I've been getting my car serviced at the dealership (2004 model) and have had only penzoil syntec 5w 30. I'm getting a service done at another shop that specializes in infinitis and lexuses but they use valvoline instead. Does anyone use valvoline? Should I stick with the penzoil?

 

I use mobil1 5/30 but have heard the valvoline may be superior. There's a million threads, but there's one somewhere that states along the lines of mobil1, penzoil, castrol etc etc all burn through about half a quart per oil change (assuming you don't have OC - which you won't on an 04) while using valvoline results in essentially no oil burned between oil changes.

Can anyone link that thread?

 

im switching to royal purple in 2k more miles

 

go ENEOS!!!!!

 

royal purple is $10 a quart but its the best.....

 

royal purple sucks!! dont get it. . builds alot of gunk!!!

 

eneos is the best. i heard amsoil is good also but i never tried it.

 

rp all the way. and this is coming from someone who was die hard mobil 1 for 10 years.

 

That's all I use, several other people on here as well.

 

M1 0w40 ftw

 

It's been shown that synthetics are superior to dyno oils on many fronts; however, most real car experts will tell you that the oil has less to do with wear than how your drive (slow vs. fast vs. throttle it at every opportunity), how often you change it (at the right intervals based on your driving habits and oil analysis), the cleanliness of your air filter, number of cold starts, etc., etc. Cold starts are a key factor, but is often an ignored aspect of engine wear.

Too many variables, but -- I'd go synthetic such as Penn Platinum, Mobil 1, Amsoil, German Castrol or Castrol Edge, or any other group III and IV oils.

Your best bet is to read the following: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

 

There is also perfomance. Look at the hp results on the following test:

http://www.performanceoilnews.com/oi...nst_oils.shtml

m1 0w40 ranges from 7 to 20 hp better against all comers. I never thought oil could have that impact but I definately became a believer after switching to it

 

Interesting study (and a good find BTW) with excellent insights. I wonder how this study would stack up against other studies performing similar tests but producing different results. Overall, the one critical test of an oil's protection (the variable I'm most interested in since I don't race or run very hot) is cold starts- in fact, I believe (don't shoot me) that: # of cold starts + mileage + time should be the formula for changing oils in the absence of oil analysis. For those who routinely throttle their car, drive in very dusty conditions, drive in heavy city traffic and who drive short distances, other factors may be more critical than simple oil changes and oil type. What do you think?

BTW- I do use Mobil1- it meets my needs. I also may have more experience than 90% of those on the forum with 3 Volvos that have >1.2million miles jointly-- I wonder if the G's will reach >300K for most of us.

 

I think the 0W oils would also be more effective on cold starts. It will flow better than a 5 or 10w oil in the critical first few seconds while pressure builds.

I'm not kidding about the hp gains. I had my engine replaced under the OC tsb and ran dino 10w30 for the first 3500. Switched then to the 0W40 and the effect was instant and definately noticable. Revs come up quicker and the car just wants to run.

Honest to God just switching oils had more effect on the ***-o-meter than the $1500 I spent on a fast intentions exhaust