What is the best synthetic oil? Best oil filter?

[SlvrBullIT]

Originally Posted by marktanner

The oil change interval is already much shorter on the V, 5000 miles, compared to the 10,000 mile interval for the regular CTS. Interestingly, the recommended oil change for my '05 Porsche GT3 is 2 years or 30,000 miles, no matter how hard you drive it! It too was factory filled with Mobil 1.

Larger oil sump, more oil. So not as shearable as the small sump or dry sump some other cars have.

[SlvrBullIT]

Is it possible the engineers at GM might know a thing or two about their car?

They better, but it doesn't mean 3rd parties can't know more than them. It's a well know fact aftermarket air intakes are more efficient than the paper filter small and heavy air inductions they have now, but GM doesn't put them on. Some people are complaining about diff temp lights....where's the diff cooler? Or jeez how about the good ole harmonic balancer piranha on the blower pulley shaft?!...... GM engineers are not the end all knowledge or the pinnacle of the V. I don't think anyone is yet on the V2. However, more proactive preventative maintenance is more than likely "better" for the vehicle than print mandates or the DIC telling you you are at 0% on the oil life. Speaking of people in the know about the V2....Who the heck knows how much brake fluid I need in order to do a complete dump and fill? Didn't see it in the literature and google /epikfails me.

[CADYSHAK]

Question:by changing into a CAI vs the standard box intake filter , do you have to change any of the parameters on the computer ? Is it just a simple exchange ?
CADYSHAK

[1BlinkGone]

Allow me to speak regarding filter media, particularly air filters- I myself for a LONG time have been a K&N user, and fan of their products in general; and fwiw, I come from a fleet maint background for a large utility company. All that said, there was a very comprehensive filter media analysis done a few years back by a neutral firm that was quite an eye-opener... I can't recall who did this, but it was legitimate.

In their published findings: Yes, K&N scored high on airflow...if not the top-dawg. That's all good and well; but the flipside was they were terrible at capturing fine particulate matter. They had nearly the WORST rating as far as fine abrasive particles not being captured by the gauze & oil media.

The filter that rated the best balance of airflow and a high degree of filtration?

The humble Delco air filter.

I went back to paper airfilter media after that & I honestly won't be using K&N anymore unless they have redesigned their media.

[C66 Racing]

Originally Posted by 1BlinkGone

I went back to paper airfilter media after that & I honestly won't be using K&N anymore unless they have redesigned their media.

I had a similar falling out with K&N a few years ago. I had been a long time user, but my track day Corvette was low on power. Took it to my shop and they put it on a dyno and ran it with my K&N. Took the K&N off and replaced with a stock AC Delco paper filter - gained 2 HP. They measured my leak down and it was much higher than other cars with similar run time that they had tested.

I switched to the AMSOIL Ea Air Filter. Similar flow to paper, but much better filtration. Unfortunately, there isn't one out for the V2 yet.

[SlvrBullIT]

What no AMSoil cone filters?

[C66 Racing]

Originally Posted by SlvrBullIT

What no AMSoil cone filters?

AMSOIL does sell cone versions of this filter element.
AMSOIL EA Air Induction Filters

Does the V2 have a cone filter?

My 02 Z06 track car must retain the stock air box per SCCA T1 class rules. AMSOIL makes an EA Air Filter that fits my Z06, but their online application guide doesn't list one for the V2... yet.

[Dallara]

~

Originally Posted by 1BlinkGone

Allow me to speak regarding filter media, particularly air filters- I myself for a LONG time have been a K&N user, and fan of their products in general; and fwiw, I come from a fleet maint background for a large utility company. All that said, there was a very comprehensive filter media analysis done a few years back by a neutral firm that was quite an eye-opener... I can't recall who did this, but it was legitimate.

In their published findings: Yes, K&N scored high on airflow...if not the top-dawg. That's all good and well; but the flipside was they were terrible at capturing fine particulate matter. They had nearly the WORST rating as far as fine abrasive particles not being captured by the gauze & oil media.

The filter that rated the best balance of airflow and a high degree of filtration?

The humble Delco air filter.

I went back to paper airfilter media after that & I honestly won't be using K&N anymore unless they have redesigned their media.

Interesting...

Do you have any sort of link to that study, or a source of where it was published or is perhaps available in print? I would sincerely like to see it.

