Which are the best oil brands to use

[obi_waynne]

What do you think are the best brands of oil to use? Do you use and stick with one particular brand?

 

[HDi fun]

I've been using Fuchs Titan XTL oils for about five years. Currently GT1 Pro C3 5w30 in the VW. It seems absolutely fine (well, the engine is anyway, can't say the same thing of the rest of the car!) at 150,000 miles so I see no need to increase my oil spend. Opie Oils prices are attractive so that's where I get mine.

 

[oilman]

There isn't really a best oil brand. Fuchs, Castrol, Shell, Mobil, Red Line, Motul, Millers, Gulf and Valvoline are the ones that we deal with and they all make some really good oils, but most of them make some basic ones as well. For example, Fuchs make their Titan Race Pro S oils, which are proper performance oils, then there are the oils like the GT1 and Supersyn that are aimed at normal road use and meeting manufacturer specs, then there are semi-synthetics and mineral oils like Syn MC and Superma that are aimed at being cheaper options for older, standard road cars. In fairness, the Fuchs semi and mineral oils are pretty good for cheaper oil. Millers, Gulf and Motul all have corresponding products through their ranges. Shell, Castrol, Mobil and Valvoline don't have the ester based performance oils, but are pretty similar otherwise.

I wouldn't worry to much about the best brand, worry more about the ones to avoid. Own brand and budget brand oils can be a long way from what they say they are on the can and some put so little information on the label that it's pretty meaningless anyway.

Cheers

Tim

 

[HDi fun]

I wasn't suggesting that Fuchs is the best, or even the best for me. Just saying that I use it and it seems to work OK. I have previously used Shell, Castrol, Gulf, Mobil, MIllers, AMSOIL etc and they all seem to do the job required of them. I haven't yet had an engine failure.

 

[oilman]

I like Fuchs as they have something for pretty much every vehicle and at a sensible price. Their oils are good quality and their service is very good. I'd generally say they are one of the best options to go for.

Cheers

Tim

 

[HDi fun]

Didn't Fuchs acquire Silkolene some years ago?? Totally irrelevant to the thread, I am just checking my memory.

 

[oilman]

Yes, quite a while ago now. The Silkolene name is still going on bike and classic oils, the rest is Fuchs.

Cheers

Tim

 

[HDi fun]

Thanks Tim!! I can relax now. The brain cell is happy

 

[wolfmankurd]

I use whatever oil is cheapest (filter too) but I may use a oil additive detergent before a change.

I'm low mileage and change oil about every 6 months, so I figure I'd rather buy £12 a gallon oil and change twice as often as I would with a £24 a gallon oil.

I got a 5L of Shell Helix 10w40 of ebay for £12. So it's not always so bad. (Opie Oils listed at about £20 for the same product)

I only use the detergent if I used a true bargain basement oil.

 

[HDi fun]

Ebay has a lot to be recommended. I would be careful though, don't just assume that frequent changes mean that you can use any oil irrespective of specification. This is on old American myth, change it every 20 miles or twenty minutes, whichever is sooner, using the cheapest you can get. It doesn't work that way any more.

I'd rather have the correct oil in for 10,000 miles than the wrong stuff changed 10 times in 10,000 miles.

 

[wolfmankurd]

I would be careful though, don't just assume that frequent changes mean that you can use any oil irrespective of specification.

Amen to that.

I always make sure the oil claims to meet the required spec.

But I think that is low hanging fruit for big oil companies. I hope, given the price gap, that they strive to beat them and I expect the difference comes down to long term performance (additives that hang around longer; minimising oxidisation, detergents and promote film forming).

 

[HDi fun]

Not just long term performance, but immediate performance.
This bloody VW Passat of mine with its PD diesel unit injectors is savage on oil.
There's 4 fuel pumps, one for each injector, driven by the intake camshaft.
The shear and contact load on the cam lobes is very high.

