I was getting my oil changed at a Petro in California and the service manager was trying to talk me into using Mobil 1 oil. I have always used Shell Rotella and would not change. The service manager said that most owner operators now days use Mobil 1, I told him that I find this hard to believe so I thought I would put this out there and see what you guys use.
Tnx
Tim
What brand of oil do you run?
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by fireba11, Aug 29, 2012.
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Here we go again.... another chevy vs ford vs dodge debate.
There are so many good oils out there that there is no "best" oil. Besides, as much as marketing would like to say one thing, virtually all the base mineral oil for the North American market is made by one company.... Motiva (shell) out of Port Arthur, TX. Easy to look up and prove. Same for most of the additive packages for N. America... most of them are put together by one company... Infineum. Sure, there will be very minor differences between brands, but if you took all the big name brand HDEO and run a virgin oil analysis on all of them, they would be strikingly similar. Delo edges out the others when it comes to zinc content (anti-wear additive), but only slightly. The CJ-4 specification does not allow much leeway in engine oil formulation. It isn't like it was 20-30 years ago. Just find a recognized oil that is a bargain and stick with it.
I will concede that some engines will prefer a particular brand. It is very similar to some .22 rifles shoot best with a particular brand of ammunition, while that same ammunition doesn't perform as well in another rifle. Just one of life's little mysteries. But all the major oils are good oils. If something is working good for you, it is cost effective, then by all means, stick with it. I have my preference, which will probably not be some other's preference. Doesn't make either of us wrong.
To the original post, Mobil Delvac 1 is a solid synthetic oil. But so is Schaeffer 9000, and the synthetics offered by the other name brands. But the only real advantage to going with a much higher priced synthetic oil, is if you are running a bypass filter, doing regular oil sampling, and extending your oil drains. Within a typical 20,000 - 25,000 mile (or even less) OCI like most people use, there is very little benefit to spending more money for a full synthetic. A synthetic blend, maybe, but not a full synthetic.
And as to whether one brand of synthetic is a "true" synthetic or not, is pure marketing junk. There are two major groups of synthetic.. Group III and Group IV. There is also Group V, but none of that is made for engine use. Group III is made from mineral oil, and Group IV is made from natural gas. Both are very similar in performance and, truth be told, all of even the Group IV synthetics like Mobil, Amsoil, Schaeffer 9000, etc also have a mix of Group III in them. Schaeffer is honest about it, they make it quite clear that their 9000 oil is a 75% Group IV and 25% Group III. That is required to keep the additive package in suspension, as Group IV's by themselves are not the greatest for keeping additives in suspension. All of the brand name synthetics are great oils. I recommend them, but only if one has extreme operating conditions that require a synthetic, or they are going for long drain intervals. Otherwise it is not money well spent. Unless you just like spending money and it makes you feel better.Last edited: Aug 29, 2012
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