Can anything beat that Motorcraft 5W20-Ford 4 cyl

[Best F100]

Car involved: 2010 Ford Fusion Gas/Hybrid with 75,000 miles.

Driving conditions: 80% hwy/20% city. 480 miles/week. Currently getting
between 44 - 48mpg in city and hwy driving on Motorcraft.
5W20 FULL Synthetic, that has a HT/HS of 2.7

Anticipated OCI: 5,000 - 7,500 miles


Question: For my Winter oil change. Is there there anything BETTER than the
Motorcraft 5W20 FULL Synthetic, that I already have? This question
applies only in a Ford 4 cylinder application. ("Winter" in Tennessee
is relative, as compared to my former state of Tennessee).


Full disclosure: I am asking a loaded question here, because I am currently
using (and sitting on over 30 more quarts of Motorcraft
5W20 FULL Synthetic GF-4). Bought when Advance Auto Parts
cleared their inventory at $1.95/qt. cst@100 of 8.3. cst@40 of
41, Flash pt of 420 something, VI of 159. However, I also have
Havoline 0W20, and a case of Toyota 0W20 waiting to report
for duty, if these are better winter oils. My goal is to wring
400,000 miles out of this car. Yes, 400,000. The Havoline has
a cst@40C of 40, a cst@100C of 8.0 and a VI of 172, if my
memory is correct.



I am bring up this topic, and opening it up for discussion because, I have read that for cold start ups ONLY in the winter, some folks have the following belief: " synthetic PAO oils like Mobil 1 0W oils result in higher iron UOA's in exchange for enhanced cold start capabilities." These same folks say the UOA's may be reflecting corrosion, not engine wear - but who knows? These folks say a blended 5W20, group II or III, mineral based oil is the way to go for winter start ups.

The other reason I am bringing this up is because on some of the Ford Truck forums, MOST of the truck owners with 250,000 miles and up, mention using "just" Motorcraft 5W20 blend, not a synthetic oil. I am of the belief that Motorcraft oil, and its Kendall GT-1 cousin, MAY be optimized in their formulation for their expected Ford engines (or maybe I have it reversed). Witness the recent F150 EcoBoost durability testing results and engine tear down using "just" Motorcraft 5W20 blend.

OK, the topic is open for discussion boys, let's keep it civil, and try not to stray too far off the topic. By the way, if anyone wants to swap any of your newer GF5
0W20 oil, for what I have, let me know. I guess that is the disadvantage of having a oil stash. I will be sending in the current Motorcraft in for a UOA in late November at a 5,000 mile interval as a baseline,
and will follow up with a comparison UOA of something else - so I'm seeking imput from you guys, as to what that next oil should be.

 

[ABerns]

Avoiding the question of "best", I think the 5w20 full syn you have will take your car to 400,000. Well, at least oil won't be the cause of the car's demise.

Edit: Use of the Havoline and Toyota won't hurt anything, either, so don't throw it out. But don't worry, all of those oils are fine for you, IMHO.

 

[bigjl]

I believe the Ford oils in the UK are Castrol supplied, I used to use the Ford semi synth in my mk3 Mondeo and then switched to Castrol Magnatec when I joined Costco,

That car is now well over 200k, probably nearer 220k now with a mate.

He still changes(actually I still do it!) the oil with Castrol Magnatec every 5/7k and the only oil filters it ever had were Ford OE and Hengst from Euro Car Parts.

I would have no issues in using Ford/Motorcraft specified oils in any Ford or any vehicle with a Ford/PSA group developed Diesel engine.

That Mondeo only had its EGR cleaned out once at about 180k. And still runs well, mate reports getting 54mpg on his daily commute of 40miles each way, when he bought it a year or so ago he was getting 51mpg in the same conditions and usage.

Not sure I would want to run the Ford semi synth for the full 12.5k as specced in the Mondeo service manual but it was run that way to 80k and 3yrs when I bought it so it certainly hasn't had any detrimental effect.
Just shows what good oil, decent filters and sensible OCI can do for a vehicle in the long term.

The only difference between The Ford semi and Magnatec is that Ford oil is only A1-B1 whereas the Magnatec is A1-B1/A5-B5.

 

[95busa]

Originally Posted By: ABerns
Avoiding the question of "best", I think the 5w20 full syn you have will take your car to 400,000. Well, at least oil won't be the cause of the car's demise.

Edit: Use of the Havoline and Toyota won't hurt anything, either, so don't throw it out. But don't worry, all of those oils are fine for you, IMHO.


