Update: German Castrol oil?? ...
11-29-2009, 01:26 AM
#21
Theres three types of GC. You have to figure out how to read the date the oil was actually made to determine what variation it is.
Here's how you read the date:
Look at the bottom of the bottle, it'll say something like M05216xxxx
The 05 represents the year it was made. (2005 in this case)
The 216 represents the day it was made. (001 - 365)
1.) The U.S. made type
-No need to look at the date, it'll still say Made in the U.S.
-It was last made in 02
2.) The Green GC (They say its actually green
-It'll say "Made in Germany" on the back.
-Anything until and including M05010xxxx is Green.
-This stuff came out in 2002.
3.) The Gold GC
-It'll say "Made in Germany" on the back.
-Anything after M05010xxxx is Gold.
-This is the current GC.
I got this off of that website.. Hope it helps.
Edit: added the website
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=718643
Here's how you read the date:
Look at the bottom of the bottle, it'll say something like M05216xxxx
The 05 represents the year it was made. (2005 in this case)
The 216 represents the day it was made. (001 - 365)
1.) The U.S. made type
-No need to look at the date, it'll still say Made in the U.S.
-It was last made in 02
2.) The Green GC (They say its actually green
-It'll say "Made in Germany" on the back.
-Anything until and including M05010xxxx is Green.
-This stuff came out in 2002.
3.) The Gold GC
-It'll say "Made in Germany" on the back.
-Anything after M05010xxxx is Gold.
-This is the current GC.
I got this off of that website.. Hope it helps.
Edit: added the website
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=718643
Just to add some more info as I use it, love it, and buy it:
The GREEN stuff is like a virgin @ a big high school, almost impossible to find, but this color is the BEST of the three, next best is the golden formula from Germany and last is the US made.
FWIW, the GREEN is about the best stuff they ever made period, but they don't make it any longer BUT every now and then you can find a qt or two hidden in the back of shelves, I only buy the green for my car. The golden is good but about the same quality as Penzoil Platinum and the newest Castrol Edge is really good too.
Over the last few years I have stocked up quite a few qts of green stuff, yes this is all green..
ANd YES, I am a member over @ www.bobistheoilguy.com too and their are others like me that collect the green stuff...
11-30-2009, 11:30 AM
#25
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the 0w30 GC made my motor real noisy. Not sure why. I thought it would do just the opposite. For the next oil change I tried Pennzoil Platnium and have been using that ever since. The Pennzoil is good stuff according to Bobistheoilguy.com. My motor is also less noisy.
11-30-2009, 11:47 AM
#26
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You try an oil PROVEN through UOA to be better, don't bother to test the benefits through your own UOA and switch back to something known to be inferior because you didn't notice anything? Even though GC isn't even more expensive anyway? There are some pretty ridiculous responses in this thread that would only make sense if GC were double the price of other oils.
11-30-2009, 05:31 PM
#27
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You try an oil PROVEN through UOA to be better, don't bother to test the benefits through your own UOA and switch back to something known to be inferior because you didn't notice anything? Even though GC isn't even more expensive anyway? There are some pretty ridiculous responses in this thread that would only make sense if GC were double the price of other oils.
Last edited by CoastieWS6; 11-30-2009 at 05:37 PM.
12-01-2009, 12:55 AM
#29
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It's alot of Hype Dude
Save your $$$$$ So you can do some more mods
I Worked with Germans straight off the Boat from Munich for the last 10+yrs
And I'm telling ya they ain't that smart
They Market themselves as being smart only, lol like(WWII)
I swear to God, I was working with one the other day and He nearly took himself out.
And then passed out right in front of me lol (No Kiddin)
Just run castrol synthetic, Mobil 1 or even Redline, trust me you'll be fine.
P.S Porsches are Really Volkswagens in disguise
Von
Save your $$$$$ So you can do some more mods
I Worked with Germans straight off the Boat from Munich for the last 10+yrs
And I'm telling ya they ain't that smart
They Market themselves as being smart only, lol like(WWII)
I swear to God, I was working with one the other day and He nearly took himself out.
And then passed out right in front of me lol (No Kiddin)
Just run castrol synthetic, Mobil 1 or even Redline, trust me you'll be fine.
P.S Porsches are Really Volkswagens in disguise
Von
12-01-2009, 08:32 PM
#30
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Well, I found some of the "newer" German Castrol with a date code of 09'..so I HIGHLY doubt that i will be able to find any green oil that has been sitting around for the last 4 years with a date code of 05'... Maybe, but I doubt it..Thanks for the input and the "schooling" on the good oil...
