UOA--Supertech Severe Use on a 7.3 PSD

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Originally Posted by bbslider001
Originally Posted by UncleDave
Thanks.

What were you doing with the truck to categorize the use as "severe" ?

UD


Mostly heavy towing all summer...12k # or more, lots of idling through cattle pastures, extreme summer temps, one long trip to pick up a trailer that was 15 hours away. Man, when I lay it all out, I am pretty impressed with this oil LOL. My oil temps never got above 225, so the truck does a great job of cooling even under pressure.


Impressive! My V6 3.0L reaches 260° towing less than 9k.
 
Originally Posted by sw99
Originally Posted by dlundblad
Is it severe use? Sounds more like it was used the way it was intended.

5k is pretty doable on just about any oil.

What does the owners manual say?


Ahh yea sounds like what any manufacturer would considered severe use...

1) Mostly heavy towing all summer...12k # or more
2) Lots of idling through cattle pastures
3) Extreme summer temps, one long trip to pick up a trailer that was 15 hours away


Fair enough. It just appears to me that the truck was being used as it was intended so I was genuinely curious.
 
I've had great UOAs from ST fluids in many applications (PCMS and HDEO).
This does not surprise me at all.
ST dino lubes are great stuff, as are most all house brands from large names we all recognize (AAP, Napa, OR, AZ, and many, many others.)
If it's API licensed, it's good enough for normal (and even severe) service.

I ran some experiments several years back where I ran 15k miles on ST dino PCMO and a MC filter in my wife's Villager (VG30E Nissan drivetrain). Total soccer-mom use; short trips, multiple daily start/shutdown, summer/winter, etc. That 15k miles is FIVE TIMES longer than the "severe" 3k mile recommendation in the manual. And yet the UOA came back totally OK and within normal expected wear rates.

If an engine is in good operating condition, and the lube is appropriately selected, there's not much really severe about "severe" in a manual; it's overblown hyperbole that protects the warranty risks of the OEM while wasting the money of the consumer. I find it more than a bit ironic that we are constantly barraged by advertising on how tough and manly trucks are on the TV; pulling massive boats, hauling tons of hay, pulling excavators up long steep inclines, and yet when you open the owner's manual, you'd swear you just purchased a fragile tin can that needs constant lube/fluid attention, as if using the truck like a truck is somehow "severe". I see no credible evidence that what qualifies as "severe" in most manuals ever manifests into a reality of substantial wear escalation. Abusive practices and neglect excluded, there's not much that a modern truck made in the last two decades cannot handle within it's stated limits. If a lube gets frag'd it's often because of a condition allowed to go out of bounds (poor cooling system performance; poor air filtration; excess fuel dilution; etc).

This UOA looks fine and nothing is of concern, despite a "cheap" lube being used.
Motor on!
 
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Super Tech 15w40 is not made in a synthetic... very few 15w40's are syn. Redline is the only one that comes to mind. Rotella T5 15w40 is a syn blend, but that's the closest to syn I am aware of when it comes to the "common" oils.
 
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Super Tech oil is NOT a cheap oil, meaning the cost of the oil is the same, no matter what brand name is on it.

Its the same or better quality then any "branded oil" without the price mark-up that branding requires for extra profit.

Its a low markup oil that is just as good or better then any other, with the same exact API rating.
 
The thing that amazes me is there are GREAT UOA's on just about every SuperTech oil on the shelf (dino and syn), and yet somehow those numbers ("proof is in the puddding") still don't convince folks it is as good as similar name brand oil!

Just picked up a jug of 5w30 High Mileage SuperTech syn for the Nissan Juke in our household. Just under $16 for the syn vs just under $13 for SuperTech 5w30 Dino... add a good filter and it's a no brainer. At the price AND with real results, SuperTech (especially syn) makes sense!
 
Originally Posted by Bonz
The thing that amazes me is there are GREAT UOA's on just about every SuperTech oil on the shelf (dino and syn), and yet somehow those numbers ("proof is in the puddding") still don't convince folks it is as good as similar name brand oil!

Just picked up a jug of 5w30 High Mileage SuperTech syn for the Nissan Juke in our household. Just under $16 for the syn vs just under $13 for SuperTech 5w30 Dino... add a good filter and it's a no brainer. At the price AND with real results, SuperTech (especially syn) makes sense!


