Poll: Which FULLy synthetic oil do you use?

[TheSilkySmooth]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

ok... So here's the million dollar question....

Do all the oils sold in the US under "synthetic" that are actually these API group 3 oils.... do they protect engines any better than the normal oil that we would buy for a fraction of the price.

Should i go with a "normal" oil that costs me $2.xx - $3.xx a quart versus a castrol/penzoil/whatever for $6.xx a quart?

I've been under the belief that the $6.00/qt oils do in fact last longer, and have better cleaning/filtering properties.... is this not true?

I don't really care if my oil is a "true" synthetic or not.. I just care if the extra few dollars I spend actually nets ANY advantage/protection.

I have not seen any documented performance advantage that the "fake" synthetic oils sold in the USA ( Platinum, mobil-1, Syntec) have over a SM GF4 mineral oil (which are now semi-synthetic even though they dont say so). They may prove a bit better in the frozen north due to less heavy paraffins, and the Platinum has Honda HT06 approval for Honda Turbo use. I dislike Pennzoil so - noyt for me. personally after killing ALL my engines to early in the past 5 years with this crap US spec oils, I would only run the real stuff imported from Europe: Total(ELF), Motul, Fuchs, Pentosin, Haven't tried Amsoil yet. May give the ATM blue cap Amsoil a try, Better to give my $$ to the good ole USofA other than the EU.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

I have not seen any documented performance advantage that the "fake" synthetic oils sold in the USA ( Platinum, mobil-1, Syntec) have over a SM GF4 mineral oil (which are now semi-synthetic even though they dont say so). They may prove a bit better in the frozen north due to less heavy paraffins, and the Platinum has Honda HT06 approval for Honda Turbo use. I dislike Pennzoil so - noyt for me. personally after killing ALL my engines to early in the past 5 years with this crap US spec oils, I would only run the real stuff imported from Europe: Total(ELF), Motul, Fuchs, Pentosin, Haven't tried Amsoil yet. May give the ATM blue cap Amsoil a try, Better to give my $$ to the good ole USofA other than the EU.

thank you.... that's the best post i've seen so far... though I'd like to see/read/hear more that answers my question.

[Altitude]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

I have not seen any documented performance advantage that the "fake" synthetic oils sold in the USA ( Platinum, mobil-1, Syntec) have over a SM GF4 mineral oil (which are now semi-synthetic even though they dont say so). They may prove a bit better in the frozen north due to less heavy paraffins, and the Platinum has Honda HT06 approval for Honda Turbo use. I dislike Pennzoil so - noyt for me. personally after killing ALL my engines to early in the past 5 years with this crap US spec oils, I would only run the real stuff imported from Europe: Total(ELF), Motul, Fuchs, Pentosin, Haven't tried Amsoil yet. May give the ATM blue cap Amsoil a try, Better to give my $$ to the good ole USofA other than the EU.

Originally Posted by talnlnky

thank you.... that's the best post i've seen so far... though I'd like to see/read/hear more that answers my question.

I would never take automotive advice from someone who shamelessly admits to KILLING all of his cars engines in the past five years...

The man clearly doesn't know how to care for a car or its engine.

[1stToyota]

Originally Posted by Altitude

I would never take automotive advice from someone who shamelessly admits to KILLING all of his cars engines in the past five years...

The man clearly doesn't know how to care for a car or its engine.

He must drive a little bit more spirited than I do; I've never let any brand of oil kill any motor.

[TheSilkySmooth]

Originally Posted by Altitude

I would never take automotive advice from someone who shamelessly admits to KILLING all of his cars engines in the past five years...

The man clearly doesn't know how to care for a car or its engine.

I am an Automotive component engineer and (past life) NIASE Master tech and race engine builder. We had a bad spate of Denso filters that were killing both suzuki and toyota engines. Our Suzuki and 2 toyotas use the same filter. The Toyota Rav was serviced by Toyota with genuine toyota motor oil and Toyota filters at under 5000 intervals. The vehicles are also not garaged in the winter. Thinking about installing block heater the coming winter.

