I've always used HD 30 until this year. I had a lot of Mobil Super Synthetic 5w30 on hand. I am using this instead and have no problems. There is no extra consumption like I've read about. YMMV
Briggs oil vs synthetic car oil
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Thanks for all of the replies, this really helps. I will probably switch to Mobil 1 in the spring when I change the oil again. It will cost me about 10.50 to change to oil in my lawn mower for a season, which is only 2 dollars more than the briggs oil. For the extra 2 dollars, I get a full synthetic. Hopefully Mobil 1 will work in my lawn mower.
Sticking with the Briggs or any small engine sae30 oil would do you just fine. Yes small engine oils are packed with extra zinc in their additives. Would switching to a synthetic harm anything most likely not..
you change the oil out 3x a year if you start mowing April to October @ 3 hrs a week that’s about 84 hrs of mowing.. normally one goes 50 hrs or once a season for an oil change in your case 2 should be fine.
If you did swap out to synthetic you can definitely keep that oil change to 1 per season and just top off if need be.
I use shell Rotella T6 in all of my outdoor Power Equipment -- I even use it in my motorbikes as it is JASO rated. Great stuff!
Swapping to syn does not alter the manufacturer rated oil change interval. Just because you run syn doesn't mean you can extend drains on a filterless OPE. If one normally changes oil twice per season, they should do the same for syn as well.
To the OP, unless it's cold, I actually prefer HD30 over any other oil in my OPE. Call me old school, but my experience shows less consumption with a mono grade.
I have a jug of conventional 5w30 Supertech that was for a car I no longer own. I'm planning on using that in my mowers next year. The Briggs chart a page or so back shows the conventional 5w30 being used at 40°F and below. Would it not perform the same as SAE 30 up to 100°F?
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I was using a general rule of thumb.. besides the manual for that machine state yearly after the first 5hrs.
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In 40 weight.....Yes they have more additives......but not API SN and above stuff....thats usually limited to 700/800ppm of P-Zn....
Thicker oils with API SN + additional ACEA specs have more ZDDP
Sae50 is slightly different (5w50 15w50) because that is on "street racing" level.....higher ZDDP again
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Briggs own synthetic is 5w30 … it’s in my pull start. Been moving 10w30 from my car stash to OPE shelf …
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Anyone looking for a good deal on SAE HD30 … my 2 Walmarts cleared this out (I have a stash) … good stuff as indicated by SN+ … just 7 left … look at price for 4 !
The URL you posted has 2 references a 0w20 and a 10w30. The URL actually points to an FVP 10w30 synthetic. In all likelihood it is an OK product, although I never heard of the manufacturer. I would put it in my push mower in a pinch, but would not use it in my zero turn's Kawasaki engine.
Keep in mind, for an almost comparable price, you can pick up a well-known brand of full synthetic at Wallymart.
A 0w20 is a thin product for modern cars, with very good low temp pour point, targeted for best fuel economy. Imo it somewhat compromises on engine wear protection in the interest of manufacturers meeting CAFE standards. This is just my opinion. In an OPE, it will be sub-optimal, for example you will likely see some amount of oil consumption.
IMO a 0w40, 15w50 , (possibly the 10w30) will work better. My preference is the heavier 40 or 50 summer viscosity oils, which tend to minimize oil consumption, and provide better wear protection for multiple reasons. The user's manual is an useful aid, giving an idea what certifications the manufacturer requires for the oil and what viscosities are allowed/recommended depending the on the typical
outside temp. (The manufacturer's cert requirements tend to be minimalist, and the newer certs often also cover the older certs)
The Toro recycler is advertised as "no oil changes ever" which is interesting. Maybe it is designed to burn so much oil that you have to add a substantial amount frequently. Hmmm. How does that prevent the buildup of contaminants? So the manufacturer's standards on oil seem to be pretty low.
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I already decided in November. I'm not sure why you are digging up every thread that has to do with lawn mower oil. I'm getting ready to do my third oil change this season with Super Tech Synthetic 10w-30.The URL you posted has 2 references a 0w20 and a 10w30. The URL actually points to an FVP 10w30 synthetic. In all likelihood it is an OK product, although I never heard of the manufacturer. I would put it in my push mower in a pinch, but would not use it in my zero turn's Kawasaki engine.
