Deciding on which oil to use in our engines is a tough one. I think Matt said it best when he said that it is hard to find a bad oil out there.
However I’m a believer in science and engineering, and if you are going to select an oil for our engines you might as well select one that has been
tested and compared to as many of the oils out there as is possible. Here is a link to a person that has tested over 240 different oils against an
engineered scientific set of parameters.
This is the article. It is updated monthly.
https://540
ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/
It is a tough read with lots of repetition and self service by the author, but is all that is out there that is not linked to the major oil brands.
Call it up, and grab the button on the right side of the page. Scroll down about 1/10 of the way to the “WEAR PROTECTION RANKING LIST”. It lists
oils that were tested by its ability to resist wear.
I personally use #8, 0W40 Mobil 1. The “0” for quick oil to the bearing surfaces in cold weather (I live in Wisconsin) and the “40” to give me
acceptable (to me) oil pressure during hot running. Also because it is listed high on the Wear Protection Ranking List.
Following is copy/paste from that article.
8. 0W40 Mobil 1 “FS” European Car Formula, ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4, API SN, synthetic = 127,221 psi
This new oil replaces the older version called, 0W40 Mobil 1, European Formula, API SN, synthetic. See below for the older version’s ranking
position.
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD
This new “FS” version was tested in Summer 2016.
However, a 40wt hot viscosity rated motor oil is too thick to be ideal for most engines. It is best to select the thinnest motor oil viscosity that
will still provide acceptable “hot” oil pressure. And you do NOT need to select the “highest rated” motor oil, just as it comes right out of
the bottle, from this Wear Protection Ranking List. There are many highly ranked oils here, that will provide your engine with excellent wear
protection. So, you have many oils to choose from.
I also went on to test this oil at the much higher temperature of 275*F. At that elevated temperature, any hotter and thinner oil is expected to
experience a drop in Wear Protection Capability. This oil did have a 16% drop in capability. But, even at that elevated temperature, it produced an
impressive 106,876 psi, which put this much hotter and thinner oil in the INCREDIBLE Wear Protection Category.
I also tested this oil to find out its onset of thermal breakdown, which was 280F.
But I think that #5 would be a great oil to use. As the below says, this oil is available at Walmart reasonably priced. I’m using it in my cars.
5. 5W30 Quaker State Ultimate Durability, dexos 1 – Gen 2, API SN “Plus”, synthetic (green bottle) = 133,125 psi
This oil was tested again in late 2019 for two reasons:
1. It became available with the API SN “Plus” certification, so there was an interest in seeing if there were any changes in its performance.
2. This oil was purchased at Walmart. And that was significant because it was so shockingly cheap at Walmart, compared to mainstream Auto Parts
Stores, that there were concerns that Walmart might be selling counterfeit oil. Here’s why:
This oil was purchased at Walmart in late 2019, where the price was about $6.00 per quart bottle, and about $20.00 per 5 quart jug. At the same time,
a few miles away, this oil’s price at Pep Boys Auto Parts Store was about $9.00 per quart, and about $35.00 per 5 quart jug. So, there was a need to
find out if this oil being sold so cheap at Walmart was legitimate or not. Sure, you could say that Walmart makes such large purchases that it gets a
break on price. But then, you could say the same thing about Pep Boys Auto Parts chain stores. But, the proof was in the pudding as they say. And as
you can see by the psi value and ranking position above, this is the best performing 5W30 Quaker State Ultimate Durability, that I’ve ever tested.
So, Walmart gets a clean bill of health. They are selling legitimate QSUD, and there is nothing to be concerned about. Now, we would have a hard time
justifying buying this oil anywhere besides Walmart.
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD
The psi value of this oil, which came from testing it at the normal operating test temperature of 230*F, put it in the FANTASTIC Wear Protection
Category.
However, I went on to also test this oil at the much higher temperature of 275*F. At that elevated temperature, any hotter and thinner oil is expected
to experience a drop in Wear Protection Capability. And this oil did have a 13% drop in capability. However, even at that reduced value down to
115,764 psi, this much hotter and thinner oil was in the INCREDIBLE Wear Protection Category.
I also tested this oil to find out its onset of thermal breakdown, which was 275*F.
If you want to see where the oil you use ranks, do a command F on an Apple or a ( I THINK) a control F on a PC and fill in the search
parameter, like “Mobil” or “Rotella”. That will highlight all of the occurrences of your oil in the document. Then do a carriage return down
until you find it.
If it is 5w30 that you need to use, at $20/5qt, why not use the highest one on the list.
Anyway, hope this helps.
Just my relatively informed, off the cuff, back yard mechanic, gut level, eyeball it up and guestimate, opinion….with a little engineering/science
to back it up…that’s all...
--
Larry
78 Royale w/500 Caddy
Menomonie, WI.
