View Poll Results: What Weight Oil?
5w-30 Mobile 1 (dealer recommended)
119
42.81%
5w-30 Other brands
16
5.76%
10w-30
110
39.57%
10w-50
1
0.36%
20w-50
5
1.80%
10w-40
8
2.88%
5w-50
3
1.08%
Other
16
5.76%
Voters: 278. You may not vote on this poll
What oil are you using?
back in the early 90's, wasn't syntec not invented? (this is kind of off topic) but my friend's volvo 850R is trying to switch to syntec because he retuned his ECU to put out more boost and power. But he said something about his gaskets not being able to handle a sudden switch from regular to full syntec, so he's putting in half and half of each. Is this a good idea for him? I want to tell him if its bad or not before he does so soon.
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 487
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From: Anywhere
Originally Posted by johny719
back in the early 90's, wasn't syntec not invented? (this is kind of off topic) but my friend's volvo 850R is trying to switch to syntec because he retuned his ECU to put out more boost and power. But he said something about his gaskets not being able to handle a sudden switch from regular to full syntec, so he's putting in half and half of each. Is this a good idea for him? I want to tell him if its bad or not before he does so soon.
76 pure synthetic
What I understand It's a little bit new to the market. From what I here It breaks down the least. Sorry guys but Mobil 1 just does not cut it esspecially at high RPM's. I tried AmSoil and I was satisifed more that I was with mobil 1. I just change to 76 5w-40 I'm hoping to get better results.
What I understand It's a little bit new to the market. From what I here It breaks down the least. Sorry guys but Mobil 1 just does not cut it esspecially at high RPM's. I tried AmSoil and I was satisifed more that I was with mobil 1. I just change to 76 5w-40 I'm hoping to get better results.
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by dizzigital
Hey Mattchu,
What's the difference between 5W-40 and 5W-50? How come you decided to go with 50? Regular driving or extreme driving?
What's the difference between 5W-40 and 5W-50? How come you decided to go with 50? Regular driving or extreme driving?
The lower number will tell you how thick its going to get at low temp, but says nothing about its high temp consistency. From my own time in a lab, pure synthetic just flat out-performs "conventional" oil... its just also alot more costly to make. By perform I mean, keep parts moving smoothly at high RPM, and resist breakdown (turning "to water" as some have observed) ... Castrol maintains a high degree of stability through a wide temperature range, comparable oils are Amsoil and Mobil 1... but Castrol made the first widely available 5-50 oil, so thats what I started using when I got serious about my cars. In truth, very few "normal" folks will ever stress their oil enough to notice significant differences, but some of the people here will, I bet. For myself I tend to drive in a rather "spirited" fashion (hah!) with 3-4 trips to a race track each summer... I have used 5-50 the entire life of the car, which is as of now, 151k miles.... I burn about a half quart of synthetic over the 3000 miles between changes. Its what works for me.... YMMV
-Matt
Originally Posted by Mattchu
Seems to be a bit of confusion on this subject.... being new to this site, but not to cars, I thought I might share. I worked for a time in an automotive test lab, and have seen some of these tests, where they measure viscosity at various temperature levels. For myself, I run full synthetic in all my vehicles, with zero issues. Castrol Syntech 5-50. Anyways, glad to have found this site... a new Evo is in my future, and I'm finding lots of great info on this site. Hopefully I can give a little back...
-Matt
******************************
Are you puzzled about the types of motor oil available? Wondering if you're choosing the right one for your car? Here's a crash course, so to speak:
Multi-viscosity or straight-weight. Multi-viscosity oils are those denoted by two numbers with a 'W-' in between (for example, 10W-30 or 20W-50). The 'W' originally stood for winter, as oils were developed to compensate for the wear due to the vast temperature ranges then. They're almost exclusively used today rather than straight-weight (monograde) oils. Multi-viscosity oils use polymer additives to change the natural consistency of oil as it's heated, preventing it from thinning out as much as it otherwise would.
The only downside to this is that some of the additives used to improve viscosity at high temperatures can also leave sticky deposits. Oil companies have mostly eliminated such problems by adding detergents to oil, along with rust inhibitors and antioxidants. Some precise performance engines will still require straight-weight oil, but all newer vehicles are designed for multi-viscosity oil and require it, else your warranty will probably be void.
