what oil weight should i go with?
 

so i bought my car a month or so ago and want to change the oil, get some fresh stuff in her....the previous owner was using german castrol 0w30 but i cant find it ANYWHERE would it be ok to switch to RP or M1 5w30? the car has heads/cam if that makes a difference....i just dont want to put the wrong stuff in her and mess something up....will i be ok switching to royal or mobile 5w30 or 5w40?

thanks guys

You should be fine with either the Mobil 1 or RP

- Justin

the 5w30 will be ok?

so what is the difference between the 5 and 0?

i use Mobil 1 15-W50, i wanted the most protection considering i have 105k miles lol

The way it moves in cold temperatures (w stands for winter). When cold, 0w30 will move like a 0 weight oil and once it warms up will be a 30 weight, same thing for 5w30.

Mobil 1 5w30 or 5w40 should work fine for you, I would recommend the 5w40 for the winter and when warmer temperatures come the new 15w50 that Josh is using works very well, I use it in my car during summer months also. If you feel like spending the money get royal purple.

Using the Mobil 1 or Royal Purple will work excellent. The grade of 5W 30 will give you the best protection and better gas mileage. Using the 15W 40 works better IF you have a HIGH mileage engine(over 100,000). Both oils will also last longer between oil recommended oil changes also! :nod:

I never run synthetic...

thanks now i get the whole "W" thing now, its so simple too haha.....

i think i will try the Mobile 1 5w30 and see how i like it

with a duralast filter?

if you have an LS1, DO NOT USE M1 5w30. its the worst oil ever made. do a quick search on ls1tech, and youll see hard evidence. M1 is all marketing, and nothing else. there have been regular dino oils that have out performed M1. M1 has been shown to break down after barely 1000 miles through oil analysis.

you cant go wrong with german castrol. autozone is the only place the carries it. go to your local store and ask them to order some, they usually do. if not, WS6store sells it by the case. royal purple and amsoil are also good.

if you insist on using M1 5w30, i have about 8-10 qts. that i will give to you free of charge.....thats what i think of using M1.

Use a K&N or Wix filter.

valvoline 85w140

edit: on a serious note, use a WIX or Napa gold oil filter (wix supplies napa)

the autozone by me looked at me like i was crazy when i asked them about german castrol is there any other name it goes by? or do you have a part number to help them look it up easier?

looks like ill be takin a trip to the napa store near me....anywhere else wouldnt carry them right?

Sure! I get WIX filters from one of my local parts places.

either napa or a privately owned parts place would have them...just depends what brand they stock.

your local habib autozone employee wouldnt know german castrol from a german shorthair. ill look for the part number tomorrow, but to explain to them, just call it castrol syntec 0w30. if you ever do see a bottle, look on the back, make sure it says 'made in germany' on it.

also, try a K&N filter, its what i use. get the longer version then whats recomended for an LS1. its no lower then most headers or cat-back exhaust, and will give more protection and let you run a full 6 qts. a little easier, which is what i always run. i think, ill find out for sure tomorrow, but i think the K&N filter # is 2009

read this. this is one of many debates on tech.

http://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=873113

You can do whatever you want, but just about all oil related problems are due to starvation or poor change intervals- not the blend or detergent content or anything like that. With the one major exception being an engine break-in being done with synthetic oil. Use the stuff you want to use but there is no silver bullet oil that is the "best".

yea i called one autozone and asked if they had castrol syntec 0w30 and he said theyll get a shipment in tomorrow so i guess i need to ask for it by name....also i heard the K&N wasnt too good??? well i guess its all preference like everyone says so i think ill try the K&N long filter and see how i like it

yea i guess trial and error is the best bet, my change oil light came on so i wana get it done, i have only drove it no more than 2k miles since i bought it and he said he changed it right before i picked it up but i wana make sure its all fresh :nod:

so i found the german castrol 5w30 but the guy at autozone told me to get castrol 5w50, i ended up getting that...you guys think thats ok to run on a 62xxx mile ta with heads/cam?

i wouldnt believe anyone at autozone. i would have stuck with the 30. and remember its 0w30, not 5w30 that you want. 50 might be a little too thick. could try it for one change and see if theres any differance in valve tap or whatever. personally, id stick with 0w30, its been proved to work and protect.

yea your right...but will the 0w30 be too thin for summer? or too thin at all for that matter or can i run 0w30 all year round?

i have redline 40weight for the bird but havent used any yet

and the truck gets whatever the dealer uses for the rest of its warrenty

screw it i think im just gonna go with the german ow30 and....then next change go with 5w30 and see which one i like better....neither of them will harm the engine right?

harm, no. but the 0w30 is safe to use. its a proven oil. the 0w is only for cold temps and start up, which you want. the thinner the better, because it will warm up relatively quickly. the 30 is actually on the thick side of a 30 weight, which again is what an LS1 needs. trust me, go GC 0w30 and dont look back. youll be fine.

ok im gonna take your advice but if anything happens im holding you personaly accountable! haha