Patman

Here are my latest oil analysis results from my 98 Corvette:

8000 miles on oil
Feb 19 to July 17 (5 months)
51,000 miles on the car
German Castrol Syntec 0w30
K&N HP1007 oil filter
K&N air filter
LS1 5.7L V8 engine
Daily driver with a lot of rush hour traffic
No oil added (none was needed!)
Oil life monitor was below zero (I reset it at zero and went another 11%)
Analysis by Wearcheck Canada

Iron 9
Lead 4
Aluminum 3
Copper 3
Chromium 0
Tin 0
Silver 0
Titanium 0
Nickel 0
Silicon 11
Potassium 0
Sodium 3
Boron 2
Barium 0
Calcium 2547
Magnesium 127
Moly 4
Phosphorus 818
Zinc 852
Fuel 0
Glycol 0
Water 0
Oxidation 64%
Nitration (not given)
Viscosity 12.0 cst at 100c
TAN 3.94
TBN 3.82


You are probably wondering, what do all these numbers mean? For starters, the wear numbers are extremely low! Most notible is the fact that the iron is in the single digits, and lead (bearing wear) is almost nothing. If you compare this to results with Mobil 1 in the LS1, you can clearly see the advantage this oil has over Mobil 1.

And at 8000 miles this oil still has life left in it, so those of you changing your oil every 3k because you think your oil is dirty or that it needs changing, you're just wasting money. A good synthetic like this one can go much longer (I've also proven you can trust your oil life monitor in the C5)

tirefryer

Nice Results Patman! I am running GC now. I will send in a sample when I change it to see the results. I only change once a year due to low mileage, below 2K a year. I think I might try the Amsoil 5W40 European next. It is a little thicker and it meets the stringent MB 229.5 approval. Also the intial analysis that have came in on www.bobistheoilguy.com look very good.

Patman

I agree, Amsoil 5w40 looks to be an excellent choice too, and I'd love to see how it performs in an LS1.

INTENESS

iTrader: (4)

Thank you for sharing that info Patman,I swear by that oil now its stock piled in my house.

Dustin

iTrader: (13)

good info. I have been looking for something to switch out the royal burble, lol.

777

iTrader: (21)

Any results on Mobil1 10w40?

00T\A

I think i'am finally gonna switch to GC.
Thanks for the info Patman.

92SilverSHO

iTrader: (3)

is this the new stuff thats golden in color? or the green stuff

Shu

iTrader: (2)

I've only been able to find this stuff once...

Patman

This is still the green formula. I've got 79 more liters of it too, so I've got enough for a couple of years (that supply feeds 4 cars in my family)

Patman

I've never seen anyone who has run the new M1 Extended Performance 10w40 in their car yet. This new 10w40 seems to be difficult to find.

Krab

iTrader: (28)

Sounds like good results. One question Patman, if the oil change light comes on in my camaro, should I just reset it, or change the oil even though it might only have about 3-4K miles on it? I've read that the oil life monitor on our cars are pretty accurate?

Patman

The OLM in the f-bodies is set up based on conventional oil, so it won't go as long before hitting it's maximum level compared to the Corvettes. I'd suggest you reset the change oil light once and let it go through a second time if you're using this oil.

Tranzor

A few of my local customers with LS1s are using that oil now... so maybe we'll see an oil analysis or two in the near future for Amsoil 5w40 in an LS motor.

I also have a few BMW and VW customers who swear by the 5w40... right now I'm using Amsoil's XL 5w30 and I'm planning on getting an analysis after racing season is over to see how that one is holding up.

If any of you guys are interested in the Euro 5w40 let me know... I can ship anywhere and will give a good price for fellow board members.

777

iTrader: (21)

I was talking about the normal synthetic. Not the extended life.

Patman

The 10w40 Mobil 1 only comes in their Extended Performance formula. Did you mean to say their 0w40? If so, this oil is better than their 5w30 and 10w30, but still isn't my first choice in the LS1, especially since they reformulated it. A few recent 0w40 oil analysis reports in LS1 and LS6 vehicles have shown it to be not all that spectacular.

777

iTrader: (21)

Ok never mind, it is 0w40. Is it good enough to change every 4-5k miles? Or should I switch to something else?

Patman

I would switch to German Castrol 0w30 if I were you, otherwise go with something like Amsoil 5w40, Redline 5w40, Castrol 5w40 or Mobil 1 5w40.

02 Pewter LS1

iTrader: (8)

I can tell you my dealings with the Mobil 1 10w30 extended formula. I put this in my dads supercharged LS1 started the car let it warm up drove it down the street and parked it. One week later we drop the oil and it comes out black? The motor has 12,000 miles on it. The reason we changed the oil so soon is because of a older thread we found a piece of metal in the oil from the old blower that came apart.

I decided to change my oil after 400 miles after doing the new AFR heads and other goodies same thing the oil was black? I have 26,000 miles on my motor and have never had oil come out like that. Either the oil is breaking down or it has alot of cleaning properties? I switched back to the Mobil 1 10w30 full synthetic and got rid of the extended formula.

I will be going to the GC and give that a shot.

josh99ta

iTrader: (1)

I thought oil had a shelf life, am I incorrect?

I can't find any of the GC around here to save my life. I've never seen a bottle look remotely like that.

Patman, what do you feel is the best and widely stocked commercially available oil (something like Mobil 1 synth, but better as you feel it isn't so hot). I've used Mobil 1 10w30 since I've had the car and now that its got a cam in it I definitely want to be sure it's getting all the protection it can handle. Here in TN temps range from 0-100* if that matters.