12-03-2009, 03:16 PM
#31
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Okay.. Is it safe to say that unless you have connetions in the "oil underworld" you are not going to find the "green" oil
??
If so should I stock up the newer "gold" formula??? Also, totally not LS1 related, but would this same oil be better to run in a built 540ci big block than the standard old school Castrol GTX 20W-50???
??If so should I stock up the newer "gold" formula??? Also, totally not LS1 related, but would this same oil be better to run in a built 540ci big block than the standard old school Castrol GTX 20W-50???
12-03-2009, 03:46 PM
#32
TECH Junkie
I use Mobil1 in my 911 (no problems at all) and it is highly recommended for use by many long-standing experts in the 911 field. If Mobil1 is the preferred motor oil for these high compression, high RPM cars, it is fine for our Trans Ams. U.S. Castrol synthetic is also recommended by BMW. Nothing is ever said about German made Castrol so if these German auto manufacturers don't care, then I don't see the reason why it is necessary to put it in our LS1 engines. By the way, if the poster really thinks a Porsche is a VW, try driving one some day. LOL!!
12-03-2009, 03:50 PM
#33
TECH Addict
Mobil 1 is a good oil and is very well known and easy to find, hence why it's recommended so often. That does NOT make it the best choice. GC is almost always better than M1 if the viscosity is right. But M1 is still a good oil. I'd avoid the 5w30 version though.
You think manufacturers are going to come out and say, "We recommend German Castrol. It only comes in 0w30 and you can only buy it in a few stores. Also, make sure it says European Formula on the front"?
Besides, Mobil certainly pays big bucks to have their product so widely recommended.
You think manufacturers are going to come out and say, "We recommend German Castrol. It only comes in 0w30 and you can only buy it in a few stores. Also, make sure it says European Formula on the front"?
Besides, Mobil certainly pays big bucks to have their product so widely recommended.
12-03-2009, 05:05 PM
#34
I bought my WS6 with 16K miles on it and the previous owner put Mobile One in it just like everyone else did (including myself till last year) cuz of the wild hype about this oil. Im not saying its a bad oil but far from the best.
So I started doing the same ritual as the previous owner and put Mobile One in the car and noticed that it would burn, and I mean often, not just once in a while, I'd keep an eye on it every week or two. This is on a bone stock car that has never seen a track in its life. My dad use to put mobile one in his LS4 GXP and noticed the same thing (he bought the car nearly brand spanking new) Long story short, we both changed to Castrol, he went 5W30 and I went GC after a lot of reading. My oil psi went up at cold idle, reg. idle, and WOT and NO burning, AT ALL. Same with my father in his LS4.
So just because someone, such as these wicked German manufacturers dont recognize a good oil because Im assuming Castrol is not dishing out millions of dollars to have thier logos on the underhood's of Porsche's and MB cars doesn't make M1 a better oil. Im telling you that it's better in every way, shape and form and I am willing to bet a lot of forum members on here will back me up on that.
12-04-2009, 10:04 AM
#35
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GC is SO five years ago.
It is still good stuff, but other oils have caught up to it. Pennzoil Platinum comes to mind. M1 is good oil but the iron in oil analysis' freak some people out and its volatility (evaporation at temps) is high.
When GC gained it's fame it was pretty exceptional stuff. German law is different than US law, and if an oil is to be labeled as synthetic it must really be made by man. Highly refined crude does not cut it for that label in Germany. Still, what you are looking for is results, not marketing hype. Real world results are good for GC, but it's good for other oils, as well. GC is not magic, it's just real synthetic that is somewhat thick for a 0w-30. Thickness cushions and causes less noise in some engines. But less noise doesn't mean a better oil, and the analysis numbers produced by a noisy oil can be better than those of another, thicker oil. Depends on the oils compared and the individual engine in question.
I've had good analysis results with GC. But, I've had good analysis results from the thinnest 5w-30, 5w-30 PP, and M1 5w-40 TSUV oil. They have all produced similar results and are hard to find fault with.
3k to 5k mile oil changes with yellow bottle Pennzoil will suit the needs of about 98percent of the motoring public, LS1s included. Bored and stroked, or beat like a rented mule is another story, but stock LS1s are not so special that they need the most expensive or technologically advanced oil to survive and thrive.
All the rest is jusy falling for marketing hype...
It is still good stuff, but other oils have caught up to it. Pennzoil Platinum comes to mind. M1 is good oil but the iron in oil analysis' freak some people out and its volatility (evaporation at temps) is high.
