The great oil debate
01-07-2009, 10:04 AM
#1
The great oil debate I was just wondering if anyone has done oil analysis on oil out of the old LT1. I'm done paying out for Royal Purple, I think I'm going to run that Walmart Syntech stuff or whatever it is they sell this oil change. Curious if anyone has done tests and actually knows whats good for the LT1. $50 a oil change is a pain in the *** right now and apparently may not be worth the cost anyway in regards to RP. Opinions, with reasoning please. I've ran RP now for 4 years, but the fact they keep going up in price is driving me away from them, used to be $5.50 a quart when I started using the stuff its up to like $9 or something retarded like that now.
01-07-2009, 10:59 AM
#3
12 Second Club
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Georgetown, Texas
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I refuse to pay that much for Royal Purple. My car has had 10-30 Mobil 1 Synthetic its entire life. I have never had the oil analyzed but when I change it every 3000k miles it is still very clean.
D
D
01-07-2009, 11:16 AM
#5
On The Tree
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Quakertown
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mobil 1 5w-30 synth here- Love it
Def wouldn't pay $10 a qt unless it's worth like 25 hp to the wheels
Costco has 6 qt box for $31 = 5.16 qt
Just did a change on the Tahoe 81,000 miles
went 1 yr 2 months (Tow rig) - 5,500 miles and came out clean
Def wouldn't pay $10 a qt unless it's worth like 25 hp to the wheels
Costco has 6 qt box for $31 = 5.16 qt
Just did a change on the Tahoe 81,000 miles
went 1 yr 2 months (Tow rig) - 5,500 miles and came out clean
Trending Topics
01-07-2009, 12:36 PM
#8
Well it was a few cents shy of $7 at Walmart today for the RP. I got the 5 quart jug of the Walmart Super Tech to try it out. I'm going to search for the thread, I guess its just relabeled, I think its good oil if I remember, I'm going to search now. Then I went to Autozone and ended up with the AC Delco filter, I normally run the Purolator pure one, go figure Autozone doesn't carry Purolator products.
01-07-2009, 01:08 PM
#9
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SFL
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Royal purple here.. I pay like $6.99 at a local speed shop. My new motor has never seen anything but RP every 3k miles and ZMAX every 6k
ps this is my 1000'th post!! woot!
ps this is my 1000'th post!! woot!
01-07-2009, 01:13 PM
#10
TECH Addict
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kzoo, MI
Posts: 2,289
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Many people have done UOAs on some LT1s. I was running M1 0w40. it's thick but it sheared within 3,000 miles to that of a 30 weight oil. I'm running German Castrol 0w30 (only Made in Germany Syntec) right now, but don't have any UOAs to see how it compares to M1. Well I should say I do, but a powdercoated intake manifold contaminated my oil with a lot of silicon. Apparently blowing the intake out with water and air didn't get it all out.
The easiest way to say anything, is no one oil will perform the same in different engines.
having someone say "MY oil looks clean after 5K", or "This oil is garbage it turned dark after 2K" is no merit of how well an oil is performing in your engine.
Any API current Rated oil should be more than adequate in today's engines. When you start to care about low wear numbers, extended drain intervals, max protection, it pays to do a Used Oil Analysis.
a UOA helps show how the oil is doing in the motor. It's going to show wear numbers, if you have coolant in the oil, or fuel too. Will show viscosity, flashpoint, etc.
Granted it's not going to tell you that you're going to have an engine failure, it can help you determine oil change intervals. Obviously if you're oil is being loaded up with silicon from an old air filter, or coolant from a leaky headgasket or Intake Gasket, you don't want run extended OCIs, until issues like that are fixed.
For Example I run my wife's 01 cavalier (2.2L OHV 3 speed auto, 120K) to 6,000 mile OCI with Mobil Clean 5000 10w30 (conventional Oil). Granted she doesn't beat the living hell out of the car, she is fairly hard on it. My UOAs showed the oil is doing it's job for her driving habits. My UOAS showed better wear numbers than someone else running Mobil 1 in the same 2.2 for a shorter OCI with less overall miles with similiar driving habits..
Royal purple is a decent oil, but not for the price anymore. You can get German Castrol at Autozone on sale typically 5 quarts with filter for $25.99 or around about. Use the rewards card and you save more..
btw 1badZ, Zmax is garbage. Nothing more than colored mineral oil. Just because Carrol(sp) Shelby endorses it doesn't make it good. Just like Lucas Oil Stabilizer, pure garbage.
All of these oils and what not have been covered in the past. I hope this doesn't turn into another 12 page bashathon with people who don't know squat trying to defend something.
Some people think Mobil 1 is the greatest because everyone uses it. It's called marketing and business. GM would probably use Castrol if they gave a lower Bid, but Exxon/Mobil is a huge company. Some even think just because nascar uses M1 it's great too. Hate to tell you those formulations Nascar boys use isn't the same as what you buy off the shelf.
But then again it all depends on application, and as I stated in the beginning, if you change your oil every 3K, you're fine with any API SM rated oil, unless you need synthetic because of high oil temps (turbo,etc)
The easiest way to say anything, is no one oil will perform the same in different engines.
having someone say "MY oil looks clean after 5K", or "This oil is garbage it turned dark after 2K" is no merit of how well an oil is performing in your engine.
Any API current Rated oil should be more than adequate in today's engines. When you start to care about low wear numbers, extended drain intervals, max protection, it pays to do a Used Oil Analysis.
a UOA helps show how the oil is doing in the motor. It's going to show wear numbers, if you have coolant in the oil, or fuel too. Will show viscosity, flashpoint, etc.
