Another engine oil thread

[BSLSK]

So are we saying that a 'High Mileage" blend of Mobil 10w-40 is the way to go now? Or just 10W-40 Mobil in general.

According to Mr. Winkles and Prefix, the way to go for street/light duty is the high mileage blend, especially on cars that sit for some periods of time.

[phantomapollyon]

I've been running 15w-50, ~90% street use in the south, since I got that recommendation from Prefix. (specifically using AMSOIL's 15w-50 Dominator since I'm familiar, trust it, and always get the preferred customer discount) Not that I would have expected anything different but other than a slight, yet calculable, decrease in fuel economy I don't notice any downside.

[PkB2014]

5w50 for all year weather. Being in the south could go 15w50 all year no problem, but I wouldn't got 15w50 up north. Of course most folks up north just but their car in storage for winter so then it's fine.

[nwa_viper]

Mobil One 15W-50 - Summer
Mobil One 10W-40 HM - Winter

[VENOM-TA]

Mobil One 15W-50 - Summer
Mobil One 10W-40 HM - Winter

Lol, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing..
I’ve had 2 Blackstone oil analysis done and comes out with flying colors..

[Pappy]

Just watched a GM video on breaking in the new LT6 in the Z06 Corvette. In the video they stated that they had developed a new oil for this 8600 RPM motor, called Dexos "R", 5W50. They stated the "R" was for racing and that it had been developed in cooperation with Exxon-Mobil. I don't personally know anything about the oil yet, but I thought that was worth doing some research.

[Voice of Reason]

15w50 for 23k miles since day 1. Originally I did it for track use but the past 5 years have been almost all street driving. My engine is noticeably more quiet than my ‘13 where I ran the factory 0w40. I’ve also never thrown a cam code so I don’t believe that bs about how oil thickness is critical for our variable cam to operate properly.

[quickster2]

15w50 for 23k miles since day 1. Originally I did it for track use but the past 5 years have been almost all street driving. My engine is noticeably more quiet than my ‘13 where I ran the factory 0w40. I’ve also never thrown a cam code so I don’t believe that bs about how oil thickness is critical for our variable cam to operate properly.

Actually the 15W50 "mitigated" some issues with new motors and the variable cam. I remember at NVE 2 the recommendation for some to switch to this. For the newer folks just remember to warm up your engine sufficiently prior to getting on it with the higher vis oils. Common sense for any engine really.

[VENOM-TA]

Actually the 15W50 "mitigated" some issues with new motors and the variable cam. I remember at NVE 2 the recommendation for some to switch to this. For the newer folks just remember to warm up your engine sufficiently prior to getting on it with the higher vis oils. Common sense for any engine really.

Yep… I have 15W-50 and start my car, gently pull it out of the garage and wait till 120-140 degrees before driving away..

[phantomapollyon]

Yep… I have 15W-50 and start my car, gently pull it out of the garage and wait till 120-140 degrees before driving away..

I'm glad I'm not the only person. It kind of kills me every time I see random people get in their cars, start them, and then go slam the throttle in the first 5-10 seconds of the engine running.

[Steve-Indy]

As I have said many times before, one critical point one must learn as a pilot (when it's your own ass and not merely your Asp at stake)...never go to takeoff power until one has an adequate oil temp. Cheat on this enough times and the penalty will be severe.

[nwa_viper]

Just got a Blackstone report back on my 15W-50 use.

2CB78D62-0A0C-419F-8B1E-C2C2553D3841.jpg

[ViperJon]

Glad I'm out of the power train warranty now...I literally would dump oil with less than 200 miles on it to adhere to the ludicrous 6 month warranty specs.

[phantomapollyon]

Glad I'm out of the power train warranty now...I literally would dump oil with less than 200 miles on it to adhere to the ludicrous 6 month warranty specs.

Setting aside obvious abuse scenarios, how would anyone ever prove that you did/didn't do it at a certain date/time interval if you were changing it yourself? Don't get me wrong, I've certainly run into situations where I've been asked that question for various vehicles over the years by dealers, but it never really went any further than the question. If someone produced product receipts they could just be for anything or even fake for all they would know. Once upon a time I had a totally stock WRX that spun bearing while under warranty, and they did ask to see oil/filter receipts. I did have the receipts and changed my oil obsessively so I did show them...but how would they have any idea what it was for or how I used them once I bought them. I just don't know that there's any time-reasonable way for an OEM to actually know or do anything with the information.

[ViperJon]

Because you don't want to give them the slightest window crack to possibly deny you warranty coverage, especially on a motor this expensive. They are looking to do exactly that.

[hydronos]

So what oil should I use for a street driven vehicle in socal - 15w50 or 10w40?

[Steve-Indy]

Casual observation:

Mobil 1's 15W-50 has a long and proven history in Vipers...both street and track driven.

Mobil 1's 10W-40 High Mileage formulation is a much more recent suggestion with a considerably more narrow history of real world utilization to date.

Note: both of these oils have been recommended by a high (highest !!) level authority. Make your choice with your own utilization and service schedule in mind.

[Lawineer]

Yeah, allowing oil to warm up is a big deal, ESPECIALLY for thicker oil.

Look at the difference between 0*C (32F) and 20*C (68F). While waiting till it gets much warmer like some mentioned above is certainly "best practice," the you can see it's really the first few degrees. About 100 degrees (40C) is plenty. For most of us, that's not much. Not many Viper miles come with the air temp below 60 to begin with. On top of that, most are in a garage that is at least 60 when they are fired up. By the time you put on you seat belt, put your phone away, back up, and go a few feet, it's probably pretty close. Just let it idle for 30 seconds and take it super duper easy for the first 1/2 mile and you're probably well into "very safe" operating temp.

I worry about it much more for my daily. It gets driven when it's below freezing (and it has turbos). It's not a big deal leaving my house as its in an attached garage, but my office parking garage isn't enclosed. Worse, it's open and 3 stories high.

It would be interesting to see the difference in wear between letting it warm up and just driving very very gently until it's warmed up. Idling for +5 min to warm up when it's only a 10 min drive home means an extra 50% run time (wear time). Wouldn't surprise me if I just better off babying it given how close I live to work.

[VENOM-TA]

I’ve ran both, but have since decided on the 15W-50 full time.. I have a routine either way, start car, gently back out of garage and then let warm up to 140* before I drive off. It’s a weekend car so I’m in no hurry..
and like said before, both of those oils have recommended by Mr. Winkles..

[Mikey]

Mobil 1 0w-40

[VENOM-TA]

Mobil 1 0w-40

Please tell me that’s not what you’re running in that new heads/cam build!!

[AAA96]

Slightly off topic but how long can engine oil last before going bad in the engine?

[Steve-Indy]

Penzoil says 4 year SHELF life for their gas-to-liquid full synthetic...while Mobil 1 has stated 5 year shelf life for their synthetic oils.

I suspect useful life in engine will depend on mileage, type of driving, and environment...Best determined by sequential oil analysis. Blackstone is a good place to do this.

For what it's worth (maybe not much), I had the opportunity to test oil from a friend's Gen II...at a time when the Mobil 1's 10W-30 had been in the car for 4 years and 800 miles. It tested very close to a virgin oil sample of the same oil...
.. including the Total Base Number.

Why push your luck ??

[AAA96]

Well, July will be 2 years on this oil. I have maybe 450 miles on the oil. Between the road being torn up for new water/sewage lines and new bridges in my area, so I can barely even drive anymore.

[Steve-Indy]

I bet all is well. I would just do a very gentle warmup.