Best Oil and filter for Truck ?

[jmg8550]

Here's a question. If oil brands don't matter then why do auto manufacturers such as Chevy and VW, and others recommend a specific brand of oil? The corvette is factory filled with Mobil 1, and the VW diesels recommend only Castrol. All oil manufacturers have different additives to perform specific jobs better than others. And I've seen more engines sludged up from Pennzoil than with any other brand. I worked at a lube shop that used Pennzoil unless the customer wanted something else. And all these engines were regularly serviced every 3000 miles. I live in a small town and knew everyone that came there for service.

 

[rurouni20xx]

if you do an oil analysis and i dont have the link anymore, it was an arguement on motorcycle or automotive oils in bikes, that dif oils are made of dif parts when they are analyzed, some have more ash in them etc, and the manufacturer also knows what properties are in the oils, hence they designed the engine around them. thats what the oems want you to think anyway, the truth is the oems and the oil companys are in cahoots w/ each other, the oem stamps their name on the box and charges more for the same stuff that you get at walmart or autozoo or whereever. in the case of motorcycle oils there is a dif in that there is a moly clutch additive in them cuz the engine oil is the clutch and tranny/gearbox oil as well. the local ford dealer stocks castrol, wouldnt surprise me if motorcraft oil is castrol, as it is the only other lube recommended by ford. chevy/acdelco oil is mobil1 synthetic, thats why the oil change light is programmed for 10k miles. thats why the dealers have a ready supply of the other incase they run out of the regular high dollar oil. honda gn4 used to be castrol but switched to mobil mineral oil (clean 5000) w/ the clutch additive and runs it for 4k miles and filter changed every other change (8k) i personally stick to the ole harley method of changing oil on bikes and thats oil and filter every 2k cuz of the extra strain on a bike engine. my trk gets castrol, i used to use purolator but since i have no access to those filters readily here im forced to use fram. ive used valvoline and other brands, basically what im saying is use what your going to use and have been using, unless somebody can prove to me that there is a best, i dont really see too much of a difference.

 

[bmxryder]

i always wind up buying oil and filter when its on sale. just so happens i get a fram toughgaurd filter with GTX high mileage oil for like 21 bucks.

 

[Viper Command]

i only go synthetic, just because i have seen what the cylinder walls look like after 100kmi.
royal purple full sycthetic race spec.
its not cheep!!!!!!!!

 

[exbass94]

Here's a question. If oil brands don't matter then why do auto manufacturers such as Chevy and VW, and others recommend a specific brand of oil? The corvette is factory filled with Mobil 1, and the VW diesels recommend only Castrol.

For one reason, Mobil and Castrol pay the auto manufacturers to make that recommendation. Second, a lot of auto manufacturers have specific performance requirements that the oil has to meet. For example, for the 4.0 SOHC, Ford says you have to use an oil that meets the WSS-M2C929-A specification, which many, but not all, oils meet. But just because Chevy and others recommend Mobil or Castrol, doesn't mean you have to use. You can use a different brand as long as it meets the particular specification.

And I've seen more engines sludged up from Pennzoil than with any other brand. I worked at a lube shop that used Pennzoil unless the customer wanted something else. And all these engines were regularly serviced every 3000 miles. I live in a small town and knew everyone that came there for service.

Was this just a lube shop or did you do other repairs to the cars there? How long ago did you work there?

 

[Gotta_gofast]

I will never use pennzoil. My girlfriend uses it in her car. Took the valve cover, er cam cover off to replace the gasket. That was the worst sludge I've ever seen. There is a difference in oil brands and how they perform. Royal Purple, for instance, has been proven multiple times on the dyno as far as horsepower and has been proven to lower tempuratures (in engines AND other parts of the drivetrain).

 

[exbass94]

Royal Purple, for instance, has been proven multiple times on the dyno as far as horsepower and has been proven to lower tempuratures (in engines AND other parts of the drivetrain).

Just like K&N filters have been "proven" to increase hp and gas mileage?

 

[Gotta_gofast]

Just like K&N filters have been "proven" to increase hp and gas mileage?

Multiple independent dyno tests show an increase in rear wheel horse power of 2-5% when switching from "new" conventional oil to "new" RP sythetics in the whole drivetrain. But, you know... dynoes were probably altered. Or maybe RP paid them off. Maybe it was the difference between the clutch on my bike slipping when hot vs. grabbing. Maybe its the 7 degrees cooler tempurature in my LenTech AOD trans with a 3,000 stall converter beating it up. Who knows.

 

[exbass94]

I will never use pennzoil. My girlfriend uses it in her car. Took the valve cover, er cam cover off to replace the gasket. That was the worst sludge I've ever seen.

Forgot to ask, what kind of car/engine does your girlfriend have? Some engines are just really hard on oil, and can make them sludge up no matter what kind you use, or how often you change it. Toyota, for example, has actually issued a recall for sludging engines.

 

[WNY964x4]

i only go synthetic, just because i have seen what the cylinder walls look like after 100kmi.
royal purple full sycthetic race spec.
its not cheep!!!!!!!!

yea , i was thinking of royal purple , i have a really close friend who swears by the stuff , but of course he has 3 pro pulling tractors , so he only puts the best in them , if it wasnt so expensive i would use it , just like i would use the rotella if it wasnt 19 dollars a gallon

 

[Gotta_gofast]

Forgot to ask, what kind of car/engine does your girlfriend have? Some engines are just really hard on oil, and can make them sludge up no matter what kind you use, or how often you change it. Toyota, for example, has actually issued a recall for sludging engines.

'04 Pontiac Sunfire

 

[CRAZ28]

Fram is junk, I have seen them cut open, and they are just so cheaply made. Wixx is the best I have seen. Valvoline Durablend is my oil of choice.

 

[fleck]

I went with the Motorcraft filter as per recommendations and it is working great. I am sticking with Castrol GTX for now as it does seem to keep the sludge away.

 

[MikeInIdaho]

I have always used motorcraft oil and filters on my ranger. Has anyone tried the K&N oil filters to see how they work?

This very question was actually diced to bits on this forum over the last couple of days. The general consensus is that WIX, motorcraft and k&n oil filters are all very similar to each other in terms of construction and filtration properties. I personally use k&n oil filters on both of my vehicles and have done so for the last number of years. They seem to be working well. I've also recently switched both cars over to Mobil 1 full synthetic motor oil and am pleased with the results thus far. I'm also thinking about switching to Mobil 1 oil filters as well as soon as I do a little research on them.

p.s: FRAM oil filters are absolute crap, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

 

[DanVB1]

I am an engineer in an oil refinery that makes motor oil. Although we no longer package into bottles, our products show up as a variety brands at the stores all meeting the latest API specs. Just like gasoline, the name on the bottle does not always reflect the manufacturer of the material inside.
As for choice of oil, you can’t go wrong with any of the name brand synthetics which I use in my Ranger.
For filters, also use a name brand made in the USA, especially Motorcraft or a Purolator product. Avoid the cheap Fram filters.