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Best Synthetic Oil (and why)

Which synthetic motor oil is best?

  • Total voters
    257
I am running Amsoil in my Dodge Cummins. I drive 3-5K a month for work so changing my synthetic oil every month doesn't sound like alot of fun. I am currently going 15K on my oil changes. I use Amsoil 15w-40 diesel oil and this last time I used Fleetguard Stratopore filters that I changed every 5K. I am going to do an oil analysis on the oil when I change it to see what is going on with the oil and the motor.

My next oil change I am going to use Amsoil 15w-40 diesel oil with an Amsoil EAA filter and sample it every so often to see how the oil is.

Harley
 
P.S. I also use Amsoil in my diffs on my Cummins and soon I will be changing the oil in the tcase & tranny to Amsoil synthetics. My K5 uses Redline Synthetic in the diffs and will be gettting Amsoil 15w-40 diesel oil in the motor next oil change.

I use Redline in my offroad trucks diffs because it is SUPER HEAVY and sticks to everything really well. It is a 75w-250 oil that is shock load proof. It has worked really well for me so I will continue using it since Amsoil doesn't make a gear oil that is rated that heavy. Everything else gets Amsoil.

Harley
 
Believe it not I use the Wal-Mart "Super Tech" full synthetic 5/30 motor oil which meets or exceeds the latest North American and European new vehicle warranty standards. So why spend big $$$ when this oil is just as good?

My 2cents

Dan..
 
All I use are Wally World Tech lubes and fluids in all my (5) vehicles. I have full faith in their products. I have been using their syn oil for many years now. $12.89 for a 5 qt jug is hard to beat. My K5 has had a steady diet of wallly world lubes/fluids for over 7 years from the radiator to the rear end with absolutely no ill effects. I see no reason to pay big dollars for the fancy high price spread. I have better things to spend money on than high dollar oil/lubes.
 
I've always heard that Royal Purple is the best but I use Mobil1 cuz it's cheaper. :rolleyes:
 
From what I have heard Redline is the best followed by Royal Purple. If I remember right Redline starts all its oils with the highest quality true synthetic basestock oil (level 5).

I personally love my Amsoil for the best quality oil for the price available (especially since I get it cheaper cause I'm a dealer :D ) If you guys are happy running the lowend Wally World Synthetics then good for you. Just because an oil meets a certain spec doesn't mean it is as good as the other oils above it. Many of the better oils well exceed the spec sheets for the oil.

Harley
 
Hossbaby50 said:
If you guys are happy running the lowend Wally World Synthetics then good for you. Just because an oil meets a certain spec doesn't mean it is as good as the other oils above it. Many of the better oils well exceed the spec sheets for the oil.

Harley
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Yeah but really do you really need that kind of protection? I mean for basic OTR and wheelin.? When i was racing and money was on the line I paid for premium oil. But for a DD 4 wheeler come on. There is a point where the cost of a high priced oil far out weighs any on the small benefits you may gain by using it. If someone wants to pay 5,, 7 9 dollars a quart for oil great! Its a good feeling to know your engine is protected to the max. But I like the feeling of 50 bucks in the bank better than 50 bucks or so in my crankcase.
 
Im sure its been mentioned but i will reiterate..

Almost all synthetic oils are made from regular oil including valvoline and mobile 1


The only two i know for sure aren't are Royal purple and amsoil. (mebbe reline too) These are made 100% from synthetics and are better then other sythetics in all catagories period.
 
camarossguy2 said:
Im sure its been mentioned but i will reiterate..

Almost all synthetic oils are made from regular oil including valvoline and mobile 1


The only two i know for sure aren't are Royal purple and amsoil. (mebbe reline too) These are made 100% from synthetics and are better then other sythetics in all catagories period.
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RP and amsoil are a combination of PAO ( poly apha olefins)and various esters. just like everyone else. redline is different - it's almost 100% ester.

esters are gentle on seals, but they attract moisture like nobody's business.. esters are blended with PAO's, to counter PAO's aggressivness on seals.. the pao/ester blend is common 'cause it's cheap to make.

The term "synthetic" refers to the petroleum molecules being synthesized to the point of being the same size.. that's where their cold - flow characteristics come from.

seriously, if you want to get educated on oils, study the field of industrial lubrication.. those guys use their equipment, and need to keep it alive. we car and truck guys are just playing around, compared to them.

Tom
 
4by4bygod said:
RP and amsoil are a combination of PAO ( poly apha olefins)and various esters. just like everyone else. redline is different - it's almost 100% ester.

esters are gentle on seals, but they attract moisture like nobody's business.. esters are blended with PAO's, to counter PAO's aggressivness on seals.. the pao/ester blend is common 'cause it's cheap to make.

The term "synthetic" refers to the petroleum molecules being synthesized to the point of being the same size.. that's where their cold - flow characteristics come from.

seriously, if you want to get educated on oils, study the field of industrial lubrication.. those guys use their equipment, and need to keep it alive. we car and truck guys are just playing around, compared to them.

Tom
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Oh yah?? i watched it on "modern marvels"

Lol...

actually, my roomate had a whole collection of books on racing engine design and even one big one totally dedicated to oil and oilling sysytems.
 
Didn't read the posts... Any vendors, how much???

I'd like to buy some Amsoil, as Wally World no longer carries Rottella Syn in gallons for my 6.2.

Shoot me a PM with prices... shipped to 12901, Plattsburgh, NY or pick up?
 