What the numbers mean. The numbers in motor-oil nomenclature refer to the viscosity (thickness) of the oil. A higher number corresponds to thicker oil, while a lower number refers to thinner oil. The numbers themselves are supposed to correspond to a set of real, measurable qualities in the oil, one of which is the viscosity index. In multi-viscosity oils, the left number refers to cold behavior of the particular oil, while the right number refers to its hot (100 degrees Celsius) behavior. So, for instance, 5W-30 oil would flow well when cold like 5-weight oil, but protect at high temperatures like 30-weight oil.
Do oils vary much by brand? Yes. The 5W-30 oil from one company might equal 10W-40 oil from another company in viscosity, because there might be a difference in some of the other properties of the oil, like its flash point (at what temperature it ignites). The numbers in multi-viscosity oil also don't tell anything about how viscous the oil is at normal engine operating temperatures, as opposed to extremes. The best advice here is to choose a familiar brand, and experiment with other major brands if you think it's too thin or too thick. Never mix brands or different weights. Wait until an oil change.
What about synthetics? Synthetics are better in every way, but they are much more expensive. They offer better high-temperature resistance and better low-temperature flow, and they leave nearly no deposits. Prices for synthetics are coming down, though, and there are also blends that combine synthetics with traditional mineral oils. Because synthetics flow and penetrate much better than regular oils, a change to synthetic oil will sometimes reveal leaks you didn't know existed.
Ratings. The American Petroleum Institute (API) assigns letter ratings to motor oil. The category ratings correspond to industry standards for various qualities like viscosity, thermal protection, and preventing deposits and sludge. Every few years, the currently awarded rating is changed. Currently, SL (Spark ignition, Category L) is the top rating. SJ was introduced in 2001 and SH in 1996.
As your car ages and becomes a high-mileage vehicle, many experts recommend that you change to thicker oil than is normally used. Over time, gaps between parts in the engine become larger, enabling less oil to reach critical parts. Ask a mechanic familiar with your model vehicle or ask the dealership if you should change the type of oil for your vehicle beyond 100,000 miles.
The underlying message is that all oil is not the same. Making sure you use the correct viscosity rating is just the start. The quality and characteristics of oils can vary greatly by brand, too.
-Matt
******************************
Are you puzzled about the types of motor oil available? Wondering if you're choosing the right one for your car? Here's a crash course, so to speak:
Multi-viscosity or straight-weight. Multi-viscosity oils are those denoted by two numbers with a 'W-' in between (for example, 10W-30 or 20W-50). The 'W' originally stood for winter, as oils were developed to compensate for the wear due to the vast temperature ranges then. They're almost exclusively used today rather than straight-weight (monograde) oils. Multi-viscosity oils use polymer additives to change the natural consistency of oil as it's heated, preventing it from thinning out as much as it otherwise would.
The only downside to this is that some of the additives used to improve viscosity at high temperatures can also leave sticky deposits. Oil companies have mostly eliminated such problems by adding detergents to oil, along with rust inhibitors and antioxidants. Some precise performance engines will still require straight-weight oil, but all newer vehicles are designed for multi-viscosity oil and require it, else your warranty will probably be void.
What the numbers mean. The numbers in motor-oil nomenclature refer to the viscosity (thickness) of the oil. A higher number corresponds to thicker oil, while a lower number refers to thinner oil. The numbers themselves are supposed to correspond to a set of real, measurable qualities in the oil, one of which is the viscosity index. In multi-viscosity oils, the left number refers to cold behavior of the particular oil, while the right number refers to its hot (100 degrees Celsius) behavior. So, for instance, 5W-30 oil would flow well when cold like 5-weight oil, but protect at high temperatures like 30-weight oil.
Do oils vary much by brand? Yes. The 5W-30 oil from one company might equal 10W-40 oil from another company in viscosity, because there might be a difference in some of the other properties of the oil, like its flash point (at what temperature it ignites). The numbers in multi-viscosity oil also don't tell anything about how viscous the oil is at normal engine operating temperatures, as opposed to extremes. The best advice here is to choose a familiar brand, and experiment with other major brands if you think it's too thin or too thick. Never mix brands or different weights. Wait until an oil change.