Yes

 

[skyship]

Oddly enough Liqui Moly don't recommend fully synthetics (As defined in Germany) for this car, so I am wondering what the power train warranty says and what is in the handbook.

Change 10000 miles / 12 months
Products : Top Tec 4600 5W-30
Leichtlauf High Tech 5W-40
Longtime High Tech 5W-30

BUT Castrol do list only 5/20's but are not concerned if you use a conventional or synthetic oil:

Castrol EDGE with SPT, SAE 5W-20
API* 5W-20
Castrol EDGE, SAE 5W-20
API* 5W-20
Castrol GTX, SAE 5W-20
API* 5W-20 - `Superior Sludge Protection. Castrol GTX exceeds demanding U.S. high shear and stay-in-grade requirements for viscosity breakdown protection.
Castrol SYNTEC Blend, SAE 5W-20

Very odd to see the two leading engine oil companies disagree about the upper viscosity rating. Using a 5/30 would not help the fuel consumption figures.
In general terms your driving style and useage will make more of a difference than the actual oil selection. If you want to make serious miles before a rebuild, then a sump heater in winter will make a difference. Even the choice of air and oil filter are probably more important than the exact oil type as long as you use a major brand that is recommended for the Fusion hybrid engine.

 

[donnyj08]

The Motorcraft syn-blend is a great oil, ive found however, that trop artic syn blend is pretty much identical to motorcraft (both COP) and it is usually cheaper than motorcraft. most farm supply stores carry it for about 2.99-3.49 a qt regular price.

your car will last a very long time on the motorcraft oil, or its COP equivalents. you also should have no issues with any other 5w20/0w20 on the market.

The majority of your miles being highway commutes is what will allow your car to run a very long time, not necessarily the brand of oil.

I tend to run top tier synthetic in my vehicles because you can almost always find a sale on them for the same price as other brands.

for steady go to oils, when the stash is out of top tier oil or im wanting to spend very little money i usually use mobil super or trop artic syn-blend, which is pretty much motorcraft with a cheaper price tag. great oil.

My uncle who is a ford tech for 35 yrs swears by the motorcraft oil, he uses it in everything. he said that he has seen f150's serviced every 5k with mobil 1 and with motorcraft every 5k and both run perfect after 300k+ and engines he has seen are clean on both. he says for the price of motorcraft/trop artic syn blend, he just doesnt see the point in 10$ more for M1 or PP ect.

personally i like all oils, and have been a user of many brands, and i see little difference between any of them when serviced well. good luck!

 

[tig1]

However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.

 

[kender]

Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.


Yippee ki yay!!!
Who cares!
If you've seen one tig1 post.....you've seen them all!

 

[mechtech2]

Easy answer, until you put 'Best ' in the question.

 

[MuzzleFlash40]

You change the oil in your car every 5-7k with those highway miles using any major brand oil and the car will rust away before you have an oil related issue.

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.

My friend changes his oil every 30k with whatever bulk conventional speed lube decides to put in it. 1/3 the oil changes that you do on mobil 1. His F150 still runs with 130k miles and somehow no engine issues yet.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: kender
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.


Yippee ki yay!!!
Who cares!
If you've seen one tig1 post.....you've seen them all!


In spite of your rudeness, the question was "can anything beat Motorcraft 5-20 in Ford 4 cyl"? My answer implyed yes, M1 0-20 will beat MC 5-20 in Ford 4 cyl engines and do it with half the OCs. MC 5-20 is no doubt a fine lubricant, but I believe M1 0-20 the have the superior base stock and other qualities. Sorry if that disturbes you that I replied to his questio, which is more than you did.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: kender
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.


Yippee ki yay!!!
Who cares!
If you've seen one tig1 post.....you've seen them all!


Aren't you Captain Polite.......

 

[MarkStock]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: kender
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.


Yippee ki yay!!!
Who cares!
If you've seen one tig1 post.....you've seen them all!


Aren't you Captain Polite.......


He is because he stopped at "yay!!!!"

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: MarkStock
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: kender
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.


Yippee ki yay!!!
Who cares!
If you've seen one tig1 post.....you've seen them all!


Aren't you Captain Polite.......


He is because he stopped at "yay!!!!"


LOL, well played!

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: cb_13
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.

My friend changes his oil every 30k with whatever bulk conventional speed lube decides to put in it. 1/3 the oil changes that you do on mobil 1. His F150 still runs with 130k miles and somehow no engine issues yet.


