Amsoil users/experts, which oil for 1yr/15K OCI?

[cfromc]

Hi all, first post but I've been reading everything on the forums for months and definitely find the site, as well as everyone's knowledge, very invaluable. Sorry this post is so long but I've tried to supply all the information that everyone asks for after the initial post.

I've got a 2001 Chevy Suburban 5.3L 4x4 with 116K on it and I would like to hit 250-300K before I sell it. I've been using Amsoil since I got it at 85K and tried the Series 2000 0w30 and XL 5w30 so far. The 0w30 seemed to create some engine noise, especially at start-up but the XL seems to have quieted it down. Anyway, my question, which is probably splitting hairs, but, which Amsoil product would be the "best" to get me to 300,000 miles? I've narrowed the choices to three: TSO Series 2000 API SM 0W30, ASL Gasoline engine API SM 5w30, or HDD Heavy-Duty Diesel/Gasoline API SL 5w30? I've seen a lot of people ask what the best is without qualifying "best" so I will say that for this application the best means: Least wear on engine while not significantly (negatively) affecting MPG. I will be using the Ea oil filter also. Or, fourth option, keep using the XL product and do the oil changes based on the OLM=2-3 times per year?

The driving is a mix of city/highway 15K per year, sometimes with only one person, and unloaded and sometimes with 7-8 people and fully loaded. Not much trailering and rarely in the mountains. The weather ranges from below zero in the winter to 100 in the summer (Chicagoland).

Let's say price is not a factor and I've already decided on an Amsoil product but if I go with the XL it will end up costing more due to the approximately 2.5 oil changes per year vs. 1 oil change for the others. Does anyone feel that I can't go 1yr/15K on the other 3? I plan on doing a UOA at least once the first year.

Thanks all in advance for your knowledge

 

[LargeCarMan]

ASL 5-30 with the EaO = 15K once a year oil changes. You will see many miles on this set-up and it is good year round in your area.

 

[TooSlick]

Any of the Amsoil products you've selected will work for what you want to do. I'd probably start with the Series 3000, 5w30 in this case. The main reason is that V-8's dump a lot of contamination into the oil for a given # of miles, due to their relatively low fuel efficiency. I like Amsoils' diesel formulated synthetics for this type of application.

One other thing is that you can expect ANY shear stable oil used for 15,000 miles in a V-8 to thicken somewhat, due to oxidation/nitration and evaporation. So don't be surprised to see the oil test out as a 10w-40 after 15,000 miles. Provided the wear rates and TBN look good, I wouldn't be too concerned about this, since cold weather performance will still be excellent. I'd keep an eye on fuel efficiency once you get out past 10,000 miles, however. If you see a noticable drop in mileage, you may want to consider using the less expensive ASL/5w30 and a 10k-12k interval. That will work fine as well.

TS

 

[Pablo]

The new SM ASL looks awesome. I think with the EaO filter you could go to 15K. I say it's a great price/value between the XL and the HDD.

Start with a 10-12K OCI on ASL as Ted suggests, do a UOA and if all looks well, 15K will come easy.

 

[Clyde65]

I like the numbers of Amsoil 5W-40 with 13.7 cst @ 100C. That's right in the target area as the perfect oil thickness in my opinion.

 

[cfromc]

Thanks all for the replies. I guess I should have seen it coming but it slipped my mind last night that I would get different opinions from different people...duh. Is it common to have the 0w30 make more noise than the 5w30's? Or could it have just been due to the combination of the common 5.3L piston slap and cold weather? Since the TSO hasn't gotten any votes yet and I didn't really see any MPG difference between 0w30 and 5w30, I guess the TSO is out. (unless someone votes for it)