What about synthetics? Synthetics are better in every way, but they are much more expensive. They offer better high-temperature resistance and better low-temperature flow, and they leave nearly no deposits. Prices for synthetics are coming down, though, and there are also blends that combine synthetics with traditional mineral oils. Because synthetics flow and penetrate much better than regular oils, a change to synthetic oil will sometimes reveal leaks you didn't know existed.
Ratings. The American Petroleum Institute (API) assigns letter ratings to motor oil. The category ratings correspond to industry standards for various qualities like viscosity, thermal protection, and preventing deposits and sludge. Every few years, the currently awarded rating is changed. Currently, SL (Spark ignition, Category L) is the top rating. SJ was introduced in 2001 and SH in 1996.
As your car ages and becomes a high-mileage vehicle, many experts recommend that you change to thicker oil than is normally used. Over time, gaps between parts in the engine become larger, enabling less oil to reach critical parts. Ask a mechanic familiar with your model vehicle or ask the dealership if you should change the type of oil for your vehicle beyond 100,000 miles.
The underlying message is that all oil is not the same. Making sure you use the correct viscosity rating is just the start. The quality and characteristics of oils can vary greatly by brand, too.
I thank you for the info as well. You like Castrol 5w-50? I have been warned in the past to not use oils with viscosity spread over 30 points myself. I have heard many good things about Royal Purple but I don't know. Wonder what type of Castrol our Evo's like the most. I live in Texas by the way and rarely see weather below 30 degrees F.
edit: Oh and hey what is the word on the Shell Helix Ultra stuff, can't find anyone who sells it but it would be neat to see although I know it's got to be pricey.
edit: Oh and hey what is the word on the Shell Helix Ultra stuff, can't find anyone who sells it but it would be neat to see although I know it's got to be pricey.
Last edited by mitsuorder; Nov 19, 2004 at 12:11 AM.
Originally Posted by Mattchu
Remembering what the ratings represent ... these are NOT actual viscosity numbers, they are RATINGS. 5-50 is rated to FLOW as well as 5 weight oil in the low temp tests... and PROTECT as well as 50 weight oil when hot. For my money, I want all the high temp protection I can get, since thats how you can describe my engine 98% of the time... The lower number will tell you how thick its going to get at low temp, but says nothing about its high temp consistency.
From my own time in a lab, pure synthetic just flat out-performs "conventional" oil... its just also alot more costly to make. By perform I mean, keep parts moving smoothly at high RPM, and resist breakdown (turning "to water" as some have observed) ... Castrol maintains a high degree of stability through a wide temperature range, comparable oils are Amsoil and Mobil 1... but Castrol made the first widely available 5-50 oil, so thats what I started using when I got serious about my cars. In truth, very few "normal" folks will ever stress their oil enough to notice significant differences, but some of the people here will, I bet. For myself I tend to drive in a rather "spirited" fashion (hah!) with 3-4 trips to a race track each summer... I have used 5-50 the entire life of the car, which is as of now, 151k miles.... I burn about a half quart of synthetic over the 3000 miles between changes. Its what works for me.... YMMV
-Matt
The lower number will tell you how thick its going to get at low temp, but says nothing about its high temp consistency. From my own time in a lab, pure synthetic just flat out-performs "conventional" oil... its just also alot more costly to make. By perform I mean, keep parts moving smoothly at high RPM, and resist breakdown (turning "to water" as some have observed) ... Castrol maintains a high degree of stability through a wide temperature range, comparable oils are Amsoil and Mobil 1... but Castrol made the first widely available 5-50 oil, so thats what I started using when I got serious about my cars. In truth, very few "normal" folks will ever stress their oil enough to notice significant differences, but some of the people here will, I bet. For myself I tend to drive in a rather "spirited" fashion (hah!) with 3-4 trips to a race track each summer... I have used 5-50 the entire life of the car, which is as of now, 151k miles.... I burn about a half quart of synthetic over the 3000 miles between changes. Its what works for me.... YMMV
-Matt
how many quarts of oil do you use for ever 3,000 miles?
Evolving Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 487
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From: Anywhere
Go to http://bobistheoilguy.com/ and read. you will find loads of oil information..
click on the Forums link.
click on the Forums link.
Last edited by zmeli; Nov 20, 2004 at 12:16 AM.