Thunder said:
Yeah but really do you really need that kind of protection? I mean for basic OTR and wheelin.? When i was racing and money was on the line I paid for premium oil. But for a DD 4 wheeler come on. There is a point where the cost of a high priced oil far out weighs any on the small benefits you may gain by using it. If someone wants to pay 5,, 7 9 dollars a quart for oil great! Its a good feeling to know your engine is protected to the max. But I like the feeling of 50 bucks in the bank better than 50 bucks or so in my crankcase.
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The main reason why guys go with a much better quality synthetic like Amsoil is to SAVE money! Yes, Mobile, Wally World synthetic, etc do provide plenty of protection for nearly every application just as you mention. People have gotten by for years with tons of miles out of engines with godd 'ol conventional, any synthetic above that will be a step ahead.

The difference with a more expensive (initially more expensive) oil like Amsoil is 15K and 25K oil intervals. That is not a typo. You spend two to three times the cost of a conventional change going with an Amsoil/nanofiber filter change, but it lasts around 5 times as long before it needs to be drained! Now, if you have a leaker or burner, than saving money goes out the window fast with more quarts of $6.50 oil. That won't work.

But, for late model engines that are much tighter and dont' burn hardly anything, you can save a lot of money over an annual period, along with having all the better lubricity, cold weather flow, and heat supression of synthetic.
 
So Amsoil is more cost effective?
Lets see............5 quarts of 10- 30 Syn amsoil at 7.25 (from the amsoil site)+ 10.00 shipping= 46.25 Amsoil site sez 15K drain interval. All my vehicles fall under severe duty

Wally world Tech syn oil is 13.00 per 5 qt container with 5K miles drain interval That would cost 39.00 to go 15K miles, 3 oil changes
Wallyworld syn is still 6.00 cheaper. But more work required
I will agree that Amsoil is a superior product and is worth the extra money
I am wondering tho. Do you guys that use Amsoil really go 15K between oil changes?
 
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Thunder said:
So Amsoil is more cost effective?
Lets see............5 quarts of 10- 30 Syn amsoil at 7.25 (from the amsoil site)+ 10.00 shipping= 46.25 Amsoil site sez 15K drain interval. All my vehicles fall under severe duty

Wally world Tech syn oil is 13.00 per 5 qt container with 5K miles drain interval That would cost 39.00 to go 15K miles, 3 oil changes
Wallyworld syn is still 6.00 cheaper. But more work required
I will agree that Amsoil is a superior product and is worth the extra money
I am wondering tho. Do you guys that use Amsoil really go 15K between oil changes?
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You are forgetting something..... FILTERS!:D You will have one nanofiber filter for the Amsoil change that whole 15K interval, an EAO27 (small block/BBC/6.2) is $17.30.
You will have to buy 3 filters for each Wally world change and cellulous filters usually run about 8 bucks or so depending on your connections.

Another thing to remember is Amsoil's prefered customer plan. You can join Amsoil's PR plan for a $10 membership due (for 6 months) and get all their products at wholesale cost. Now you can get everything on average about 15-20% cheaper. Now this takes the Wallyworld $63 (3, 5qrt jugs/3 filters) compared to Amsoil at $63.55 (5 qrts/1 filter). Then, factor in PR pricing if one would like to take advantage of it, and you are now at roughly $51.65.

Do I go 15K on my Amsoil change???? You bet! My oil still doesn't look to be in that bad of shape when I drain it at 15K in my Dodge Ram Cummins. I've seen oil come out that stinks much worse than my Amsoil dumped at 15K.

I also noticed that running Amsoil with it's very impressive anti soot properties kept the oil from turning from Amber to black for about 3 times as long as when I ran Exxon DX3 extra 15/40.
 
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Hmmmm, thinking...
Would anybody post their oil analysis? I'm really kuriuos. Seems to me like the great fuel mileage that everyone seems to get, until you really look at the numbers...
Analysis, Puleese...
rfguitar, read your PM's... that's why I'm here, but beddy-bye time...
 
Rotella T SB 0w-40 ..................in my Cummins.

....YES! I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night...............
 
carbon and gas in your used oil is carbon and gas. it doesnt matter if your vehicle has 5k or 150,000. it gets in your oil.thats why you have to change it. they say 3 months or 5000kms because after 5000k there is a ton of crap in your oil, and after 3 months because even if you are not driving it, moisture is absorbed into the oil due to condensation etc. it doesnt matter if you got your hands on top secret government space ship oil or the .99c stuff, water,gas,carbon etc gets in the oil.the only reason there is oil in an engine is to form a cusion to prevent metal to metal contact and if there are impurities in it,it cant do its job. no oil is going to stop blowby or condensation or anything else. period. i think you pay extra for the quality of the oil. how well it stands up to heat, viscosity, film, those kinds of things. in my opinion, i will keep changing mine on a regular basis with whatever is recomended by the factory.
 
Ok,
I am in the break-in period on my new(rebuilt) 454, and I am seriously debating going full-synth once the break-in is over.
I have heard ALOT about Amsoil on this, and other boards, as well as from "heard it from a friend" type sources. I have to say, I have never heard anything bad about it, which may be even more important than all the good stuff when you really think about it.
BUT, what kind of a cost difference are we talking about?
What does 8 qts of Amsoil 10-30, and a filter cost anyway?
Also, is it sold only thru dealers? What if I decide I need to change my oil on a Sat. afternoon? Do I have to wait until my "dealer" can ship it to me and pay shipping on top of that? Or is there a retailer that sells it?
whats the scoop?
 
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