Is Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 a good oil?
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IT is a decent oil but it is not as good as M1 TSUV or Mobil Delvac-1. Even M1 0W40 is probably a better oil. The Rotella-T Synthetic is a good oil but when compared to it's intended competition it falls very short!
What is the application because most European cars have some demanding oil requirements for warranty requirements. If warranty is not a concern then I would give it try.Usualy most people that use Rotella-T Synthetic do so for one of two reasons!1)They get it fre at work. 2) It is cheap!
For the record I do not belive we have seen a single bad UOA for Rotella-T Synthetic. I have also not seen any UOA from the product that seemed to standout as great either.
What are you useing it in?What spec. must it meet?
What is the application because most European cars have some demanding oil requirements for warranty requirements. If warranty is not a concern then I would give it try.Usualy most people that use Rotella-T Synthetic do so for one of two reasons!1)They get it fre at work. 2) It is cheap!
For the record I do not belive we have seen a single bad UOA for Rotella-T Synthetic. I have also not seen any UOA from the product that seemed to standout as great either.
What are you useing it in?What spec. must it meet?
Another reason I use it, I would put in my large diesel long before I would M1 0-40, and it is at least half the price of D1, and while I would use M1 T&S, I'm still not convinced it is exactly the same as D1. So for what it is, it is perfectly fine.(mid-priced GIII) with an adequate add package.
As I said in one of your other post, use the Elf you were looking at, or the Motul you mentioned, or the Mobil 1 0W40, or the Castrol GC 0W30. These are all PAO or PAO/Ester oils, and as you stated in one of the other post, this is what you are looking for. All of the above meet the specs you are looking for. If the AGIP oil your dealer is using also meets these specs, go ahead and use it. If you do mostly city driving, change the oil every 5,000 miles and enjoy your Audi for the next 300,000 miles.
What's wrong with this one? - http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002051
Gary
This is a great oil. High viscosity index, very pure, good VI improvers. Same base oil as Shell Helix, factory fill for Ferrari.
My UOA:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002297#000000
Another good one:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002265
My UOA:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002297#000000
Another good one:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002265
It's a good oil, but it will kill your gas milage! I had a 2002 Quad Cab Doge Ram that got around 19-20 mpg from the time I got it using regular dino oil. In 04', about 6 months before I sold it, I started using Rotella T Synthetic and it tanked my gas milage to something like 15-17!!!!
V8Blitz, DO not use Rotella-T in your Audi. M1 OW40,M1 TSUV 5W40,Delvac-1,XD3 0W40,Amsoil S3K 5W30, Schaffers 9000 5W40,Synergen 3W30 etc... are all much better suited to this engine. The Castrol line does not offer a very good bang for the buck in 30Wt. or 40Wt. oils due to their cheaper make up. THe origanal GC formula has been changed for 05 and it is a crap shoot at best as to weather it is as good as the older stuff or not?
RayJay1, I do not think anyone in their right mind would ever recomend M1 0W40 in a comerical diesel! Few on this site would recomend it for light duty diesel even though EM does recomend it for PC diesels.
Geoff, According to G-ManII Rotella-T Synthetic has not used the Shell Helix Ultra base stock for some time now. It must be a year or more since he broke that news. To be honest a Ferari's engine is built so well that when not rceing it you could probably run it on Walmart's $.84 oil and it would do fine. We have seen a UOA of a Ferari with M1 0W20 in the crankcase.
Geoff, WHile those UOA do look good they were both low milage UOA and they did not deviate much below the universal averages at all. If they were half the universal average or if they had those same numbers but double the milage that would be something to note! We also did not see any UOA on your vechile runing the M1 30Wt.? How do we know that Rotella did that much better of a job then your previous oil? THe reason GC produced such a buzz initialy was becasue it cut a lot of peoples wear numbers in half over their previous oil! This is what I mean by stand out UOA! Something significant not just the lack of a bad UOA!
[ May 14, 2005, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: JohnBrowning ]
RayJay1, I do not think anyone in their right mind would ever recomend M1 0W40 in a comerical diesel! Few on this site would recomend it for light duty diesel even though EM does recomend it for PC diesels.
Geoff, According to G-ManII Rotella-T Synthetic has not used the Shell Helix Ultra base stock for some time now. It must be a year or more since he broke that news. To be honest a Ferari's engine is built so well that when not rceing it you could probably run it on Walmart's $.84 oil and it would do fine. We have seen a UOA of a Ferari with M1 0W20 in the crankcase.
