defaced

iTrader: (6)

The "which oil is best" argument is never ending and always will be.

With that in mind, I use Valvoline conventional 10w40 in my 355 along with a K&N filter. Change it about twice a year because I only drive it in the summer months. I took out all my heater hoses and everything so I couldn't drive it in the winter even if I wanted to.

I've always used Valvoline in all of my cars. When I had the Nissan and Honda, I always used Valvoline 5w30 just because imports like lighter oil for some reason. I ran Mobil 1 5w30 in my Eclipse GSX with an OEM Mitsu filter. To be honest, I've never been able to tell a difference on how the engine runs if you use different oil. I'm sticking with what I know best and that's Valvoline, unless of course someone feels they can change my mind =).

I've only got about 2500 miles on the 355. Maybe when it gets a little higher, I may change to synthetic, who knows. And if I do, it'll probably still be Valvoline.

GTAman

iTrader: (2)

Wow, this thread is HOT!!!

i've been an avid Mobil1 user for many years. I wish i had the pictures from when i tore down my old 305. That was a CLEAN motor! I plan on putting mobil1 or royal purple in my L98 once it's rebuilt.

My cars:
1988 GTA (5.0L): Mobil1 5W-30 (used it all year round)./ Purolator or AC delco [Filters]

1995 Jeep wrangler (2.5L): Used mobil1 and royal purple 10W-30 in summer, 5w-30 in winter, then switched to Castrol GTX because of a rear main seal leak./ Still use a purolator filter. mainly pureone.

Mother's cars:
2001 Buick century (3.1L): Mobil1 5W-30 all year round due to the piston slap and leaky intake manifold these engines are notorious for having. I used castrol synthetic blend last oil change because i plan on replacing the intake gaskets soon. / always used AC delco filter on this car.

1977 pontiac Grand Prix (4.9L): ever since i started taking care of this car, i have always used Mobil1 5w-30./ i have always used AC delco filters here as well. This car is seldom driven, started up here and there. I chose Mobil1 because of it's level of protection. Here's a testimonial story: the longest the car has sat without being started was two full years. replaced battery, cranked engine and started it up, no knocks, now scrapes, nothing bad in the oil. it's been running great since! also, just gave it it's yearly oil change, oil came out nice and clean, slightly darker than fresh from the bottle, but still translucent. So yeah, it's proven itself to me and my family lol no i don't work for the oil companies!

DeathStarr89

iTrader: (1)

I'll have to cut mine open since i just tore down the engine again this morning (a 3.5 from a Malibu actually). I know there was about 30 passes on this oil change and maybe 500 road miles total.

The oil did seem dirtier than normal and there was some sludge in the pan which i've never had with this engine. Might switch to RP or K&N filters if the Delco ones are getting crappy.

GTAman

iTrader: (2)

wow, i didn't know that! is nothing good anymore?

DeathStarr89

iTrader: (1)

I tore it down to inspect the cam bearings which were severely worn on the bottom side. I run some pretty hefty valve springs and spin 7K+ RPM which is what i'm thinking is the cause of the bottom side wear.

The block is getting new wider SBC bearings (Teflon coated Dura-Bond) so hopefully it'll last for a while this time.

Lasalt

ok so im doing all the research i can to find the best oil... but i was wondering what is 0w-30?? i dont mean to sound like an idiot but im just really getting into all of this.. thanx

K-slice

iTrader: (2)

Castrol GTX high mileage, with about 1/3 a bottle of Lucas. still get a little burn off but dont have to replenish oil between 3K changes anymore.

BlueZee28

iTrader: (30)

I use "The Green Oil", Brad Penn Racing oil. It's only available at a few places locally, mainly race shops and other places that sell high performance parts. I run the Penn Grade 1, 10w30 oil.

http://www.bradpennracing.com/Default.aspx

I used their break-in oil for the first 250 miles or so when I had my engine rebuilt and am about to do my second oil change on it this week.

