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Mobil 1

02_2500avalanche

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
598
Location
North Reading, Ma.
I told my dad that we should use mobil 1 in the avalanche because of what i hear it is the best oil you can buy. he says that mobil 1 is just the same as any other oil and that it's all hype. can you guys convince my dad why mobil 1 is so good? i mean chevy uses it on the vette so its gotta be good, right? thanks. Alex
 
I am not a petroleum engineer, but I have read that the superiority of synthetic oil is that the molecules are much more uniform in size and shape than conventional oil. The result is that synthetic has about 700 times the "sheer strength" of regular oil. That means it takes much more pressure to force the oil out from between the parts it is protecting. The benefits of synthetic oil are beyond question. The only discussion is, are the benefits worth the cost? Each person will have to make that decision. For me, it's easy. I buy vehicles that I like and keep them for a long time and a lot of miles. I'll spend a few extra bucks on oil for the peace of mind that comes from knowing I have used the best available product. One myth about synthetic oil is that you can greatly extend your oil change intervals. While synthetic oil breaks down slower than conventional oil, it still gets contaminated by water and other combustion by-products, so frequent oil changes are still the best preventative maintenance that you can buy. I do my own oil changes, which more than makes up for the few extra dollars I spend on synthetic oil.
HTH
 
Amsoil Synthetics has oils that are certified at 25K and 35K change intervals.

They sell oil analysis kits that will show you the contamination and oil perfromance statistics.

Read all about it on www.amsoil.com......

Laterz
 
I'm also approaching my first oil change and plan to switch to synthetic. But which is better Amsoil or
Mobil 1?
Anybody have a link to a web site that tests
them head to head? I suspect there isn't much difference, but want the best.
What about the blends of both synthetic and petroleum?
I will be doing a fair amount of long distance towing in the heart of summer heat and need an oil that won't break down.

Another question I have that is not related.
Anybody having their Av undercoated. I live in MN and
well, with winter and all, we're talking alot of salt and sand on the roads.
 
About the synthetic conversion: Here is a link that gives some GREAT info - stuff I did not know. :D

http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/convertingtoamsoil.htm

The important paragraph from this link is this one:

"During the break-in phase it is critical that you change the oil and filter often. The reason for this is that during initial wear-in there is very high particulate contamination in the oil. These particulates consist mainly of microscopic particles of aluminum, bronze, copper, lead and iron, plus soot particles and other by-products of combustion in your oil. Your filter cannot filter out all these small particulates as many are sub-micron size and too small for the filter to trap, BUT they are also small enough to fit between your bearing and other internal clearances and cause wear. That is why we recommend to that in order to properly break-in a new engine, regardless of what your new car salesman or dealership personnel tell you, is to perform the first oil and filter change at 500 miles. Then install new petroleum oil and a new engine oil filter and run that until you reach 3000 miles, then you can convert to AMSOIL Synthetic. On a diesel engine we recommend the initial filter and oil change at 500 miles, with subsequent changes at 2000 and 4000 miles, then in the 5000-6000 mile range you can convert to AMSOIL
Synthetic."

So they say do the first regular oil change @ 500 miles to get rid of all the metal shavings from a new engine - Makes Perfect Sense to me.

Then don't convert TOO early to synthetic oil, because the rings and seals need to set first, and the characteristics of synthetics cause that process to be delayed for a while. And gas mileage apparently goes up after rings set.

Hope this helps !!!

P.S. I'm gonna wait to around 3000 miles before putting in Amsoil.
 
My personal opinion is tha even if it cost $10 per quart, oil would still be too cheap to leave in an engine for 25K+ miles. Much of it has to do with your driving pattern. If long highway trips are normal, you can go longer distances as the moisture will be evaporated out of your oil by this type of driving. Short trips, and city driving, or dusty conditions mean shorter oil life. What happens to your GM Warranty or extended warranty if you extend oil change reccomendations beyond factory reccomendations?
Amzoil at one time was not certified by SAE, are they now?
To me it just doesn't seem to be worth it to gamble on oil not being contaminated for that long.
For now, I'm sticking with Mobil 1, and 4 - 5K oil change intervals. I have 5 vehicles that I have maintained in this manner, and 3 of them have well over 100K mile with no engine problems, no oil consumption. and rock solid reliability. I'm going to stick with what I know works.
 
Amsoil is certified now. They have a 30 year track record and hundreds of high-mileage success stories. Here is some info on the warranty issue:

http://www.amsoil.com/frequent.htm#warranty

Yes, I agree that leaving oil in for 25K miles would be an unusual thing to do - it would take extraordinary circumstances think that is a good thing.

