The thing that gets me about this thread is, why worry about a little cost in oil. It is the best investment you can make.
You spend $$$$$ on input & output but the thing that keeps it all together you worry about a few pennys. Go for the best oil and best filter and if you spend a few cents more or even dollars who cares.

 

That is the point of this thread.

There is no "best" oil.

There is no "best" filter.

They are all good and will keeping your truck running 100,000s miles without worry.

So, I do worry, but not about my oil. I worry about throwing money away needlessly because I bought into all the hype that you see on TV.

 

It's all about "brand" preference. Which ever brand you are comfortable with, is what you'll use.

 

Exactly. Same as any other purchase.

When Coke is on sale, I buy it. Otherwise, Sam's Choice cola.

Some people have had good luck with Genuine Bayer aspirin, so that I what they buy. An extra $1 a year for a bottle of the "good" stuff just isn't that big of a deal.

I am a generic sort of guy, so I always buy generics if I can find them.

 

Except for trucks, I trust!!

 

Rhetorical question for the guys that want "nothing but the best" for their truck investment: You don't drive around town looking for the most expensive fuel to fill your tank with. Fuel and oil are both consumables and they both must adhere to standard specifications. So how do you justify low priced fuel and high priced motor oil?

Houckster: Not to flame you, but your information on crude oil and petroleum refining is just plain wrong. Where did you get that information from? I'm wondering because I've seen that same misinformation posted before almost verbatim.

 

OK, HORSEPULLER, if the information is incorrect please provide a correction. My information comes from a member of the STLE (Society of Tribological and Lubrication Engineers) and he is also a member of SAE. So until I am shown proof to the contrary, I'll stand by my comments. They may be difficult to accept because of many, many years of indoctrination by the marketing departments of lube manufacturers but the gritty truth is that what they start out with is API SA oil which is useless for any application without an additive package. Now if the oil comes from some wonderful process, tell me how a quart of oil still sells for $1-$1.50 after manufacturing, additive package purchase, transport, marketing, packaging, retail markup etc.

I respectfully disagree. There is a best oil. If one is talking about level of protection, duration of protection and cost of operation, there is definitely a difference between conventional oils and SynLube. What other considerations could there be?

No other oil I am familiar with, either dino or synthetic delivers what SynLube does. No other oil will last 10 years and still deliver almost all of its initial performance at the end of its service life. During the time that the oil I've installed will last, I will save $400-$500 over the 3K mile traditional oil change interval plus almost 2 days worth of maintenance time, not to mention avoiding the production of 120 quarts of waste oil (far more for a truck). These, to my way of thinking are significant changes.

I think it should be kept in mind that SynLube is the only oil of its kind because its performance is directly contradictory to almost any business model which requires frequent purchases such as that required by publically traded corporations. SynLube, on the other hand is an extremely small company that is happy with people not having to purchase oil again for years. The marketing of the big companies is directly intended to define for us that the performance of their products represents the very best that can be obtained and anyone claiming more must be lying. So far it seems a very effective effort. But that doesn't mean their claims are true.

It is not my intention to offend here or to belabor the issue but I have to ask what reason there could possibly be for not using such a product if it truly does what it claims to do which three years of my personal experience seems clearly to validate. It's almost like walking past $200 on the street and not picking it up just because it's not supposed to be there.

Of course, one could deny that any oil could meet the claims that SynLube makes but I have not heard of any study that found that SynLube could not meet its claims and I looked hard before trying it myself.

 

Well, if this "Synlube" is such a great product--both for the environment (less waste) AND the consumer (less overall maintenence costs with equal protection )--why hasn't it gotten alot more publicity? Unless it's NOT proven yet...

If this testimony is correct (not saying it isn't), we all would be crazy not to use it!

 

SynLube is an extremely small company that does no advertising except on its web site (a bit cheesy, lots of good information though). Another part of my answer is in my previous post about a business plan. Just what kind of bank would make a loan to you or who would buy your company's stock when you produce a consumable product like oil that only has to be bought every 8-10 year? Under just about any business model, it makes more sense to sell an adequate product lots of times than to sell a superlative one once. That's why you won't see Quaker State sell it. That's why you won't see everyone selling this kind of oil.

Technically, SynLube is the the best oil because at the price point they sell at, $30 a quart, they can afford to put the best synthetic solid and liquid lubes in and the best additive package. I presented some stats about the results I get with my car (unfortunately not a Ranger) that I don't think I would get with any other oil.

One final point, I've talked with several people who took a big gulp and placed an order. No one has ever gone back.

Crazy not to use it? Well, remember that there's a lot of marketing that we've been exposed to over the years that has defined our expectations about what an oil can do. When someone breaks all the rules, they've got to be pulling a fast one. Right?

 

Not in any practical way because they are all good enough to protect your engine during a normal oil change interval. In 5000-7500 miles, none of these oils has any advantage over the other.

