This is my first and only UOA thus far...

We bought our truck 8 years ago to use as a tow pig and a tool to accomplish work and to benefit our lifestyle as a family. Just two hours after buying the truck, we bought our first RV which was a 32' travel trailer that just happened to be 600 miles from home. Since day one in our family, this truck has worked for a living. We have owned a 38' 5th wheel as well and now a 28' 5th wheel.

90% of the time this truck is on the road, it has an RV strapped to the back of it. The other 10% it usually has a bed full of stone, concrete, firewood, etc.

We have traveled cross country and coast to coast several times using this truck. It will take us to AK where I lived many years ago north of the arctic circle if the borders ever open back up.

Before I bought the truck, it was owned by a rancher that hauled horses from Louisiana to Texas and back. Good thing for us though, the rancher cared about his vehicles and took very good care of the truck we now own and are proud to call ours.

Since day 1, we have modified and built this truck around three core goals.

• Reliability
• Efficiency
• Longevity

Over the past 8 years and 10's of thousands of miles towing heavy in all sorts of climates, elevation up to 11,000', conditions and scenarios I have been using Rotella T6 5w40 in the engine as the oil of choice. No additives like Archoil or Hot Shots in the engine oil. A little while back Triax Fleet Supreme came into the light on the FTE as a premium oil that some FTE'rs were swearing by.

Eric (ArmyLifer) recently switched from Triax Fleet Supreme to Tractor Supply Travelers 15w40 and sent off for a UOA. His history of UOA's and the current UOA trigged my curiosity as I have a few personal and trusted friends that swear by conventional 15w40 oil in our north GA climate. These are not people that I would consider the average consumer, they are mechanics who have years and years of using conventional 15w40 oil in many, many applications.

The UOA that Eric received back was eye opening for me as the numbers do not lie. I am a firm believer that word of mouth is a great method of advertising and spreading information, but numbers are just that. There is no opinion, agenda or influence in the numbers.

In an effort to be the most "efficient" with my money and preserve the "longevity" of the 7.3L engine, I figured I would give Triax Fleet Supreme 15w40 a fair shake. Then Rotella T6 5w40 a fair shake and lastly Tractor Supply Travelers 15w40 a fair shake. The first UOA has been accomplished and Rotella T6 5w40 will be sent off for a UOA in ~5,000 miles, then TSC Travelers 15w40 will follow it ~5,000 miles after that.

I will make an informed decision based on oil serviceability, availability and cost. TSC Travelers oil can be purchased on sale for ~$7 a gallon which is almost 3 times less than what Triax or Rotella can be purchased for. The cost is not the primary concern though, the serviceability of the oil and the longevity it provides to the engine is. I will pay the higher cost if that oil turns out to be better suited for my needs. But, if the oil that is fair less costly provides the same level of performance in my application, well that is a no brainer decision in my opinion.

The UOA shown below was from the Triax which was run during a 5,500 mile trip cross country from GA, to IL, to ID, to MN and back to GA as the map route indicates. The entire use of the oil (5,500 miles) was while towing our 5th wheel trailer, none of it was unloaded at any time during the oil usage.




I believe the "Silicon" level is elevated due to our travels out west in desert and dusty climates. I run a Donaldson Blue 6637 filter with an old style Riffraff pre-filter on it. I am curious to see how the Rotella T6 5w40 UOA comes back as that will be after traveling around the eastern part of the country and as far south as middle Florida. Although, comparing the silicon level noted to the UOA that Eric posted a while back, the silicon is very close to his reading of 13.

Triax Fleet Supreme 15w40 UOA is below:

 

The only synthetic I have run is the Rotella T6...and only for the winter. I really don't care what it is, ill run it in the summer. Currently the price point on the Travellers 15w-40 is hard to beat.

 

I see who you visited there. I'm heading that way soon myself.

Isn't SLC spectacular with those mountains as a backdrop?

 

You being in MN have a different set of circumstances and climate to consider than I do. That said, I wanted my UOA and the use of the oil prior to the UOA to be clear and without question. This way, people can digest the information I have provided in order to form their own opinion or plan on what oil to use, or they can completely ignore what I have written.

I do like Rotella T6 and have been using it for years towing heavy. Although, I feel inclined to see if anything better or the same at a better price is out there for my application.

Yes sir, it was a great visit that everyone enjoyed.

Truly a beautiful area of the country and we found it humorous that we have been by his exit more than 3 dozen times in our travels out west and back to the east. We only missed meeting Chet there by about 12 hours...

We often take the route through SLC as well, but this time went north earlier in order to boondock on the public land in southeast ID.

I took this picture out in the middle of nowhere near Monteplier reservoir.

 

So the boutique oil had exactly the same wear as conventional oil? The good news is you could’ve probably run it another 1000-2000 miles longer with the same wear levels.

Even the history of T6 oil does not suggest it offered less wear than a conventional oil.

I found 5k mile OCI was a comfortable place for even extreme use with conventional oil. I recommend my customers change ‘on the 5’s’ (275k, 280k, 285k, etc)

 

^^
This, and 5k is easy to remember.
Why spend more on boutique oil if the cheap stuff works,, and I know I run some foreign stuff that has been good in our fleet both gas and diesel.


