# What lube is best for you?



## GTO6 (Jun 22, 2006)

hey I'm happy to say I've hit 8,500miles on my goat and Im doing the second oil change of her life. First time around I used mobil 1 ( gm recommended) but now im open to options, So which oil do you guys use?? 

Note: daily drive with the occasional burst of gas wasting here and there.


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## DJ Dannis (May 9, 2006)

Everyone has their preferences... mine is what is on my oil cap.


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## nottheweakwilled (Apr 22, 2007)

I work for Porsche, whom now exclusively use Mobil1. I've seen the awesome benefits of Mobil1 full synth in both my own cars and my customer's cars. I've also seen the horrors that can result from other oils.

From personal experience, I feel Castrol GTX full synth is a decent oil, but the extra money invested in Mobil1 is money well spent as it has an even longer service life. Royal Purple is too expensive and I've never seen anything from Royal Purple that Mobil1 can't provide.

The important thing is to change the oil frequently.

And use the CORRECT filter. I always reccomend the manufacturer filter, but where unavailable Mobil1, Wix(OEM), or Mann(OEM). I can't tell you how many deteriorated Fram and K&N filters I've pulled out of vehilces.


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## Verdoro 68 (Dec 27, 2005)

Some people swear by Castrol German formula, some Royal Purple. I've always stuck with Mobil 1. That's what came in the car and what the dealer uses so it's good enough for me.

I do have Royal Purple Max Gear in the rear diff. Quieted it down quite a bit.


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## raven1124 (Sep 23, 2005)

I've used Mobil 1 and Royal Purple. Both are great oils but I tend to like Amosil better.


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

Mobil 1 for years with no adverse effects...nottheweakwilled...you have found deteriorated K&N oil filters??? I have never heard this happening...I may have to go back to M1 oil filters...
Bill


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## madkat (Jul 20, 2006)

silversport said:


> Mobil 1 for years with no adverse effects...nottheweakwilled...you have found deteriorated K&N oil filters??? I have never heard this happening...I may have to go back to M1 oil filters...
> Bill


I myself have seen deteriorated fram filters... I don't have any experience with the K&N filters.


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2007)

*oil*

Go with Royal Purple,, I have a oil temp gage and since switching to R.P my oil temp has decreased by 20 degrees


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2007)

*oil*



Verdoro 68 said:


> Some people swear by Castrol German formula, some Royal Purple. I've always stuck with Mobil 1. That's what came in the car and what the dealer uses so it's good enough for me.
> 
> I do have Royal Purple Max Gear in the rear diff. Quieted it down quite a bit.


GM made a BIG mistake by using Mobile One in the GTO when new,, when you use a Full Synthetic oil in a NEW engine, the engine will NEVER break in properly,, on day of delivery I had my oil changed and put in a Synthetic Blend, used that till around 8000 and then I switched to full synthentic..I have a 05 with the A4 speed,as stock my 1st dyno tune gave me a base line of 342 RWHP,,much higher then most..this is because the engine was broken in correctly with oil that ALLOWS the engine to break in


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## Route 66 (May 30, 2005)

I agree with Dizzy on bad oill for break in, at least on the LS2 and change in ring design.. Mine used oil till I changed to regular dino.......Now I use 0 oil,,,,even after lots of hard runs. The only thing I disagree on is the continual use of sythetics. I know many swear by them...but I too have seen many a motor that have used both synth. and dino..........both with regular oil changes....and I cannot tell there is any difference in wear. I currently use Valvoline VR1 20w50 because of the additives. Its not necessarily the oil itself but the additive packs. Much like gasoline.....all come from the same pipeline...its what the individual companies add to it.
I think there was a post on another forum where one of the big wigs at RP said it himself..........their synth. is mineral based, just as dino is.


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## Verdoro 68 (Dec 27, 2005)

Route 66 said:


> I currently use Valvoline VR1 20w50 because of the additives.


I use this in the '68 because of the additives primarily because of the flat tappet cam. IMHO, it's probably not necessary on the LSx engines because they have a roller cam.


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## SugarNSpice (Mar 29, 2007)

*since i've got easy access to Red Line Oil at work i go with that. if not Mobil1.*


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## The_Goat (Mar 10, 2005)

Ky


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## tanktronic (Jul 7, 2006)

You beat me to the KY joke by one post :lol:


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## SugarNSpice (Mar 29, 2007)

*u referring to the Red Line? whats up with that?*


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

I use Mobile 1 Extended Performance. It's only a dollar more then regular Mobile 1 so what the hell. My local Wal Mart carries Royal Purple, and it's only 30 cents more a quart then the Mobile 1 E.P. Only reason I didn't buy it was because I didn't know if it'd hold up as long as the Mobile 1 E.P. will (and no, I don't leave it in for the 15,000 miles that Mobile gaurantees, you're wasting your money if you don't leave pricey oils like that in at least 7500-10,000 miles. I change mine out every 10k with no problems. I also use the 13 dollar K&N Gold filter from Advance Auto. I know price doesn't mean the best, but all the other filters for the goat were in the 3 to 5 dollar range, so again I figured, what the hell.