"Premium" gas is better than regular. No doubt about it. But so what? Your engine computer is tuned to run on 87 octane, so the extra money spent on premium is just fumes in your exhaust pipe.

If it makes you proud to be able to go 15,000 miles between oil changes, good for you. I'll stick with what Ford recommends and keep my 100,000 miles warranty intact.

I am sure that there is a "best" caviar out there too, but it's all fish eggs to me, and I ain't eatin' any of it.

As far as $$ savings for my 7.3 PSD, a poster on another thread is running Amsoil. He NEVER changes his oil, but does change his filters (he runs an Amsoil bypass system), adds makeup oil and does regular oil analysis. He has the cheapest syn. oil costs that I have seen, a little under $30 per 5000 miles. I can change my oil for under $20 and have fresh oil every 5000 miles. I can even change my oil every 3000 miles and still spend less than he will.

I enjoy working on my truck, so the time is not an issue.

I recycle my oil, so I do not see a big environmental issue.

I really do not care what you run in your engine. That's up to you. You will also never see me bad-mouthing another oil. I think that they are all good. If Mobil 1 cost $1/qt., I'd use it, but it doesn't so I have to make a decision if the extra $$ is worth it. I decided no. Others disagree.

What I do object to is others telling me that I am wrong for not using their $6/qt. super synthetic. I object to the accusational tone. The implication that I abuse my vehicles.

My engines are treated very well, thank you.

Peddle your potions elsewhere.

 

That really doesn't mean anything. If you have ever studied marketing, you would know that if you market a product as a "Premium" product, then it has to be sold at a premium price. If you price a product too cheap, no one will ever believe it is better than anything else.

Ever heard this:

"Gee, it's so expensive, it must be good."?

Music to the ears of every marketing manager.

 

Houckster: First of all you are begining to sound like a late night infomercial. So please give the SynLube cheerleading a rest if you don't want to ruin it for everyone and get this thread closed.

As to your request for correct information, here goes:

Oil is a primarily a marketing commodity.

I agree.

Dino oil for our vehicles is basically derived from the residue of a barrel of crude that cannot be economically processed into a saleable commodity.

If it can't be economicaly processed into a salable commodity, how does it end up on the market as lube oil?

The first run of stabilized crude oil first yields LSR (light straight run gasoline), naptha, kerosene and diesel. The fractionator bottom product then goes to a vacuum distillation unit where the yield products are LVGO (light vacuum gas oi), VGO (vacuum gas oil) and resid, or asphalt. The resid, residual or residium as it's called can be used to make road base, or is blended back with DVGO (desulfurized vacuum gas oil) to make #6 fuel oil or bunker fuel. There is a further process for the resid called hydrocracking or dynocracking that uses a catalyitic and hydrogen process that yields a little more naptha, kerosene, diesel, VGO and then finally coke. Petroleum coke is the very bottom of the barrel. It can be used in coal fired furnaces or is used in the steel industry in the smelting of iron to make 'high carbon steel.'

Now let's go back to VGO. The vacuum gas oil is processed in a GOHDS unit or Gas Oil Hydrogen Desulferizer. This process yields a little desulfurized diesel along with the DVGO (desulferized vacuum gas oil). DVGO is now the feedstock for manufacturing solvent refined oil (Group I) which accounts for 50% of the lube oil used worldwide and all hydroprocessed lube oil (Group II and III.)

It amounts to about 2 quarts per barrel and the oil is designated API Grade SA when it is basically given away to oil marketers like Quaker State etc.

"It" (DVGO) can make up at least 30% or more of each barrel of crude oil. It doesn't qualify as SA until it's been solvent refined. SA means it has minimal anti-corrosion and anti-wear properties. It's just plain oil with out any additive. It's not anywhere near 'give away' product. It's a valuable trade commodity used as the base stock for motor oil manufacturing.

Motorcraft lubes come from contracts with companies like Conoco that agree to produce a lube to Ford's specs.

Yes!

Even when the oil is basically given to these companies, after transport, packaging, marketing and retail markup are applied, how much of an additive package can be purchased for the oil and still have it cost $1-1.50? Not very much yet the additive package is critical as we all know.

Okay, so now we know base stock cost's money to buy and get it to the market. I agree, the additive package is much more expensive per pound or gallon the the base stock. But it's economic to use because it's blended in the parts per million quantitys.

... yet the additive package is critical as we all know.

Well said and I agree.

 

Wow! That clears things up! Thanks Horsepuller!

 

Wow I am being pulled in all directions in deciding whether or not to switch to Mobil 1, LOL.

 

Hey, if it's stuff that would be normally useless, and we can make a good quality group 2 or 3 oil out of it, it lets us get more utility from a barrel of oil. Conservation in it's purest sense!

Buy dino, it helps solve the nations energy problem!