Oil Recommendation - C5 Corvette Z06

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turco

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Milford, MA
Hi All!

I have been reading what I can and searching so I figure it is time to reach out for a recommendation.

I have a 2003 Corvette Z06 w/ LS6 Motor w/ 30k miles
I drive the car very hard when i get in it. The LS engines are known to burn a little oil between intervals. I am currently running German Castrol 0w-30 that i happened to have left over.

I would love to move something available in the bigger jugs. I have been considering moving to Mobil 1 Extended performance (not sure which weight) or Pennzoil Ultra.

The car will be used for some road racing and autox during change intervals.

Thanks in advance! Please let me know if i should post more information
smile.gif
 
Is it safe to assume there is no warranty that you are concerned about?
 
Originally Posted By: mcrn
Is it safe to assume there is no warranty that you are concerned about?


that is correct. The car is tuned and the only other mods are valve springs and an intake.

I also have a 160 thermostat and the tune has been setup to turn the fans on sooner so the car now averages 180* coolant temps instead of 220.
 
Hi.

What are your oil change intervals?

You can try a diesel oil such as Shell Rotella, Mobil Delvac, Castrol Tection, Valvoline Blue, Chevron Delo. Some come in a 10W-30 if that's what you are looking for, and you will find 15W-40 more common. I have seen, and many on this forum recommend, the synthetic Rotella and it comes in 5W-40. They generally do well in comparison to gasoline-specific oils in term of shear stability, Total Base Number, and deposit control. However, each vehicle may differ.

Pennzoil Ultra and Mobil 1 are both excellent oils. I don't view one product as superior than the other...rather, in my opinion they are simply competitors that achieve the same results for the consumer. Once again, each vehicle is different and I suggest you try the best one for you. Part of the fun is driving it hahaha. Enjoy the car!
 
If you want to stick with the mainstream big-name oils, I'd take a good long look at M1 0w40 for that application. Yes, its a tad thicker than the recommended oil, but its got a great additive package, seemingly very good base stock, and is actually on the thin end of the 40-wt scale. I'd also strongly consider Rotella T6 5w40 for the same reasons.

Of course if you want to leave the mainstream, there are many excellent oils from Redline, Amsoil, Royal Purple, etc. that you could consider too.
 
Originally Posted By: turco
Originally Posted By: mcrn
Is it safe to assume there is no warranty that you are concerned about?


that is correct. The car is tuned and the only other mods are valve springs and an intake.

I also have a 160 thermostat and the tune has been setup to turn the fans on sooner so the car now averages 180* coolant temps instead of 220.


With the low coolant temps' you likely don't need a heavy oil like GC; I'd stick with any 0W-30 or 5W-30 that meets the GM 4318M spec'.
If you have an oil pressure/temp gauge then you could fine tune your oil choice.
 
Just stick with the German Castrol, quality product.

Or try Mobil 1's 0w40 to shake things up sometime. The 0w40 is one of their better oils, much like the HM variants.
 
Thanks again everyone.

Seems like the 0w-40 M1 seems to be as good choice, i only hope walmart has it in stock. Given the car takes 7 quarts of oil the GC tends to get pricey quick unless i can get it on its biannual sale.
 
Turco: I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Mobil 1's 5W-30 been the factory fill since 1992 (even in the ZR-1)?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobiloil.com%2FUSA-English%2FMotorOil%2FFactory_Fill%2FMobil_1_Corvette.aspx&ei=7n_tTPb-IIO0lQfe2pGLAQ&usg=AFQjCNFla5r14rxvs-l9Anmb5y51PBnA6w
 
You can get Mobil 1 in the 5 qt. jugs so I say use it. Nearly all of the Corvette crowd uses it and it seems to work just fine. I say this even though I use PP in my Fords.
 
Any oil meeting GM 4718M will be good. If you drive it hard, I'd maybe opt for the M1 0w40 or spike M1 5w30 with a qt of 15w50 if you decide to use M1.
 
Originally Posted By: Gurney
Turco: I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Mobil 1's 5W-30 been the factory fill since 1992 (even in the ZR-1)?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobiloil.com%2FUSA-English%2FMotorOil%2FFactory_Fill%2FMobil_1_Corvette.aspx&ei=7n_tTPb-IIO0lQfe2pGLAQ&usg=AFQjCNFla5r14rxvs-l9Anmb5y51PBnA6w


I thought Chevy started using Mobil one as FF when they quit putting oil coolers on the Vette.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: Gurney
Turco: I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Mobil 1's 5W-30 been the factory fill since 1992 (even in the ZR-1)?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobiloil.com%2FUSA-English%2FMotorOil%2FFactory_Fill%2FMobil_1_Corvette.aspx&ei=7n_tTPb-IIO0lQfe2pGLAQ&usg=AFQjCNFla5r14rxvs-l9Anmb5y51PBnA6w


I thought Chevy started using Mobil one as FF when they quit putting oil coolers on the Vette.


Might be a little OT, but i want to know the Oil for a C4 Corvette. ZR1 the original one, different, yes?
 
Thanks again all, i think i am going to try the M1 0w-40. maybe do a blackstone test prior to that and see how it does.
 
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