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

Always 20W-50, always Valvoline, blending its various oils to get a touch of the benefits provided by each product. Throughout the first decade-plus, it was a mixture of VR1 Racing and standard conventional; that evolved into a mixture of VR1 and SynPower for a year-or-two; then when MaxLife was introduced in 2001, I switched exclusively to that for several years(incredible product); and my current blend is 3 quarts MaxLife/1 quart VR1/1 quart SynPower.

Oil filters throughout the years have been AC Delco, until they became questionable in recent years... currently using a Baldwin oil filter(B27).

RyanEricW

People all have their brands, truth is, it is all oil. As long as it has the correct Sx rating, you will fine. Filters, well....now that is definitely something to debate about.
I have used castrol in my cbr1000 motorcycle, in a 02 ford explorer 4.0 100k+ miles, 05 silverado 4.3 (80k~ miles), and in a 97 saturn sl2 1.9 (180k). Not sure about the guy who said castrol trashed his motors, but it sounds like he just didn't know how to change oil, or his motors were on the way out anyhow.
Never heard of anyone trashing a motor after an oil change unless they did something wrong, wrong S rating, or the motor was about to die anyhow.
Not trying to sound mean, and although it sucks the guy lost motors, my empathy to him, but don't blame it on the oil right away. It's almost like people blaming microsoft for their computer crashing when 99% of the time it is the coders of the drivers for their hardware, not microsoft.

I have also used mobile 1 as well. Used valvoline atf I believe for transmission fluid? All fine fluids. Royal purpose trans fluid is pretty awesome as well, just don't spill it on the floor, it looks too pretty to mop up LOL. I removed a fwd transaxel without draining fluid first, first time removing a trans, I learned the hard way... XD

blackbmagic

Its true oil is oil as a mechanic for several years and a few years building high performance motors oil is oil. As long as it is the correct rating and viscosity.

In my race motors I use crappy non brand name bulk conventional oil to break in and then follow with either amsoil, or royal purple. I have used mobil 1 before but I prefer the other 2 its just preference.

In my daily drivers I use conventional oil usually Valvoline and I make sure I change it every 2.5- 3k miles.

Conventional oil is no man made and from the earth as it breaks down varies in viscosity and eventually turns to sludge. If you use conventional CHANGE IT. as often as 2k miles and no more than 3k. No matter what the bottle says.

Synthetic is man made and highly refined. In this case honestly the more money the oil the better it is for your vehicle if used from the start. This is not the case for conventional. Synthetic oils take longer to break down. The more the oil is precessed and worked on in the lab the more expensive it will be and the long it will last. No synthetic oil should be used for more than 6k miles. Synthetic oils break down and vary in viscosity as well but they do not sludge like conventional does they thin.

As for filters you pay for what you get. Fram filters are among the worst quality and I would not put anything with the fram name on any of my vehicles. The contacts around the filter walls are terrible and there are open spots in the filter linings.

Amsoil, Mobil 1, bosch, and WIX being the highest quality OTC oil filters. They are the only brands I trust.

You can use cheap oil just remember to change it often. when it comes to filters do your research because without a good filter you motor will not be lasting as long as it could.

b4ccamaro

five7kid you're right on about the feds. and NEVER USE FRAM!! If you want to know why cut it open. I have and I won't be using them ever again.
The delco is a good one but there is an E versoin that has a bunch of cheaper internals.

pintaman

Penzoil 20/50 high po here.Has more zinc and alot higher heat threshhold

92firebird 305

I use 10w30 royal purple oil in my 92 firebird 305 tbi v8 it works great with k&n oil filter and change it about 1 a month since my trip and od dont work it stuck at 140,895

blackbeauty89

is it true that if you use a synthetic oil in a vehicle with high miles, that has used a conventional oil it's whole life, will create leaks? or make leaks seem worse?

J.Prock

Seems to be true idk if it is my little cousin put synthtic in his pickup after a life of conventional and leaked all over.

chevy boi

it dose cause some more oil leaks, but its not really a bad thing. the oil as it gets older gets a bit thinner and because it is thinner it tends to find weak spots in gasket. in my case all i had to do is re torque my oil pan and no more oil leaks

GeneralLC

I find it interesting that some of you are using 5W-30 considering the Haynes manual only recommends it for -30C (-20F) to 17C (60F) temperatures.

