At what intervals do you change your oil?

Been using Pennzoil 10W40 and Fram PH-11 filters every 2500 - 3000 miles since 1980. I'm sticking to it for awhile longer to see how it works out...

 

Castrol Synthetic, A/C delco filter, whenever I think about it.

Went almost a year on my daily driver ( I don't recommend this) I basically didn't do anything to my car the whole time I was rebuilding my Jeep (9 + mos. )

 

Dunno if this means anything but the LS-1 specifically requires mobil 1 5W-30 or the warranty is voided.. even says so right on the oil filler tube cap....

 

I prefer Kendall GT1, but it's getting hard to find here, so Castrol GTX is the next choice, 10-40 or 20-50. Change about every 5K now, used to do it 3K, but oils and engines are much better now. Usually use Wix/Napa Gold filters. I wouldn't use synthetics unless the engine had used them since new.

 

Jeepenstein, they did start out with 5W30 to begin the test then the oil became gradually thicker until they had to stop the test at 14,000. I believe they stopped the testing for the very same reason you mentioned, warranty issues. As for the LS -1 needing only Mobil 1 it’s possible. Mobil relies on molybdenum, boron, and huge doses of calcium, Amsoil has no moly at all, less than half as much boron, and almost a third less calcium. Phosphorus is similar in both formulas, but Amsoil uses more zinc and almost thirty times more magnesium! Amsoil's viscosity is also higher, putting it midrange for a 5W30 oil while Mobil 1 tends toward the low end of the range. But to say you can’t use Amsoil in a LS-1 not sure about that, although I will bet that Amsoil will tell you it's ok to use their oil in the LS-1.

 

I change the oil around 3000 miles. Castrol GTX 20W-50 and an AC PF24 filter.

 

use shell rotella 15w40 in the truck (2003 chevy z71, drive it about 13k year), drop the oil about 4-4500 miles, depends on what the oil life meter says. I wait till it says down to 20-25% life left. put the same oil in jeep, change once year whiether it needs it or not (jeep drives about 300 miles/year 98% off road). looked into going synthic on truck, however the owners manual and factory manual both say that if you use the syth, you MUST continue to use it, or change ALL the seals in motor.

 

My 04 truck i run 5w 30 Mobil 1 Synthetic. Change around 3000-3500

68 Cj Rotella T 15w 40 in summer 10w 40 in winter
The rest i usually run non synthetic penzoil.

I always use Wix filters with exception of a napa gold filter every once in a while. I never will use a fram again after seeing the quality of filter and seeing several tests. They are plain junk. I know the risk is a small one but a couple dollars for a better filter is well worth it.

The supertech oil maybe is made by mobil 1 but it is not the same stuff as mobil 1. It is a lesser quality with different formula. I know mobil 1 makes several different oils for different companies that just name it something different. I've seen tests on several types of the oil and it is different oil from what i could see.

 

Mobil is a lesser quality then Mobil 1, Supertech is Mobil.

 

First, I would like to thank the members who replied helping me come to a decision concerning whether to use non-synthetic or synthetic and when best to change fluids.

I had 351 viewers with 17 that replied, 12 of those using non-synthetic oil with 3916 miles being the average oil change. The 5 synthetic users changed every 5833 miles, 2 where not included in that average, one changing per year (not mileage) the other at 25,000 miles.

Things I’ve learned about filters, Champion Labs makes the following filters Car & Driver, Champ, Deutsch, Mobil 1, Motorcraft, STP. Fram makes Qucker State and Pennzoil who Qucker State bought out. Wix also makes Napa Gold. Mopar is nothing more then Purolater.

A thing about additives, there’s probably not a better-known name in the world of oil additives than Slick 50. They pretty much defined the market. Which makes it all the more interesting that they've been sued, big time. Others that have been sued, Castrol Syntec Power System, Dura Lube Engine Treatment, Motor Up No Oil Change Engine Treatment, Concentrate Prolong Engine Treatment, Concentrate Shell Vektron 3000 "PEP" Additive, Valvoline TM8 Engine Treatment, and zMax Power System.

One member Hansh has a dual filtering system in his K3500. Indeed, one is forced to wonder whether an engine with a high-quality synthetic combined with a bypass filtration system and regular filter changes would ever need its oil changed at all.
. The most critical characteristics for the purposes of oil longevity are: Viscosity, TBN, Insolubles, Wear Metals. The best indicator when your oil is finished is TBN (The Total Base Number). This is a measure of acid-combating additives. Oil is essentially expired once it reaches a TBN around 2. There is a method that’s pretty close to being right on and it’s developed by Ted Kublin at Dixie Synthetics, uses the virgin oil TBN with a calculation of engine stress to determine the oil change interval.

The only way to be really sure that everything is going okay in there is through oil analysis and at $20 a pop, I might as well just change the oil. I have to admit that I have owned several cars that went well beyond 150,000 miles on non-synthetic without the slightest trouble, so it's entirely possible that I’m wasting a lot of money for oil performance that my vehicles will never use.

Engine wear actually decreases as oil ages. This has also been substantiated in testing conducted by Ford Motor Co. and reported in SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119. What this means is that compulsive oil changers are actually causing more engine wear than the people who let their engine's oil get some age on it.

The big question, of course, is, how often should I change my oil? And while there are studies that might give me some guidance, it won’t hand me a firm number I can live by forever. The only real answer is to do whatever my owner's manual says to do. Anything past that is just theory, and I have to decide for myself what makes sense for my application.

My decision, I’m staying with non-synthetic for any vehicle driven under 15,000 annually and changing the oil every 5000 along with filter. Any vehicle driven over 15,000 annually I will use synthetic changing once a year along with changing the filter every 5000 miles.
Again thanks for the help.

 

Chuck, the over or under 15,000 refers to annual mileage?

 

Yes Greg, it's annual I will go back and correct it. Thanks.

 

I use Castrol 10W30 in the CJ and have not had it long enought to change it but plan on every 3,000. My 99 f-350 I use Rotella T 15W-40. It uses no oil and does not leak. I change the oil every 5,000 and it has 335,000 miles on it.

 

For what its worth: Fram oil filters are junk, they use cardboard caps on either end of the filter element which eventually breaks down and enters your engine. They have been rated the worst. Several tests/studies have been performed many of which you can find by searching the net. The employees at Roush and I did a little test of our own. The best reasonably priced oil filter on the market, even though I hate to say it since I'm not entirely a big Ford fan, is Motorcraft, which is made by the same company as Purolator. So Motorcraft and Purolator oil filters are essentially the same in good quality. If you ever get a chance, cut them both open and see what you find inside. Just because you buy an orange filter with a cute little rubber grip on the outside and they have a good marketing campaign doesn't mean its necessarily the best for your engine. I'm not bias against Fram, I used to use them all the time, but not anymore from what I've found. Just a thought. Also, factory recommendation is 5000 miles for an oil change, non synthetic, I go for every 3,000 miles. Up to you.

 

who makes ac-delco brand filters????

 

I contacted two GM dealerships (parts department) to ask that very question and they had no idea. I have since emailed AC-Delco and should have an answer shortly.

 

That’s impressive averaging 56-67,000 miles a year on your F-350.

 

I received an email from AC-Delco asking me to call (1-800-ACDelco). They said one of their representatives would be better able to assist me.

I called and they said AC-Delco manufactures their own filters. They also said they do not make filters for other companies. When pressed to tell me where they were made he said they couldn’t tell me for security reasons.