vehicle back after a dealership performed an oil change and forgot to add oil lmao or lots of scammers putting in recycled oil and not the premium. Pretty much like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Dealerships gotta make money somewhere. First of 2019, had a marketing firm introduce to me the new make believe mind scam that’s out today that’s completely misleading population in believing something that doesn’t exist. It’s up to us to filter out the BS but at a $1-$2 difference I’ll stick with Amsoil. Good luck and GodBless


Sent from above

 

  • Well...we could just do the service ourselves :thumbs: Me personally, I am friends with the service manager at my dealership so I never worry about taking it in there but understand why others might. They do make money on oil changes but they make a bunch more hoping you will buy an accessory or whatever they can convince you that you need....like say a cabin air filter or wipers...CHA-CHING :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Well...we could just do the service ourselves :thumbs: Me personally, I am friends with the service manager at my dealership so I never worry about taking it in there but understand why others might. They do make money on oil changes but they make a bunch more hoping you will buy an accessory or whatever they can convince you that you need....like say a cabin air filter or wipers...CHA-CHING [emoji3]


These things don’t bother me, it’s the whether or not they actually use the products you’ve paid for. Anyway, servicing my vehicles is easy, family multi bay gas stations and owner of dealership is one of my best friends that I grew up with but for me doing and oil change or diff fluid change yourself is somewhat more gratifying especially buying the best products available.


Sent from above
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, TXGREEK said:

 

 


These things don’t bother me, it’s the whether or not they actually use the products you’ve paid for. Anyway, servicing my vehicles is easy, family multi bay gas stations and owner of dealership is one of my best friends that I grew up with but for me doing and oil change or diff fluid change yourself is somewhat more gratifying especially buying the best products available.


Sent from above

 

I get to do all that very soon! Plus I get to put that G2 cover on too :rolleyes: actually looking forward to it!!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had this posted in my build thread at one time. Three thermostats to frame the work and then three oils of various types in the middle with the same thermostat. Quaker State UD is a Group III and a very good one. Mobil 1 representative of a Group III/PAO blend and Red Line is a PAO/Ester blend. There were many others but I've sorted these from the data for clarity of purpose. 

 

For a given water temperature and load (speed) only three things will further reduce oil temperature. 1.) More thermal capacity. 2.) More lubricity. 3.) More oil cooler. This truck has a cooler, liquid/liquid exchanger in the hot tank of the radiator so ambient air was not a factor in getting stable and repeatable readings. This test took a long time driving for 90 minutes at each speed. Most of a summer in fact. 

 

I run Red Line 0W20 now in my 4.3. I'd still be running Mobil 1 if they were not such liars and their 'original' was still a PAO but their extended, which still is, cost more than Red Line, and even if it didn't, Red Line hasn't lied to me ever. I'd run AMSOIL as it is in fact a full PAO, but I've been with my dealer for so long I get Red Line $2 a quart cheaper. I'd be running a 170 F thermostat still if I could find a reliable one. I run Quaker State in everything else on the property except Daisy my Buick which sees under 5K in miles a year. Everything is on a 5K OCI and all use WIX Gold filters. 

 

Hope there are not to many typo's in this...….

OilTemp.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just haven't been getting great service at any of the dealerships around here (other than Audi or Lexus). Infiniti ended up not doing the work they said they would do and then also left various fluid caps off and didn't ever bother to wipe down the engine area at all. Thing was filthy after a year. Oh...and the gmc dealership...well they crashed my truck when it had like maybe 600 or 700 miles on it...once bitten 10000x shy now. I just do my own crap and track it all. 

and for grumpy bear...excellent info as usual...but first time reading anything you post always makes me scratch my head until there's a bald spot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.