At the moment I'm using 10W-30 Castrol "High Mileage" but I plan on switching to 15W-40 or possibly 20W-50 to help quiet the knock down until she finally blows.

krazefbird

budfreak, that's interesting that you say castrol is garbage. But you have me wondering now. I have used it in my 305, and .030 350. They are both gone now because of worn bearing problems. Wonder if the castrol had anything to do with it? My dad uses valvoline but I see a lot of Mobile 1 on here. Havn't really compared too many prices but maybe I should look into switching. The 307 I have now is still pretty new on the rebuild, guess maybe I should drain that castrol gtx before it's too late! LOL...no really, maybe I should... hmmmm due for an oil change anyway.

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

I was using Vavloline VR1 20w50 but I am currently running Valvoline Max Life Synthetic Blend 20w50 since it was on sale for $20 for 5 quarts and a filter.
I need the 20w50 for oil pressure, got almost 200K miles on my stock motor, and she still runs like a raped ape.

kd5icr

iTrader: (2)

I myself have always used valvoline. I have always had nothing but good luck with it.
but not synth or the blend.

19camaro83

As long as your changing the oil and keeping it consistant (weight, brand, synthetic vs conventional) then you should be fine, in my own personal opinion. I personally use valvoline 10w30 in all of my vehicles and WIX filters and have had no problems in the past. I have a 351W in a 89 ford that has 274,000 miles on it and still running strong. I have never had to once open the engine. I change my oil every 3000 miles religiously, no matter what vehicle. But I have had zero problems with valvoline 10w30 and WIX filters.

1bad406

iTrader: (1)

Kendall 20w50

element114401

iTrader: (1)

Previous owner ran Royal Purple, so that's what I'm going to stick with. It seems pretty reputable.

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Big fan of the Quaker State Synthethic

1986iroc350

iTrader: (1)

Well until recently i used Castrol oil in all my cars. But since BP owns castrol. I will NEVER give them any dime of my money again EVER!!!! So i guess im looking for a new decent oil myself.

89ROC-Z

iTrader: (7)

Just run water you guys it's free and the motor runs great!!! For some added protection i mix in a bit of diesel

awilson82

I run Marathon 10w30 in everything I have.

joshwilson3

...

New2Chevy

iTrader: (11)

Royal Purple

grassyflats

turns out BP had nothing to do with the oil spill...
its a conspiracy and a government cover up in order to
capitalize and furthur the New World Order

the big one is bigger than big oil...bottled water

I guess I will splurge for the Royal Purple

K-slice

iTrader: (2)

Good one! XD

UNCLE TOM

iTrader: (1)

the question is like what kind of underwear do you prefer . myself i prefer fruit of the loom boxers . back to the question about oil , most major brands are good for a daily driver . most synthetics & blends are good also . if you have a sponsor , good , use their oil . all oils have SAE codes on the back of their containers . check BOB IS THE OIL GUY web site . learn what the codes are . the website has more info that you could need or use . myself in all my vehicles i use a blend with a quality oil filter . most blends are 20-30% synthetic . myself i buy 5 qt. jugs , 1 synthetic , 1 dino oil . i mix them in a 5 gal. gas can this gives me a 50-50 mixture . i have used this mixture for 5+ years with no problems . i also believe in an engine flush every other oil change . i put a qt. of flush in a warm eng. & run under no load for for 10-15 mins before i drain . oil is the life blood of the engine , keep it clean . all this being said just keep it clean & changed often . good luck .

stealthroc89

Castrol GTX 20W50, Lucas, K&N Filter. Thicker oil is better, more cushion for the pushin!!

