which is the best motor oil for a mild built ls1... with 52000 miles
i was told to run 15w50 or 10w30 will work fine too im not sure what to run.

 

Wow! Who the hell told you to use 15w-50? Anyways, 10w-30 and 5w-30 is what's recommended for our cars, it's in the manual, also the oil cap says 10w-30. on it.

 

I've been using 20w50 regular Castrol GTX in my 427ci for 7 years. 110,000 miles and still running perfectly.

Go with 10w40 non-synthetic. It really doesn't matter man, 40 or 50 will work. If you're changing oil every 3,000, your pick.

 

10-30 Conventional Valvoline all the way (just my 2 cents).

 

I run 5w-30 Mobil 1, works fine for me.

 

0w30 German Castrol Syntec

 

Amsoil now....before the last change pennzoil platinum.

 

As we can all see....everyone uses different types and weights of oil.

Thats why people put too much stock in what oil to use, it just does not matter. Of course you don't want to use crazy types and weights. But 30's, 40's, 50's.....synthetic, non-synthetic...blah, blah, blah.......they all work. Engine life and reliability is a direct result of changing oil/filter every 3,000, regardless of what oil you use.

I've personally just had the best luck over 20+ years with regular oil, 40 or 50 weight. Synthetics have done zero for my engines or anyone I've ever met, compared to regular oil.

 

i run castrol syntec 5W-40 with an AC delco oil filter!!! no problems at all.

 

i went with 15w50 mobil 1 high performance. seems to be working good so far.

 

where do you find german castrol at these days. i know auto zone used to carry it but last time i looked (about two weeks ago) it was all made in US and no european formula to be found.....

 

Mine still carries it, at least as of a couple weeks ago.

 

think with your dipstick jimmy !


you see that commercial?
i ******* hate it, with just about every other bullshit commercial out there.

anyway, if one were to educate themselves on lubrication and viscosity, and i mean unbiased education based on common practical sense not what the government or your oil cap tells you,

you will quickly find that viscosity is the first and most important consideration when choosing an oil for a specific application. viscosity must be chosen to conform to the speed, load, temperature conditions, and design/clearance aspects of bearings. If one were to read the "practical handbook of machinery lubrication", you would find this on page 8.
If i were you, I would ask what is optimal viscosity, and also specify optimal in terms of wear vs fuel economy/power output because those two are inversely related. If you want max power and don't care about wear, then run a 0w-20 oil or lighter. If you want max wear protection, then you need to run a viscosity that's heavier but not too heavy for the temperature ranges the engine will see. And for what it's worth, if temperature was not a factor I believe the "optimal" viscosity for hydraulic systems regarding wear & component service life to pump & frictional loss & heat generated is 20 cSt. And I thought i read awhile back from noria or machinery lubrication that certain industrial [natural gas] engines where oil is specifically designed for that fuel (methane/propane whatever) was 14 cSt. That was the viscosity that gave the longest service life and best fuel economy, with the engine under constant load maintaining a constant temperature for coolant and oil- oil temperature being the most important because temperature affects viscosity. And those engines are no technically no different other than fuel type, they use babbit bearings and rely on pressurized oil. So ask yourself what your goal is regarding lubrication, what temperature conditions the engine will see for startup, and for operating conditions. Also factor in if you built the motor on the loose side versus stock. per the 2002 gm manual, production clearances of the mains are 0.008-0.0021" and the rods are 0.009-0.0025. the service clearance limits are 0.008-0.0025" and 0.009-0.003". Then look at viscosity #'s for engine oils, sae 30 is 9-12.5 cSt viscosity at an operating temperture of 100C, sae 40 is 12.5-16, and sae 50 is 16-20. Whatever the viscosity at lower temperatures are is determined by the multigrade type of oil, such as 0w vs 5w vs 10w vs 15w and the viscosity index of the oil.

and before those of you who rationalize and say 50wt is too heavy, a 50 weight oil at 20cSt operating at 212F is not too heavy, if it were then the recommended 5w30 oil would be too heavy at 180F.... if 50wt is too heavy at 100F then 30wt is too heavy at 70F... and so on. And for all you folks who blast down the track on 5w30, i'll bet you're oil temp is < 150F unless you purposely idle the car to heat it up in which case the viscosity of your 5w30 in your engine as you go down the track is greater than a 50 weight at normal operating temperatures.
it all comes down to what temperatures the oil will see, and to a lesser extent bearing clearances (not tolerances!).

 

Is it true that synthetic lets your car operate at more extreme temperatures?

I know the Germans during WWII used synthetic oil in their engines, like in their tanks, airplanes, kubbelwagens, etc., so they wouldn't and didn't have frozen oil. Or so I heard from a historian, because he said the Soviets had to keep their T-34's running or warm so they wouldn't freeze up....?

Also I notice in my manual for my Camaro that it says 5w-30 synthetic can go to lower temps than regular 5w-30 can. Does this mean that it can go to higher temps than regular oil too? Or is all this crap? I am just trying to learn more about oil, seems to be a controversial subject about half the time

Also, how and/or where can I get an oil analysis done like I keep hearing people doing?

 

Every thing you want to know about motor oil.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...s.php?ubb=cfrm

Blackstone lab

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html

I just send mine in.

 

like shamwow vince says, "you know the germans always make good stuff"

the real reason synthetic oil was used by the germans is because of Germany having an oil shortage during the war, at that time period it had nothing to do with man-made synthetic oils being better than refined oils. In order for germany to sustain their war efforts fuel was needed, your historian doesn't know anything.

 

Some important things to remember about oil:
1. Cheap oil is usually just exactly that. Quality comes at a price.
2. Keep it clean.
3. If you don't use oil analysis, change it every 3000-4000 miles. If you use analysis, change it when the analysis says it's time, not before. The analysis is 100% definitive about the condition of your oil as long as you do your part in obtaining the samples.
4. NEVER, EVER put anything in your engine oil. Additives are universally snake oil, and some of them are potentially harmful. NONE of them will do what they claim.
5. In a pinch, any lubrication is better than none.

Synthetics are useful in that they are better at resisting sludge buildup, oxidation and are much more resistant to temperature degredation. They will also find a spot to leak from before conventional oils do.

 

5W30

Any quality fully synthetic oil and a good filter. No particular order. Heck I sell Amsoil and I try other stuff too.

The synthetic oil gives better protection at higher engine operating temps, it doesn't breakdown as much as standard dinosaur oil.

Mobil 1
Castrol Edge
Amsoil ASL

Amsoil Ea filter
Mobil 1 filter
AC Delco
Purolator Platinum

 

I run 5W-30 or 5W-40 full synthetic with a Mobil 1, AC Delco, or K&N filter.

Running 15W or 20W anything is pointless. Those oils are meant for race engines with loose tolerances. Our engines are factory, they have much tighter tolerances, so running oil that viscous is only detrimental to performance, wear, and mileage.

When you start your car up on a cold morning, what would you rather have?? A viscocity rating of 5, or 20?? You want immediate circulation and protection, which a 0W, 5W, or even 10W synthetic oil will provide. I can only imagine the noise on startup in cold weather with a 20W-50 conventional oil. Not good for the engine at all.

 

I was using 10w-30 from Amsoil, but then I started leaking oil from my oil pan gasket. Last week, I switched to 10w-40 Amsoil and the leak has stopped for now....

Neither have made that big of difference. It never gets too cold here in Texas.