Which Synthetic Oil Do You Use, And Why?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 28, 2003
Messages
11,977
Location
Cajun Country, La.
Currently I have Havoline HM in my engine, but if I were to use a synthetic oil it would probably be;
1) Pennzoil - Because it's made from natural gas and cleans very well.
2) Castrol - Because it makes an engine run more quiet then most synthetics, IMO.
3) M1 - Because of its reputation, it's been around for awhile.
 
Accord: MaxLife syn b/c it's nearly stopped all seeps/leaks.

Other cars: Whatever syn is on sale.
 
BMW: Castrol, because it's easy to get and meets the spec
Audi: Castrol, because that's what the dealer uses
Dodge: Castrol, because that's what the dealer uses
 
Redline 5w30 because it kills hemi tick when other oils don't. I would prefer something cheaper, but in this case you get what you pay for.
 
Amalie full synthetic high mileage 5w30... Aka Carquest High mileage 5w30 or STP full synthetic high mileage 5w30 from AZ...

Funny thing is the under side of both those containers have AOC stamped on them. Exact same oil.

The price is ok enough and my VQ runs very quiet with it. This oil has been very effective in stopping the oil seeping. The combo at AAP puts the oil at $16 for a 5 qt container.
 
Last OCI I put Castrol Bio Synthetic in both my hybrids...2017 Toyota RAV4 H and 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Curiosity finally got the better of me to try out this oil. Price is ridiculously high though. Haven't found much in the way of UOA on this Bio Synthetic so thought I'd give it a try. Will pull sample at 6 months for UOA on both vehicles.

2019 Subaru Impreza 5 door I went with Castrol Edge EP because shooting for one year OCI.

2017 Honda CR-V 1.5 DI Turbo went with Castrol Magnatec due to potential lspi. On sale $18 combined with Bosch 3323 filter for $3.54...why not.
 
Helix Ultra. Mostly due to Shell's verticle intergration and use of GTL Base Oil. Of all the big players, they're the only one you can be 100% sure of the base oil used, and where it comes from.

Regards
Jordan
 
Originally Posted by JFAllen
Helix Ultra. Mostly due to Shell's verticle intergration and use of GTL Base Oil. Of all the big players, they're the only one you can be 100% sure of the base oil used, and where it comes from.

Regards
Jordan


edited - irrelevant.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by JFAllen
Helix Ultra. Mostly due to Shell's verticle intergration and use of GTL Base Oil. Of all the big players, they're the only one you can be 100% sure of the base oil used, and where it comes from.

Regards
Jordan

I've read that Chevron is pretty forthcoming with info if ya call them..and I've found their website full of information.

Fwiw, I change @4k'ish so just about any full syn will do for my PI engine. The oil I've used the "most" over the life of the engine has been Supreme 5/30 SB.
 
Last edited:
Redline 0w20 (2.9HTHS) or 5w20. Winter flow at -76F w/ 0w and 5w for hot summers and a (3.0+ HTHS)
Castrol Magnatec 0w20 (2.75HTHS) back up winter oil with great performance/price or stuck using API spec for warranty.
 
Esso XD-3 0W-30 (circa 2004, CI-4 standard) formula in one vehicle with a GM LH0 3.1L V6 engine. Haven't changed that for the past ~60k miles / 11 years, but its had the equivalent of an oil change or two in top-up oil mostly due to a minor valve cover leak. I originally selected this oil based on a BiTOG post by user "Olympic" who ran a fleet of railway crew transport vans and was easily achieving 50k mi service with UOA indicating that even longer could have been run. I've posted a few pictures of the internals of the engine over the past number of years, but the oil itself was not changed during such inspections or repairs.

Recently acquired a Honda K24A4 engine, and I just filled it with a mixture of Mobil Delvac Elite 222 0W-30 (the successor to XD-3, but reformulated to CJ-4 standards with lower TBN and lower ZDDP) and Mobil 1 AFE 0W-20. Roughly equal parts. The Honda's automatic transmission also received a drain and fill of Canadian full-synthetic Honda ATF-DW1. I also maintain a K24W that will receive the same next time it comes in. I decided that using the old-spec XD-3 wasn't a good idea because the high ZDDP levels might degrade oxygen sensors and catalytic converters prematurely.

Being in Canada, 0W is a must. And I have 3 5 gallon pails of the Delvac Elite 222 0W-30 HDEO that I got for less than $40 a piece (USD$), so there is absolutely no risk of using any other products.
 
Castrol Edge 5W-30....because it cost me nothing. Penrite, because they over spec everything (true or not, I don't know) and have more viscosity choices than any other brand.
 
In switching to synth myself, I've had this same question. M1 kinda seems the group favorite from all the reading I've been doing here. Many also say that with today's oil and filter quality, just about any major brand is going to take care of you well.

Still trying to get a pulse on what a good OCI is. I'm all for longer intervals, but what drives this decision, meaning why 5k or 7k or more, why is THAT the number chosen?

Sorry, not trying to jack the thread.
crazy.gif
grin2.gif
 
My general go-to is Fuchs Titan GT1 XTL 5w40.

It's an ACEA C3 with API SN.

It has a decent amount of approvals...
dexos2
MB 226.5
MB 229.31
PORSCHE A40
RENAULT RN0700/RN0710
VW 502 00/505 00/505 01
BMW LL04

And I can't think of a car I wouldn't consider running it in.
 
Currently I gave Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 a shot. I like the specs, chatted with a few Bitog friends and decided to go for it.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Currently I gave Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 a shot. I like the specs, chatted with a few Bitog friends and decided to go for it.


I think I'm going to try the same. Purely subjective with absolutely no proof but I feel like the Havoline ProDS makes my engine run a little louder than it did on pennzoil. Going to go back to Mobil 1 though, MS-6395 approved or not!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by BlueOvalFitter
Currently I have Havoline HM in my engine, but if I were to use a synthetic oil it would probably be;


I pretty much use the Oil that's listed in my sig.
Why?
Because it just seems to "work"!
smirk.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top