Havoline?

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by clarkz71

No, not "any one". Any one that's "API starburst certified". There are plenty of oils that aren't. I've seen plain old 30 weight non-detergent oil in some stores.

True. I thought that was understood.

[clarkz71]

Originally Posted by Flynn

No doubt that's true. If I were going to keep a car forever I would use synthetics.
So for me, I can live with the negligable wear disadvantage "over many miles", because by then I'll be driving something newer.

I can agree with that.

[Cad tech]

Figure this is a pretty hot topic....I personally like to put oil in the engine lol....

I must agree with Clark, Mobile 1 synthetic seems the best for me(my car, as for the wifes caddy hehe)...BUT THAT IS MY OPINION......I also feel if you keep up on oil changes it will be adequete with most API cert oil.....

[EcSTSatic]

So what kind of schedule do you synthetic users follow? Do you ignore the oil life monitor?

[Cad tech]

nope actually go just by oil life moniter

[JohnnyO]

Originally Posted by EcSTSatic

So what kind of schedule do you synthetic users follow? Do you ignore the oil life monitor?

On my dad's car I go by the OLM, I change it at some point when it gets down under 10%. This means about 10 to 12,000 miles. Mom's car does not get a lot of miles on it, so I change it once a year right after they leave for Florida, pull it into the garage and program Storage Mode. It was at 18% this year. With Mobil 1 I've gotten good UOA's on both. Lately I've been using Pennzoil Platinum because it's a bit cheaper and the UOA's seem just as good.

[clarkz71]

Originally Posted by EcSTSatic

So what kind of schedule do you synthetic users follow? Do you ignore the oil life monitor?

I still go by the OLM.

[STS127]

The oil life monitor seems to be pretty accurate in my opinion. Recently I've driven the car a little harder and it has decreased a few percentiles more than an average driving style.

[Flynn]

If one goes by the OLM for oil change frequency, one would be crazy NOT to use synthetics.

[MUGSANDLUKE]

Just needed to interject a real laugh here.
Now you've really won! I'm putting Havoline in my Car, Truck, Boat, Compressor, Lawn Mower, and Snow Blower and everywhere else I can. I'm wiping into my hair and I'm cooking with it right now to fry up some real old fish. Smells like my old '61 Buick after a successful Saturday night date at age 19. I'm cleaning my wimdows with it and I'm giving it away free to my neighbors so all will have only the best. I'm changing all these oils every other week whether they need it or not and adding a new filter every three days. (Can't wait for the discussion on which filter to use.) As a matter of fact I've started drinking it to insure bowel regularity and I'm cleaning my ears with it as well. Is that it? Do I have it all right now? Am I missing anything? Boy I hope not. Hate to think I left anything out. Hah, this is great! You guys are killin' me with 9 pages on which oil to use. I'll bet if we try real hard we can get it all the way up to 12 pages. Keep goin' oil dudes! I'm having a great time just reading all this stuff. And I thought I didn't have a life. For the love of oil! That's got to be all there is to say about oil right? Harvey J. Cadillac is rolling over in his grave! (don't ask who that is, I made him up). This is better entertainment than a good day with a picnic lunch, a dozen beers, and a warfside seat at a boat launch ramp watching the human race degrade itself by example. I can't be the only one that sees this as a little excessive. Please, someone else chime in here and let me know that there is still some sanity out there. Wait, I have to go refill my glass. I'm out of 5w-30. Be back later to catch up on the juicy tidbits I may have missed. TTFN!

[Ranger]

I'm with you Mugs. See post #55. Oil is oil. Pick one, use it and change it when you should.

[clarkz71]

Originally Posted by MUGSANDLUKE

(Can't wait for the discussion on which filter to use.)

Why AC Delco PF61 of course !!

[codewize]

LOL no way, it's WIX all the way for me.

Originally Posted by clarkz71

Why AC Delco PF61 of course !!

[MonzaRacer]

