Mobil 1 - Which Flavor for Towing...ESP, Truck/SUV, AFS?

SoCal Angler · August 31, 2023

Preparing to change oil now that my truck is reaching 500 miles. I do plan on towing (TT, boat).

For those of you that use M1, which flavor do you prefer and why?

I read that the Truck/SUV flavor is for towing. the ESP is rated for 20K miles.

I plan on severe duty OCI (approx. half of regular OCI which is 7500mi).

All three of these flavors meet the GM recs of...Dexos 1-Gen 3

Thanks!

Edited August 31, 2023 by SoCal Angler

newdude · August 31, 2023

26 minutes ago, SoCal Angler said:

Preparing to change oil now that I my truck is reaching 500 miles. I do plan on towing.

For those of you that use M1, which flavor do you prefer and why?

I read that for Truck/SUV flavor is for towing.

All three of these meet the GM recs of...Dexos 1-Gen 3

Thanks!

"Truck & SUV" = Marketing.

It's got a slightly stronger additive package. 10% more additives vs. regular Mobil 1.

ssgballistics · August 31, 2023

2 hours ago, SoCal Angler said:

Preparing to change oil now that I my truck is reaching 500 miles. I do plan on towing.

For those of you that use M1, which flavor do you prefer and why?

I read that for Truck/SUV flavor is for towing.

All three of these meet the GM recs of...Dexos 1-Gen 3

Thanks!

All of these are good to go. I just used truck and suv for the first oil change in my 24’ HD. I plan on sticking with truck and suv unless I can’t find it, then I’d be good with “vanilla” Mobil 1.

SoCal Angler · August 31, 2023

I'm new at this oil selection/analysis, as I have not purchased a new truck in many years, but...

After doing some reading on the subject, I believe it's probably more important to determine best OCI schedule based on oil analysis, then go with the oil flavor that delivers the best results.

I would like to know more about oil analysis....

At what mileage should analysis begin (considering a new truck)?
At what mileage intervals?
What key components are important to monitor in an analysis?
Is there a "break in" mileage that is used as a base line when beginning an analysis to determine best OCI?
How many analyses are needed to determine a base line?
Since there are variables in miles accumulated between analyses (towing, not towing, city, hwy, etc), how is the OCI determined based on these varying analyses?

Now, since I'll be changing oil at 500 miles, and say I'm using the M1 AFS....

1. Would an oil analysis be worthy at 500miles?

2. What would be the analysis schedule/interval to ultimately determine best OCI?

Perhaps I'm way overthinking this....

Grumpy Bear · August 31, 2023

Edited August 31, 2023 by Grumpy Bear

NaturallyAspirated · September 1, 2023

FWIW I use vanilla M1 oil and filters and nothing else. I'm not brave enough of a man to answer the rest of ur questions.

Grumpy Bear · September 1, 2023

Since no one chimed in.....

Wear is high initially. BEST ring seal is not instant. Meaning blow by is higher and yet normal. This eats up acid add packs more rapidly than it will in the near future. Also means wear metals will be higher now than any time before late stage wear out OR failure. Fuel dilution will also be higher until rings seal up a bit. 500 miles is a great first change.

In my stuff I do another at 1,500 and 2,500 and then 5,000. Or 1K, 1K and 2.5K. At 5K run two samples. One on the new oil and the other on the used. The first is the benchmark for the second.

In these early samples I'm looking for a few things. Initial new TBN vs used TBN and TAN new vs used. And I'm looking at 'stay in grade" on the 100C/212F viscosity. I will note other items such as fuel dilution and wear metals.

If you cheap out and run only TBN then OCI is set between 50% depletion from new. If you really cheap out and run ONLY the UOA, then a 4 TBN is the basement. IF you run both with TAN and TBN then don't let the TBN fall below the TBN.

Pay attention to the 100C viscosity. If it falls a below the grades minimum value, look at the fuel dilution. If over 2.5% the cause could be a fuel or spark issue. If the fuels are 2.5% or lower find a new oil. This one sheared out the cheap VII package.

I see this motor calls for a 5W30. IMHO, a 10 cSt 100C viscosity is a must.

FOLLOW THE BOOK recommendations for towing during the break-in and check those differentials early for proper fill.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Grumpy Bear

NaturallyAspirated · September 1, 2023

If you dig back earlier this year you'll find a white hot thread on some of these topics.

ssgballistics · September 1, 2023

15 hours ago, SoCal Angler said:

I'm new at this oil selection/analysis, as I have not purchased a new truck in many years, but...

After doing some reading on the subject, I believe it's probably more important to determine best OCI schedule based on oil analysis, then go with the oil flavor that delivers the best results.

I would like to know more about oil analysis....

At what mileage should analysis begin (considering a new truck)?

At what mileage intervals?

What key components are important to monitor in an analysis?

Is there a "break in" mileage that is used as a base line when beginning an analysis to determine best OCI?

How many analyses are needed to determine a base line?

Since there are variables in miles accumulated between analyses (towing, not towing, city, hwy, etc), how is the OCI determined based on these varying analyses?

Now, since I'll be changing oil at 500 miles, and say I'm using the M1 AFS....

1. Would an oil analysis be worthy at 500miles?

2. What would be the analysis schedule/interval to ultimately determine best OCI?

Perhaps I'm way overthinking this....

You are likely to get different recommendations from every response. I am not an expert, nor do I claim to be. I can only speak from my experience and research along with I believe has worked for me so far.

I do the first oil change at 1000 miles (I don’t see anything wrong with 500 though). Then I change it again at 5000 miles. From there forward, I change it every 5000 miles.

I generally won’t consider UOAs until I am at 15,000 miles. At this point it seems that everything is beginning to settle down after break in. I typically will do UOA from 2-3 oil changes to get a solid baseline. A lot will depend on your conditions and use. I’ve always been ok with the results that I get from these 5,000 mile OCIs. I have no interest in extend drain intervals. After I establish a baseline I will send off for UOA every 20,000 miles for condition checks.

Once again, YMMV. This is what I am comfortable and confident with. You are probably right, all of us involved in conversation like this is way overthinking it. Few take the time for any type of analysis, yet we don’t see cars sitting everywhere with blown engines. I have always taken care of my vehicles, but have only gotten more ****** about it with age. I never did any analysis on my Silverado that I traded with almost 400k miles on the clock, or a couple of F250s that were pushing 300k when they were sold. All vehicles just received routine maintenance with quality products.

VicFirth · September 4, 2023

On 8/31/2023 at 9:43 AM, SoCal Angler said:

Preparing to change oil now that my truck is reaching 500 miles. I do plan on towing (TT, boat).

For those of you that use M1, which flavor do you prefer and why?

I read that the Truck/SUV flavor is for towing. the ESP is rated for 20K miles.

I plan on severe duty OCI (approx. half of regular OCI which is 7500mi).

All three of these flavors meet the GM recs of...Dexos 1-Gen 3

Thanks!

I would run Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 or 10w30. Don't be concerned with TBN. It's not considered a valid test by GM or Cummins. Get the oil tested for oxidation instead.

Edited September 4, 2023 by TunaFresh