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

This is what is in my turbo TC car

http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=1&id_products=278

 

[oilman]

The VW PD engines are really harsh on oil, but as long as the oil meets the VW 505.01 spec, it will be fine. There are non-approved oils that are fine for the PD engine, but I would tend to stick with the approved stuff.

There are cheap sellers on eBay, some sell oil for less than we pay for it. There are reasons for that (things like stock clearance, old stock, stock from overseas etc), but there are things to beware of. There is stock coming into the UK from certain places where there are issues with fake stock. When people from where that stock is coming from are paying us more for that product that it would be where they are, then paying for international shipping on top of that. I'm not saying all foreign stock is an issue (at the moment, there is a lot of cheaper stock from Germany due to the exchange rate), but I'd be a little careful with some sellers. There was a deal running on eBay recently, one of their promoted offers, with an oil at a bargain price that we couldn't match. The thing is, the picture of the can in the listing was at least 2 years old (the oil company recommends using their oils within 2 years of production) as the can and formula of the oil has changed twice since the version they were showing. I wouldn't say there was any issue with the oil, but the manufacturer would say it was past its best. Also, as it meets different specs than the one that we sell, it's not fair to compare the oils on price.

Cheers

Tim

 

[HDi fun]

I run my 2.0 PD on 504.00 / 507.00 5w30 get it changed every 8,000 to 10,000 miles or thereabouts. I'm not a great fan of the extended drain intervals which this oil permits. I prefer 5w30 over 5w40 because the unavoidable by-product of diesel combustion is soot, which causes the oil to thicken.

 

[wolfmankurd]

I prefer 5w30 over 5w40 because the unavoidable by-product of diesel combustion is soot,

Is there anyway to check a filter after you've taken it off (short of taking an angle grinder to it)? To see how much soot is in there. I'm more worried about using the cheapest filters than the cheapest oils available.

I change my oil because I enjoy doing it far before I expect any of the parts have reached end of life. (about 5000 miles/6months).

 

[HDi fun]

Is there anyway to check a filter after you've taken it off (short of taking an angle grinder to it)? To see how much soot is in there. I'm more worried about using the cheapest filters than the cheapest oils available.

I change my oil because I enjoy doing it far before I expect any of the parts have reached end of life. (about 5000 miles/6months).

Get an oil analysis kit and send off a sample for lab inspection. It can tell you all sorts of things.

 

[MikeMcCarthy]

My requirements for oil may be different than yours , I am very meticulous about what is in the formulation of the oil I use so I can help prevent my flat tappet cam and lifters from deteriorating . Here is part of an article on it if you care to read it,
Engine Oil Selection As we touched on earlier, another major factor in the increase of flat tappet camshaft failure is your favorite brand of engine oil. Simply put, today’s engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to ever tightening environmental regulations. The EPA has done a great job in reducing emissions and the effects of some of the ingredients found in traditional oils; however these changes to the oil have only made life tougher on your flat tappet camshaft. The lubricity of the oil and specifically the reduction of the important anti-wear additives such as zinc and phosphorus, which help break-in and overall camshaft life, have been drastically reduced. In terms of oil selection, we recommend a high “ZDDP”, Zinc Dialkyl Dithiosphosphate, content oil for the break-in procedure and regular operation. There are several companies that are now offering specialized “race/off-road” oils, high in anti-friction and anti-wear content, to combat this specific problem. These oils carry the SL rating and contain up to 1000 ppm of Zinc/Phosphorous (the Zinc content in today’s “off-the-shelf” oils have been reduced upwards of 20% since 2001 and approximately 35% since 1997). This is why I run Brad Penn oil in my car. Mike
P.S. I do not change my oil every 20 minutes or 20 miles here in the States except on the race car . LOL Mike

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

Mike you will find that BP is one of the oils recommended for plain bearing turbos by Forced Performance Turbos.
My Penrite 10/10the racing oil has more than 1000ppm of ZDDP

FYI https://www.google.com.au/#q=forced+performance+oil+recommendation

 

[crowley]

Recently sold a Passat 1.8t, its been sitting for a couple of months in the cold weather & when I took it out to drive it the oil pressure warning light came on, never seen that before. Continued driving & started to hear the tappets on the over run. Engine was fine before it was left sitting so I'm hoping that its just a case of putting some better oil in.

