Best gas engine oil.

[Gale Hawkins]

One thing that concerns me the names can stay the same but the formulas keep changing. Rotella T6 has morphed a few times due to new requirements.

As long as the same placebo effect stays in place I am good to go with most any brand.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Use whatever oil makes you feel good, they are all good if you stick with major oil brands. I have never seen any difference in the sound of an engine with different oils, but maybe some folks have better hearing than me (definitely most folks can hear better than me).
I think any major oil will make an engine outlast everything else on a vehicle. It is not uncommon to find engine going over 300K miles regardless of the oil used. By that time, about everything else is completely worn out on them, if not well before the engine goes bottom up.

 

[dodge man]

I sure didn't notice any different sounds when I switched to the Castrol in my Daughters car.

 

[Buggs67]

There is no best oil. Pick one and stick with it. My 2004 GMC Sierra痴 5.3 has had nothing but Quaker State since the factory fill. My Scag gets Motorcraft 5W-30 synthetic blend from Walmart. The Mini Cooper gets Mobil 1.

Why not pick one producer and stick with it? if QS or Motorcraft or Mobil 1 are "best why use 3 diff brands?

 

[RickB]

Why not pick one producer and stick with it? if QS or Motorcraft or Mobil 1 are "best why use 3 diff brands?

Where did I say any of the three are best? I did not. 2 are my choice based on perceived value for the required viscosity and the third is an emotional choice that is very likely an overpriced indulgence due to marketing and brand recognition.

 

[buickanddeere]

I know, another what is the best oil thread.

I will explain. I have been on the Amsoil tread mill for about 10 years now and am going to get off it. I am convinced it is a high quality oil but am not sure I need it any more. We have three vehicles and my kids have two plus my tractor and several small engines. I was doing a once a year change on all of them, which was usually 10000 miles or less. The good part is all of the cars and trucks now use 5w 40 oil now.

I will retire in about a year and will probably just go by the oil life monitor in the vehicles now. I have been running NAPA Gold oil filters which are Wix is my understanding. I have read they are high quality. For oil I am looking at either Castrol, Penzoil or Valvoline in full synthetic.

The problem is all the info I read about oil and filters 10 years ago is out of date or gone. If I search I get a lot of sites and reviews that appear to be more sales based. Are there any recent oil test results that are not sales based. I am also thinking about just buying what is on sale at local stores in full synthetic.

Not all synthetic oil is synthetic . Some is just refined mineral oil .
Just off the top of my head, iirc . Real synthetic oil is sold by Mobil 1, Amsoil, Royal Purple and Lubrication Engineers.

Synthetic oil - Wikipedia

 

[Buggs67]

When was the last time anyone had an engine failure directly attributable to the oil in the crankcase?

We've had engine problems with oil NOT in the crankcase:laughing:. My wife (before married) seized the engine in her '66 Barracuda for lack of oil. I think even Wesson would have prevented that.

 

[Buggs67]

Where did I say any of the three are best? I did not. 2 are my choice based on perceived value for the required viscosity and the third is an emotional choice that is very likely an overpriced indulgence due to marketing and brand recognition.

Got'cha. Not being critical; just curious. I always treated my "babies" with "the good stuff". Usually I shop and use what's on sale if it's got a good reputation. I use Full Syn because the WRX requires it and I think it's better for the higher revving/compression/VVT of the 1.8l in the Miata.

 

[buickanddeere]

It is a sign of it being slow boring winter day or cabin fever when somebody decides to stir things up with the "best oil", ethanol gasoline, lead substitutes for UL gasoline and treating waxed #2 diesel in the winter.

 

[Username Taken]

Why not pick one producer and stick with it? if QS or Motorcraft or Mobil 1 are "best why use 3 diff brands?

I tend to agree with you but I wouldn't switch after using one type for a long period of time.

Quaker State is (or used to be anyway) a paraffin-based oil. So is/was Pennzoil (now owned by Shell, so who knows) and, IIRC, Kendall. They're from PA mostly

Most other brands, in dino oils, are from Asphalt-based petroleum.

Getting too extreme with engine oils can do more damage than good. I'd stick with using OEM recommendations as much as possible. Ford's semi-synthetic oils are pretty darn good oils, BTW. And at the dealer, pretty reasonable for an oil change. I've seen 600,000 miles on some of the old 4.6L engines in the old Crown Vic's and Marquis in Taxi use. In fact, some of them are still up and running. Engines have never been touched other than tune-ups and some of the plastic manifolds.

Running anything with a 0 weight rating is questionable, IMHO. Unless it's a Euro-weenie type car. Many of their engine blocks are acid-bored I think (BMW, Mercedes). Not sure if we're doing that over here. At least not since the Vega.

I'm a believer in synthetic oil but Amsoil got its start with some guy in the Air Force re-labeling Mil-Spec synthetic oil and selling it. They don't own any refineries. They don't have any secrets. They have good oil, IMO, but I think it's more marketing drivel based than fact based. Mobil 1 is hard to beat. So is Rotella T6 and Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme.

Just my opinions. And you know what they say about those