Years ago I didn't like Havoline because it seemed to cause engine noises in my cars and/or motorcycles that I didn't feel good about. I think it may be doing it again but this time with my Ford Fiesta. I bought some Havoline 5w20 in the 6 quart box. I like the idea for the environment that the plastic bags break down faster than jugs, but this oil doesn't seem like it's going to work for me long term, When I accelerate from a stop, if I step on it enough, I seem to hear tappets or something sometimes before it shifts up. I didn't notice this when I got the car when it had Valvoline conv 5w20 in it, or with the NAPA SB 5w20 I ran for a while after. I would have been better off to keep running either of those oils but I wanted to give the oil in the box a try so I did an OCI with it, and I'm not pleased with it. I'm going to change it again (I "might" wait until Spring, or might not) with QS or ST, and I doubt I'll hear those noises with these oils. If I do, I'll switch to Castrol which I've ran in cars I put over 250k miles on with very good results. I don't think the Havoline would hurt my engine if I kept running it until mid March as I planned to do. If I don't accelerate too much too fast I probably won't hear that tappet noise. I could have got the 5w30 Havoline, or the synthetic Pro DS 5w20 but I don't plan to.
Now I will try QS conv or ST conv. If I hear the noise with either of them, I'm switching to the big three and will not look back : Castrol, Valvoline, or PZ conv.
It's just that I almost never listen to the radio or to music when I drive any more. I listen to the sounds the car makes. I'll try QS and maybe ST because they're about $5 cheaper than the big 3 I mentioned above. But part of me just says I should run Castrol right now and forget about the other brands. If I heard any noises like that with Castrol, I could pretty much be sure it's not what I think it is but I'm willing to bet I will not.
Now I will try QS conv or ST conv. If I hear the noise with either of them, I'm switching to the big three and will not look back : Castrol, Valvoline, or PZ conv.
It's just that I almost never listen to the radio or to music when I drive any more. I listen to the sounds the car makes. I'll try QS and maybe ST because they're about $5 cheaper than the big 3 I mentioned above. But part of me just says I should run Castrol right now and forget about the other brands. If I heard any noises like that with Castrol, I could pretty much be sure it's not what I think it is but I'm willing to bet I will not.