Anybody ells had this problem in cold weather?

 

[wolfmankurd]

I'm hoping that its just a case of putting some better oil in.

If it was the oil's fault then hope it was by causing a slugey blockage in the filter (which is replaceable) and not else where, where it'll take a while for the detergents and dispersant of the new oil to break down.

Most peoples opinion vary on this, but if I'm worried about oil sludges and resins I might throw in some paraffin or a propitiatory engine oil flush. People think they can make matters worse by embolising a blockage to a more critical part of the engine. I don't buy that logic... YMMV.

 

[HDi fun]

An engine flush is a good idea if you have residues in the engine. Just do it thoroughly and drain completely. Note that in the special case of VW's stupid PD engines I think I'd lean towards not flushing.

 

[MikeMcCarthy]

Years ago with oil that was no where near as good as we have today I used to see sludge accumulations on top of the cylinder heads . Today not so much, I believe the formulations today do a better job of keeping the engine cleaner . Having said that I am not a big believer in performing engine flushes. I personally have seen the results of a flush that loosened sludge deposits and plugged the oil pump pickup screen. If the engine oil changes are performed within the recommended mile period it should not make sludge deposits . I would venture to say if you see sludge accumulations inside your engine then I would change the brand of oil and the frequency of my oil changes .

 

[HDi fun]

"I would venture to say if you see sludge accumulations inside your engine then I would change the brand of oil and the frequency of my oil changes ."

How will this help?

 

[wolfmankurd]

Years ago with oil that was no where near as good as we have today I used to see sludge accumulations on top of the cylinder heads .

Ed's Red did wonders on the mostly minor sludge I had built up. It's pretty much replaced all my lubricating, cleaning and protection needs.

Well nearly all my protection and lubrication, the misses said it was starting to burn... Personally I find the smell arousing.


Haha after some ebay searching I've found this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gun-Oil-H...440925?hash=item1c5dd6c69d:g:RkEAAOSwAKxWY~h6 if it smells anything like ATF we're in business!

 

[fredkruger]

I have always used castrol oils.from way back when I had my first car a little mini 1000.a mechanic friend of the family recommended it and have used it ever since.i had a sierra and ran it on castrol for 300000 miles and was still pulling strong when I sold it.

 

[HDi fun]

Castrol has a good image and good set of products. I've use Castrol previously and have no complaints.

 

[oilman]

My requirements for oil may be different than yours , I am very meticulous about what is in the formulation of the oil I use so I can help prevent my flat tappet cam and lifters from deteriorating . Here is part of an article on it if you care to read it,
Engine Oil Selection As we touched on earlier, another major factor in the increase of flat tappet camshaft failure is your favorite brand of engine oil. Simply put, today’s engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to ever tightening environmental regulations. The EPA has done a great job in reducing emissions and the effects of some of the ingredients found in traditional oils; however these changes to the oil have only made life tougher on your flat tappet camshaft. The lubricity of the oil and specifically the reduction of the important anti-wear additives such as zinc and phosphorus, which help break-in and overall camshaft life, have been drastically reduced. In terms of oil selection, we recommend a high “ZDDP”, Zinc Dialkyl Dithiosphosphate, content oil for the break-in procedure and regular operation. There are several companies that are now offering specialized “race/off-road” oils, high in anti-friction and anti-wear content, to combat this specific problem. These oils carry the SL rating and contain up to 1000 ppm of Zinc/Phosphorous (the Zinc content in today’s “off-the-shelf” oils have been reduced upwards of 20% since 2001 and approximately 35% since 1997). This is why I run Brad Penn oil in my car. Mike
P.S. I do not change my oil every 20 minutes or 20 miles here in the States except on the race car . LOL Mike