But with Amsoil rating the oil for 25K or even 35K per year, it would seem logical that going 10K between changes under even the worst circumstances (hot, dusty area, lots of short trips) would be acceptable and leave you with oil that is doing it's job better than dino oil.

I'm gonna go 10K with my first change, then get the oil analysis kit and let everybody know the results.

And there is certainly something to be respected about someone who "goes with what they know." You just have to be flexible and always keep your eye out for something better, lest you miss it............... ;D
 
I tend to agree, changing the oil in the initial 500-1000k makes perfect sense....I would want to get all the impurities out of there before they cause a problem on down the road..

I changed the oil in my Av at precisely 1500k, which for me was already a disappointment....I wanted and planned on 1000k, but the wife tied me to the sofa. ;D

I am persistent on changing my oil every 3k as well...and swear by Mobil 1 full synthetic.....
 
I've pulled the dipstick twice on my Av. Once at 500 and
the second just last night and 1200. I'm happy to report
that my oil level is squarely sitting at the FULL mark.
No oil burning problems here. ;D

I'm going to change the oil this week-end with petro based and then switch to Amsoil Series 2000 0w-30 at 3000 miles.
 
Just a recommendation I got from Mr. McPhail (Sp?) the engine guru from GM... When changing oil from petro based to synthetic do not change the viscosity rating. The viscosity rating recommended for the specific engines is so based on the role that engine is going to have over the life of the vehicle. In general count on using 10w-30 to 20w-30 for the average all around vehicle, drop down to 5w-30 to 10w-30 for a high performance or HD type vehicle and lower then that, for short lived high performance race vehicles. Adjustments to this curve should be made in order to compensate for temperatures, driving conditions and other elements that affect the demand on the power train of a vehicle.

Going to a 0w-30 grade oil in a "street" vehicle is not a great idea unless you plan on running it down the dragstrip every now and then or even a spirited road course or autocross and then only if you upgraded the oil pump/s in said vehicle so that the oil can be pumped through the engine as quickly as possible as to not cause damage due to cavitation or dry spots during start up or at wide open throttle.

It is winter (though mild) here now in Indy. Our AV is close to 250 miles it will get an oil change at 500 with 5w-30 HP Penzoil then again at 1000 (early spring) with 10w-30 (my personal choice to do this since it is really not necessary until 3k comes around) and finally at around 3,000 when I will be switching to Mobil-1 depending on my oil consumption (if any). The idea is to let the new seals, bearings etc soak up as much lubricant as possible while eliminating any of those peske little particles left behind after the engine was assembled by the first few oil changes. If all is well at 3k Mobil-1 (AMSOIL, Castrol Synthec etc.) should be able to enhance the lubricant's properties primed within these components and reduce friction etc. while promoting better gas mileage and power train longevity.

And, yes... do not assume that because the oil used is rated at a certain mileage interval that it will not fail before that threshold is reached. Follow the 3k rule, it is fairly economical and has worked for years... and... errr... has a built in fudge factor for the busy folks who seem to forget :rolleyes: when the next oil change should be. Hope this helps folks...

Siempre,
 
Hmmmm...Head scratching. I ran petro based SAE 5w-30 in my Tahoe for almost 7 years year round. When exploring synthetic for the AV, I wondered about the weight/viscosity.......

I queried the folks at AMSIOL and thats when they told
me their Series 2000 0w-30 was the correct replacement
oil for my AV and they state "Recommended for all vehicles requiring 5w-30 or 10w-30 motor oils"

Check this out:

http://www.amsoil.com/products/motoroils/index.htm

I guess I will do some more digging. Can't afford to not know here.

 
Amsoil reps also told me that the Amsoil Series 2000 0W-30 is a PREMIUM synthetic oil and

"While the 5W30 is proper viscosity as far as the manufacturer is concerned, we recommend the use of our AMSOIL Series 2000 0W30 Severe Service Motor oil. This premium motor oil protects better in high temperatures than do the higher viscosity conventional and synthetic oils. Series 2000 retains excellent fluidity in extremely low temperatures, so it flows quickly and reliably to allow easy starting and immediate lubrication protection."

Since that particular oil is ALSO rated to flow just fine down to 60 below F, I think it would be fine for anywhere in the States, maybe the exception of International Falls MN !!! ;D

Laterz
 
Can I ask why AMSOIL reccomends changing oil viscocity
for the normal driver?

The engine was designed to use an oil of a certain viscocity at normal operating temperature and then the oil should have a pour point low enough that the viscocity at low temperatures is not too thick to cause engine damage on start up.

And what the heck is fluidity? I do not find that in my dictionary. Do they mean viscocity?

Curious is all.
 
Like one of the previous posts, I would love to find a comparison of say Mobil-1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc. If anyone knows of such a comparison test, please let us know. Thanks...
 