And like I posted in some other thread, oil is oil, change it regularly and your engine will last forever.

 

I watch these threads with interest however all the UOA's I have seen with different products that are the correct product have yet to give me a reason to change from Motorcraft 15W-40. I rarely operate in severe cold however heat is a concern as most of my time is spent in the south and we all know Texas is a bit more on the warm side. Even with last February's severe cold of -1 that dumped a rather large amount of snow all over the country and shut stuff down everywhere my truck did not have any issues starting on the Motorcraft 15W-40 or running. I did have a minor romp for a few seconds but no heater block and cold soaked for two days wind chill was brutal just needed a few extra minutes before pulling out.

 

Yeah... you guys in the milder climates don't need to fret as much about oil or EBPVs and those of us in ice country. I run Triax 5-40 exclusively, and the price point is reasonable - when compared to many other synthetics on the Irish parts store shelf.

 

I do my best to stick to the 5K rule and do a pretty good job most of the time.

I am all about using the cheap stuff if the performance of the oil in my application is on par with what I expect. For me, as a detail oriented person, it is worth spending a total of $90 for three UOA performed by Blackstone in order to save $50 on each oil change. That is just me though...

Also, my curiosity got the best of me after I saw the results from the UOA that ArmyLifer received.

You have to use what gives you the most peace and what you feel is best for your application. We know oil is oil and if changed often or on time there should be little to no issues. For me, on a personal level, my curiosity and desire to be fiscally smart has led me to performing 3 UOA's in succession of each other to know what is what. As I mentioned above, I will be into the UOA's for a total of $90, but if I can switch to the TSC 15w40 and receive the same level of performance I will be saving ~$50 per oil change.

That is a sound investment in my opinion, especially since I am a by the numbers and detail oriented person.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions, they are always welcome in the threads I create.

I learned a long time ago living north of the arctic circle that I do NOT like snow or cold climates. I absolutely would be running a 5w40 and most likely stick with the Rotella T6 simply based on the availability if I had to deal with colder temperatures. This is a learning experience for me and anyone else interested in the differences between the three oils that have been run through my engine towing heavy 90% of the time.

I didn't really pay a lot of attention to UOA's before ArmyLifer posted his because each truck, engine and scenario is just a bit different. But, the allure of saving money peaks my interest every time if I can receive the same or a very similar outcome.

I did not notice any noise reduction or smoother running engine with the Triax like some others have noticed. Maybe that is because my 262,000 mile injectors and HPOP are too far gone for the Triax to make a difference. I don't know...

Time will tell what my decision is, but I have 10,000 miles to go before I can make that decision. When I drain the oil on the TSC 15w40 to be sent off, I will probably leave the oil pan dry and drained until I hear back from Blackstone. Once they send me the third and final UOA, I will purchase Triax, Rotella or Travelers and fill the pan back up.

That is the current course of action set forth anyway...

 

Sorry for the thread derail SOUS, but after a few days with the triax 5/40 full synthetic I have notice 2 oddities. It’s weird how these trucks respond to different oil.

1- I feel the truck cranks a little quicker, but it takes an extra second to light off. Maybe the heat in Va lately makes it a bit thin. IDK
2- I have a little vibration at idle, it’s constant at a predictable repetitive moment as the engine idles. It’s noticeable, no miss sound just a little extra vibration in the cab as she idles.

never noticed this with the 15/40 TSC Dino. Only thing I did was an oil change. I’ve driven a 200 miles stop and go snd it’s been consistent.


maybe I should have put this in the triax thread? I’ll cut and paste it over there.

 

@RyeThomas , there is no such thing as a derail in any thread I create. You are welcome to discuss anything you like.

Besides, your comment was about oil and personal experience based and you just switched to Triax Fleet Supreme 5w40, so that puts you squarely on topic.

The vibration at idle you now have since swapping to Triax, is that on a cold or hot engine or both?

I noticed no difference at any running condition between Rotella T6 and Triax Fleet Supreme except that Triax did not require a top off while towing 5,500 miles. I carry a gallon of oil with me during our travels as the truck normally burns a slight bit of oil, like a quart in 5,000 miles, but it didn't burn that much on Triax.

The oil level was slightly lower, but not as much as the 5w40 would be. This kind of goes along the lines of something Y2KW57 said recently when Rotella released a T6 in 15w40. He said he was going to 15w40 as he has less oil consumption compared to the 5w40.

I get it that they are both Xw40... Coincidence maybe... I don't know, but I will keep an eye on the oil level as I typically do with the Rotella T6 5w40 that is in the engine now.

 

If there are three questions inherent in the name Triax.... does that make this oil questionable?

 

My silicon was a 14 on my 9,600 mile OCI on Triax 5w40. Need to send off my sample from last change

 

Hot engine only.

 

Silicon was only 4 on my last 9800 mile UOA with a blue 6637 just hanging there in the dusty engine bay. (I go into a lot of dirt/gravel parking lots fishing for RV trailers to hook onto.) however I am usually careful not to unseal the intake tract unless really necessary. I’ve had reports of high silicon when the CAC system has been left open for awhile while I was fixing or cleaning something, but has never been a problem otherwise. I’d give a quick twist on all the hose clamps between the filter and turbo just to make sure nothing has backed itself off.