2018 Silverado 3500HD Oil Selection

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Phishin

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I just purchased this truck. It's got the 6.0L gas under the hood. It's only got 300 miles on it as of now. But I'm already itching to start planning my first OCI and keep her on a steady diet for a few years.
I know many aren't, but I'm a fan of changing out the factory fill early. I plan to drain it around 1500-2000 miles.

Yes, the engine is spec'ed for Dexos 5w30, but I'm open to run just about anything in this truck. I tend to lean towards the "thick" side of oil selections. I'm not a huge fan of changing oil brands very often either, so I'd like to stick to a particular oil for a few years.

The truck will mostly be short tripped (3 miles to work, a few miles to the store, etc. etc.). Of course, I'll get her on the highway a few times a month to stretch those thirsty legs (11-12 mpg's)

What oil would you run in this 6.0? Here's some oil I'm considering:

M1 0w40
Castrol 0w40
Renewable Lubricants 5w30 or their HDEO (5w40)
Rotella T6
Lubrications Engineer's 5w30 or 5w40: This Stuff Looks Good!!

It's a new truck, and I don't mind "wasting" some money on something a little more exotic than Supertech, Valvoline, or Pennzoil 5w30 (nothing wrong with these oils)
 
If you want something a little thicker, you could go with an A3/B4 5W-30. It will be very close to the 0W-40 you mentioned, without the large viscosity spread. Castrol EDGE 5W-30 A3/B4 (gold bottle), Pentosin High Performance 5W-30, Liqui-Moly Special Tec LL, Ravenol HCL are a few.
 
Don't over think this. Any Dexos 1 Gen 2 oil in the proper weight should work well. This LS based engine is easy on oil.
Don't put a 40 weight oil in it. Follow the factory guidelines. You are not running the truck on a racetrack, nor are you constantly towing a 12k lb trailer in 115 degree heat.
Since you are short tripping the vehicle, I see no problem with you running more frequent intervals, regardless of what others might say. It's a cheap way to give you peace of mind.
That said, me and many others on this site been happy with M1 and Penzoil Platinum 5W-30 in similar engines. I'm now using GM's Dex since the switch to D1G2 full synthetic. My dealer offers cheap oil changes with tire rotation as a way to get you in to try to upsell you on expensive unnessary services, which of course I turn down.
 
Originally Posted By: Phishin


It's a new truck, and I don't mind "wasting" some money on something a little more exotic than Supertech, Valvoline, or Pennzoil 5w30 (nothing wrong with these oils)



You're right there stick with what keeps you in warranty and is full synthetic and competitively priced.
 
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0w40 since warranty doesn't seem to be a concern.

M1 is by far the easiest to find as far as brands go and if you don't mind rebates, it's the cheapest too.
 
Does the engine have AFM (active fuel management) or CM (cylinder management)?
Those systems tend to add wear as they deactivate the lifters, etc.
They also do better with the prescribed vis fluids. Thicker is not "better" in this case.

Waste away; Do as you see fit.

If it's anything like my 2006 3500HD, the engine is the last thing you need to worry about. The other stuff will fail far sooner than the engine ...
 
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Look, before this goes on for too long...
The long and short of it is that you don't need some razzle dazzle, high priced, micro nano opto intelligent molecule hyper oil, now with extra razzle be-dazzle (Brought to you by Snoop Dogg)
Even though Snoop is actually really funny with Martha Stewart on their cooking show (look it up).

You just don't.
Really.

Buy something that meets OEM spec, change it on a regular basis, save some dough, and go wax that thing!
 
Is there a reason for a 1 ton truck? Doesn't sound like you have towing requirements. Planning on a truck camper? Seems an odd choice for a 3 mile commute and a bit of running around town. Am I missing something?
 
Originally Posted By: tcp71
Is there a reason for a 1 ton truck? Doesn't sound like you have towing requirements. Planning on a truck camper? Seems an odd choice for a 3 mile commute and a bit of running around town. Am I missing something?