So are you thinking 30K OCIs with dino that will sludge an engine is some how helpful to an engine for it's long life durability? I certainly don't.

 

[skyship]

For an engine to last as long as possible the OCI should be matched to a particular engine, its condition and how it is used. So talking about fixed service intervals does not make any real sense, as there is a huge difference in engine wear terms between an engine in good condition that only does very long highway trips and is driven by a careful driver and an engine in poor condition that spends most of its time stuck in traffic and is suject to abuse from a boy racer. The OCI in the first case could be 30,000 miles, but in the second it might well be 3,000 miles. The only way to figure out the correct OCI is used oil analysis, the rest is just guesswork.

Long OCI's with conventional oils can cause sludge and that risk is less with fully synthetic oils, but sludge only forms if the oil runs out of detergent additives, so one cause is using supermarket brands with low levels of Calcium based detergents, although some cases of sludge result from overheating and the use of additives like STP.

Getting back on topic, I do wonder if an 0/20 would return slightly better wear results than a 5/20, assuming you don't push the OCI too far. 5/20 is used because it does not suffer quite as much high temp shearing as 0/20, so a longer OCI can be used and car manufacturers like that. The 5/20 oils can be part synthetics when any oil with an 0W rating is normally a full synthetic and more expensive. In terms of long term engine life it would be good to see more UOA comparisons of 5/20 vs 5/30, as I suspect the 5/20 is often chosen for fuel consumption reasons. A lot of VW TDI engines produce better UOA results when changing from 5/30 to 5/40, but those are older model diesels and I don't know if the same applies to the newer engines.

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: cb_13
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.

My friend changes his oil every 30k with whatever bulk conventional speed lube decides to put in it. 1/3 the oil changes that you do on mobil 1. His F150 still runs with 130k miles and somehow no engine issues yet.


So are you thinking 30K OCIs with dino that will sludge an engine is some how helpful to an engine for it's long life durability? I certainly don't.


Agreed tig1 ive seen the inside of and f150 that had 40k oil changes, it was still running at 118k, so i believe the f150 runs with 30k changes, but that engine i saw took $1400 is timing compnents, oil pump, pickup tube and 5 cases of carb cleaner to fix.

Going your route with M1 or any other quality synthetic at 10k intervals, $1400 will get you 28 oil changes at 50$ a change. the end result is 280k well serviced miles. much easier than $1400 every 130k miles, to tear apart and clean/replace parts.
i like the MC oil, and believe 7500 miles is a good interval for it in a hwy 4cyl, and its slightly cheaper than M1. so money wise M1 and MC are about equal, assuming you ran M1 10k and MC 7500. either way is a good service IMO.

 

[Clevy]

Can anything beat mc. Well that's a tough question to answer. It depends on driving conditions,driving habits,the engine in question and what kind of maintenance plan.
you can take the mc oil,get it tested every 5000kms/3000miles so you can establish how long the tbn lasts,according to your driving habits and conditions,then run the oil as per your data.
Or you can change it every 5000/7500 miles and not give it a second thought.
If you plan on using that mobil stuff perhaps a uoa would benefit you in coming up with a maintenance plan.
When using a premium priced lubricant I feel as though a person should amass data in order to take the oil as far as it can go,especially since wear rates lower as the oil gets miles on it.
Once I get through my stash I'm planning on using 1 brand and grade oil,getting uoa done to see the lifespan of said lube,and running it as long as the data suggests. I'm thinking long drain due to dnewton's articles.
So to answer your question,yes there may be better oils out there however a maintenance plan and data need to be acquired so you can be cost effective and efficient in it's use.

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: cb_13
Originally Posted By: tig1
However I use M1 oils with 10K OCIs(half the oil changes you guys do)and my engines last well and are clean also.

My friend changes his oil every 30k with whatever bulk conventional speed lube decides to put in it. 1/3 the oil changes that you do on mobil 1. His F150 still runs with 130k miles and somehow no engine issues yet.


So are you thinking 30K OCIs with dino that will sludge an engine is some how helpful to an engine for it's long life durability? I certainly don't.


No I am just saying that you guys are severely underestimating the durability of engines these days. It seems someone is always bragging how engine oil X or Y is the reason that their engine is still running. I do not believe what he does is good but 130k on a 4.6 and no engine issues. Why would he, I or anyone else tear it down to look for sludge when it runs just fine.