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## ls2weber (Apr 21, 2007)

dustyminpin said:


> I use Mobile 1 Extended Performance. It's only a dollar more then regular Mobile 1 so what the hell. My local Wal Mart carries Royal Purple, and it's only 30 cents more a quart then the Mobile 1 E.P. Only reason I didn't buy it was because I didn't know if it'd hold up as long as the Mobile 1 E.P. will (and no, I don't leave it in for the 15,000 miles that Mobile gaurantees, you're wasting your money if you don't leave pricey oils like that in at least 7500-10,000 miles. I change mine out every 10k with no problems. I also use the 13 dollar K&N Gold filter from Advance Auto. I know price doesn't mean the best, but all the other filters for the goat were in the 3 to 5 dollar range, so again I figured, what the hell.


Ok I think I got that answer I only have 2,800 on my GTO and was wondering when I should change my oil, I'm guessing my car will tell me?


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## GTO6 (Jun 22, 2006)

*Y thank you*

Hey thanx guys for the great responses and advice I averaged it out and it looks like mobil 1 gunna win this time around.


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## Groucho (Sep 11, 2004)

I change the oil -- Mobil1 or other high-end synthetics (Redline, Royal Purple, or Amsoil) with good oil filters like K&N or Amsoil only-- every ~7000 miles.

Usually Mobil1, though, because it's easy to get.


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## Guest (Apr 27, 2007)

*oil*

Some car makers like GM recommend Mobile 1,,but the truth is that they say this because they are being PAID by MOBILE ONE to say that,,


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## Groucho (Sep 11, 2004)

dizzy1 said:


> Some car makers like GM recommend Mobile 1,,but the truth is that they say this because they are being PAID by MOBILE ONE to say that,,


I've never heard of "Mobile One". Is this similar to KY Passionate Peach?


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## nottheweakwilled (Apr 22, 2007)

I agree Mobil1, along with every full synth oil, is terrible for engine break-in as the rings will never properly seat. However, most manufacturers break in the engine at the factory. For example, Porsche flogs the engine for at least a half-hour prior to installing it in the vehicle with a break-in oil. After assembly, the car is then test driven. Before shipping off to port, the vehicle gets Mobil1.


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

I believe the LS2s are broken in at the factory as well...GM has requested Mobil 1 since at least the LT1s of 1992 to now...if they were breaking in the engines wrong could you just imagine the warranty issues??? I wouldn't believe those who say that nothing was done to break the engine in with Mobil 1...think of the LT1, LS1, LS2s in:

GTOs
Firebirds
Camaros
SSRs
Corvettes
TrailBlazer SSs
uses in "other" GM cars made around the world...

Don't you believe it...

Bill


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## Guest (Apr 27, 2007)

*oil*

the engines are NOT broken in at the factory, but they are test run to check for leaks, overheating and so on,, a new car needs at least 4 or 5 thousand miles on it before it is properly broken in,, I have seen cars with over 10 thousand miles on them that develope engine problems and when they get torn down,,there is NO sign of break in, the dam valves have not even seated,plus other obvious items


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## Gotagoat (Jan 6, 2006)

Mobil 1 in the engine and Royal Purple in the M6 and differential. May not be the best possible but can't be too bad either.


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## koman (Sep 25, 2006)

i use castrol syntec which fits the gm4xxxm requirement bullcrap. i've used it in the 93 roadmaster with great results and with the engine i build for the rustang i'll use it in it. break-in is a crucial moment for an engine's life. as far as piston rings, your piston rings should have been set by the time the car gets to the dealership with it's 5-7 miles on the clock. valves that seat improperly may have other problems like during assembly they missed a critical moment like lapping or even angle grinding. it is quite possible that the tooling was dull. i'll say that if you have oil getting to the valve/valve seat then you have a major problem itself. besides, think of all the boneheads like me who make the salesperson cry momma during the testdrive who testdrove the car before a bonehead like you got the car? old school break-in = prime the oil pump, charge fuel system, check for leaks, fire her up and rev to 3k rpms for 30 minutes, shut her down, cool it if you want, change oil and filter, examine filter, readjust the valvetrain if needed, tune, enjoy engine while making periodic checks.the first 30 minutes are the most critical. is there an hour log for the engines anyway?


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## LITTLE GTO (Dec 8, 2005)

dustyminpin said:


> I use Mobile 1 Extended Performance. It's only a dollar more then regular Mobile 1 so what the hell. My local Wal Mart carries Royal Purple, and it's only 30 cents more a quart then the Mobile 1 E.P. Only reason I didn't buy it was because I didn't know if it'd hold up as long as the Mobile 1 E.P. will (and no, I don't leave it in for the 15,000 miles that Mobile gaurantees, you're wasting your money if you don't leave pricey oils like that in at least 7500-10,000 miles. I change mine out every 10k with no problems. I also use the 13 dollar K&N Gold filter from Advance Auto. I know price doesn't mean the best, but all the other filters for the goat were in the 3 to 5 dollar range, so again I figured, what the hell.