When GC gained it's fame it was pretty exceptional stuff. German law is different than US law, and if an oil is to be labeled as synthetic it must really be made by man. Highly refined crude does not cut it for that label in Germany. Still, what you are looking for is results, not marketing hype. Real world results are good for GC, but it's good for other oils, as well. GC is not magic, it's just real synthetic that is somewhat thick for a 0w-30. Thickness cushions and causes less noise in some engines. But less noise doesn't mean a better oil, and the analysis numbers produced by a noisy oil can be better than those of another, thicker oil. Depends on the oils compared and the individual engine in question.
I've had good analysis results with GC. But, I've had good analysis results from the thinnest 5w-30, 5w-30 PP, and M1 5w-40 TSUV oil. They have all produced similar results and are hard to find fault with.
3k to 5k mile oil changes with yellow bottle Pennzoil will suit the needs of about 98percent of the motoring public, LS1s included. Bored and stroked, or beat like a rented mule is another story, but stock LS1s are not so special that they need the most expensive or technologically advanced oil to survive and thrive.
All the rest is jusy falling for marketing hype...
12-04-2009, 10:17 AM
#36
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I ran GC for a while but heard good things about Pennzoil Plat. I ran that and my psi at idle and wot went up compared to GC. Also less noisy now. Of course every car is different and this is just my experience, but for me its PP from here on.
12-04-2009, 10:38 AM
#37
One thing that I did notice is the fact that my car at start up would be noiser for the first few minutes. You can hear a bit of slapping, I was told that it is not piston slap. *this is with GC* other than that no complaints.
12-04-2009, 11:00 AM
#38
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I run Mobil 1 10w-30 with a wix filter on my lt1, runs well and doesn't burn that much oil. Its frickin expensive with the canton oil pan with at least 6.5 quarts of oil per oil change. We used to run castrol 5w 50 in our boat, then they stopped making it so we are running mobil 1 in everything. There shouldn't be that much of a difference unless you are running a turbo or spinning your motor to the moon...
12-04-2009, 11:17 AM
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GC is SO five years ago.
It is still good stuff, but other oils have caught up to it. Pennzoil Platinum comes to mind. M1 is good oil but the iron in oil analysis' freak some people out and its volatility (evaporation at temps) is high.
When GC gained it's fame it was pretty exceptional stuff. German law is different than US law, and if an oil is to be labeled as synthetic it must really be made by man. Highly refined crude does not cut it for that label in Germany. Still, what you are looking for is results, not marketing hype. Real world results are good for GC, but it's good for other oils, as well. GC is not magic, it's just real synthetic that is somewhat thick for a 0w-30. Thickness cushions and causes less noise in some engines. But less noise doesn't mean a better oil, and the analysis numbers produced by a noisy oil can be better than those of another, thicker oil. Depends on the oils compared and the individual engine in question.
I've had good analysis results with GC. But, I've had good analysis results from the thinnest 5w-30, 5w-30 PP, and M1 5w-40 TSUV oil. They have all produced similar results and are hard to find fault with.
3k to 5k mile oil changes with yellow bottle Pennzoil will suit the needs of about 98percent of the motoring public, LS1s included. Bored and stroked, or beat like a rented mule is another story, but stock LS1s are not so special that they need the most expensive or technologically advanced oil to survive and thrive.
All the rest is jusy falling for marketing hype...
It is still good stuff, but other oils have caught up to it. Pennzoil Platinum comes to mind. M1 is good oil but the iron in oil analysis' freak some people out and its volatility (evaporation at temps) is high.
When GC gained it's fame it was pretty exceptional stuff. German law is different than US law, and if an oil is to be labeled as synthetic it must really be made by man. Highly refined crude does not cut it for that label in Germany. Still, what you are looking for is results, not marketing hype. Real world results are good for GC, but it's good for other oils, as well. GC is not magic, it's just real synthetic that is somewhat thick for a 0w-30. Thickness cushions and causes less noise in some engines. But less noise doesn't mean a better oil, and the analysis numbers produced by a noisy oil can be better than those of another, thicker oil. Depends on the oils compared and the individual engine in question.
I've had good analysis results with GC. But, I've had good analysis results from the thinnest 5w-30, 5w-30 PP, and M1 5w-40 TSUV oil. They have all produced similar results and are hard to find fault with.
3k to 5k mile oil changes with yellow bottle Pennzoil will suit the needs of about 98percent of the motoring public, LS1s included. Bored and stroked, or beat like a rented mule is another story, but stock LS1s are not so special that they need the most expensive or technologically advanced oil to survive and thrive.
All the rest is jusy falling for marketing hype...