I wanted to be the "best truck" for my money. And it had to be a Chevy. This truck cost me exactly what I could get a Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Short Bed. EVERYONE around here drives that truck. I didn't want that.

So I got the truck I wanted. It "different" than everyone else who drives trucks around here. Plus, I run a small hobby farm (goats and rabbits) and will actually use the truck, as a truck. Do I need a 1 ton?? Heck No!! But I wanted a 1 ton.

I'll never "run out of truck". This will will always be able to EASILY handle anything I ask it to do. I don't pull or haul anything heavy. A half ton would have been fine.

But instead, I got a really heavy duty truck, with the engine I wanted (6.0 has no cylinder deactivation) and it has the HD transmission, along with everything else that is built so much better in a 3500 vs. a 1500

Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Does the engine have AFM (active fuel management) or CM (cylinder management)?
Those systems tend to add wear as they deactivate the lifters, etc.


Nope....that's one of the reasons I wanted this truck.
 
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Originally Posted By: Phishin
Originally Posted By: tcp71
Is there a reason for a 1 ton truck? Doesn't sound like you have towing requirements. Planning on a truck camper? Seems an odd choice for a 3 mile commute and a bit of running around town. Am I missing something?


I wanted to be the "best truck" for my money. And it had to be a Chevy. This truck cost me exactly what I could get a Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Short Bed. EVERYONE around here drives that truck. I didn't want that.

So I got the truck I wanted. It "different" than everyone else who drives trucks around here. Plus, I run a small hobby farm (goats and rabbits) and will actually use the truck, as a truck. Do I need a 1 ton?? Heck No!! But I wanted a 1 ton.

I'll never "run out of truck". This will will always be able to EASILY handle anything I ask it to do. I don't pull or haul anything heavy. A half ton would have been fine.

But instead, I got a really heavy duty truck, with the engine I wanted (6.0 has no cylinder deactivation) and it has the HD transmission, along with everything else that is built so much better in a 3500 vs. a 1500

Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Does the engine have AFM (active fuel management) or CM (cylinder management)?
Those systems tend to add wear as they deactivate the lifters, etc.


Nope....that's one of the reasons I wanted this truck.

Consumer Reports just came out with their 2018 vehicle ratings of the year. ALL of the Silverado's scored an overall 52 or lower out of 100 points (100 being the best-0 being the worst). The Ford F series trucks all scored 72 or higher. Hmmmmmm, which one should I buy?
smirk.gif

If it were mine I would use the Rotella T6 5W30 with a FRAM ULTRA oil filter.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter

Nope....that's one of the reasons I wanted this truck.

Consumer Reports just came out with their 2018 vehicle ratings of the year. ALL of the Silverado's scored an overall 52 or lower out of 100 points (100 being the best-0 being the worst). The Ford F series trucks all scored 72 or higher. Hmmmmmm, which one should I buy?
smirk.gif

If it were mine I would use the Rotella T6 5W30 with a FRAM ULTRA oil filter.
thumbsup2.gif
[/quote]

I don't really put much value in CR. And I also didn't buy a truck that was likely tested either. This is a 3500 WT with the 6.0 gas engine.
I don't even know what CR grades their vehicles on.....I'm guessing that many of the things that they really care about, I've never considered.

I think Ford makes a decent truck, but I've owned one and I'm pretty sure, I never would. Just because I've always been a very brand loyal Chevy Truck guy.
 
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Nice truck! You should get some mudflaps for that beast.

Please. With all the nonsense the cars and trucks are getting installed these days, the things that really should be there are not.
mad.gif
 
First of all, congratulations on the new truck. That is a nice one. My 98 K3500 is a regular cab long bed 4x4 with the 454/auto and it's a work horse.

As far as oil goes, I would just use a brand that you like that meets the warranty specs and leave it at that.
 
Gone and done it … “good on ya mate” …
Rock solid unit … I’d follow Dexos for a while and go from there …

That 2500 HD thread (recently) was one of the closest I have seen to unanimously voting GM gasser …
 
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