Synthetic Oil

Oil of Choice

  • Castrol Syntec/Edge

    Votes: 233 8.4%
  • Royal Purple

    Votes: 325 11.7%
  • AMSOil

    Votes: 396 14.3%
  • Valvoline Synpower

    Votes: 160 5.8%
  • Mobil 1

    Votes: 992 35.9%
  • Other

    Votes: 660 23.9%

  • Total voters
    2,766

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HK1837

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Lot to be said for Toyota Burla. My wife's car is a 12 year old Lexus RX350, AWD 2GR Toyota V6 engine. Must be close to the most reliable thing on the planet. All parts other than a few specialty parts come in Toyota boxes at Toyota prices. Only things we have ever had to do to it have been tyres, rotors, pads and a CV boot. I also replaced the rear shocks as one of them looked like it had a leak, and they were like $AUD200 for the pair new in Toyota boxes. It is a V6 3.5L so uses more fuel than the Rav would but it runs happily on E10 and only gets filled up once a month. What will end up killing it is if it has a minor bingle and has a broken headlight and radar cruise badge/emblem or a wing mirror with camera. This would write it off as the cost is going to be greater than the write-off % the insurers use. They'd write it off and sell the salvage as the wreckers will pay top $ for these as the Lexus specific parts are valuable to those who decide to repair cars themselves bypassing the insurance game.
 

RodRamCar

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I would not have guessed a Tesla would be the top selling car in 2023.

I guess people are starting to embrace that being flat out lied to about the vehicles range is OK.

Throwing away your EV after 8 or 9 years (when the battery is done) is acceptable.

Funny you say that about being lied to about the range. There are so many factors about what to expect on range. Interestingly enough, i took delivery of a 2023 Model Y Performance for my wife on December 27, 2023. I drove it from Bend, Oregon to Boise, Idaho in some cold ass weather I might add. they advertised 303 miles of range on that car back when I bought it, and wouldn't you know it, after calculating miles expended on that trip, how many miles added back on and the cold weather affecting range (which isn't a mystery but a part of that "lie") the range was pretty darn spot on. Also, that thing is crazy comfortable and ridiculously fast. Dragy showed 3.6 0-60 at 55f. temperature affects EVs similar to how they affect turbo cars but instead of density altitude and temperature affecting a normal car with turbos, temperature alone is pretty much the main driver for why an EV has 450hp or 350hp. at 29F, it becomes clear that not all the accessible power is available. On a hot day, with the right tires, a EV cooks since the High Voltage battery operates much more efficiently when it's warm, both speed and range. Lot of fun, that thing.
 

HEMIMANN

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I'm still using PUP 5W-30 in the other vehicles. I got hooked on SOPUS marketing in the mid 10's how their Fischer-Trophsch GTL base oil was more saturated than a catalytic cracked and severely hydrotreated heavy crude oil group III.

As long as SOPUS is still making GTL, I will probably stay with them. For PUP, they used to dose with extra detergent, hence their famous engine deposit test against M1 photos. That was really the only difference between PUP & PP.

For me even with only 5,000 mile OCI, I'll pay a little more for Group III+ GTL base oil for slower oxidation rate, and PUP detergents for piston ring cleanliness.

I won't pay for a super oil, I've seen no reason a turbo 4 needs it. Yet, anyway. That eliminates all Group IV & V base oils. Ya gotta do 5k OCI's due to the filthy single GDI injector's incomplete combustion during rich burn mode. Oil gets full of soot, gas, and water. More reason not to contaminate a super oil.
 

CanuckRam1313

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Is it possible to run that weight in our engines?
I just heard from one person who runs 10w30 in his Ram and is currently has mileage of over 178,000 miles without incident.
Heck, I ran 20W50 in my 06' 300SRT8 (only summer driven, mind you) because the oil squirter whine on anything less at full operating temps was almost identical to the sound of an aftermarket super-charger!
 

Burla

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Lot to be said for Toyota Burla. My wife's car is a 12 year old Lexus RX350, AWD 2GR Toyota V6 engine. Must be close to the most reliable thing on the planet. All parts other than a few specialty parts come in Toyota boxes at Toyota prices. Only things we have ever had to do to it have been tyres, rotors, pads and a CV boot. I also replaced the rear shocks as one of them looked like it had a leak, and they were like $AUD200 for the pair new in Toyota boxes. It is a V6 3.5L so uses more fuel than the Rav would but it runs happily on E10 and only gets filled up once a month. What will end up killing it is if it has a minor bingle and has a broken headlight and radar cruise badge/emblem or a wing mirror with camera. This would write it off as the cost is going to be greater than the write-off % the insurers use. They'd write it off and sell the salvage as the wreckers will pay top $ for these as the Lexus specific parts are valuable to those who decide to repair cars themselves bypassing the insurance game.
this site is interesting, it shows sales plus numbers compared to prior year. Rav 4 is in solid place but down 10% for 2022, now up (not shown) but if anything this proves how volitile the market is. Teslas way up, my guess mostly company sales as those are the ones getting the soon to expire rebates.
 

Burla

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This explains why rav 4 numbers dipped last year, toyo made a mini rav 4 and called it the corola cross which no doubt takes some sales from rav 4, and rav 4 is still the best seller suv in 2023.

You can see why it cut into sales, not sure why rav 4 rebounded so good for 2023.

the 2022 Corolla Cross starts at $23,410 for the L FWD trim, a full $4,330 below the $27,740 for a base RAV4 LE FWD.