Granted it's not going to tell you that you're going to have an engine failure, it can help you determine oil change intervals. Obviously if you're oil is being loaded up with silicon from an old air filter, or coolant from a leaky headgasket or Intake Gasket, you don't want run extended OCIs, until issues like that are fixed.
For Example I run my wife's 01 cavalier (2.2L OHV 3 speed auto, 120K) to 6,000 mile OCI with Mobil Clean 5000 10w30 (conventional Oil). Granted she doesn't beat the living hell out of the car, she is fairly hard on it. My UOAs showed the oil is doing it's job for her driving habits. My UOAS showed better wear numbers than someone else running Mobil 1 in the same 2.2 for a shorter OCI with less overall miles with similiar driving habits..
Royal purple is a decent oil, but not for the price anymore. You can get German Castrol at Autozone on sale typically 5 quarts with filter for $25.99 or around about. Use the rewards card and you save more..
btw 1badZ, Zmax is garbage. Nothing more than colored mineral oil. Just because Carrol(sp) Shelby endorses it doesn't make it good. Just like Lucas Oil Stabilizer, pure garbage.
All of these oils and what not have been covered in the past. I hope this doesn't turn into another 12 page bashathon with people who don't know squat trying to defend something.
Some people think Mobil 1 is the greatest because everyone uses it. It's called marketing and business. GM would probably use Castrol if they gave a lower Bid, but Exxon/Mobil is a huge company. Some even think just because nascar uses M1 it's great too. Hate to tell you those formulations Nascar boys use isn't the same as what you buy off the shelf.
But then again it all depends on application, and as I stated in the beginning, if you change your oil every 3K, you're fine with any API SM rated oil, unless you need synthetic because of high oil temps (turbo,etc)
Last edited by buffman; 01-07-2009 at 01:24 PM.
01-07-2009, 01:23 PM
#11
TECH Apprentice
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: fort campbell
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re if you are curious about diff. oils try http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/
mods: I don't think he sells anything. that is why I linked that site
mods: I don't think he sells anything. that is why I linked that site
01-07-2009, 01:25 PM
#12
TECH Addict
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kzoo, MI
Posts: 2,289
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Finally someone who knows about BITOG 
GO there if you wish to do reading.
IF anything over there they are biased towards Amsoil, but the point of the forum is to help educate you on oils.
GO there if you wish to do reading.IF anything over there they are biased towards Amsoil, but the point of the forum is to help educate you on oils.
01-07-2009, 02:13 PM
#15
TECH Fanatic
Based on what I've read, Royal Purple's engine oil shears down pretty bad. I hear that, based on some UOA's, German Castrol is a very good oil for the LT1. My car has been sitting forever. I put some Walmart Syntec in it while getting it back up and running. Until then, it had always been filled with Mobil 1 5W-30 from the initial oil change forward. Before I start driving it again, I'll be putting in some German Castrol.
I did put some Royal Purple 75W-140 Gear Oil in the front diff of my Jeep Grand Cherokee over the weekend. It's still in one piece.
I did put some Royal Purple 75W-140 Gear Oil in the front diff of my Jeep Grand Cherokee over the weekend. It's still in one piece.
01-07-2009, 09:08 PM
#17
I run Shaffer. Do a Google and check it out, you'll be surprized. I have 170K miles on my car and I switched to this oil because a co-worker told me how great it was. I have a mechanical oil pres. gauge and startup its 60psi and hot is 50 psi. At idle when warm it don't drop below 30psi. Before I changed my pressure was low and still going south. They reconmend before you pour this in you clean the internals with Seafoam though. Somehow this oil has molecture structure that bonds with the metal and stuff like that. You'll have to read the testing they've done too. Pretty impressive and after using it and seeing what it can do we'll see how many miles I can get out of my LT1.
01-07-2009, 11:55 PM
#18
TECH Addict
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kzoo, MI
Posts: 2,289
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
it's Schaeffer . As I explained above having someone say "MY oil looks clean after 5K", or "This oil is garbage it turned dark after 2K" is no merit of how well an oil is performing in your engine. I've seen 100s of tests by all different oil manufacturers and by some chance their oil always comes out on top.
I have 174K on my engine. 130K of those miles were with conventional oil... big deal..
I have 174K on my engine. 130K of those miles were with conventional oil... big deal..
01-08-2009, 12:32 AM
#19
I've been running RP for my last few oil changes. That's about to change though. I don't really feel like paying $8.99 a quart for it at O'Reillys (The only place in my area that even carries it). Luckily, my buddy that works there did a price match for me and gave it to me for $7.45 a quart a couple weeks ago. But, I still don't really feel like giving that much for just oil. I think next time I'll try some German Castrol or Mobil 1.
01-08-2009, 01:17 AM
#20
I run Shaffer. Do a Google and check it out, you'll be surprized. I have 170K miles on my car and I switched to this oil because a co-worker told me how great it was. I have a mechanical oil pres. gauge and startup its 60psi and hot is 50 psi. At idle when warm it don't drop below 30psi. Before I changed my pressure was low and still going south. They reconmend before you pour this in you clean the internals with Seafoam though. Somehow this oil has molecture structure that bonds with the metal and stuff like that. You'll have to read the testing they've done too. Pretty impressive and after using it and seeing what it can do we'll see how many miles I can get out of my LT1.