Is GC from the same company that gave us Syntec? Is GC a real synthetic oil, or if it is synthetic is it going to get 'improved' in the future, to better compete in the market place. I hear so much good stuff about this oil, tell me it's all true.
What makes GC special?
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I'll get tarred and feathered for saying this, but GC is just another A3-rated 0W-30 oil. It's green, smells good, and is somewhat difficult to find. A mystical reputatation, mostly based on apocryphal tales, preceded this oil. A cult has since formed around leader pscholte and his posse of greasy Schwarzwald elves.
you must remember though that this oil that is just another oil has put up some **** good wear numbers in UOA testing
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Oh yeah? Has GC put up better wear numbers than other A3-rated 0W-30 oils? Show me!
People are just relieved not being forced to buy Mobil 1 off the shelf if they want a PAO/Ester based product. In addition, the GC is the only ACEA A3/B4 rated, 0w-30 that is easy to find and cheap.
My take on the GC is that wear rates are excellent for drains up to 10k under ideal conditions. However, I think the book is still out on it's extended drain capability compared to Amsoil and Mobil 1.
FWIW, I like it better than the Mobil 1, 0w-40 ....
TS
My take on the GC is that wear rates are excellent for drains up to 10k under ideal conditions. However, I think the book is still out on it's extended drain capability compared to Amsoil and Mobil 1.
FWIW, I like it better than the Mobil 1, 0w-40 ....
TS
Round 'em up...move 'em outquote:
Originally posted by moribundman:
A cult has since formed around leader pscholte and his posse of greasy Schwarzwald elves.
To quote Terry -
The very exciting constituents we are encountering is that the esters used are unlike any you would find in Redline,Amsoil, or Mobil1 formulas. My hat is off to the formulator of Zoil that we are testing. No TCP or POE esters involved here. Elves indeed.
To quote Molakule-
First off, these esters are COMPLEX (see Interesting Articles section on white papers), and very viscous esters, and have been used in industrial gear lubes for at least the last decade.
My suspicion (theory) is that a German company is blending this for Castrol using those complex esters supplied by certain German additive (elf factory) companies. [Big Grin]
Germans seem to like motor oils with cutting-edge chemistry.
The very exciting constituents we are encountering is that the esters used are unlike any you would find in Redline,Amsoil, or Mobil1 formulas. My hat is off to the formulator of Zoil that we are testing. No TCP or POE esters involved here. Elves indeed.
To quote Molakule-
First off, these esters are COMPLEX (see Interesting Articles section on white papers), and very viscous esters, and have been used in industrial gear lubes for at least the last decade.
My suspicion (theory) is that a German company is blending this for Castrol using those complex esters supplied by certain German additive (elf factory) companies. [Big Grin]
Germans seem to like motor oils with cutting-edge chemistry.
So, GC is green, smells different and puts up better wear numbers than Mobil 1 for a bit more money, but may not last as long as Mobil 1, depending one which Mobil 1 you pick. Or, it's a bit like Amsoil, except you don't get as many choices or someone to talk to about which choice is best for you, which means it's one or two sizes fits all. Or, if you own a European sedan you don't want to leave the garage without GC, even if you don't know what the heck that green stuff is. And finally, it is good oil dispite the cult following?
One final question. Is synthetic waste oil worth anything, especially if you change it too often?
One final question. Is synthetic waste oil worth anything, especially if you change it too often?
What makes GC so special you ask? It is true that it has put up low wear number. But, the thing that makes it so special is that it is the only oil that is made by elves. Have you ever heard of M1 elves, Redline elves, or Amsoil elves?
Soooooo wrong. Jiffy Lube, et al, will continue to change SM oils at 3k intervals though HT/HS say otherwise. Leaving M1, GC, RP as boutique oils. (I just finished 7500 miles on GC in my 3.3l Buick).quote:
Originally posted by buster:
I believe the Elves have been slayed by the Mobil 1 thugs. M1 EP will take over.
Chimay just missed April 1 for his April Fool's joke, that's all.
Since NO ONE except the Elfemeister is in contact with the Elves, any comments regarding their whereabouts, well-being or viability are without credibility. So now I will tell you the straight story: The Elves are alive, well, and continuing to produce the only Elixer available on the automotive scene.
Then GC is a good oil if you know which GG to pick, otherwise you might get the just normal GC instead. GC must have started selling well and the Elves had to optimize the formula to stay in business. Guess the Elves got greedy. Which oil is going to become the next Wonder Oil? Amsoil is still here, Mobil has come and gone, Syntec sailed by, Red Line never arrived, Neo isn't new anymore, Royal Purple is for drag racing and Wally World is too cheap. I know, it's going to by a start up high mileage extended use pure synthetic blend broad range all season maximum protection energy conserving bio-degrradable SUV/4X4 hybrid stop leak oil. Now AutoZone will only have to order different labels for the same oil and everyone is happy and we will have our GC replacement that appeals to everyone, not just those that sniff their oil before buying.
LarryL,
Castrol's marketing approaches leave A LOT to be desired. I suspect that their marketing in other countries is better executed than in the US. Quite frankly I find it's marketing approaches insulting but I focus on the oil not the marketing. Yes, you have to watch out to make sure you get the "right" 0W-30, i.e. that it is indeed GC. I have been trying to find some of the '05 batch to lead by example and demonstrate I have confidance in it. As to the next "wonder oil," I am not sure, though there are many really good oils out there, that there will soon be an oil like GC. While it IS truly special (read Terry Dyson's advance info from his testing} it was that certain conditions all came together at just the right time that gave it a special mystique for many of our members: it is from Europe, has a unique green color, supposedly smells to some like gümmi bären and then, of course, I added the Elves in the Black Forest piece. It will take an oil with a really special aura (for whatever reason) to do what GC did on this board. So that it is understood once and for all: I acknowledge that there are many good oils on the market; just because I have embraced GC doesn't mean I have "written off" all the others.
Fact is, no one else cares about this stuff like we do. We are about .0000000000000000001% of the population that actually is obsessed with oil, for what reason I do not know. Castrol knows that people don't give a **** about oil "generally speaking" so to them, who cares... might as well go wit the "cheapest" solution. GC is a rare animal and one that you don't come by too often. So for those that stocked up, good thinking. I'm not fond of the increased Mg in either the GC or new S2k formulas. Looks like a cheaper way of making an oil compared to the overbased Ca way.
Buster,
Seems like I recall Molakule mentioning that high mg and synthetics are not a good combo from the perspective of leaving deposits...obviously I take his input seriously and am not happy about that possibility...I'm banking on the ACEA testing to expose problems UNLESS the kind of deposit you get from high mg really doesn't appear in the timeframe/protocol represented by the ACEA tests....would surely like to know what the mg level is in DCO Topup ("SLX++") is since it meets 229.5 although, there again, 229.5 testing might not expose that particular problem.
[ April 03, 2005, 05:18 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]
Exactly. That was my concern as well. Very few oils are using Mg anymore. The more expensive, better alternative is Ca, which the 04 GC had a good amount of, as does Mobil 1 EP. However, the GF-4 M1 uses much less Ca. It could be a cost cutting measure IMO. As you said, MK and others have stated their is too much potential for hard deposits when using Mg in oils, hence you don't see it anymore hardly at all.
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