Kev SS

iTrader: (5)

I was wondering what type of oil is the best for ls1. On the next oil change I wanna put the best in it. It has 5w-30 Penzoil in it now. The oil preassure runs at a 30 at idle when warm. So I was wondering if that had anything to do with it. The chevy place told me not to worry about the oil preassure unless it went below the 20 mark. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Everyone has their own favorites, sort of like sports teams. I've had excellent luck since 98 with Castrol 10-30 GTX. So, I tend to stick with what I know works for me.

4mula4ever

iTrader: (4)

I use Royal Purple Synthetic 10w-30 in all three cars I've owned. Don't know bout everybody else but it's what I like.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

Try a search on this as it has been talked about and discussed about a million times on here.

My 2 cents is if you have under 100,000 miles, go with a synthetic blend of 5w-30 (Mobil 1 or Royal Purple). If you are over 100,000 miles I would stick with a non synthetic blend such as Valvoline or equivilant. After 100,000 miles, if you go with synthetic, plan on having some leaks.

As for the pressure, try a good oil filter such as a Mobil 1, or at least a Delco. Stay away from Frams or cheep filters. I gained 10-15 psi by changing the oil filter from a Fram that my car came with, to a AC Delco one.

As long as your oil pressure doesn't fall below 20 at warm idle, and hits at least 50 at WOT, you should be alright. However the LS1's have been known to have lots of bad sending units, so if you see low oil pressure, it could just be from that.

Again, if you try a search, you will find a plethera of info on all of this. I just pretty much summed it up for you.

ChocoTaco369

made in germany castrol syntec 0W-30 will likely get you the best results. the problem is, it's getting very hard to find. it was previously only available at most autozones. now, most autozones are dropping the oil, meaning we'll either have to order it from them (if possible) or get it online. WS6store.com sells it for $40/case. it's a big pain in the butt to get this oil, but it's really great oil. i used to run it, and i tried running mobil 1 5W-40 - a higher weight - and i lost oil pressure across the spectrum - at idle, under throttle, etc. it's only higher on cold start-up thanks to the 5W. the engine is no quieter, either. so far i've had the best luck with GC 0W-30.

you'd be best advised to stay away from mobil 1 30 weights (5W-30 and 10W-30). they're junk oil compared to what mobil 1 used to be, and they live off their name alone. their 40 weights are much better (0W-40, 5W-40), but mobil 1 ain't what it used to be.

CALL911

iTrader: (17)

You are kidding right? I think if you did a poll on this board (or any other automotive board for that matter) your opinion would be alone on this one as most everyone knows that Mobil 1 is one of the best brands of oil you can put in your car no matter what the weight. Not trying to start an argument here because I have seen many other topics that you have posted on and gotten into large arguments on before and I DON'T want to start one here, but I am just saying most would disagree with you.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Choco is right about his post.

M1 overall isn't what is was years ago (used to be the best, now it's just average). And their 30 weights are not nearly as good as their 40 weights are. You will find all this to be fact if you do some searching in oil discussion forums around the net, or if you speak with LS1 Tech's oil expert (Patman).

I use M1 0W40 for my LS1. It's the easiest of the "better" synthetics to find.

Rhedalert

iTrader: (21)

I have a problem with at least 1 of my lifters getting noisy when I use M1 5W30. I was thinking of trying GC 0W30 but my issue is the 0 weight when cold. Do any of you guys hear valvetrain noise when cold, when using the GC?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I use the M1 0W40 (which obviously is also an 0w when cold) and the valvetrain is quieter when cold (or warm) than it was with the M1 10W30 I used to use.

The GC 0W30 and M1 0W40 are both thicker oils than the M1 5 or 10W30 even when cold. It's just that under extremely cold winter temps, the 0w will have superior cold flow ablities. But under normal spring/summer/fall weather cold starts, the GC 0W30 and M1 0W40 will both be thicker than M1 5 or 10W30.

unit213

I think we need to get Patman in here guys. Sending him a PM...

Travis99LS1

iTrader: (2)

Yup..for some reason my motor definately made more noise upon initial start-up with GC...I had been running that oil for quite sometime..but my last oil change i used M1..and my motor is alot quieter. I Picked up 12 quarts of Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 when advanced auto had the buy one get one deal..Patman actually recommended this oil to me, and said he feels so confident in this oil he may actually run it in his vette...Im probably gonna do a UOA to see how it compares to GC and other oils out there...But either way, when you can get that oil for $2.89qt, you really cant go wrong.