Yes, very true. It is a bit or few $$ above Harvest King oil but I'll take ST oil any day
smile.gif
 
Super Tech 15W40 continues to produce good UOA results in the 7.3L Powerstroke. Walmart will be upgrading the oil to CK4; however, the timetable is unknown. In my area, Walmart has Super Tech 15W40 priced at $9.64/gal - a good value. I plan on using Super Tech 15W40 for my upcoming OCI.
 
I have questions about the obvious and well known shearing with this engine. Does it occur if s straight 30 or 40 is used? What happens if a multiviscosity oil is used for a reasonable longer OCI like 10k mi? What about 20-30k?
Is shearing why the recommended OCI is so short?
 
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I had a 2002 "actually the wife " F250 Powerstroke that she and the daughters towed their horses to events etc and used the truck for getting hay and dump runs .I did several UOAS through out our ownership and the uoas came back fine and the oil 15w-40 came back with in grade. The 7.3 is a decent engine.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
15W-40 oils are better than the syn 5W-40 except for below freezing starts.

You'll get flack for making such a blanket statement, but I agree and have seen better UOA on many 15w vs their 5w offerings.
 
Yesterday, I was at my local Walmart, and the new CK4 formulation of Super Tech 15W40 was stocked on the shelves. It appears that the new CK4 formulation is making its way into Walmarts as the inventory of CJ4 is depleted.

Below is the technical summation of the Super Tech 15W40 CK4 PDS from Warren Distribution:

Gravity, °API ASTM D287 31.37
Specific Gravity @ 60°F (15.6°C) ASTM D4052 0.8688
Flash Point, °C ASTM D92 224
Flash Point, °F ASTM D92 435
Viscosity @ 40°C, cSt ASTM D445 116.9
Viscosity @ 100°C, cSt ASTM D445 15.44
Viscosity Index ASTM D2270 139
Pour Point, °C (°F) ASTM D5950 -36°C (-33°F)
Cold Cranking Simulator at (°C), cP ASTM D5293 5970 (-20)
High Temperature / High Shear Vis at 150°C, cP ASTM D5481 4.11
Noack Volatility, % loss ASTM D6375 12
Color ASTM D1500 3.5
Zinc, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.126
Phosphorus, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.115
Calcium, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.181
Sulfur, wt. % ASTM D4951 0.306
Magnesium, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.041
Molybdenum, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.006
Sulfated Ash, wt. % ASTM D874 0.99
Nitrogen, wt. % ASTM D4629 0.044
Pumping Viscosity at (°C), cP ASTM D4684 24,000 (-25)
TBN, mgKOH/g ASTM D2896 9
 
Originally Posted by rileyc
Yesterday, I was at my local Walmart, and the new CK4 formulation of Super Tech 15W40 was stocked on the shelves. It appears that the new CK4 formulation is making its way into Walmarts as the inventory of CJ4 is depleted.

Below is the technical summation of the Super Tech 15W40 CK4 PDS from Warren Distribution:

Gravity, °API ASTM D287 31.37
Specific Gravity @ 60°F (15.6°C) ASTM D4052 0.8688
Flash Point, °C ASTM D92 224
Flash Point, °F ASTM D92 435
Viscosity @ 40°C, cSt ASTM D445 116.9
Viscosity @ 100°C, cSt ASTM D445 15.44
Viscosity Index ASTM D2270 139
Pour Point, °C (°F) ASTM D5950 -36°C (-33°F)
Cold Cranking Simulator at (°C), cP ASTM D5293 5970 (-20)
High Temperature / High Shear Vis at 150°C, cP ASTM D5481 4.11
Noack Volatility, % loss ASTM D6375 12
Color ASTM D1500 3.5
Zinc, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.126
Phosphorus, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.115
Calcium, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.181
Sulfur, wt. % ASTM D4951 0.306
Magnesium, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.041
Molybdenum, wt. % ASTM D5185 0.006
Sulfated Ash, wt. % ASTM D874 0.99
Nitrogen, wt. % ASTM D4629 0.044
Pumping Viscosity at (°C), cP ASTM D4684 24,000 (-25)
TBN, mgKOH/g ASTM D2896 9


I appreciate you positng this as I just saw it. I'll reply more in the other thread about these oils.
 
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