If GC becomes unavailable...

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by TooSlick:
Patman,

Ever heard of a joke,eh??? You guys are just so predictable...

Seriously though, if Castrol would bump up the TBN on this product to 12-13, then you'd really have something. Of course they can do this, but expect to pay maybe another $1.50/quart for the stuff. As I mentioned before, if the Mobil 1, Extended Performance oils are successful, Castrol will have to counter with a similar product. The GC/0w-30 is the obvious choice for this.

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Our good buddy Bob has always taught us that it isn't the TBN number which is important though, but how it retains itself! So if you've got one oil which starts with a TBN of 14, but by 6k it's down to only 6, then it's obviously not as good as an oil which starts out at 10 but is still at 7 by the time you reach 6k.

One of these days I'm going to have to run an interval with GC in my Corvette for more than 10k just to prove a point.

 

[Grossomotto]

quote:

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One of these days I'm going to have to run an interval with GC in my Corvette for more than 10k just to prove a point.

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I would put some LC in there to be safe.

 

[TooSlick]

Patman,

You have what, a 7.0 to 7.5 quart sump in your Vette? I'm talking about a V-8 engine with a 5-6 quart sump - those are the worse cases as far as oil degradation, TBN depletion, etc. All things being equal, a 7.5 qt sump will give you service intervals at least 50% longer than a 5.0 qt sump with the same motor....

Of course the GC/0w-30 is A3/B4 rated, but I suspect the Mobil 1/0w-40 and Amsoil will both last significantly longer in service, as will the Mobil Delvac 1, 5w-40. This is mainly due to the 12-13 TBN's of these competitive products vs the 10.5 TBN of the GC/0w-30.

I DO think that the GC/0w-30 and Delvac 1 are clearly the best off-the-shelf synlubes you can get at this price point of about $5.00/quart. I'd use either of these over the GF-4 rated, Mobil 1, based on the wear data I've seen to date....

Ted

 

[pscholte]

I firmly believe that based on my theories that BMW. Audi, VW are going to make the leap and tell their owners, "Yes you need to use this particular oil, and yes, it is more expensive," that Castrol will always make some kind of Eurospecs oil available. I don't think Total-ELF would be looking at establishing a solid dealer network if they didn't believe the demand was coming. I think we are on the verge.

Ted, you are staying up too late writing about oil!

 

[SSDude]

If GC disappears then the best choices would be.

1. Redline 5w-40, Mobil 1 Truck & SUV, Amsoil 5w-30, Synergyn 3w-30

2. BC

 

[SSDude]

quote:

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Originally posted by SSDude:
If GC disappears then the best choices would be.

1. Redline 5w-40, Mobil 1 Truck & SUV, Amsoil(Series 3000) 5w-30, Synergyn 3w-30

2. BC

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[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Grossomotto:

quote:

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One of these days I'm going to have to run an interval with GC in my Corvette for more than 10k just to prove a point.

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I would put some LC in there to be safe.

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But then that wouldn't be a true test of GC's abilities would it? The whole point of me going more than 10k would be to prove GC could do it, but if I used a helper like LC, then it would not prove my point. People would just say the LC was responsible for the good results.

 

[TooSlick]

Patman,

I see no issues with running the GC for 10k-15k service intervals in non-turbocharged, four cylinder engines. I think you can consistently go 8k-10k miles in a typical V-6 engine, even under fairly severe service conditions.

However, running service intervals >> 7500 miles in any V-8 engine (with a small sump), or turbocharged engine simply requires a very high additive treat level. This is true regardless of how good the basestock blend is. It's this last set of applications I'm specifically referring to.

I think I understand oil degradation mechanisms pretty well and I honestly don't think you can do the long drains in the big engines with a 10 TBN formulation - except under ideal conditions. For example, the Amsoil "XL" Series oils are 10 TBN formulations and are only recommended for 7500 miles/6 months of use....I know for a fact the XL products have been fleet tested out to 12,000 miles (I've seen the data), but that was under highway driving conditions.

Ted

 

[pscholte]

quote:

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Originally posted by TooSlick:
Patman,


I think I understand oil degradation mechanisms pretty well and I honestly don't think you can do the long drains in the big engines with a 10 TBN formulation - except under ideal conditions.


Ted

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Ted,

Since I am not an extended OCI kind of guy to begin with, I tend to take your side RE: the statements above. The one thing that does make me wonder, however, is ELF Excellium 229.5 for the super long Mercedes interval is TBN 9.6 and Excellium LDX for BMW long drains is 10.0. Now unless, since the oil condition is being monitored, they know the oil will be changed according to the indicator and is less likely to be stressed beyond its capability or there is something really special about that fleece filter, they are getting by with lower TBNs over a long potential interval. (I didn't write that all in one breath.)

That would seem to argue to me that it is not just the magnitude of the TBN but also how effectively the additive package resists depletion.

 

[SSDude]

I ran GC with Lube Control in my LS1 for 10,000 miles. The TBN was 2.1. These were hard driven miles. I believe that GC could last for 10,000 in a V-8 with occassional spirited driving without Lube Control.

 

[TooSlick]

The Mobil 1, Extended Performance synthetic has a TBN > 12.0 - that explains why the GC/0w-30 isn't a true extended drain oil for any large domestic engines....

TS