You might be wasting money on oil

[MrNoodly]

Here's an article about lab analysis of various brands of used oil — cheap and expensive. They measured metal particles in the oil. The differences were insignificant.

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/why-expensive-oil-is-a-waste-of-money-1797241527

 

[RVTravel]

I knew a guy who worked at an oil distribution facility (not refinery). He said the oil handling was centralized and just made to order by ingredients for each company. Not sure if that is how it is everywhere.

 

[user 423]

I'll take cheaper oil and more frequent changes over the expensive stuff myself. It's recycleable, so why not?

A side note: A 19 yo guy was extolling the virtues of Royal Purple over regular oil and said,"I've gotten 200,000 miles out of my car using that stuff". His car was an '88 Honda that was older than him.

 

[Ballenxj]

Thanks for posting this. Kind of helps my argument with a guy that insists his brand of synthetic is the best you can buy. To him I say, it's the most expensive you can buy anyway. :dodgy:

 

[SternWake]

Conventional oil is now so good there is little reaon to go synthetic in most applications.


But a 5 quart bottle of pennzoil yellow bottle being 18 dollars and a 5 quart jug of Mobil one being 3$ more at wal mart.  well spread out over the year to 18 months I keep my oil in circulation, is insignificant.  Sure some 5 quart jugs can goto 12$.  so 9 dollars spread out over a year.  Big whoop.

Over on the Bitog forums is is generally accepted that used oil analysis is not a report on Engine wear, but how the oil is holding up in that particular service interval in that particular engine.  Some oils do not hold up very well in some engines where other oils certainly do.

Oils can shear to a lighter viscosity, they can be diluted with fuel, or contaminated with antifreeze. Their total base number declines with time in the sump, and some oild TBNs start higher and decline slower than others.

Oil is not just oil, but the differences in engine wear from one engine to another conventional vs synthetic, well it would be extremely difficult to quantify in a scientific matter with all the variables removed.

Most people go by their butt dyno.  I can hear slight differences in engine noise with different oils. The quieter oils give me warm and fuzzies.  I bet a used oil analysis would show the wear metals of iron, aluinum lead tin copper, to be all similar comparing the louder and quieter oils and signify next to nothing.

I had one oil sample analyzed.  there was coolant present showing up as sodium and Potassium.   i had hoped the timing cover/ water pump was leaking only to the exterior, but the analysis proved It was geting inside too.  Wear metals were not elevated to the point where they were a concern. TBN(acidity fighting ability) was still high, viscosity exactly in range, no fuel present, flashpoint as expected.  That was A  13 month service interval. Even with the coolant contamination the oil was good for at least 6 more months.

People will read see and think exactly what they want to think and believe either way.

If your engine is still under warranty, make sure the oil used is certified for use in that engine, and keep the receipts, even though the chances af ever having to present them are comically low if a normal oil change interval is kept.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Wow! Even when I was able to maintain things myself it sounds as if I was inept comparatively. Sometimes reading all this makes me wonder if I'm going to be able to maintain my wheels on the ground if I manage to get to them since I struggle with memory issues now---most specifically with learning/retaining new info. Kinda scary since the mechanic shops see me coming now.

 

[jonsun]

I have street riders tell me all the time in the bike shop that rotella diesel is great. They usually come in every 5-7k for a clutch. 60k miles on my brother R6 with 5 track days a year running repsol 4t.... fibers are in spec. Not really related to general motor oil but there are differences....especially for turbo diesels and wet clutches (which some cars are starting to use) or during engine break-in. Otherwise in my vans I run whatever is on sale by the gallon.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have been running Delo or Rotello(both diesel oils) in my gas motors for a while. it slows the oil consumption way down in my old worn out 454. note I don't run it in my 4wheelers because of the wet clutches. highdesertranger

 

[Weight]

Most diesel oils still have zinc as a component.