BriancWS6

iTrader: (18)

It's not that Mobil 1 is shittier than it used to be, it's just that other oils have "caught up", and that there's not as big a gap in the top oils to chose from as there once was. But to say Mobil 1 has declined in quality, I think is untrue.

ChocoTaco369

mobil 1 went down the day after exxon bought mobil. exxon has downgraded the oils severely and is living off the reputation of the mobil 1 name. mobil 1 was a great oil when it was owned by mobil. now, the 30 weights are group III synthetics, which is crude oil, just refined a lot better than conventionals. they're not even full synthetics anymore.

do a little research on BITOG (bob is the oil guy) about mobil 1 30 weights. not only are they borderline 20 weights (this is one of the biggest reasons why the LS1 eats so much oil - it devours mobil 1 30 weights...and the 10W-30's are even thinner than the 5W-30's). switch to a better oil like GC 0W-30 or mobil 1 0W-40 or 5W-40 and i guarantee you'll consume less oil and quiet your valvetrain tick.
0W-30 is meaningless. all that means is it has better cold-flow properties. this means that the oil gets into tight places faster at start-up. the minute the engine is warmed up, it's a 30 weight. that 0W is only good for a couple seconds. as soon as your engine is started, it starts heating up. 0W's offer THE BEST startup protection out there, regardless of temperatures. 0W-30's being thin is a misconception. it's a myth. it's ignorance. GC 0W-30 is a lot thicker than mobil 1 5W-30 and 10W-30.

ChocoTaco369

what's the matter, unit? you don't trust me?
no, mobil 1 IS shittier than it used to be. the 30 weights aren't even full synthetics anymore. they were ALL full synthetics when mobil owned them. not only did they completely change the base stock, they reformulated the oils into cheaper formulas. mobil 1 is vastly shittier than it used to be.

Travis99LS1

iTrader: (2)

Yea Choco is right about that..GC is thicker than M1 5 or 10w30...I really liked this oil, and i'm not sure why my motor made more noise with it compared to other oils,especially since its thicker than most of the other oils ive tried..Ive tried Amsoil 0w30 and it made no noise at all...either way..i'm not using GC anymore mainly because its getting harder and harder to find.

unit213

You sure you want me to answer that?

Patman knows oil. Why not bring in our resident guru so he can speak
with facts and data vs. emotional conversation. I often find that data
and peoples gut feel for things vary greatly.

After studying chemical engineering for years and years, you'd think I'd
know a little something about oil. Well...I know that we need it as a lubricant
and that's about it.

Mr Incredible

In 0w-XX oils, viscosity when cold is relative. It's a good thing to be "thin", in fact, in as much as it gives increased lubricating flow at startup (at any temp).

Let me cite some viscosities for various oils at 40* and 100*C cSt.

GC (0w-30) -- 66.8, 12.1
M1 0w-30 -- 63.1, 11.0
Amsoil 0w-30 -- 56.4, 10.4

Castrol Syntec 5w-30 -- 58.2, 9.7
M1 5w-30 -- 64.8, 11.3
Amsoil 5w-30 -- 64.6, 11.5
Pennzoil Plat 5w-30 -- 64.7, 11.4

Castrol Syntec 5w-40 -- 74.0, 14.0
M1 0w-40 -- 80.0, 14.3
Amsoil 5w-40 -- 80.8, 13.7
M1 Turbo Diesel 5w-40 -- 102.0, 14.8

As we can see, the 40*c viscosity of GC 0w-30 is 66.8. This is squarely within the range of popular 5w-30 oils. The 100*c viscosity of GC is 12.1. This is high in the 30w range, but still a 30w.

The popular 0w-40 (M1) is way up there at 80! I'm not sure how anybody could call that "thin" unless they haven't actually looked.

Remember that the engine is designed to run at operating temp, not at startup temp. If your oil is not in the 10.0-ish cst viscosity it is not lubricating properly. Thin at startup is good. Startup noise is often a product of not having a lubricating flow, not so much that the 0w oils are too thin.

Unlimited

I have tried Royal purple, Mobil 1, Amsoil, and some quaker state oil, and German Castrol 0w-30 is totally superior without a doubt! All of those oils burned, and came out crappy looking after 3,000 mile intervals of driving the car. German Castrol did not burn, reduced engine noises (piston slap), and came out looking brand new after 3,000 miles of running it.

****Made in Germany kind only****

I will never use another oil again, no need too....

germeezy1

I use the European formula of Mobile 1 meant for BMW's and Porsches it has a higher Sulfur content than the normal Mobile 1 which is good for the lubricity of the valvetrain.

Rhedalert

iTrader: (21)

good info!