# Best Oil



## Swangin Chrome (Mar 5, 2004)

whats the best oil to use in the max? I race hard every week, although it doesnt burn oil.


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## Jeff (Oct 17, 2002)

My $$ goes to Mobil1 Synthetic.


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## Swangin Chrome (Mar 5, 2004)

what does synthetic do for the car better than 10w-30 Castrol GTX? I run hard all the time.


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## ittamaticstatic (Nov 5, 2003)

I use Castrol 5w-30 because it is easier on the car, plus Nissan recomends it. I tried that time release protection oil on my truck though and it runs real good.


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Hard to beat Mobil 1, especially at around $4 per quart. Most other mass-market synthetics are not really "synthetic" at all, merely highly processed mineral oil. Not bad ... but not worth $4+ per quart. 

Red Line is excellent stuff (jet-engine oil with a heavy, heavy duty additive package) but can be $8 per quart or so. I have some in my 2.5L right now. Not worth it for most applications ... but if your engine has piston slap noise, nothing will quiet it down better.

Where synthetics really have it over conventional oils is at the temperature extremes ... both high and low. Extreme cold pumpability (especially below zero) is much better with synthetics and if your engine has hot spots which reach over 300F+ you might benefit from synthetics resistance to oxidation.

But for short intervals of 3,000 or so miles in moderate temps, both protect about the same. The particluar additive package is more important to wear in this amount of time as compared to the type of base oil: synthetic vs. mineral).

After seeing a lot of used oil testing, I'm convinced there is no _bad_ SL-grade oil, but among current dinos I prefer Pennzoil and Chevron Supreme (Havoline similar/same as Chevron). They both also leave motors very clean while Castrol and some others don't do quite the same job. Valvoline, despite its reputation, has a comparatively weak additive package and I'd choose it _last_ among major brands.

(And no, I don't want 20+ year old stories of Pennzoil sludging up old motors. The stuff has been re-formulated about a dozen times since 1980.  )


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## Maximeltman (Nov 16, 2003)

if i want to make the change to synthetic from mineral, during my next oil chang, do i fill it with synthetic and run the motor a few hundred miles, then change it again?


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

_"If I want to make the change to synthetic from mineral, during my next oil change, do I fill it with synthetic and run the motor a few hundred miles, then change it again?"_

Nope. Just make the switch. If there ever WAS a time when switching between the two was "risky" or required some sort of "special prep," that time has past.

Modern synthetic oils like Mobil 1, Red Line and other reputable brands are formulated to closely mimic the properties of mineral oil as far as seal compatibility goes.


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## mansurxk (Mar 23, 2004)

Bror Jace said:


> _"If I want to make the change to synthetic from mineral, during my next oil change, do I fill it with synthetic and run the motor a few hundred miles, then change it again?"_
> 
> Nope. Just make the switch. If there ever WAS a time when switching between the two was "risky" or required some sort of "special prep," that time has past.
> 
> Modern synthetic oils like Mobil 1, Red Line and other reputable brands are formulated to closely mimic the properties of mineral oil as far as seal compatibility goes.


AMSOIL is supopseldy the best, but itll cos tyou an arm and a leg


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

_"AMSOIL is supposedly the best, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."_

The higher grades of Amsoil are a PAO-based synthetic oil similar to Mobil 1 but usually with more zinc and phosphorus barrier anti-wear additives. Very good and very stable ... but I'm not convinced it's the absolute best.


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## Jeff (Oct 17, 2002)

There really isn't a 'best' oil out there. A lot of them do better in one area than the other.

My uncle works for an oil company based out of Ft Worth. Lubrication Engineers. Their oil is really, really good but a case of 24 is ~$100. Not too bad when compared to Amsoil I suppose (~$70 for 12). I've used the oil before in my car and it lasts a long time without any negativity.
5w-30 Monolec oil...
I'm going to buy another case for my next oil change...


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## mansurxk (Mar 23, 2004)

MrEous said:


> There really isn't a 'best' oil out there. A lot of them do better in one area than the other.
> 
> My uncle works for an oil company based out of Ft Worth. Lubrication Engineers. Their oil is really, really good but a case of 24 is ~$100. Not too bad when compared to Amsoil I suppose (~$70 for 12). I've used the oil before in my car and it lasts a long time without any negativity.
> 5w-30 Monolec oil...
> I'm going to buy another case for my next oil change...


theres a website, its pretty good with people dyno'ing all their oils in their cars... http://www.bobistheoilguy.com


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## seximagtr (Feb 22, 2003)

From what I've read, mobil 1 is no longer a true synthetic, there's only a few left that are 100% synth, most are blends.


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

*mansurxk*, I'm a charter member of BITOG (BobIsTheOilGuy) and it's a great site if you want some straight talk on a lot of oil/lube issues ... but we're not really "dynoing" our cars and comparing oils ... we send in used oil samples for lab analysis ... UOAs. Then we compare wear metals, thinning and other key bits of info to see how well the oils have held up. Hundreds of analyses on that site ... including many Nissans. 

*seximagtr*: _"From what I've read, Mobil 1 is no longer a true synthetic, there's only a few left that are 100% synth, most are blends."_

That is incorrect. Mobil 1, Red Line, Amsoil (most grades), Motul and others offer a full "real" (Group IV & V) synthetic oils. 

There were rumors circulating the 'net that Mobil 1 had gone along with Castrol, Valvoline, Pennzoil, Quaker State, etc ... and had switched their formula to a Group III mineral oil ... but it was not true. SuperSyn is a 100% synthetic ... and a potent one if you want to (modestly) extend your drain intervals. 

For short drains (3,000 miles or less), the better mineral oils (Pennzoil, Chevron & others) offer equal protection because of their new additive packages featuring molybdenum and boron compounds.


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## Swangin Chrome (Mar 5, 2004)

pennzoil better than castrol gtx?


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

*Swangin Chrome*: _"Pennzoil better than Castrol GTX?" _

Yes, I would say so. First of all Pennzoil starts with a Group II+ base while Castrol, last I knew, uses a more common Group II. So, the base oil is more stable ... resists thinning, thickening and consumption. The same can be said for Chevron Supreme (note the "Iso-Syn" label on the front of the blue bottle).

Pennzoil also has more molybdenum anti-wear in their additive package ... and added it before Castrol did. Pennzoil also has boron-based additives and I don't think I have ever seen any of this in any Castrol GTX used oil analysis.

Kind of hard for some people to believe Pennzoil could be better than Castrol GTX because of the 20+ year old rumors that Pennzoil sludges up engines as well as all of that high-performance-oriented advertising Castrol does. Likewise, people scoff at Chevron because of the low price at places like Wal*Mart and Costco. I've seen the UOAs ... these are great oils!


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## Maximeltman (Nov 16, 2003)

mmmmmm....oil...


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