mattbatson

I used to have a cummins turbo diesel, and was a member of TDR (turbo diesel registry), which had a quarterly magazine as part of the membership.

Anyways, I remember this excellent article...or series of articles, I dont remember...about oil that was written by a retired oil engineer.
This guy who wrote it had been an engineer in the oil industry for like 35 yrs, and knew just about everything there was to know about the subject.
So, he tested like 30 or so different oils...both synthetic and petroleum, on like 10 different parameters of performance.

If I remember correctly, the test didnt separate the synthetics from the dino oils, but tested them all together.

The results of the test were pretty amazing. What was found was that some of the really expensive synthetics werent any better than some of the cheap dino oils.
Some of the brands that most think are top notch, like royal purple or mobil1, ended up testing no better than oils that were half as much in price.
I do remember the test revealing that the no name Walmart brand of engine oil actually performed really well.

Damn, I wish i could find that issue....

I will dig through some of the boxes of book/mag's that I have and see if I can unearth it.

Did anyone on here ever see this write up?

Are there any other unbiased third party oil performance tests out there that compare all of the major brands together?

I'm trying to determine what the best oils to run in my engine, tranny, diffs/transfer case...and I dont want to make my choices on opinions like "I've run so and so for 15 yrs and had good luck with it"

Like, what the hell does that even mean? Gee, I'm happy for you, but that tells me nothing

I really think something like this should be made into a sticky if we can unearth some good tests/studies on the subject.

If I find anything, I'll be sure to post up

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

How was the test conducted ??

The type of vehicle and driving make a big difference.

Or was this test not done in a vehicle just oils subjected to heat in a gear box constructed or bench engine just for a test.

Tests can be devised to get the results one wants to prove.

Then Mobil one has great advertising and marketing.

For me it is a moot point I don`t drive enough to change oil but once every 5 years need it or not

gary_the_4runner

hear nothing but good things about redline gear oil. ive seen an amsoil test actually show how well redline performs.

i use 75w-140 in both front and rear, nice and quiet.

Texas_Ace

There have been oil tests like that for some time. Mobile1 is not that good except for a few versions that are true synthetics (0w-40 is one IIRC). The rest are just dino oils. Royal purple is the same way, nothing fancy but costs a ton.

The good oils are AMSoil, that is some good stuff and true synthetic. I run it when i can afford it.

Personally I run rotella T6 5w-40 in my truck. It is a very high grade dino but for the price it is hard to beat. $20 at walmart, same stuff a lot of BMW's use. Very popular with tuner cars.

snobdds

Change it hot and change it a lot and you will be fine...reguardless of what oil you use. It's really a question of how often rather than what kind.

If a person starts asking questions like this, they will quickly find out each person has a different opnion on the topic. Who is right and who is wrong? Well I think everyone one has a valid point from THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE and experiences, but that perspective might not be shared by another.

mattbatson

exactly right...which is why I look for good 3rd party tests...scientific evidence.
and I agree that the best oil is clean oil

mattbatson

Yep, on that test I mentioned, one thing I remember is that some very expensive oil's were either similar or only marginally better than cheap walmart brands.
I didnt know that about amsoil.
I'm thinking for differentials when towing...since they take a lot of stress...and since you dont change these oils nearly as often as engine oil, and it is usually only like 2 quarts, that maybe it would be worth spending extra on that.

mattbatson

I'll look into this...see if I can find this test you speak of.

I used to run redline shockproof gear oil in my race car tranny, and after 3 seasons never had to tear it down for synchro's or anything...
not scientific though...

mattbatson

hey, i really dont remember all the details...but remember a lot of gearheads with lots of experience approving of the methods used...it was a pretty exhaustive test

BMcEL

The filter is just as important as the oil itself. The best oil in the world won't mean a thing if you're using a poor quality filter (Fram rings a bell). There's an excellent filter analysis here:

http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar...reference.html

Texas_Ace

AMSoil is the best consumer oil around (there are some better race oils naturally but they are for specialized purposes and cost a ton). They also make some of the best filters.

I also use redline shockproof in my MR2, great stuff for certain conditions. Have not heard much about it in diffs.

gary_the_4runner

http://www.syntheticoilhq.com/pdf/g2...comparison.pdf

nice write-up, but prepared for amsoil...

mattbatson

awesome article
thx!

mattbatson

Okay, I'll look into amsoil more, as they are carried by my local advanced auto parts...so very accessible for me

I know my manual says 80-90 W for diff's...wonder if this is important or not?
I see some guys using 75-140 W
Also, I used to own an 87 mr2...loved the handling...autocrossed it for years

Texas_Ace

I would try to stick to around 80w90 if thats what it calls for. No reason to go changing the fluid for no reason.

J2F42C

Matt,
I use Rotella 80w-90 and it does fine. If you go the Amsoil route, I would run their 75w-110. Guy at Amsoil recommended this weight over their 80w-90 for a friend in his 4runner. Call them if you have questions, they will chat ya up.

If you can find the Chevron Delo 80w-90, it is excellent, but can only usually be bought through an oil distributor by the case.