I brought home my new '06 GTO this weekend (Black on Black, 6spd Manual), and naturally the first thing I looked for in the owner's manual was the maint. schedule and oil specs. They specify a 5W30 meeting "GM4718M" standards. I know Mobil1 meets it, and I see PP is approved, what other choices are out there and who recommends what? Just to stir the pot a little, what sort of recommendations do we have for the manual trans (DexIII) and rear diff (75w140 GL5) ?
oil for new GTO
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Even though it is not specifically listed as meeting the spec, my choice would be German Castrol 0w30. I believe it would meet GM4718 ( a high temp spec) but Castrol probably wouldn't test for it's certification based on the "European Formula", and the market it is geared for. I think Patman is the local LS guru here. I bet he'll have a recommendation for you too. Don't forget to check out www.ls2.com also.
Most XW-30 synthetics meet the GM4718M spec, and I don't think you can go wrong using any of those in either 5w30 or 0W-30, provided you stick with a well-recognized and respected brand.
I have a 2006 also. I have used every oil you can think of in it (almost). I found it runs the best on 3 quarts redline 5w-20, and 3 quarts redline Racing oil 30 weight mixed. Although the capacity is 6.5 quarts, my dipstick shows full on about 6.1 to 6.2. Hope this helps.
I guess I should clarify that my intention is to stick with an oil that actually is GM4718M certified, which according to the back of the bottle, GC is not. I guess my stash of GC is now all going into the SAAB..
Patman
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I've gotten a lot of flack on other boards whenever I recommend GC 0w30 in new engines still under warranty, and the people do have a good point. Even though GC is an awesome oil and works very well in the LSx family of engines, it does not have the GM 4718M spec listed on it. That doesn't mean the oil wouldn't pass that spec, but we have to remember that this is a European oil so why would Castrol apply to get their oil tested for this spec over there? It would make no sense.
So while under warranty, it's best to stick to something with that rating on the label, just to be safe. My choice would be Pennzoil Platinum 5w30. Then once you're out of warranty, or at least a year or two into the warranty and you're confident the engine has no issues (doesn't consume a lot of oil, doesn't have piston slap, etc.) then you can switch to GC.
You are asking for opinions so I will render one. If I had the GM 6.0 I would use either M1 5w30, GC 5w30, or AMSOIL 5w30.
I believe M1 5W30 is what came in the engine. You can not go to a local store and purchase AMSOIL so you may not want to go to the trouble of getting it and you have stated that you have concerns about GC (which may actually be best for that engine because of it’s HT/HS and 100 cSt ratings). So, you are back to M1 or maybe, as suggested by PATMAN, PP.
PP has a higher HT/HS rating over M1 but M1 has a higher 100cSt than PP so neither is a clear cut winner over the other in my humble opinion except it is stated over and over that PP is less expensive tha M1.
There is no way I would create a brew or use any racing oil for racing oils are not designed for use in street cars following normal or extended oil change intervals.
I believe both M1 and AMSOIL have a guarantee that if your engine fails because of an oil related problem they will take car of it. However, I personally have never heard of anyone who has had M1 or AMSOIL pay for damages caused due to an oil related failure while using their product - - maybe there has not been any.
You did not mention oil filters….. If there is a Delco “UPF” filter for that engine I would use it in a heartbeat. If not, use a PureOne, Mobil 1, or AMSOIL filer.
I believe M1 5W30 is what came in the engine. You can not go to a local store and purchase AMSOIL so you may not want to go to the trouble of getting it and you have stated that you have concerns about GC (which may actually be best for that engine because of it’s HT/HS and 100 cSt ratings). So, you are back to M1 or maybe, as suggested by PATMAN, PP.
PP has a higher HT/HS rating over M1 but M1 has a higher 100cSt than PP so neither is a clear cut winner over the other in my humble opinion except it is stated over and over that PP is less expensive tha M1.
There is no way I would create a brew or use any racing oil for racing oils are not designed for use in street cars following normal or extended oil change intervals.
I believe both M1 and AMSOIL have a guarantee that if your engine fails because of an oil related problem they will take car of it. However, I personally have never heard of anyone who has had M1 or AMSOIL pay for damages caused due to an oil related failure while using their product - - maybe there has not been any.
You did not mention oil filters….. If there is a Delco “UPF” filter for that engine I would use it in a heartbeat. If not, use a PureOne, Mobil 1, or AMSOIL filer.
Patman
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The thing that would scare me is not if the engine outright failed, as that would be rare, but what if there was another problem internally with the engine which needed fixing?
For example, with the LS1s, there was a lot of people who had warranty work done on it to cure the piston slap, or excessive oil consumption. Neither of those problems would've been paid for by Amsoil (and rightly so, since it's not an oil issue) however if GM wanted to be sticky (and they do!) they could deny coverage on that repair if they found the user was using a different oil. Some dealers might not even bother looking into it, but others might. That's the big problem that could happen. That's why I say that you should give the engine some time, and see if it's got either of those issues. The LS2 is not immune to piston slap or consumption issues, although it seems to be improved greatly over the LS1/LS6 engines.
Probably just a typo on your part, but GC is available only as a 0W-30.
I concur with everything Patman has said.
I am most likely going to try running PP until the warranty runs out, then possibly switch over to GC. What I really wonder is what other choices are there? I couldn't find a list of "approved" oils...
Just google "GM 4718M". I'm sure you'll find plenty of other choices.
I did, and I didn't...
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If the specifications let you sleep better use Mobil 1 0W/5W30. Personally, I'd use GC 0W30.
I use Havoline 10/30 synthetic in my LS1 powered Goat.
I have the 4L60E in my car, but FWIW, I drain the transmission pan every time I do an oil change, and am not all that particular about the ATF. SuperTech or Harvest King are what I use the most of.
I still have the factory fill in my diff.
I have the 4L60E in my car, but FWIW, I drain the transmission pan every time I do an oil change, and am not all that particular about the ATF. SuperTech or Harvest King are what I use the most of.
I still have the factory fill in my diff.
There used to be a .PDF file somewhere on the GM site that listed all the oils that are 6094M and 4718M approved. I got the link to it from here, so a search here might be better than google.
My GTO only requires 6094M, but the Havoline 10/30 (and 5/30) synthetic was approved by GM for both specs.
Here's a quick and dirt google search:
GM 4718M
Castrol Syntec 5/10w-30
Elf Excellium GM 5w30
Pennzoil Platinum 5/10w-30
Quaker State Full Synthetic 5/10w-30
Amsoil XL 5/10w-30
Havoline Synthetic 5/10w-30
Schaeffer Supreme 7000 SAE 5/10w-30
Valvoline SynPower 5/10w-30
(Note: M1 EP doesn't currently list GM 4718M)
I'm sure there's others out there too, just put a little effort into it.
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