Recommended oil for 1998 Chevrolet Suburban

[DrPinetar]

New guy here - thanks for your help. My 170K mile 1998 Chevy Suburban 5.7 liter runs great - no problems. My usage is 20 mile minimum highway trips - some trips a lot longer. Not too much stop and go city driving. I live in Montana - twenty below to one hundred above.

What oil and filter combination should I be using to keep my ride running great? Thanks!

 

[KevGuy]

Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
New guy here - thanks for your help. My 170K mile 1998 Chevy Suburban 5.7 liter runs great - no problems. My usage is 20 mile minimum highway trips - some trips a lot longer. Not too much stop and go city driving. I live in Montana - twenty below to one hundred above.

What oil and filter combination should I be using to keep my ride running great? Thanks!

10W-40 conventional
FRAM orange can

 

[Thax]

With your mileage in what im assuming is a 5.7L my suggestion would be either Mobil 1 5W-30 High Mileage or Valvoline Maxlife 5w-30. These two oils are very good for engines that consume a small amount of oil during a oci. If you prefer to use a non synthetic or high mileage oil , Pennzoil yellow bottle 5w-30 is a very good conventional oil. Mobil Super 5k is also very good too as well. Just really depends on how long you want to run the oil and personal preference towards syn or conventional.

 

[Brons2]

Whatever the factory recommends is what you should use, unless it's burning a lot of oil. It doesn't sound like it from your description. I assume 5w30 is what GM called for, I would use it with confidence. Buy any major brand conventional that you can get on sale.

 

[DrPinetar]

Yes - it asks for 5W-30, and the vehicle is not burning oil. I have never used synthetic oil...

 

[Brons2]

You can also use synthetic if you want to try it. Might have some advantages in the cold wintertime up there.

 

[Thax]

Originally Posted By: KevGuy
Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
New guy here - thanks for your help. My 170K mile 1998 Chevy Suburban 5.7 liter runs great - no problems. My usage is 20 mile minimum highway trips - some trips a lot longer. Not too much stop and go city driving. I live in Montana - twenty below to one hundred above.

What oil and filter combination should I be using to keep my ride running great? Thanks!

10W-40 conventional
FRAM orange can

Is this a serious recommendation? A 40 weight for a vehicle that experiences -20F starts and a Fram OCOD. This is a new bitog member who I am going to assume is asking genuine questions regarding a subject that he/she is not familiar with as many members of this board are. KevGuy I have to disagree with you 100% on your answer to poster's question , there are much better oil/filter combo's for this engine and environment.

 

[DrPinetar]

So standard 5W-30 oils are basically the same? I can just buy on price? That seems weird. I see that Thax recommended some of those higher mileage products - what is the difference in those? What about the filters - pay more / get more?

I'd like to stay with changing my oil every 5000 or so.

 

[KCJeep]

Maxlife 5w30 would be a great year round choice for that rig IMO, you could use 10w30 in the summer if you wanted to but not necessary.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: Thax
Originally Posted By: KevGuy
Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
New guy here - thanks for your help. My 170K mile 1998 Chevy Suburban 5.7 liter runs great - no problems. My usage is 20 mile minimum highway trips - some trips a lot longer. Not too much stop and go city driving. I live in Montana - twenty below to one hundred above.

What oil and filter combination should I be using to keep my ride running great? Thanks!

10W-40 conventional
FRAM orange can

Is this a serious recommendation? A 40 weight for a vehicle that experiences -20F starts and a Fram OCOD. This is a new bitog member who I am going to assume is asking genuine questions regarding a subject that he/she is not familiar with as many members of this board are. KevGuy I have to disagree with you 100% on your answer to poster's question , there are much better oil/filter combo's for this engine and environment.


Yeah, i was thinking the same thing.. i think some member just post random things to get there comments # up.. the 10-40 is a silly recomendation that should be avoided.

 

[newtoncd8]

You have 170k on it, why would you change what you have been doing? ... speaking of which, what kind of oil/filter/interval have you been doing? That might help with people providing options.

 

[Lead Shoes]

Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
Originally Posted By: Thax
Originally Posted By: KevGuy
Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
New guy here - thanks for your help. My 170K mile 1998 Chevy Suburban 5.7 liter runs great - no problems. My usage is 20 mile minimum highway trips - some trips a lot longer. Not too much stop and go city driving. I live in Montana - twenty below to one hundred above.

