Oil recommendations?
Valvoline VR1 10W30 Conventional Oil and Wix 51522 Oil Filter for the trucks. It's a little taller and holds/filters more oil.
That's what I run and recommend to anyone who has an upgraded valvetrain.
That's what I run and recommend to anyone who has an upgraded valvetrain.
^^^ +1. Can't go wrong with Valvoline vr1. We use Brad Penn Grade 1 5w30 partial synthetic to give a little more protection on cold starts but either would be a good choice as long as you're not running cats.
I run German Castrol in all my other cars. For a stock LS1, it's more than enough.
It conforms to the SL rating, not the newer SI rating. SL allowed for more ZDDP type additives, which the EPA deemed bad since it ruins catalytic converters... after like 100k miles.
VR1 I believe loosely conforms to SI, but since it's an "off-road use" race oil, Valvoline puts lots of anti-wear addictive in there. You can get the NSL version, but it has no detergents and doesn't really provide additional protection. So you have to change your oil every 500 miles or so. Conventional VR1 oil is about every 3k. The synthetic provides no additional benefits, but costs twice as much.
Btw, two things to look for in an oil are anti-wear and cushion. This is especially important on bearings that see a high load or valvetrain items like rocker arms or cam lobes that see direct loads. Oil acts as a shock absorber in this instances as the loads aren't trying to sheer the oil apart like a piston riding up and down the cylinder.
So, you want oil that has extremely high anti-sheer properties as well as high-levels of cushion. The VR1 oils are always near the tops of those types of tests.
It conforms to the SL rating, not the newer SI rating. SL allowed for more ZDDP type additives, which the EPA deemed bad since it ruins catalytic converters... after like 100k miles.
VR1 I believe loosely conforms to SI, but since it's an "off-road use" race oil, Valvoline puts lots of anti-wear addictive in there. You can get the NSL version, but it has no detergents and doesn't really provide additional protection. So you have to change your oil every 500 miles or so. Conventional VR1 oil is about every 3k. The synthetic provides no additional benefits, but costs twice as much.
Btw, two things to look for in an oil are anti-wear and cushion. This is especially important on bearings that see a high load or valvetrain items like rocker arms or cam lobes that see direct loads. Oil acts as a shock absorber in this instances as the loads aren't trying to sheer the oil apart like a piston riding up and down the cylinder.
So, you want oil that has extremely high anti-sheer properties as well as high-levels of cushion. The VR1 oils are always near the tops of those types of tests.
Unfortunately if you ask this question a thousand times you will get a thousand answers. My advice would be to spend some time on bob is the oil guy and decide for yourself. I jumped on the Mobil1 train when I first joined here but have since moved to shell rotella t 15w40 and a purlator filter. It is all a personal choice about the tolerances you want to see in the engine. Just look at the data and come to your own informed decision.
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When it is said tht high ZDDP oils "ruin" cats, what does that mean exactly? Do they just inhibit their ability to catalyze chemical reactions or do thu actually clog them up. The former would be tolerable but the latter could lead to a performance deficit.
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It conforms to the SL rating, not the newer SI rating. SL allowed for more ZDDP type additives, which the EPA deemed bad since it ruins catalytic converters... after like 100k miles.
VR1 I believe loosely conforms to SI, but since it's an "off-road use" race oil, Valvoline puts lots of anti-wear addictive in there.
VR1 I believe loosely conforms to SI, but since it's an "off-road use" race oil, Valvoline puts lots of anti-wear addictive in there.
API increments the ratings in alphabetical order.
SL
SM
SN
"Ruin" is an exaggeration.... The VR1 oil conforms to standards common in the 90's. I think cats were rated for 80k miles or so back then...I can't remember exactly.
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I use Castro Edge 10w 30 (gold bottle) my valve train seems to be quieter with this oil. I've tried all the other of the shelf full synthetics and they perform great, but have a noisier valve train.
In short OP you can't go wrong with a quality synthetic with a quality filter.
In short OP you can't go wrong with a quality synthetic with a quality filter.
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From: Wilmington de
10w30 the best??
10W30 is the best VR1 oil.
Mobil 1 5W30 is pretty thin. Most folks notice a bump in oil pressure when switching to a thicker oil, like the German Castrol 0W30 or VR1. But M1 is a good oil.
Mobil 1 5W30 is pretty thin. Most folks notice a bump in oil pressure when switching to a thicker oil, like the German Castrol 0W30 or VR1. But M1 is a good oil.
I realize it's an exaggeration, which is why I put it in quotes. So, do the cats get clogged up or is it simply that their ability to catalyze reactions is diminished?