Hi Mike

ZDDP is one of those things that gets mentioned a lot on forums, but there is a lot of incorrect information about it. Although a lot of modern oils have low/zero ZDDP content, the ZDDP is replaced by another anti-wear additive. However that is a bit irrelevant to your car as those are thin oils designed for modern low emissions cars, for a 66 Beetle Turbo, I assume you're using something like a 20w-50 or 15w-50 and as those grades are not designed for low emissions engines, they will still have a full dose of ZDDP. Oils like the Fuchs Pro R (available in 15w-50 and 20w-50), contain around 1200-1400ppm ZDDP and are ester based, so give brilliant protection in classics.

Cheers

Tim

 

[oilman]

People often like to have a dig at Castrol, but they are the big boys, along with Shell and Mobil and people always like to moan about the big companies. The thing is, they make decent oils, you don't get issues with them if they are used properly. You can say the same for a lot of oil companies, but Castrol, Mobil and Shell are the best known and most widely available ones. Okay, they are rarely the cheapest option and some people see that as paying for the name, but I would look at it as paying for peace of mind. If your car needs a top up and you go into a garage, the chances are there will be one of the big brands, as well as something you've never heard of. Personally, I'd rather pay a couple of quid extra and be confident that by engine wouldn't blow up.

Cheers

Tim

 

[crowley]

The drift demon has had a slight tappet noise that lasts about a second on startup since the cold weather. I put the cheapest oil I could find into it. Guess that says something...

 

[oilman]

It's probably a bit thick when cold, so isn't getting around the engine quickly enough.

Cheers

Tim

 

[HDi fun]

The drift demon has had a slight tappet noise that lasts about a second on startup since the cold weather. I put the cheapest oil I could find into it. Guess that says something...

It says that it works in that application.

 

[MikeMcCarthy]

Thanks Tim,
Here is an article I was reading tonight, thought I would pass along if anyone is interested. At the bottom it gives the additive levels in alot of oil on a chart.
https://www.forcedperformance.net/m...Performance Recommendations for Motor Oil.pdf Hope you enjoy it, Mike

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

Thanks Tim,
Here is an article I was reading tonight, thought I would pass along if anyone is interested. At the bottom it gives the additive levels in alot of oil on a chart.
https://www.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/graphics/subaru_oil/Forced Performance Recommendations for Motor Oil.pdf Hope you enjoy it, Mike

Mike this is the same test that I have mentioned in a different thread.

 

[MikeMcCarthy]

LOL, maybe that is why I saved it onto my computer, found it while cleaning unused files.

 

[TCJBOLDIE]

No worries Mike FP put that out as they were having warranty claims on their bush bearing turbos and demonstrated on their Evo how an oil with low ZDDP was not protecting the thrust bearing IIRC

 

[MikeMcCarthy]

Since all 6 turbos I have use bushings rather than ball bearings I will keep that article where its at, thanks again for posting it. Just a question , would anyone here be interested in seeing an engine build be posted on here ? I have a 2332 cc turbo VW type 1 engine a friend ( Dave Kawell ) sold me that needs a new crank installed . I will be reassembling it to race specs. The engine is a sister to the engine I had in my race car . Mike

 

[T9 man]

Just a question , would anyone here be interested in seeing an engine build be posted on here ? I have a 2332 cc turbo VW type 1 engine a friend ( Dave Kawell ) sold me that needs a new crank installed . I will be reassembling it to race specs. The engine is a sister to the engine I had in my race car . Mike

Had to think hard about this one Mike
Judging by your obvious skills, I feel the engine build would benefit with better exposure if you start a build thread in this forum: http://www.torquecars.com/forums/forums/projects-wips.111/ rather than the engine orientated one.

Good luck to you and I look forward to reading all the details

 

[Dale69]

i have used Penrite or Castrol since i have owned cars, never had a problem when changed with filter at recommended intervals, i also use Morey's oil treatment with each change

 

[T9 man]

Thanks Dale, greatly appreciated for the feedback buddy