YOUR favorite OIL????

I don´t. Worst crap you can pour in your engine, they are good advertisers though. I think those racing oils have nothing to do with commercial Mobil1, they are most likely single grade polyolesters without any cleaning additives. Just in Mobil1 can for fans at the pits to see.

 

Like getting a kegger of black label beer & putting a heineken label on it so your friends think you have the good stuff?

 

Excellent post CP1. I do have to coment on one part. In the first paragraph you state "A 5w40 is only "thinner" in that the impurities that are typically in a 15w40 have been removed by further refining. Both are 40 weight oils." I am not a chemist and i do not claim to know anything about oils, only the miniscule i have read on it. If i understand correctly, polymer blends etc affect how the oil reacts to temperatures, etc?
And agree 100% about the synthetic "blends". I always question the "blend" ratio?
Please correct me if i am wrong!

 

You are correct, black dog, Polymers are used as viscosity improvers in traditional oils. That is how the more traditional oils are able to do the 5w30, 10w40, 15w40 thing. That is why, contrary to what some believe, a large portion of a gallon of oil you buy off the shelf is actually additive package with viscosity improvers included in the mix. The actual base oil only makes up maybe 60% of what you get in a gallon of oil. When you move up the ladder and get into synthetic territory, viscosity improvers are not a big part of the mix. Group III will still use some, but Group IV's, use the lowest amount of VI. That is mostly because Group IV's, being made from natural gas, have extremely uniform molecular structure.

Think of these molecules like marbles. Group II oils (tradtional 15w40), the marbles are all over the place in how they look... oblong, flat on a side, jagged edges, etc. They need to have a high level of viscosity improvers to counter this and make the oil flow in colder weather. But you can only go so far. A group III (most name brand synthetics on the shelf), is a group II processed further to remove as much of the irregular marbles as possible. Thus a lower level of VI is needed to get oils to flow and react correctly to different temps. When you get into Group IV synthetics (Amsoil, Royal Purple, some of the Mobil 1 line, Schaeffer 9000, etc), being made from Natural Gas and commonly known as PAO based oil (polyalphaolefin), the marbles can be "selected" for uniformity as opposed to to having to refine out the irregular marbles. You can get an extremely uniform structure that requires little in the way of viscosity improvers and then you can get grades like 0w40 with no trouble. Also the more uniform the marbles, the less they will be prone to "shearing" under heat and pressure. This shearing, over time, can make a 40 weight into a 30 weight oil. The synthetics are less prone to shearing and will keep their viscosity rating better over time in an engine. In other words, it is more resistent to breaking down. And being extremely uniform in structure, they will flow in colder temps than less uniform oils. But they also are so uniform in structure, that the additive package in these oils have a hard time staying in suspension in the oil. So a small amount of Group III is added to counter this.

So, you can get only get into 15w40 or, at best, 10w40 with a group II traditional oil. In able to get into 5w40 grades, you need synthetics like group III and group IV, but when you get into extremes like 0w40, it requires using primarily group IV. The more round and smooth you can make the marbles (molecules) the better they move with little resistance. Similar to how a round ball will fly when you throw it and maintain a trajectory compared to a throwing a tin can. They may be similar in size, but the shape determines how they fly. With Group II oils, there are a lot of tin cans in the oil. Group III, a lot of the tin cans are removed. Group IV, only round balls are selected to begin with. This is why some call these group IV's "true" synthetics, and poo-poo the group III's as not being "true" synthetics. Even though they are very similar in characteristics, especially in regards to a 5w40 we can buy most places.

It is the "smoothness" of the molecular structure that makes synthetics seem "thinner" to some. They are not thinner, only more uniform and flow easier. This gives synthetics the edge in colder weather and getting into tighter places in an engine compared to traditional oils. And it is harder to shear (knock the edges off) a synthetic, like trying to knock the edges off a round ball than it is a block of wood. And it gives synthetics the edge in efficiency and fuel economy.