TxTtopZ

I also use it. It gets used in the Pro Mod boat and now in the Fuel boat. Never a issue with oil. I see a lot of racers use it in the pits. Keeping the rubber band on mid track, thats another issue. If you can afford it (which if you love your car like I do...) then buy it.
What about the other important part... the oil filter? I like WIX, fram, and mobil. I have never seen anything about a test of the three tho. K&N is another I have never seen tested beyond the manufacturer.

stealthroc89

When I picked up my engine from the machine shop I asked what oil and filter I should use, he told me to use heavy weight oil and and to stay away from fram because high output oil pumps make them collapse. There were more but fram stuck in my head because they were my choice of filter prior to that.

firebird904

I'm running Castrol 10w40 in my camaro but will be switching to Mobil1 10w30

TxTtopZ

Never heard that one.. I wish you could remember the others....

383fbod

iTrader: (2)

Royal Purple 15w40

Krik

iTrader: (4)

Why do you hate your car? Let me guess, you clean your windshield with a hammer too?



I use RP in my Sports Camaro, and Mobil 1 in the daily drivers.

Jr. Mechanic

iTrader: (3)

Oil and filters is 95% a matter of opinion. First of all, 99% of the "synthetics" on the market aren't actually synthetics, but they contain a large amount of highly refined group III petroleum based stock. The only "true" synthetic produced completely from group IV synthetically engineered stock is Amsoil. Amsoil is proven to be better in just about every reputable third party test out there. Is that saying that your engine won't run equally as long and as well with a cheaper, group III based synthetic? Absolutely not.

I personally run whatever is the cheapest dino oil in my Jeep with either a Pure One, Napa Gold, Mopar, or Motorcraft oil filter.

In the Camaro, I normally run Castrol synthetic with a zinc additive.

Keep your oil changed with a high quality filter (NO FRAMS!) and you won't have any problems.

Krik

iTrader: (4)

Fram has been tested and proven to be absolutely garbage. Stop buying orange hand grenades of doom.

Fram Tough Guard however is decent, but base model Fram is JUNK!

Oil changed every 3k miles is all pretty much the same. Dino oil is better for your motor if you are going to change it every 3k miles. Synthetics are for those of us who push the limits of their oil. 5k, 7.5k, 12-15k miles some people go. If you are going to push the limits of your oil you need to pull a sample and have it sent out for analysis. Once you know how long your oil is going to last you will save money on changes.

Remember, whichever synthetic you choose make sure you pick one with a good amount of additives. These additives will protect your motor on those long runs between changes.

If you buy full synthetic oil and change it after 3k miles you were harder on your motor, and you payed more for the privilege.

tl;dr
3k mile changes: conventional
5k-15k mile changes: synthetic
Buy a good filter every time!

tkcaraudio

I use Valvoline Racing Sae 30/50 sometimes 60 depending on what car it is

91zrokr

iTrader: (1)

If you love your car, Amsoil.

Dante93GTZ

iTrader: (5)

For my vehicles that I bought used with mileage over 10k:

CASTROL GTX

For vehicles/engines that are new or less than 10k:

CASTROL SYNTEC

Best stuff ever - Never had an ounce of problem with it... Mobil 1 on the other hand; STAY AWAY.

Ron U.S.M.C.

I have always herd good things about Mobil 1. Can you be a little more specific about "STAY AWAY" please? And does that include their Extended Performance Synthetic because that what Ive been using for the last 5 years.

goomaan

iTrader: (2)

Mobil 1 in all my cars

Firebreather

Nothing but Mobil 1 15w50 since I rebuilt it.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

I wouldn't recommend it for older engines, but in my 2000 firehawk, my 2008 shelby mustang, and my 5.3 thats going in my trans am, I will always use royal purple synthetic oil. I have always loved it and it always comes out looking so nice and clean, even after the 7k mile change interval. Car seems to run so smooth with it too, and I know it's been proven to free up HP in a few tests. It also has additives in it to coat all the bearings and inside serfaces which I don't know how well that works but it can't hurt.

corvettespeed24

Pennzoil conventional 10w-30 with an STP filter for break in. Will be switching to Mobil 1 synthetic 10w-30 with Mobil 1 filter after that. I've heard great things about Mobil.