Oil Discussion Thread

[ZSHO]

You can do all the research you want on which oil is far superior than the other,the best way to come to a conclusion would be just changing your oil more frequently(shorter intervals)especially in the summer and running a tune,which to me 3-4k intervals.  Z

Nah the best way is to have a used oil analysis done...3-4k is a complete and total waste of money if using a real synthetic....big oil loves the people who still believes in what our paps used to tell us about oil....I used to think 3k was the rule until I realized oil technology has advanced

If you want to get technical in regards to oil based properties of course Blackstone has a reputable background which you can send a sample to,and in my opinion marketing and sponsors of a specific oil has advanced to another level providing false claims that its a true synthetic,and lastly my opinion was based on the car being tuned with the combination of the summer heat which surely takes a toll out of our turbo engines. Z

[SHOdded]

I agree, Z, one's observations as to how a product performs on/in their vehicle is at least as important as the technical information from published PDS/MSDS documents and oil analyses (for example).  You should do what fits within your comfort zone, or your personality, ultimately.  I mean if you really wanted to, you could blueprint the engine after a teardown every so often!

[wasinger3000]

My plan is to get a sample of my RP HPS at 4k, then send in a sample of PUP at 4k and see how they line up.

[SHOdded]

My plan is to get a sample of my RP HPS at 4k, then send in a sample of PUP at 4k and see how they line up.

I wonder if Blackstone will do the "scar" test that was on ye olde comparative report

[wasinger3000]

My plan is to get a sample of my RP HPS at 4k, then send in a sample of PUP at 4k and see how they line up.

I wonder if Blackstone will do the "scar" test that was on ye olde comparative report

I'll have to ask them, only problem with my samples I'll be sending in is the RP has been in the car all winter and had a lot of beatings, when I send the PUP in it will be mostly highway miles with plenty of wot runs. So it won't be a fair fight but interesting to look at.

[panther427]

The tbn is one of the normal things you judge a oil change on. When it drops to low its time to change the oil. This is of course assuming your wear metals, fuel dilution,  viscosity, and coolant indicators are all low or with in normals.

[wasinger3000]

The tbn is one of the normal things you judge a oil change on. When it drops to low its time to change the oil. This is of course assuming your wear metals, fuel dilution,  viscosity, and coolant indicators are all low or with in normals.

I am interested in fuel dilution the most. Not sure how much methanol affects the oil life.

[panther427]

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3692060/VOA_Pennzoil_Ultra_Platinum_5w#Post3692060

Voa of pup

http://papers.sae.org/2015-01-0967/

[SHOdded]

One of the latest test reports from the PQIA:
http://pqiablog.com/2016/01/26/a-look-at-eight-more-motor-oils/

Quaker State Ultimate Durability's not looking too shabby!

[metroplex]

Fwiw I was looking at UOAs for the EcoBoost 3.5 on the trucks (none of the transverse owners seemed to have posted UOA reports) and all of them have fuel dilution issues causing 5W30 to be more like a xW20 at 4000 to 5000 Mikes normal usage. I just saw an ad in Top Gear stating the road car Ford GT will use Castrol Edge Supercar, and the UK site shows the Supercar oil in 10W60. It makes me wonder if the xW60 is needed to compensate for fuel dilution especially when the GT runs an extra fuel pump.

[SHOdded]

European specs dont really translate over here.  You would not want to run a BMW oil in a Ford engine.  And considering the Europeans have more problems with their GTDI engines, I would stick with mfr recommendations, varying only by a small fraction.  60 weight oils are considered racing oils, BTW, and the GT has PFI to assist with the coking issue.

F150 experience does not necessarily translate to the SHO, so take the UOAs with a grain of salt.  I am all for more conservative oil change intervals rather than changes in oil weights.

[metroplex]

So what are the UOAS looking like for the transverse 3.5 EcoBoost? Do we have fuel dilution issues? I wouldn't think there'd be a difference in fuel dilution between the transverse 3.5s and the F150s

I'm not sure why the MPFI on the GT would have an effect on the oil weight. I'm just thinking it might be worth trying a xW40 or xW50 on our engines if there is a fuel dilution issue. Remember when the mod V8s in the US were specified to use 5W20 while they used synthetic xW40 or xW50 overseas, same hardware

[sholxgt]

Our oil recommendations are often heavily influenced by the need to appease EPA ratings.  Our Honda Fit calls for 5w30 outside of the US and 5w20 inside the US despite it being manufactured in the same plant in Japan and shipped globally.  The people that track their Fits or run them hard (I know that sounds funny) run 5w30.

In reality, I think SHOdded's advice above is the most important.  Use quality oil and change it regularly.  As long as the motor stays wet in all critical areas and the oil isn't badly degraded, there is not likely to be an oil issue.

[SHOdded]

There are a couple (not many) UOAs floating around for the transverse apps. 
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,4472.0.html

Too small a sample to be sure, to produce a definitive opinion.  Now if you look at catchcan contents, you can see fuel vapors are definitely part of the mix there, and they are either ending up in the combustion chamber or as part of the carbon deposits on the back of the intake valves.  But the (few) UOAs we have say that the oil in the crankcase/engine is not much affected at all.

I would however expect there to be more of an "issue" when the engine is new/being broken in as the rings are seating.  A cautious move would be to halve the OCI for that initial change.

[metroplex]

The F150 UOA sample size is much greater and they seem to have fuel dilution issues on engines that are already broken in (greater than 30k miles on the engines).