Are they worth it? Generally, yes. But each person has to determine what they need and what they want. There is nothing wrong with tradtional 15w40 oils. They do a fantastic job considering what we put them thru. And most folks will do just fine with them. If one is operating equipment at extremes, then the synthetics give an advantage. One just has to determine what the cost vs. reward is. Look at what you are doing, where you are doing it, and your oil change intervals. If a person is doing normal hauling in the lower tier of the country with typical 10,000 - 15,000 mile OCI's, then the benefits (and cost) of a synthetic are hard to prove. For people doing something outside of these conditions, then synthetics are worth taking a look at. As engines get more complex with all the emissions and fuel efficiency standard being implemented, my guess is that synthetics will become more of the norm than the exception. With the 2014 standards coming, OEM's are considering factoy fills of 5w30 synthetics in class 8 heavy duty engines.

The times, they are a changin'. It is not going to be "your daddy's way" of doing things anymore.

 

If you want to have some fun, stick a quart of syn 5w40 and one of conv 15w40 in a freezer. In a couple of days check out how they act .

I use rotella t6 from Wally world . Change it around 18k . I know it's a waste , but it works for me.

 

I wouldn't say it is a waste. T6 at Wally World can be had at a good price. And if it is doing what you want, then no complaints, right?

I am doing a similar thing with Delo 400 LE 5w40 synthetic. I get a good price at Wally World. I may take it a little longer than you, but even I have my comfort level. Even though I am using a bypass filter, I just have never been comfortable taking an oil change beyond 30,000 miles. Many times between 20,000 and 30,000. Cheers to those that can sleep well taking oil changes out to longer intervals.

 

I didn't know you could go so far between oil changes.Maybe i need to do oil samples?
I change every 10,000 to 12,000 miles,or once a year for me.
I don't think I would go for 2 years. 90% of my truck use is winter time hauling.
John deere 0w-40 is spendy about $29 a gallon. But I use it in all equipment works really good in the loader tractor in winter, starts good at -30 sometimes not even plugged in.
I have seen no change in oil pressure from 15w-40 to 0w-40. Other than when its really cold the 0w-40 gets oil pressure faster than 15w-40, it seem as if the engine runs smoother with 0w-40.
The other benifit from running 0w-40 is that at -30 you can pour in out the jug when you need to add oil, 15w40 is almost like molasses.

 

Well, 379wheathauler, just about every oil being made for heavy duty diesels can go beyond 10,000 miles. Virtually all OEM's have taken their recommended oil change intervals, including CAT for everything after 3406E, to 25,000 miles or more. Everything is conditional though. Cat, for instance, will recommend 25,000 if you are getting better than 6 mpg and gross no more than 80,000 lb. Otherwise, they go back with the 15,000 mile recommendation.

But, we all have various comfort levels on what we can deal with. Many like, and no matter what, are going to stick with 10,000 mile OCI's. I can't state that they are fools for doing so. It sure isn't going to hurt anything. I don't buy the "it is cheap insurance argument" though. If that were the case, then changing the oil weekly would be even better, wouldn't it?

In my case, my DDEC IV Series 60 has a OEM recommended interval of 15,000 miles. I can only take it to twice that interval before my rear end starts to pucker up. Even though all my oil samples say it can go longer. The newer DD15's have wild oil change recommendations.... 50,000 miles or 1280 hrs! And I have seen many go with that and have no problems.

You might consider another synthetic at a better price though. JD has a darn good oil, but all of the major brand's synthetics are just as good and can be had for up to a third less price than you are paying. At least at places like Wally World type locations or Farm and Home supply outlets. But nothing wrong with what you are doing, if it meets your needs and you are comfortable with it. As for the cold flow pour points on all of these, it is at or below -40F/C. So you would have the same level of protection at extreme cold.

I agree with you, at least once a year changes if one is not racking up big miles or hours. Condensation in oil with an engine that doesn't get used all the time can increase acid concentration in engine oils. No matter what, all my engines on my farm, regardless of how little used, are going to get an oil change at least every fall as part of my winter prep regimen. it is always a good measure to take oil samples at least occasionally. It can help catch something going on inside that engine. Increased iron levels, copper levels, lead levels, etc in an oil sample can let you know that something is wearing out and had better be looked at before it becomes a major problem.

 

"COWPIE1", can you pm to where you purchase your oil from and would they ship to komifornia or is there another distributor out west ?

 

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