Keep in mind, for an almost comparable price, you can pick up a well-known brand of full synthetic at Wallymart.
A 0w20 is a thin product for modern cars, with very good low temp pour point, targeted for best fuel economy. Imo it somewhat compromises on engine wear protection in the interest of manufacturers meeting CAFE standards. This is just my opinion. In an OPE, it will be sub-optimal, for example you will likely see some amount of oil consumption.
IMO a 0w40, 15w50 , (possibly the 10w30) will work better. My preference is the heavier 40 or 50 summer viscosity oils, which tend to minimize oil consumption, and provide better wear protection for multiple reasons. The user's manual is an useful aid, giving an idea what certifications the manufacturer requires for the oil and what viscosities are allowed/recommended depending the on the typical
outside temp. (The manufacturer's cert requirements tend to be minimalist, and the newer certs often also cover the older certs)
The Toro recycler is advertised as "no oil changes ever" which is interesting. Maybe it is designed to burn so much oil that you have to add a substantial amount frequently. Hmmm. How does that prevent the buildup of contaminants? So the manufacturer's standards on oil seem to be pretty low.
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I've run M1 FS 5W30 in my little push B&S mower for 17 years. The motor runs wide open because I got irritated at that throttle control crap and just pulled the spring tight. I can't believe it's run this long wide @ss open. Granted it only gets used maybe 7 times per year on a small lawn.
It locked up once after I left it sitting on the wrong side for too long. Got it moving again and it crunk right up. The oil does come out filthy dirty dark gray once a year, but it still runs fine.
It locked up once after I left it sitting on the wrong side for too long. Got it moving again and it crunk right up. The oil does come out filthy dirty dark gray once a year, but it still runs fine.
Another consideration...
How much B&S "small engine oil" do you think they really sell, versus how much of nearly ANY passenger car oil gets sold? I mean even a low mileage vehicle gets its oil changed once a year, using several quarts. A mower might get one a year, using less than a quart. While I'm sure in absolute terms it's a lot either way, it doesn't make sense that oil manufacturers would specially formulate small engine oil, when according to their published specs (below, from their website), literally any car oil on the market meets the B&S specs in the specified temp/viscosity ranges.
B&S website oil specs/advice:
So in light of those old specs, it seems unlikely to me that B&S is actually going to the trouble to specify anything special for their branded oil; it's more than likely just rebadged passenger car oil that meets whatever spec they chose (at least SJ by the looks of it) , and that is the lowest bidder. Likely that means Warren or Amalie, but it could be a larger oil company as well.
TL;DR: I'm not convinced that "lawnmower oil" isn't already just passenger car oil to begin with, whether it says synthetic or conventional. The economics don't make sense for it to be anything else.
How much B&S "small engine oil" do you think they really sell, versus how much of nearly ANY passenger car oil gets sold? I mean even a low mileage vehicle gets its oil changed once a year, using several quarts. A mower might get one a year, using less than a quart. While I'm sure in absolute terms it's a lot either way, it doesn't make sense that oil manufacturers would specially formulate small engine oil, when according to their published specs (below, from their website), literally any car oil on the market meets the B&S specs in the specified temp/viscosity ranges.
B&S website oil specs/advice:
So in light of those old specs, it seems unlikely to me that B&S is actually going to the trouble to specify anything special for their branded oil; it's more than likely just rebadged passenger car oil that meets whatever spec they chose (at least SJ by the looks of it) , and that is the lowest bidder. Likely that means Warren or Amalie, but it could be a larger oil company as well.
TL;DR: I'm not convinced that "lawnmower oil" isn't already just passenger car oil to begin with, whether it says synthetic or conventional. The economics don't make sense for it to be anything else.
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I would just run Supertech synthetic. Its so cheap and its a quality oil. At the end of the day, small engine really dont need anything crazy. Just like lots of other people have said, keep the oil level full and clean. It will run for a long time.