Geoff, WHile those UOA do look good they were both low milage UOA and they did not deviate much below the universal averages at all. If they were half the universal average or if they had those same numbers but double the milage that would be something to note! We also did not see any UOA on your vechile runing the M1 30Wt.? How do we know that Rotella did that much better of a job then your previous oil? THe reason GC produced such a buzz initialy was becasue it cut a lot of peoples wear numbers in half over their previous oil! This is what I mean by stand out UOA! Something significant not just the lack of a bad UOA!
[ May 14, 2005, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: JohnBrowning ]
You're comparing apples to oranges. Everyone knows the Rotella is NOWHERE near as good as the Mobil 1 products. The Rotella IS a good choice for someone that doesn't want to spend alot on oil, but still wants great protection. I use it in my wife's VWs and can't say anything bad about it. For someone that needs to find the elusive 5W40 grade locally, finding the Rotella is as easy as going to any Walmart.
Not just any Walmart carries it, however.
Ran it in my Isuzu Rodeo for two weeks and 800 miles, definitely quieted down the engine, took just a little power away, not too bad.
However, I dumped it way early because the truck began having this horrible fuel, burnt oil smell - every day I would check the oil dipstick, and the smell got worse.
In the pan, when I dropped the oil, you could truly smell the fuel in the oil, it was BAD!
Never before, in 141K miles, has my truck smelled this way. I let it drain/drip for several hours and followed up with Havoline synthetic.
I will say that when I 1st opened the 1 gallon jug of the Rotella 5w-40, it smelled like charcol and fuel combined, however, it looked fine, so I didn't think too much of it.
Won't ever put that in my trucks again.
Ran it in my Isuzu Rodeo for two weeks and 800 miles, definitely quieted down the engine, took just a little power away, not too bad.
However, I dumped it way early because the truck began having this horrible fuel, burnt oil smell - every day I would check the oil dipstick, and the smell got worse.
In the pan, when I dropped the oil, you could truly smell the fuel in the oil, it was BAD!
Never before, in 141K miles, has my truck smelled this way. I let it drain/drip for several hours and followed up with Havoline synthetic.
I will say that when I 1st opened the 1 gallon jug of the Rotella 5w-40, it smelled like charcol and fuel combined, however, it looked fine, so I didn't think too much of it.
Won't ever put that in my trucks again.
Exactly, its intended competition is not M1 Delvac or any other full synthetic PAO oil at twice the price, regardless of what the bottle says. It's intended competition is DELO GIII 5-40, or ST GIII 5-40, or any other GIII oil at near the price point. PS. compared to the 15-40's it is not cheap, which is the market it is made for.
The Rotella 5W40 was attractive at about $13 a gallon when Mobil 1 T&S was $20 or so, but now that T&S is $16 a gallon (5 qts for $20) it's less attractive. Delvac 1 is still seems to be often around $25 a gallon. I've been using 2 gal of Delvac 1300 with 1 gal of T&S, but am considering 100% T&S in the winter. I'm using 100% T&S in the older Taurus, but it only uses 5 qts.
I run Rotella 5W-40 in my '83 F250 (460 V8) and it LOVES the stuff. Despite 22 years and 100,000 miles, it doesn't burn any oil. Alas, I have no UOA figures, but just my observations as far as oil pressure at startup, smoothness/quietness of the engine and fuel economy.
I will continue to run this oil in this vehicle for the forseeable future.
I will continue to run this oil in this vehicle for the forseeable future.
I'm trying a batch of it for my 2003 Dodge Sprinter's 2.7L Turbo Diesel. I have no specific data or proof to back this up, but the engine seems to run a little rougher with this oil. I originally used M1 0w-40.
I'm also considering using Delo 15w-40 dino for my next change. Bad idea?
I'm also considering using Delo 15w-40 dino for my next change. Bad idea?
Hi,
if I was not using Delvac 1 5w-40 in my Detroit Diesels I would be using Rotella T 5w-40 or Delo 5w-40 synthetic
Both are Commercial oils with an excellent reputation amongst Commercial users
In the appropriate engine M1 0w-40 works very well and is MB Approved for light diesel use
Regards
Doug
if I was not using Delvac 1 5w-40 in my Detroit Diesels I would be using Rotella T 5w-40 or Delo 5w-40 synthetic
Both are Commercial oils with an excellent reputation amongst Commercial users
In the appropriate engine M1 0w-40 works very well and is MB Approved for light diesel use
Regards
Doug
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