Decades ago in a dirt bike magazine (and I honestly can't remember which mag it was) they did some comparison tests with paper filters, gauze filters, and foam filters. Best of my recollection of the gist of that testing was the following:

- paper filtered well, but was by far the most restrictive
- worst problem with paper was when it got wet. It literally swelled up and became even more restrictive, but even worse was even when it dried it remained even more restrictive and started to deteriorate
- dry gauze flowed the best but didn't filter hardly at all
- water didn't affect dry gauze's flow or filtering capabilities
- oiled gauze flowed nearly as well as dry gauze but filtered much better, and nearly equal to paper
- oiled gauze was unaffected by water
- dry foam flowed well but filtered lousy
- dry foam filters soaked up water like a sponge which hampered flow but didn't seem to hinder or help filtering
- oiled foam filtered the best of all and flowed nearly as well as the oiled gauze and better than the paper
- oiled foam was unaffected by water unless it was literally drowned in it

The magazine's conclusion was that oiled foam was best overall, as it filtered as good or better than any, was relatively unaffected by water, and was reusable-washable. They rated oiled gauze second best because it flowed well despite not filtering quite as well, was relatively impervious to water, and was reusable-washable. They rated paper third as it filtered well when dry despite having flow restrictions, plugged up and fell apart after it had been wet, and was not reusable. They basically said don't ever use dry gauze or dry foam, period.

Again, that is simply my best recollection of the article, and I can't back it up because I can't remember which publication it came from. Just throwing it out there as an FYI, for what it's worth.

I would really like to see any link, etc. you might have to that other test if at all possible. No doubt it would be quite useful.

Thanks!

Dallara




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[C66 Racing]

Dallara,
Might not be the exact same study mentioned above, but there is one that is an interesting read on another forum, so I won't drop the link. Google "bob is the oil guy" and use the links on the left for the air filter study. There are two links worth reading, the flow test and the filtration test. Not completely scientific, but still a good read. PM if you can't find it. Of note, the AMSOIL filter used in this test has been discontinued and is not the one I mentioned above.

[Dallara]

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Thanks for the pointer to that test, C66.

That was a fun and enlightening read, and I loved how the guy got his wife involved as an objective judge...

"She picked the Amsoil filter darkest, and she sure doesn't care about the results."

I got a real chuckle out of that, as my ex's all used to think some of the things I did in the garage and shop bordered on crazy and damn sure didn't care about any of the results I would get excited about... His comment brought back many memories!

From what I read there I think I'll be stickin' with AC Delco paper filters for my CTS-V, at least for a while. Ditto the AC Delco Ultraguard and/or the Mobil 1 oil filters (which I am convinced are identical filters) and the OEM recommended Mobil 1 oil. The way I figure it the combination of those elements and frequent servicing should be all the V needs for a long and entertaining life...

Certainly there may be better oils... or better filters... but based on what we've seen in this thread I doubt anyone could really go wrong, or do any more damage, to the components of the V using pretty much what GM recommends.

Thanks again!

Dallara




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[rp161]

Take this for what it is worth. When purchasing agents choose what products to buy sometimes based on price
and I'll leave the other up to you. Sometimes it is not the best product but the best deal. In times such as today the best deal may apply more often. When selling millions of products and the possible return of faulty
products there is always a risk. This risk is often offset by profits. The risk is often known by the seller. The law of average is expected but could exceed average. How often did a car company know of a faulty item and did nothing?
This is not aimed at anyone its just my outlook on business and will not apply to all.

[1BlinkGone]

Dallarta-

I will have to look on one of my retired PC's to see if I have that archived. I think I do, but right now is not an opportune time, if I may say so. It's buried in the garage somewhere. If I recall, the info I found was referenced from the Charger forums that somebody had posted as a link. It was a totally neutral test done by a lab. No bias, just test results. I'll see if I have it on one of my Macs...

[Dallara]

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Cool, 1BlinkGone...

No hurries. No worries. If you can find it I would love to see it. Always like to learn something new and gather new data.

Appreciate the reply.

Dallara


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[kck]

As an owner of a new V with only 300 miles on the odometer, I very much appreciate this thread on mileage recommendations for changing fluids during the break-in period. And I especially appreciate the very informative exchange between C66 Racing and Dallara regarding their recommendations on specific fluids and filters for the V. Despite their disagreements, they kept their exchanges “empirically oriented” and very civil -- unlike some of the name-calling that goes on occasionally in other threads where there are disagreements (especially when someone suggests “weaknesses” in the V relative to other brands).

I believe C66 Racing and Dallara (and other forum members) have made compelling cases for both sides of the debate over whether to use Mobil 1 5w30 or Amsoil Signature Series 0w30 engine oil – and I’m sure both products would provide excellent support for the long-life of the V’s very high-performance engine. I was actually leaning slightly in favor of going with Mobil 1, but then I noticed that the Amsoil 0w30 has a slightly lower “start-up” viscosity than the Mobil 1 5w-30. It’s my understanding that start-up is where one typically encounters a good portion of engine wear. And given our very cold Nebraska winters, I’m now leaning a bit towards the Amsoil 0w30, unless I subsequently hear compelling arguments discounting my current thinking.