OK so I will interject some much needed information so as to let everyone use informed decission over spin the "oil' bottle.
So i am goin to quote Lee Culbertson of Royal Purple from the Dec 06 CHP magazine in these next parts.
"Lubrication can be broke down into 3 states. Hydrodynamic lubrication describes the ideal situation,where a continuos film of fluid(oil) seperates 2 sliding surfaces. The viscosity of the oil supports the entire load between moving parts and prevents them from touching.
On the other hand, boundry lubrication is the last line of defense before metal to metal contact occurs, ?when oil is squeezed out from between moving parts in high load areas (ie:main journals and main bearings),all thats left to prevent excessive wear are antiwear additives. Mixed film lubrication is a a little of both, where some oil has been squeezed out but a marginal coat of oil is still present. Oil is present in each state somewhere in the engine, which is what makes formulating oils so complex.
'Unfortunately, you cant have hydrodynamic lubrication under all conditions, which makesthe additive package of an oil that much more important.' Lee explained"
what this means is that all oil companies have to one meat a certain spec or rating and it has to actually hold up under testing orthat oil company would get a VERY bad rap for failure.
NOW to lay down a little more proper information on Synthetic oils:
According to Lee," a popular misconception is that synthetic oil is magicly created in a beaker. The truth is, all oil comes in a natural state, and all oil starts as crude.
The difference between them is just a matter of how that crude is processed. synthetic oil is highly refined crude with molecules that have been realigned by man (ie a designer lubricant so to speak). this makes them significantly different from what came from the ground.
As a result synthetics have a uniform molecular size and lower traction properties, there by reducing friction.
Crude has a lot of impurities, but they are removed during refinning when formulating a synthetic oil.
how ever its not saying that they are better than mineral based oils.
these days additives are more importent than whether base oils are mineral or synthetic.
Now let me give you some food for thought, you like distilled water in your coolant so the coolant isnt fighting the chemicals and contaminants in it and better protecting your cooling system rather than putting in chlorinated, hard, floridated water in your radiator.
So with that think of this synthetic is like putting highly pureified, distilled water in your cooling system but in a much more important system.
Also synthetics have higher heat tollerances, less non refined out "trash" , and can use additive packages better while the base molecules will be more stabill and break down less easily under heavy use.
And another thing that was stated but i dont remember who wrote it, consider this if you go by the oil life reminder/guage/light which is guided by an algorithum using your driving habits, and you only change your oil every 15k to 20 k lets say that wouls only be 5 oil changes (with 20 k per life cycle) per 100k on your car.
So here goes;
synthetic oil change with light
$5 x 8 = $40 oil
$5 x 1 = $5 filter
$45 x 5 = $225 x 2 (for 200k)= $450
conventional oil at every 3k
$1.75x 8= $14 oil
$5 x 1= $5 filter
$19 x 33 changes = $462 for first 100k and $ 924 for 200k
So if we use the figures as stated its almost double to change with conventional oils on a severe use regime.
BUT if we do use a superior synthetic oils and follow the OLM then you can spend less AND if you or the better half just happen to not have cash or time to get it changed you can go another 500 miles till you change it with no fear.
REMEBER the oil life montior is just computing your driving habits but has no continuos memory of how hard its been ran before,,, it get cleared every trip it doesnt even use engine mileage to figure out when it needs changed it simply goes by hours ,engine speed/temp/load. it doesnt even know that 3 oil changes ago you had a water pump failure and ran it home in limp home mode. And while it may have had you change it short then (or you did as a good owner should) it has knowledge of how hot it got or how much damage could or was done at the time of that repair change.
I can stand by certain types of oil that i like and I really stand by the use of synthetic oil.
I also have another tip that i like to relate, as a technician I have used many different types of penetrants for rusty applications, but after some problems with rusty suspension aprts i actually figured out that after heating the part that has stuck threads I use synthetic oils (I drain the dregs from my oil change bottles) in a dedicated squirt can and get'em hot then soak it down and as it cools it will wick the oil in to the hot expanded threads and break it free and lube it up good AND it stays there longer.
i have also seen several high HP/RPM engines loose oil preasure and come back no worse for the wear but the same failure has happened and it trashes an engine build.
I have a friend who i switched to synthetics and he drags his car every weekend (355, all forged, solid lifter cam etc) and because it used a soild cam he never got the pecking lifters and ran 4 complete back to back rounds and rove home with no damage to bearings (much to my surprize) and only slight scuffing on one piston. Reason being was he had some wiring problems (which knocked out his electric guages) and shorted the oil light ON (yes he left it in play) so he checked it with mechanical guage ,it had preasure before race at home, figured it would be fine as it had so many times before. He snapped the drive shaft to the oil pump and never figured out it had no oil PSI. BUT all we did was replace the scuffed piston(as the set comes with 10) slid in the old rings another new oil pump and drive shaft(as I wasnt sure if it was pump failure or debris) and it still runs and he drive this car every day to work.
He ran 20W50 Valvoline till I swapped him over to 15W50 Mobile 1 synth. AND upon do so he gained a .10 th of a second with no other changes (he uses PF35L Delco filters).
And he told me the engine uses less fuel as he usually went through 6 gallons in a race night it no only uses 4.8. And he uses same gas at same pump at same station and had always used same amount. He ask if they had done anything to the pumps or nozzles and was told no.
Anyway run what you like BUT make informed choices and remeber the old oil of yesterday is gone so this is why yopu now see synthetic blends coming to the fore front.
good luck to all.

[GreenMachine]

here's some other info on the OLM:
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/...qa_040104.html
On a the pre-2000 Northstars which are dino oil based you will never have it tell you to go over 7500 miles, and themanual says don't go over 6 months. Post 2000 engines are factory filled with mobil 1 and will say 12,000 miles or 12 months, but never over those figures and the manual states never let it go over a year.

You'll almost never have your OLM go the distance unless you use it to drive to church on a sunday 20 miles each week on the highway. Very light engine load.

On the otherhand my car has gone just over 1500 miles since the last oil change, I've made more short trips, short stops, and the weather has been cold so the car doesn't even get up to full temp on a lot of those short trips. It currently says 51 percent oil life left. Which would put me that 3-4 thousand mile interval if the trend continues.

This time I think I'm going to do a UOA just to see whats going on in there, cheap car guy entertainment :P