Is Amazon basics full synthetic oil better than Mobile 1?

[Muhammad]

Personally I haven't bought anything but Mobile 1 for at least 15 years...

 

[jkh62]

Mobil 1 corp. MAKES oil.
Amazon sells oil someone else made or packaged.

( I trust Mobil 1 more than Amazon)

 

[nbking]

I've watched a bunch of videos from project farm. He has tested a bunch of oils, and mobil 1 hasn't been the best.

 

[snymat68]

I've always used Mobil1 oil and filters in everything. It might not be the best out there, but it's definitely not the worst. It's readily available. And the price isn't horrible, especially since they run sales on it every couple of months at the auto parts stores. Yes oil/filter quality is important, but I think even more so is actually performing the maintenance at regular intervals.

 

[the old grind]

If I may add this youtube explanation of dino vs synthetic oil. It's quite informative, and will open eyes while perhaps dispelling some myths.

Is Synthetic Motor Oil Better For Your Car? - YouTube

 

[nards444]

I've always used Mobil1 oil and filters in everything. It might not be the best out there, but it's definitely not the worst. It's readily available. And the price isn't horrible, especially since they run sales on it every couple of months at the auto parts stores. Yes oil/filter quality is important, but I think even more so is actually performing the maintenance at regular intervals.

You got it. For MOST applications and I stress most the biggest thing is actually doing the maint with proper specd materials, after that its all preference. Companys spend big money on branding and for a reason, its not always because they have the best product either, its mainly to sell you more. Somebody like mobil 1 is simply passing on their cost to you and second is charging more because they can.

 

[Copperhead]

Unfortunately, those YouTube type testing scenarios really don't tell the whole story. One really has to find out what the additive package is in an oil to make a good determination if it is going to be a performer. The oil companies are not very forthcoming with that info, but one can find the make-up of a lot of different brands at the Petroleum Quality Institute of America website. The add pack makes up about 20% of any motor oil and has more to do with whether a motor oil is good, better, or best. The technology has gotten so good that the conventional, syn blend, or full synthetic considerations don't mean nearly as much as they did years ago.

HEAVY DUTY DIESEL ENGINE OIL | The Petroleum Quality Institute of America

PASSENGER CAR MOTOR OIL | The Petroleum Quality Institute of America

 

[Tractorable]

Different brands of oil are made by the same few companies and rebadged into different products. If the brand of oil you’re looking at meets the specs of your motor then it should work just fine. Less expensive Amazon and Walmart oils will save you money and perform just as well as the more expensive brands.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/406584-walmart-supertech-oils-worth.html

 

[man00]

I think some just believes if you pay more for the oil it has to be better. Use what ever makes you feel good.

 

[ruffdog]

A very good oil for a non-emission engine is a API SD oil. As in the video, they are up to a API SN oil which has way less of the good additives like zinc and copper. The oils are changing for the the auto industries pollution standards and the associated equipment.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/10/18/tech-101-zinc-in-oil-and-its-effects-on-older-engines/

http://www.pqiamerica.com/apiserviceclass.htm

 

[Walter L]

I have no idea whats good for anyone else equipment but for my gas engines i use Mobil 1 and my diesel either Dello 400 or Shell Rotella 15/40 and have used this brand for years. It works for me.

 

[the old grind]

I have NO complaints with TSC's house-brand full synthetic (API SN) at ~$3.50/qt hereabouts. Of course I use NH motor oil and 134 Hydro in my two Shibauras as called for, but I've been using the synthetic in SGEs (Terramite, DR stumper, Kubo tiller) and the rebuilt engine for my EZ-GO 22 (300cc twin) with an occasional spritz of zinc additive.

I'd pay for 'full' synthetic vs 'blend' any time the proportion of dino & syn isn't listed. (that like a cold day on Mercury or Venus ) IMO there's little point in paying mid price between dino & syn w/o knowing if a blend is only 10% synthetic when we'd hope it's at least 50%.

 

[RalphVa]

Never know where the Amazon oil came from. Could be different next year.

Should have done the cold flow at -40 C/F. THEN, the clear winner would be a 0wxx oil. This was the test that our Esso research people did many years ago that showed the 0wxx to be a clear winner, and the only way to make it is with synthetic.

About 2 years after I retired, I could buy Mobil 1 with a clear conscience. Been using it ever since except for 7 years with a VW TDI. Could only get their oil locally at the VW dealership. Switched my tractor and diesel generator then to the Castrol 5w30. Now, I find that I can get Mobil 1 0w30 online for about the same price. Plan to use it in the future when my back supply of Castrol runs out.

Ralph

 

[drizler]

If I may add this youtube explanation of dino vs synthetic oil. It's quite informative, and will open eyes while perhaps dispelling some myths.

Is Synthetic Motor Oil Better For Your Car? - YouTube

Read down in the comments section. That guy who was in charge if. USAF testing facility for years. Lookat what he has to say about synthetic compared to Dino. Generic in nature as theirs are far more specialized but still......Synthetic wins by a huge margin every time. I壇 copy and past but YouTube won稚 do it. It痴 worth a look though

 

[Copperhead]

A very good oil for a non-emission engine is a API SD oil. As in the video, they are up to a API SN oil which has way less of the good additives like zinc and copper. The oils are changing for the the auto industries pollution standards and the associated equipment.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/10/18/tech-101-zinc-in-oil-and-its-effects-on-older-engines/

http://www.pqiamerica.com/apiserviceclass.htm

But there are very good alternatives to zinc going into many modern oils. Molydenum is one. Boron is another. And in combination, these two offer some very good anti-friction qualities. I have been a fan of Moly for many years. It is a proven friction reducer. Zinc and Phosphorus (ZDDP) has done a pretty good job. But it is no longer the cat's meow when it comes to superior friction reduction.

 

[ruffdog]

But there are very good alternatives to zinc going into many modern oils. Molydenum is one. Boron is another. And in combination, these two offer some very good anti-friction qualities. I have been a fan of Moly for many years. It is a proven friction reducer. Zinc and Phosphorus (ZDDP) has done a pretty good job. But it is no longer the cat's meow when it comes to superior friction reduction.

I do use moly. Funny how some people freak out about the BLACK oil.

 

[drkbrent]

Very true. I toured an oil packager/blender several years ago in my local market. It was really interesting. They had a huge room with 12 or so conveyor belts moving different branded bottles (Castrol, Pennzoil, Havoline, etc) towards an enormous vat of 5w-30 engine oil. The exact, same product was being poured into the different bottles! I never knew the oil business worked like that.

 

[duramaxsky]

I use Mobile 1 in my Corvettes. It was required when they were under warranty. The oil cap even says Mobile 1 on it.

 

[mangler]

I use Mobile 1 in my Corvettes. It was required when they were under warranty. The oil cap even says Mobile 1 on it.

Nothing really wrong with Mobil 1, but nothing is that great about it either. Certainly no reason to overpay for it, vs Penzoil Platinum that actually outperforms it.

I suspect GM made a deal with M1 at the time, which guaranteed them a decent oil was used in the sports car in exchange for lower(or free) initial fill costs...

 

[RalphVa]

If I may add this youtube explanation of dino vs synthetic oil. It's quite informative, and will open eyes while perhaps dispelling some myths.

Is Synthetic Motor Oil Better For Your Car? - YouTube

Looks good. No captions though. Sound is gone after a Win 10 update. Think BIOS got swatted. Printer won't work either. Actually, I'm finding I need captions even when I have audio. Cannot understand them without it.

Ralph