[1stToyota]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

I have not seen any documented performance advantage that the "fake" synthetic oils sold in the USA ( Platinum, mobil-1, Syntec) have over a SM GF4 mineral oil (which are now semi-synthetic even though they dont say so). They may prove a bit better in the frozen north due to less heavy paraffins, and the Platinum has Honda HT06 approval for Honda Turbo use. I dislike Pennzoil so - noyt for me. personally after killing ALL my engines to early in the past 5 years with this crap US spec oils, I would only run the real stuff imported from Europe: Total(ELF), Motul, Fuchs, Pentosin, Haven't tried Amsoil yet. May give the ATM blue cap Amsoil a try, Better to give my $$ to the good ole USofA other than the EU.

Since you have this thing against what you consider to be fakes, funny that you'd pick blue cap Amsoil...you're meaning the XL series? It's group III and ACEA A1/B1 nothing too special about that.

[TheSilkySmooth]

Originally Posted by 1stToyota

Since you have this thing against what you consider to be fakes, funny that you'd pick blue cap Amsoil...you're meaning the XL series? It's group III and ACEA A1/B1 nothing too special about that.

No, Ist, its the 10W-30 PAO base meat-and-potatoes product. The dealer doesnt sell amsoil anymore so I just put some Valvoline grpIII/IV Synpower 10W-30 in for the meantime. I hear the Amsoil doesnt have API SM/SL certification.
On the grpIII - I just havent had any formula work well for me YET. And I jumped on that ISO syn bandwagon with the Chevron Process when it first came out. Good luck with the P-Platinum its had really good UOAs as has V-Synpower. It's just Mobil-1 that has high iron and Cu consistently and failes to meet its API certs down the road. Funny that Mobil Clean 5000 is a good sleeper Dino oil.

[1stToyota]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

No, Ist, its the 10W-30 PAO base meat-and-potatoes product. The dealer doesnt sell amsoil anymore so I just put some Valvoline grpIII/IV Synpower 10W-30 in for the meantime. I hear the Amsoil doesnt have API SM/SL certification.
On the grpIII - I just havent had any formula work well for me YET. And I jumped on that ISO syn bandwagon with the Chevron Process when it first came out. Good luck with the P-Platinum its had really good UOAs as has V-Synpower. It's just Mobil-1 that has high iron and Cu consistently and failes to meet its API certs down the road. Funny that Mobil Clean 5000 is a good sleeper Dino oil.

Amsoil does have API certification. Like I said, it's only on their XL series, which is API on every XL grade, and XL is ACEA A1/B1, and like I also said, it's group III. I posted the link from their site where it states they went group III to keep it competitive, pricewise, so they could offer API approved oil to the market. I think I did see a blue topped 10w30, and yes, it wasn't certified, and not group III, good for 25K, guessing A4/B4.

[TheSilkySmooth]

Originally Posted by 1stToyota

Amsoil does have API certification. Like I said, it's only on their XL series, which is API on every XL grade, and XL is ACEA A1/B1, and like I also said, it's group III. I posted the link from their site where it states they went group III to keep it competitive, pricewise, so they could offer API approved oil to the market. I think I did see a blue topped 10w30, and yes, it wasn't certified, and not group III, good for 25K, guessing A4/B4.

Ahh gotcha on the XL. I wasnt looking at the grpiii so I didnt read into it much. Here is a question I'm not fully clear on: Does Toyota warranty require API cert or is this just a recommendation/guidance? I'm assuming the emission warranty requires the use of low saps so you have to stay with an SL/SM rating. But certification IDK ....

[1stToyota]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

Ahh gotcha on the XL. I wasnt looking at the grpiii so I didnt read into it much. Here is a question I'm not fully clear on: Does Toyota warranty require API cert or is this just a recommendation/guidance? I'm assuming the emission warranty requires the use of low saps so you have to stay with an SL/SM rating. But certification IDK ....

I thought it was pretty much common knowledge for the last 15 years or so that the oil had to be API approved, here in the U.S. ...and that's sort of been the problem at most of the forums I've been at over the last few years, a lot of people want to run the better oils, but they don't always have the API approval stamp on the front label.