Interesting the rav 4 better highway mileage...

The fuel economy figures of the Corolla Cross and RAV4 gas-powered engines are on par as the former offers 31 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 32 mpg combined, whereas the latter offers 28 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg combined.

maxresdefault.jpg
 
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Travis8352

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I'm still using PUP 5W-30 in the other vehicles. I got hooked on SOPUS marketing in the mid 10's how their Fischer-Trophsch GTL base oil was more saturated than a catalytic cracked and severely hydrotreated heavy crude oil group III.

As long as SOPUS is still making GTL, I will probably stay with them. For PUP, they used to dose with extra detergent, hence their famous engine deposit test against M1 photos. That was really the only difference between PUP & PP.

For me even with only 5,000 mile OCI, I'll pay a little more for Group III+ GTL base oil for slower oxidation rate, and PUP detergents for piston ring cleanliness.

I won't pay for a super oil, I've seen no reason a turbo 4 needs it. Yet, anyway. That eliminates all Group IV & V base oils. Ya gotta do 5k OCI's due to the filthy single GDI injector's incomplete combustion during rich burn mode. Oil gets full of soot, gas, and water. More reason not to contaminate a super oil.
With PUP 5w30 you also get a little bit of esters
 

HEMIMANN

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With PUP 5w30 you also get a little bit of esters

Well, you know all paraffin base oils need ester to suspend the additives.

So all oils have esters, and the more saturated the paraffinic base oil, the more ester is needed to carry additives in suspension.

The real statement should indicate how much ester is used to displace parrfinic base oil?

As we've discussed, ester is very resistant to high temp oxidation, but is not a great shear lubricant, hence usage in jet engine roller bearings. Doesn't really help motor oil much, but might contribute some polarized wetting action on Hemi lifter rollers and needle bearings that helps prevent friction seizeup.
 

Burla

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I wanna see white paper on everything, just say'n. I have seen none on anything like you are saying.
 

Burla

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Did anyone note the exact ester in redline, not all esters created equal.

Some esters have way better film, could be an answer to why one oil would kill tick much better then an oil that appears superior on paper. Tailor made esters for filming properties.
 

Travis8352

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Did anyone note the exact ester in redline, not all esters created equal.

Some esters have way better film, could be an answer to why one oil would kill tick much better then an oil that appears superior on paper. Tailor made esters for filming properties.
Im hoping to discover this soon... all i do know is from tomnj on bitog. He sold esters to redline from 1980 till his retirement in 2006. He said anytime he developed a new more advanced ester they always wanted to know the performance aspects of it while never inquiring about price. He said they always bought the best and most expensive POEs. I see no reason its not still like that as many of the chemists and formulators like roy howell have been there since the 80s. Which could explain the change in NOACK from 6% on 5w30 down to 4%!
 

HEMIMANN

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I wanna see white paper on everything, just say'n. I have seen none on anything like you are saying.

Two sources - me (Mobil School for % esters to carry additives in purer PAO bases oils), and Travis for ester lubricity compared to PAO molecular structure.

I don't wanna go digging through hardcopy files for the esters required to carry additives in nonpolar (saturated PAO) base oils. It's a physical phenomena - PAO is nonpolar, esters are polar, additives are polar.

Ya can't carry polar additives in a nonpolar oil suspension without a polar oil. = ester
 

HEMIMANN

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Im hoping to discover this soon... all i do know is from tomnj on bitog. He sold esters to redline from 1980 till his retirement in 2006. He said anytime he developed a new more advanced ester they always wanted to know the performance aspects of it while never inquiring about price. He said they always bought the best and most expensive POEs. I see no reason its not still like that as many of the chemists and formulators like roy howell have been there since the 80s. Which could explain the change in NOACK from 6% on 5w30 down to 4%!

Way back wherever here, I understood Red Line used Polyolester (POE).
 

Burla

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Two sources - me (Mobil School for % esters to carry additives in purer PAO bases oils), and Travis for ester lubricity compared to PAO molecular structure.

I don't wanna go digging through hardcopy files for the esters required to carry additives in nonpolar (saturated PAO) base oils. It's a physical phenomena - PAO is nonpolar, esters are polar, additives are polar.

Ya can't carry polar additives in a nonpolar oil suspension without a polar oil. = ester
I was thinking more of esters are poor at shear, that is not what I understood in the past.
 

HEMIMANN

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I was thinking more of esters are poor at shear, that is not what I understood in the past.

Let me be more specific they do not shear down, if that's what you're thinking.

But they don't make a good lubricating film under shear loading as in cylinder walls, which is why wear is higher in reciprocating machinery. In rolling contact machinery, esters are adequate, ala roller bearings in hi temp jet engine rotor shafts.
 

Burla

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thanks, would like to see some paper on that too.

I get it, esters are oil, so it isnt gonna be as good as metallic additives that plate. But when comparing that option to other oil bases would be my interest.
 

KYPOTLICKER

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Chiming in concerning the RAV 4-- This is what my wife wanted a couple of years ago. Picked/Ordered color/trim model, got the hybrid version. Thought I would hate the thing. I love it. Take it on vacation 2-3 times per year, good road vehicle. Great mileage, good ride, all wheel drive. Caught in a snow storm in Gatlinburg Tn last year or the year before. Little Rav was as sure footed as anything in bad conditions.
 
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