Does Oil Brand really matter?
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Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
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From: Annapolis, Maryland
Does Oil Brand really matter?
I've always changed my own oil, but I'm finding less and less time to deal with it. My question is, does oil brand really matter? I've always used Valvoline/Fram filter. Would an ordinary Castrol/Generic Filter change from the Sears Auto Center do any harm? (Besides the guys screwing up my truck; I work for NTB, which is owned by Sears, so they know me)
Any suggestions?
XXL
Any suggestions?
XXL
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 410
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From: NE JERSEY
Does Oil Brand really matter?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-Aug-02 AT 05:58 AM (EST)]There will be alot of different opinions on oil and filters.
Here's mine.
I use Mobil 1 10w30 and a Pure One filter.
I change it twice a year.For me that's about 5000 miles on each change.
I never use Fram filters anymore.Pure One or plain Motorcraft for me.
Here's a site on oil filter comparisons.
http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/articles/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html
Here's mine.
I use Mobil 1 10w30 and a Pure One filter.
I change it twice a year.For me that's about 5000 miles on each change.
I never use Fram filters anymore.Pure One or plain Motorcraft for me.
Here's a site on oil filter comparisons.
http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/articles/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 163
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From: Colorado Springs
Wal-mart will change your oil to Mobil1 or Motorcraft or whatever they sell or your bring in (good pricing on hte mobil and MC oil and the MC filter and PureOne available)...should be $8 charge, and i believe the Ford stealerships will do the same.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 736
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From: Texas, USA
Consumers Union says that there is no measureable difference between brands of oil, or between dyno and syn oils, as far as wear in engines goes, during severe service. They tested a fleet of NY taxis that all had rebuilt engines, then broke them down after 100K miles. No one else has ever spent the $350K to do that so that real life conditions gave valid results, not hype or wishful thinking.
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Who is to say? I lack the emperical evidence to do a thorough comparison. I run Mobil1-Mobil1 and its pricey, I'd rather do that an feel better about it.
No is there a difference between a high grade dino (Valvoline) and those 0.29 per quart brands at Autozone? I think you get what you pay for but there's probably a couple of exceptions at each end of the spectrum.
No is there a difference between a high grade dino (Valvoline) and those 0.29 per quart brands at Autozone? I think you get what you pay for but there's probably a couple of exceptions at each end of the spectrum.
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Postmaster
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From: St. Peter
Oil is oil, the only difference would be the additives in it, and of course the different vicositys. Also wether its dino or synthetic Yeah, i really wouldnt trust the cheap stuff. who knows what they put in there for additives. Just make sure its API certified whatever it is.
Last edited by Peter94; Mar 17, 2004 at 09:52 PM.
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Post Fiend
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Who is to say? I lack the emperical evidence to do a thorough comparison. I run Mobil1-Mobil1 and its pricey, I'd rather do that and feel better about it.
Now, is there a difference between a high grade dino (Valvoline) and those 0.29 per quart brands at Autozone? I think you get what you pay for but there's probably a couple of exceptions at each end of the spectrum.
Now, is there a difference between a high grade dino (Valvoline) and those 0.29 per quart brands at Autozone? I think you get what you pay for but there's probably a couple of exceptions at each end of the spectrum.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: So Cal
Depends who you ask. Like the guy said Consumers ran a taxi fleet test with generic oils etc and found no difference. The gotcha is that we all think a taxi is abused right? The gotcha is that while a taxi is doing short trips etc, it is almost ALWAYS running. The oil does not cycle hot and cold like our engines do. Always running is better for il than short runs and then a shut down over night.
So some of us recommend 3,000 mile changes, others(me) do synthetics, other swear by brand X and Filter Y.
Many of us to choose a brand and stick with that since the additive packages are different betwen brands and we think mixing the packages can result in less performance from the combination. API and SAE spec says that mixing is OK, but we are still nervous about that one.
The key thing is change oil regularly and choose a brand and weight you like and of course meets the specs for your engine.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
So some of us recommend 3,000 mile changes, others(me) do synthetics, other swear by brand X and Filter Y.
Many of us to choose a brand and stick with that since the additive packages are different betwen brands and we think mixing the packages can result in less performance from the combination. API and SAE spec says that mixing is OK, but we are still nervous about that one.
The key thing is change oil regularly and choose a brand and weight you like and of course meets the specs for your engine.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Mansfield, TX USA
Originally posted by jim henderson
The gotcha is that we all think a taxi is abused right? The gotcha is that while a taxi is doing short trips etc, it is almost ALWAYS running. The oil does not cycle hot and cold like our engines do. Always running is better for il than short runs and then a shut down over night.
The gotcha is that we all think a taxi is abused right? The gotcha is that while a taxi is doing short trips etc, it is almost ALWAYS running. The oil does not cycle hot and cold like our engines do. Always running is better for il than short runs and then a shut down over night.