What oil and filter combination should I be using to keep my ride running great? Thanks!

10W-40 conventional
FRAM orange can

Is this a serious recommendation? A 40 weight for a vehicle that experiences -20F starts and a Fram OCOD. This is a new bitog member who I am going to assume is asking genuine questions regarding a subject that he/she is not familiar with as many members of this board are. KevGuy I have to disagree with you 100% on your answer to poster's question , there are much better oil/filter combo's for this engine and environment.


Yeah, i was thinking the same thing.. i think some member just post random things to get there comments # up.. the 10-40 is a silly recomendation that should be avoided.


No, Kevguy is 100% serious...

And I couldn't disagree more with his proposal of what to use...

 

[DrPinetar]

Great question! I have been going to the "quick oil change" places and letting them work their magic. So - I have no idea really what has been happening, but rather have just trusted them to do the right thing. A friend told me that I am an idiot, and that oil is important. I like research, so here I am!

 

[Brons2]

Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
So standard 5W-30 oils are basically the same? I can just buy on price? That seems weird. I see that Thax recommended some of those higher mileage products - what is the difference in those? What about the filters - pay more / get more?

I'd like to stay with changing my oil every 5000 or so.


The major oil companies all make good quality conventional 5w30s. You can choose on price between those. However, there are definitely some oddball oils out there that you want to stay away from. Here is a good site for more information: http://www.pqiamerica.com/

High mileage oils can be helpful in certain situations, however, most of them have been reformulated to be "Energy Conserving" oils which makes me doubtful of the benefits.

Oil analysis is one thing that can help you choose the best oil and appropriate oil change interval for your driving regimen. Check the oil analysis forum.

 

[Thax]

Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
So standard 5W-30 oils are basically the same? I can just buy on price? That seems weird. I see that Thax recommended some of those higher mileage products - what is the difference in those? What about the filters - pay more / get more?

I'd like to stay with changing my oil every 5000 or so.

The difference between a high mileage and normal oil is that HM oils contain seal conditioners that help keep older seals and certain gaskets healty. All modern API SN GF-5 (latest industry standard) oils contain these , however HM oils contain a higher concentration as well as being slightly thicker in any given viscosity grade which generally helps control oil consumption . In my last post I did not include a filter recommendation , as you said you dont use a synthetic ( which is fine) I would use Valvoline Maxlife 5w-30 and either a Purolator Pureone or a Wix brand filter. Both Maxlife and either one of those filters would be very ideal for a 5k mile oil/filter combo.

 

[bvance554]

Kevguy cracks me up. I enjoy his posts because all he does is post what he knows is going to stir you guys up. I think the point he is trying to make is that there are some very opinionated folks on here.

OP, check your manual and use what it says. As mentioned it is likely 5w-30. Go buy what ever is on sale and pick up a filter while you're there. Change it regularly. With that many miles its all minutia.

 

[BillyTheKid]

I have the same exact truck down to the year. I've used it all weights and brands as heavy as 20-50 and as light as 5-30. This 350 ci will run on anything. Mine has slightly less miles than yours at 149k. I just moved to nextgen maxlife to see if I could slow a very minimal burning issue which I'd assume it's valve guide seals. The maxlife did just that and it runs as quiet on it if not quieter than anything else, and I tried some pretty expensive synthetics in this thing over the years.

My first vote on this with that many miles would be maxlife from my good experiences with it, but I say use your judgment and think with you wallet when choosing.

 

[bama7x57]

My '97 Suburban with 252K has had a steady diet 5w-30 of various flavors. I buy the oil specials and change about 5000 miles.
The 5.7 is not picky. Feed it a decent 5w-30 and you'll very likely see 300K or more.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: DrPinetar
Yes - it asks for 5W-30, and the vehicle is not burning oil. I have never used synthetic oil...


Stick with what's working. Any brand name 5w-30 will serve you well, and there's no need to go synthetic unless you're extending OCIs, and no need to go to high mileage unless you have a problem you're trying to address.

Good grief, a 10w-40 recommendation? That was an obsolete, contraindicated recommendation in Chevy engines thirty years ago, let alone now.

 

[Kuato]

I was thinking 0w30 for the low winter temps. Everyone is saying 5w30 is good enough for -20F....is using a 0w overkill?


Oh, and let me be the first to say,

DrPinetar!!

Lots of great info here, and as you've seen, plenty of opinions!