Just got an e-mail from Amsoil Techies. Here is how it went. I asked:

"I was told to use the Series 2000 0W-30 for my 1997 K1500 Suburban with the 5.x liter engine out here in Sunny Phoenix AZ. I just bought a new 2002 Chevy Avalanche 4WD 1500 and was told to use 5W-30 or 10W-30 **ONLY** by GM. So which viscosity rating of Amsoil should I use for my new Avalanche? Thanks"

They replied:

"Larry,
Our 0W30 is our best product for this vehicle. If you still feel uncomfortable with that recommendation, our AMSOIL ASL 5W30 or ATM 10W30 synthetic motor oils are an excellent choice also.
Thank you,
EdK
Tech Services"

So that's the scoop. Nothing about viscosity changes.
 
Guys and Gals:

OK - remember this. Amsoil says you can go 25K or more between oil changes. However the warranty in your owners manual says you can't. That's real important. No matter what you decide you need to follow the service intervals in your owners manual. That gives you three choices in summary:

  • Once every 3,000 miles or 3 months for severe service
  • Once every 10,000 miles or every year for normal service
  • Follow the oil life monitoring system and change your oil within two-tanks of gas (roughly 700 miles) of indication to change oil, but not to be less frequent than 10,000 miles or once a year

Now with that said I'm not going to dive into the technical merits of Royal Purple versus Mobil One versus Castrol versus Pennzane versus Amsoil versus...

I guess it comes down to how much you want to spend and if you care about the warranty from the General. If you can shell out $10 a quart every 3K miles than it's your call. If you can shell out $4 a quart every 3K miles than it's your call.

No matter what you decide you should follow what the General recommends. One more point - if you bought an extended service plan, don't mess around. If you don't follow the service intervals as recommended in the manual you wasted a whole lot of money.

Just my two cents.
 
VERY GOOD POINTS Chief.....but.....I'm curious.... ???

How are they gonna know WHAT oil schedule change routine you go by, especially if you change it yourself, like many of us do?

The warranty does not specify "keep records of all oil changes and which dealership did the change" does it?

Are they going to go by what you write into the owner's manual in the maintenance records section?

This is not sarcasm - I am GENUINELY interested in how they could use any record keeping of oil change frequency to void a warranty..... ???

Thanks.........
 
Let's just take into account that all vendors have the best on the market and if not the exact product you want, thier's is "better" than the one you needed ;D
 
I change my oil when my computer center tells me too. So far, 5300 miles and 9300 miles. I have kept both my receipts and even the one for my rotation of tires. And most of you guys probably think..."paid someone to rotate tires?" It was the best $16.95 I have ever spent! Especially since this is the first automobile I have ever changed the oil twice in 6 months...and first automobile I have ever rotated tires on. I plan on keeping my Avalanche in tip top condition...with paying for it! Not to mention...I will be getting her detailed in the spring by a detail shop!
 
In a recent Hot Rod 383 build-up they dyno tested the engine before and after changing to Royal Purple synthetic and reproducably gained about 7 hp and 10 ft-lb of torque. That's as much as the typical cat-back switch improvement. This engine was roughly in the same hp class as the 8.1
 
There are very few published data about this subject for some reason. I will try to find out why that is true.

Here are some comparisons:

http://www.knowyouroil.com/ohio/dyno.htm

http://www.pecuniary.com/newsletters/20w50test.html

http://www.technilube.com/sections/test/torco.html

http://www.georgenitta.com/oiltest_oils.htm

That last one shows Amsoil as performing the WORST of the five tested oils -but the test is kinda goofy. I don't think it represents what really happens in a combustion engine.

Laterz
 
That last test was one I did in college for testing the hydrodynamic oil bearing principle. IT simulates your main bearings. I am not sure of his protocol since he just showed pics but the test machine is standard equipment in college's for these tests.
 
I just bought the Motor Oil Bible for $9.80 online, and there is a direct comparo of TONS of oils.

The 5W-30 group shows the Amsoil 5W30 and the Amsoil S3000 at the top of the scoring with 703 and 697 points respectively. Mobil 1 Tri-synth scored 682 points which tied it for seventh place.

The highest score on the HUGE test board belonged to the Mobil 1 10w40 MX4T motorcycle oil, which scored a 716.

Royal Purple did not score too well in ANY viscosity rating. Red Line did much better than R.P.

I don't know how to insert a pic or I would put the chart on this post for all to see.

Laterz
 
OK - I have a printed version of the Motor Oil Bible - It is VERY pro-synthetic and provides good reasons.

After reading through a couple of sections, I can tell you right now I will NEVER use petro oil after the break-in period for any vehicle I buy from this point forward.

Send your oil questions my way........

Laterz.........
 
Hey LAR who was the author and who do they work for?
 
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