The key thing is change oil regularly and choose a brand and weight you like and of course meets the specs for your engine.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Mansfield, TX USA
Originally posted by jschira
You are 100% wrong here. If you want, I can post links to the several threads explaining why.
You are 100% wrong here. If you want, I can post links to the several threads explaining why.
http://forums.ford-trucks.com/ubbthr...ue#Post1626580
And here:
http://forums.ford-trucks.com/ubbthr...ue#Post1677286
Here is what CR said:
One way to gauge the performance of motor oils is to test them on the road. We did just that, using a fleet of 75 New York City taxicabs. Indeed, the oil industry itself tests its oils in New York City taxis.
* * *
We put identical rebuilt engines with precisely measured parts into the cabs at the beginning of the test, and we changed their oil every 6,000 miles. That's about twice as long as the automakers recommend for the severe service that taxicabs see, but we chose that interval to accelerate the test results and provide worst-case conditions. After 60,000 miles, we disassembled each engine and checked for wear and harmful deposits.
Our test conditions were grueling, to say the least. The typical Big Apple cab is driven day and night, in traffic that is legendary for its perversity, by cabbies who are just as legendary for their driving abandon.
When the cabs aren't on the go, they're typically standing at curbside with the engine idling - far tougher on motor oil than highway driving. What's more, the cabs accumulate lots of miles very quickly, making them ideal for our purposes. Big-city cabs don't see many cold start-ups or long periods of high speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service - stop-and-go city driving.
* * *
Our engineers also used industry methods to evaluate sludge and varnish deposits in the engine. Sludge is a mucky sediment that can prevent oil from circulating freely and make the engine run hotter. Varnish is a hard deposit that would remain on engine parts if you wiped off the sludge. It can make moving parts stick.
All the oils proved excellent at preventing sludge. At least part of the reason may be that sludge is more apt to form during cold startups and short trips, and the cabs were rarely out of service long enough for their engine to get cold. Even so, the accumulations in our engines were so light that we wouldn't expect sludge to be a problem with any of these oils under most conditions.
Variations in the buildup of varnish may have been due to differences in operating temperature and not to the oils. Some varnish deposits were heavy enough to lead to problems eventually, but no brand consistently produced more varnish than any other.
* * *
We put identical rebuilt engines with precisely measured parts into the cabs at the beginning of the test, and we changed their oil every 6,000 miles. That's about twice as long as the automakers recommend for the severe service that taxicabs see, but we chose that interval to accelerate the test results and provide worst-case conditions. After 60,000 miles, we disassembled each engine and checked for wear and harmful deposits.
Our test conditions were grueling, to say the least. The typical Big Apple cab is driven day and night, in traffic that is legendary for its perversity, by cabbies who are just as legendary for their driving abandon.
When the cabs aren't on the go, they're typically standing at curbside with the engine idling - far tougher on motor oil than highway driving. What's more, the cabs accumulate lots of miles very quickly, making them ideal for our purposes. Big-city cabs don't see many cold start-ups or long periods of high speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service - stop-and-go city driving.
* * *
Our engineers also used industry methods to evaluate sludge and varnish deposits in the engine. Sludge is a mucky sediment that can prevent oil from circulating freely and make the engine run hotter. Varnish is a hard deposit that would remain on engine parts if you wiped off the sludge. It can make moving parts stick.
All the oils proved excellent at preventing sludge. At least part of the reason may be that sludge is more apt to form during cold startups and short trips, and the cabs were rarely out of service long enough for their engine to get cold. Even so, the accumulations in our engines were so light that we wouldn't expect sludge to be a problem with any of these oils under most conditions.
Variations in the buildup of varnish may have been due to differences in operating temperature and not to the oils. Some varnish deposits were heavy enough to lead to problems eventually, but no brand consistently produced more varnish than any other.
Last edited by jschira; Mar 18, 2004 at 09:49 AM.
Senior User
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Re: Does Oil Brand really matter?
Originally posted by BigMattXXL
I've always changed my own oil, but I'm finding less and less time to deal with it. My question is, does oil brand really matter? I've always used Valvoline/Fram filter. Would an ordinary Castrol/Generic Filter change from the Sears Auto Center do any harm? (Besides the guys screwing up my truck; I work for NTB, which is owned by Sears, so they know me)
Any suggestions?
XXL
I've always changed my own oil, but I'm finding less and less time to deal with it. My question is, does oil brand really matter? I've always used Valvoline/Fram filter. Would an ordinary Castrol/Generic Filter change from the Sears Auto Center do any harm? (Besides the guys screwing up my truck; I work for NTB, which is owned by Sears, so they know me)
Any suggestions?
XXL
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 0
From: Jackassville
i would say go with any oil that is approved by the national petroulem commsion, supertech is and many other cheapo brands are to thats what counts. When you pay for those expensive brands like castol, valvoine, mobil 1 etc, you are just paying for there TV commercials and the fancy labels on the bottle. ST has been put through numerous rigours tests and it held up just fine. i dont trust there oil filters though after cutting one open there prettey skimpy on filter media.