I get the impression that there is a bit less controversy over the superiority of the Amsoil fluids for the transmission and differential. So I’m currently planning on using the the Amsoil Low Viscosity ATF for the automatic transmission and the Amsoil Severe Gear 75w90 for the differential. Furthermore, AER01 has recommended that forum members not use the Amsoil supplement product for the V’s differential slip (i.e., the AMSOIL Slip Lock Additive). Instead, I’m going with his recommendation to substitute the GM Limited Slip Additive.

The forum feedback also makes me very comfortable in choosing (arbitrarily) among at least 3 high-quality engine oil filters: AC Delco UltraGuard UPF48R, Mobil 1 M1-113, or Amsoil EA050. Although each of these 3 filters appears to be a “step-up” from the factory installed AC Delco PF48 filter, I would be surprised if even the standard Delco filter does not provide very good protection. But given the price of the V (at least for this poor professor), the relatively small extra expense of using the “higher-end” oil filters would seem a small price to pay for some potential additional “protection.”

Although I realize it is probably “over-kill,” just to be on the safe side for the “break-in period” (and based on “collating” various recommendations by forum members), I’m planning on initially changing my engine oil (and filter) at 500 miles and at 2,000 miles (and then every 3,000 miles thereafter). And I’ll initially change my differential fluid at 1,000 miles and transmission fluid (and filter) at 2,000 miles (and then every 6,000 miles or so thereafter).

Kyle

[kck]

I’m making two additional posts because I have a couple of questions for forum members that I did not want “buried” in my (lengthy) post just above. My second post here concerns a “supplementary” (break-in) “coating” that GM apparently includes on the ring & pinion of the V’s differential that I am concerned potentially may be prematurely removed, if I do an “early” differential fluid change. (My third post will discuss issues regarding the supplementary engine oil fluid that the GM factory apparently installs along with the Mobil 1 engine oil.)

As background for my questions about changing the differential fluid in V, here’s some “history” regarding potential problems with the differential in the V2: In a 04-03-09 post, Short-Throw responded to AERO1’s report of his V2’s “weird rubbing/grinding noise coming from the rear differential” as follows: “I'm curious if you were able to restrain yourself when first breaking in the car? This is a lot easier said than done, so no criticism. Aggressive initial starts before proper drive-train break in can result in a noisy differential. On the ZR-1 for example, it sounds like a high pitched noise. There's a coating on the ring and pinion and hard starts prevent proper seating.”

In addition to Short-Throw’s cautionary comments regarding the V2’s differential, I know that the first generation of CTS-Vs had extensive differential problems, as highlighted in the forum exchanges at: http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums...high-tech.html

I realize, of course, that GM has apparently redesigned the differential for the new (2009) V, and it’s my understanding that Caddy engineers did such a great job on developing solutions to the “wheel hop” issue with the earlier (V1) models that Vette engineers “borrowed” this new technology to use on the ZR1s. Nevertheless, I would like to minimize the potential problems with the V2 differential, especially given that I want to add some Wait4me mods from Jesse that will place additional stress on the differential (and other drivetrain components).

Given that the V2’s differential may well be the “weakest” component of its powertrain, I’m adhering religiously to the GM’s recommended “gentle” break-in of the differential (and transmission) for the first 1500 miles. And as noted in my previous post above, I plan on doing my initial differential fluid change at 1,000 miles. My reasoning here is that this “early” differential fluid change should help remove the metal shavings that are produced most prominently in the initial break-in period. Additionally, I have purchased from the FilterMag company a special magnet for the V’s differential that goes on the “inside” of the differential (i.e., requiring that one change the differential fluid in order to install the magnet). So I’d like to get that magnet installed earlier rather than later in the life of the differential. (I’ll do a later post regarding information about this company and their other products for the V, e.g., they also have an “external magnet” for the V’s transmission, in addition to their external magnet for the engine oil filter that some forum members have reported using.)

However, my concern is that GM has included a special “break-in” coating for the V’s differential – what Short-Throw appears to be describing when he says “There's a coating on the ring and pinion and hard starts prevent proper seating“ [emphasis mine]. If true, then GM would seem to be assuming that this “coating” will be present until the owner does GM’s recommended differential fluid change at 50,000 miles (for “severe service”).

So my question is whether this “coating” is at least partially removed when one does an “early” differential fluid change? If it is removed, then can I purchase this GM coating to include as part of my first differential fluid change at 1,000 miles?

Kyle