Mobil 1 TDT vs Mobil Delvac 1 ESP vs Rotella T6

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Jul 14, 2008
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Location
Burke, VA
Truck: 07 Chevrolet 2500HD Classic
Engine: LBZ Duramax
Mileage: 42K

I am helping my dad decide on a winter oil for his truck. Out of the 3 oils listed in the topic. What would be your choice and why? Also, I can not seem to find the Delvac 1 ESP anywhere.
 
The new Rotella eats them both up, hands down. With the new Rotella, Shell is coming out naming names on how much better the Rotella is now.
 
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Originally Posted By: HWEaton
The new Rotella eats them both up, hands down. With the new Rotella, Shell is coming out naming names on how much better the Rotella is now.


If testing proves your comment I will switch to Shell in my diesel car.
 
Doesn't every company that has something to sell now claim their product is better than the next guy?
 
Hi,
two of the three lubricants you mention are Commercial products and TDT is a variant of Delvac

The base structure of the EM products is quite different from Rotella T6. Their in field performance can only be judged over the "long haul" and for the average user in a non Commercial use the difference will be minimal

Perhaps more important is observing the Manufacturer Approvals each has and if those conform with your needs
 
Hi,
HWEaton - You said this:
"The new Rotella eats them both up, hands down. With the new Rotella, Shell is coming out naming names on how much better the Rotella is now."

Please provide details - how, why etc. and some proof and evidence to back up your statement
 
Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
HWEaton - You said this:
"The new Rotella eats them both up, hands down. With the new Rotella, Shell is coming out naming names on how much better the Rotella is now."

Please provide details - how, why etc. and some proof and evidence to back up your statement


Agreed. I would like to see some of this proof as well.
 
I forgot to mention that the truck is used for a variety of reasons including commuting, farm use(weekends mainly), trailering farm equipment, etc.....

I am hopinig to find the oil in gallon jugs, so I may use RTS 5W-40 for now, until the T6 is more readily avail.

I appreciate everyones recommendations. Feel free to keep posting. It will be a week or two until he changes out his 15W-40 dino. Thanks again everyone!
 
Any of the oils you listed are more than adequate for your dad's application. If the Rotella is readily available in gallons, it should be an easy choice.

Does the winter weather in your area really require a 5w40? I would think that a 15w40 would be fine for year round use in VA.

What is your dad running for a 15w40?
 
I guess I'll be the voice of reason here, and leave the brand arguments to others.

First of all, where does he reside? Does he "need" synthetic oil, or does he just "want" synthetic oil?

What kind/type of OCIs will he be doing?

I too have an LBZ Dmax, and have seen stellar results of UOAs with traditional Delvac and Rotella. If long OCIs are not expected, and EXTREME temps are not anticipated, then your father can save a lot of money, and lose no ability to protect the engine, by choosing a quality brand name dino oil. by "extreme" temps, I mean well below zero degF, for most of the entire winter.

If he's absolutely convinced that synthetics are desired, then any of the three you named will perform well past what he's likely to put them through.

The RTS has proven to be outstanding for it's cost ratio. Perhaps the others are a tad "better" (depending upon how you define the word "better"), but I suspect the LBZ will never know the difference.

To many of us, we realize that there are ultra-performing lubricants. But we also realize that many times the cost/benefit ratio does not meet an acceptable ROI for our "normal" use.

If your father is going to be using as you've stated, and OCI'ing by the OLM or less than 10k miles, I suspect he'll be just fine with a conventional HDEO.

Still - many would argue about what dino oil is "best". IMO, any of the big three (Delo, Delvac, Rotella) are outstanding, and there are still others that don't garner the market share, but still perform with great ability, such as Tection Extra, Premium Blue, Long Life Gold, etc.

Typically, because I OCI with less than 10k miles each year, I simply purchase the least expensive HDEO I can find on sale from a quality brand name. The engine, and the UOAs, won't know the difference.

Discussing the minute differences is fun, but the reality is that it is moot in practical application.
 
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Originally Posted By: Mokanic
I suspect the new T6 will be the greatest thing since sliced bread to some and to others it will the end of the free world as we know it.


Well if you liked the old Rotella T you like the new T6, AFAIK it is the same additive pack, same base stock just thinner due to improved VII.
 
I believe he is running tection 15W-40 right now. He lives in western Md, so it does not get too cold (maybe single digits in the winter) I will probably just have him throw some Rotella 5W-40 for the next 3 months, then have him go back to his 15w-40 for summer.

Thanks for all of the info, I appreciate it!
 
The average lows for western MD (Oakland) are around +20 degF; not at all that cold. I'm sure he might see some occasional dips to single digits, but a 15w-40 is recommended by GM/Isuzu for the Dmax down to zero degF. He'll be fine with conventional oil.

Depending upon how many time he'll OCI a year, he could consider a dino 10w-30 HDEO year round. I did it last year with outstanding UOA results. Or, a 10w-30 in the winter, and a 15w-40 in the summer. Regardless, I don't see synthetics being a necessity in his area, unless really long OCIs are desired.
 
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I would go with the T6. I just switched over to the T6 from the Mobil 1 TDT. You will save abou $10 bucks going with the T6 and they both have virtually the same TBN...T6 10.6 and TDT is 10.7.. If you live in REALLY cold regions of the country then the Mobil 1 may be a slight advantage over the T6 because of its more base of PAO. But I think the additive package for diesels in the T6 is tough to beat and will give TDT a run for the money anyday and anywhere...
 
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