Motor Oil

[kn1080]

Do any of you ladies and gentlemen have any preference on brands of motor oil? I have always been loyal to Castrol but Im wondering If I should make the switch to Penzoil or Quakerstate. Any thoughts?

[Red Hat]

I use full synthetic oil in my vehicles. There is no real difference in brands of synthetic oil since there are no additives in them. What wears in oil are the additives. I usually change mine every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. Actually I could just change the filter and be good to go. I buy the lowest price I can find usually the Walmart brand. It may cost a little more than regular oil but in the long run its a big cost saver!

BTW, I changed the oil in my 06 Ram 1500 Mega Cab today and I was just under 17,000 since i changed it last.

[HootmonSccy]

May the Opinions begin..
It depends on how much you ride.. I ride ~10K miles per year..
I choose to use Synthetic oil and change my oil once a year in the beginning of June.
If you only ride 3-4K miles / year, then conventional oil may be fine and more economical.
I use Amsoil as it has the best rust inhibitors as well as many other aspects of the product..

Despite what Red Hat says, Synthetics do have additives (Rust inhibitors being one), but the lifetime of Synthetic is much longer than conventional.

No matter what anyone says, Someone will have an opinion against it.. So, in the end, it's up to you.. Think about what you need from your oil, and then decide for yourself..

[kn1080]

well... I drive a 2006 4 cylinder chevy malibu and a 1994 4-cylinder hyundai scoup. Ive used Castrol (non-synthetic) 10/30 and Fram filters as a rule but Im wondering if I should switch to a different brand as Im hearing that Castrol leaves alot of residue. I change my oil religiously 2500-3000 miles. I drive aproximately 15k/year.

[Red Hat]

Oil formulas have changed so much over the years. Castrol was our best seller followed by Havoline when I managed an Advance Auto store. Quaker State was one of my worst sellers. The mechanics always said they didn't like tearing down an engine that used Quaker state because of all the sludge.

[kn1080]

Thank you Red Hat.

[HootmonSccy]

My comment was for my motorcycles..
I do use Synthetic in my car as well.. I just changed the oil after a year and a half and the oil had about 12K miles on it.. The oil is supposed to be good for 25K miles or 1 year.. I figure engines don't know what month it is.. I do advise that you change your oil filter at least around 10-12K miles, then top off..

[BigSlick]

Red Hat is correct that oil formulas have changed. The WalMart brand synthetic oil was made by Quaker State. Don’t know if this is still true or if this synthetic version has the same sludge problem. I have always used Valvoline or Mobile 1 in my S-10. Last month my total for the original engine is 530,000. No rebuilds or overhauls. I would change the oil every 5000 to 6000 miles.

[Red Hat]

Any brand of Synthetic oil will work. There are no additives to wear out. The only problem with Synthetic oil is contaminates. A good oil filter is needed for extended miles. I use the Purolator PureOne on all my vehicles. Also be careful using Synthetic oil on some motorcycles. Some say its OK to use it in wet clutches and some don't. A friend of mine used it and it took him forever to clean it out using regular oil. He went about a mile and it started slipping. I would use it if the MC came with synthetic oil and if it didn't I would use what they recommend.

[ToyRunner1]

If I am using dino oil I use nothing but Valvoline. In my vehicles that don't get a lot of miles each year I run Mobil 1 and change them once a year. When I got my vehicle back from having a new GN motor put in the mechanic told me to use nothing but Valvoline 20x50 in it until broken in, and then to switch to synthetic if I wanted. Otherwise he said to stay with the Valvoline racing oil.

Everyone has an opinion on this subject as said. Do your own research to verify claims and then make your own, informed, choice.