Stop using the extended performance-it doesn't meet GM specs(that starburst symbol on the bottle) use regular Mobil 1.Found this out on a few vette forums.Also a big vette guru Sib Halverson recommends using Mobil 1 10w30 in LS series motors because 5w30 has more additives in it to obtain the 5 weight and doesn't protect the engine when oil temps get up above 250 as well as the 10 weight does.You can use 10w30 if it doesn't go below 0 degrees-if it does than use the 5w30.


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## Dragon 32 (Jan 27, 2006)

I use KY, no problems yet...


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## nottheweakwilled (Apr 22, 2007)

dizzy1 said:


> the engines are NOT broken in at the factory, but they are test run to check for leaks, overheating and so on,, a new car needs at least 4 or 5 thousand miles on it before it is properly broken in,, I have seen cars with over 10 thousand miles on them that develope engine problems and when they get torn down,,there is NO sign of break in, the dam valves have not even seated,plus other obvious items


It's not the valves that you should worry about seating. A proper interference angle valve job will set in a matter of a couple hundred miles on a street car despite the oil used. More importantly, the rings must seat properly to avoid oil blow-by which is seen as oil consumption. This can take 100 miles or 1000 miles, it really depends on the materials used. Many modern cylinder walls are now coated, eliminating the need for cross-hatching (cross-honing) the bore and thus reducing ring seating time to virtually nothing. As a result, there should be almost no light scoring (no signs of "seating") in most modern engines.

Seating the rings also requires varied conditions of driving. For example, completely babying a car despite the oil used for the first few thousand miles of it's life may never allow the rings to properly seat, thus creating a car that seems to consume oil. Ever read the break-in procedure for a Harley? It clearly states what to do, and it includes some throttle on situations some might think is "abuse."

From personal experience, I've seen many extremes. For example, I had a '91 SHO that had seen Mobil1 documented since 500 miles. At 90K miles when I went to do the valve adjustment, I found the bucket shims perfectly within spec, as if they had never worn or were just installed (suppossed to be done every 60K). There wasn't a mark on the camshafts and you could eat out of the valvecovers they were so clean. That car never burned any oil between changes.

Although, I have many customers who buy a 911, drive it 3000 miles a year, and change the oil every cruising season. They baby the car. Between that 3K mile period, they can lose up to a quart. They never drove the vehicle properly to help seat the rings.

Consult your owners manual for proper vehilce "break-in." Often this specified time is also to allow the suspension to settle, transmissions to lears (auto), and gears to mesh together on top of preparing the engine for duty.


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## Subdriver (Dec 28, 2004)

GTO6 said:


> hey I'm happy to say I've hit 8,500miles on my goat and Im doing the second oil change of her life. First time around I used mobil 1 ( gm recommended) but now im open to options, So which oil do you guys use??


I switched to AMSOIL in my track driven 2002 Corvette Z06 in 2004 and have been very happy with it. Now I use AMSOIL in all my vehicles. Recently bought a 2006 CTS-V with the LS-2 and I'll be using the AMSOIL Series 2000 0w30 in it when I get to my first oil change. 

For those interested, there are two used oil analysis reports using AMSOIL (one SAE 10w30 and one Series 2000 0w30) on customer cars (both Corvettes) on this page of my website showing how AMSOIL performs in real world LSx motor applications:
AMSOIL Performance Tests
:cheers


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## Jeffs386 (Nov 1, 2005)

I use Mobil 1 have for many years and have never had an oil related problem.........but I find it funny how every board has a few azzhats who think they know more than the engineers at GM


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

LITTLE GTO said:


> Stop using the extended performance-it doesn't meet GM specs(that starburst symbol on the bottle) use regular Mobil 1.Found this out on a few vette forums.Also a big vette guru Sib Halverson recommends using Mobil 1 10w30 in LS series motors because 5w30 has more additives in it to obtain the 5 weight and doesn't protect the engine when oil temps get up above 250 as well as the 10 weight does.You can use 10w30 if it doesn't go below 0 degrees-if it does than use the 5w30.


There isn't anything wrong with the extended performance. Go to Mobile1's website and click on the little "contact us" link at the bottom if you want. I did. The only reason that little starburst number crap isn't on the back of the bottle is because GM doesn't want anybody leaving oil in their cars for 15,000 miles, which the extended performance gaurantees. I figured if the standard mobile 1 is good for about 7500 to 10,000, then the extended performance sure as hell would be good for the 10,000 that I'm running it on. I am weary of the 15K guarantee and figure it's better safe then sorry, besides, I don't know how well the K&N filter would hold out for 15,000 miles.


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

the owner's manual from my 2001 Corvette allows you to change the Mobil 1 every 15K miles or one year whichever comes first so I don't think the GM engineers have a problem with that...and that is with the stock AC Delco filter...
Bill


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## Guest (May 12, 2007)

*oil*

Royal Purple


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