I've been watching the ads for this stuff on TV. Has anyone checked it out yet?

 

I've always heard that MOBIL 1 is the best oil... Mini recommends CASTROL...
I think the important point about the oil is change it on time with a good filter...

 

Curious about this new Q-Power stuff though. Supposedly it's what Ferrari recommends. A heck of a recommendation if that's true.

 

I'm curious about Royal Purple Synthetic oil...but so far not enough to try it.

Keep wondering what any oil can do that the Castrol oil MINI recommends isn't.

 

One difference, is that Castrol is a blend of synthetic and normal oil. I'm a lifetime Castrol user.

Q-Power and Mobil 1 for example, and full synthetics.

 

There are certain variants of oil from different manufacturers that are formulated different and certified to different standards. The Q oil in the Ferarri isn't the same stuff you will find at autozone.

Another example:
Mobile 5W30 is different than Mobil1 0W40. The 0W40 is a special blend and head and shouldeers above the rest of the brand. )w40 is harder to find in local parts stores than the typical stuff.

Many manufacturers have a few selects oils that are to higher standards than the broad range of their offering. I forget the names of standards at the moment and would have to refresh my memory. All that being said a good sythetic oil will do you just fine. Just don't try to go thick on the cold range, keep it thin for startup wear.

I am currently using Casrtol Syntec 5w50 in my M Roadster. Not sure what I will use in the Mini yet (pick it up this weekend!)

For personal preference here is what I like in various weights.

5W30 - Motul 300V
0W40 - Mobile1
5W50 - Castrol Syntec

 

Its probably true, thats its most important to keep up on oil changes. I really dont know that much about synthetic oils. I do however know that if you tear down an engine that has been run on Penzoil or Quakerstate, and compare either engines internal parts to one that has been run with Castrol there is a difference. Now granted, thats not synthetic though, just the regular old oil.

 

I agree with you. My MGB has been a Castrol 20w-50 car since it left the showroom floor. When I rebuilt the engine after 120,000 miles, I didn't need any machine shop work at all. That included autocrossing. Changed it every 3000 miles religiously.

Now however, newer materials, newer formulas, higher revving engine.

 

i think mini switched from castrol to mobil with the 2007 models. i have a mcs 2006 and my engine says castrol, but they gave me a useless 2007 manual that recommends mobil.

i have been a lifetime user of mobil 1 in all of my cars because my father has always used it... i don't know if it makes a difference, but i guess i will stick with whatever synthetic oil the car started with... in this case, castrol.

 

I saw the new Q-Power stuff at Wally World yesterday, I hadn't seen the ads and hadn't seen it before so I was curious, and I'm due to change my oil so I *almost* picked some up but wanted to check and see if anyone here had tried it first.

 

I'd like to know more about the Mobil 1 - 0w40... I just heard about it a few weeks ago when my sister made the oil change on her '01 VW Bettle with 120k miles... The people from the shop recommend us this oil, they said is the best one, even with a high mileage engine... I would like to know what makes it the best.

Thanks

 

With my limited experience, working in the shop with my husband, I think I am going to stick with Castrol. When my Geo Tracker was painted at 160,000 miles, we pulled the engine down and replaced gaskets. It has always run Castrol, and the cross hatching in the cylinders was still there, none of the surfaces needed machined, nothing was tarnished or dirty. It was just a nice clean looking engine. It now has 245,000 miles on it... and its a GEO!!! On the other hand, we worked on my sisters car which had always run Penzoil, or whatever the quicky lube places dump into things. It had around 70,000 miles and it was a gunked up, tarnished up mess. NO cross hatch marks in the cylinders and it needed machined. This has been the case over and over. My husband just tore down a Kia Sportage motor for a customer, and immediatley you know what its been running just by the color. Im sold on Castrol.
It would be interesting to see what kind of difference there is in the synthetics though. Wont make me change my mind, but would still be interesting...

 

Not to say anything bad about this Q oil, but what how often does Ferrari suggest changing the oil in their engines? I can imagine they suggest more frequent oil changes.

 

Its been a while since I have gotten into any detail. Here is something I remember seeing not too long ago, but I would double check some facts. Don't blindly believe ayone on the internet....even me

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...4&postcount=71

and that website (bobistheoilguy) has more info than you could ever want to see.
Yes, short intervals. Oil thickens or thins with life (depending on the forumlation) and additives wear out and the oil gets dirty. The base lubricant itself doesn't wear out.

 

Pennzoil is crap. They use parrafin wax as a filler. Royal Purple is not worth the extra cash over Mobil 1. The only reason it's endorsed by so many magazines is because RP is a major sponsor for magazines like Hot Rod and Car Craft. I'll take Mobil 1 over Castrol even though there's nothing wrong with Castrol. Its just my opinion. I see Mobil endorsed by F1, NASCAR, ALMS, and how many other series.

 

If you had a Ferrari, wouldn't you?

I'm still looking at the Q-Power though. Nothing against Mobil 1 at all, but having a choice of pure synthetics is nice.

 

If you pay close attention to the ad, the fine print says Ferrari recommends 10w-60! WTF is up with that? Are their motors really that sloppy they need that heavy of an oil? Or, do the internals just grow that much they need to take up some space?

 

I would guess a Ferrari generates a lot of engine heat. High revving monsters they are. That oil will thin out pretty fast. I prefer 20w-50 myself.

 

In 1993 when Corvette dropped their oil cooler, they mandated Mobil 1 to handle the extra heat, created because of dropping the oil cooler to get rid of it's weight. They also went to 5,000 mile oil changes at that time.

 

The base oil can take high temps. Its all the additives in the oil that wear out with time, mileage, and temp. I have designed components to run in oil environments much higher than anyone will see in their car (the oil was Mobil turbo oil). I ran some tests until the oil coked and turned into a rock solid lump. We are talking well north of 400F.

Here is some interesting reading if someone wants.
http://www.synlube.com/synthetic.htm

It actually discusses how Castrol (among others) is not a true Synthetic oil, even though its marketed as such. That doesn't mean Castrol Syntec isn't great oil. I think it is.

There's more information on the subject available to the public than most really care ot look at. It just takes a little searching.

Has anyone been getting used oil analysis done on their motors from Blackstone Labs or similar? They can tell you what's going on in your motor and make recommendations.

 

Hey thanks for the link, its appreciated!

 

I think Ferrari recommends every 1500 miles but interestingly, Lambo recommends 7000 miles.

 

I use Amsoil. I have used Mobil 1 before but I prefer Amsoil. The engine feels looser... hard to explain. You can go to the Amsoil werbsite (www.amsoil.com) there is a comparison of synthetic oils, to include Royal Purple and Mobil 1. They are great oils but they do not last as long as the Amsoil.
If you can't find the document, I will look in my hard drive today to see if I can post it. If not, email me and I will send you attachment. I also utilize their octane booster, fuel injection cleaners, and fuel stabilizers (great for storage). I also use them for my motorcycles... the bikes run cooler!