Mobil 1 did not protect the engine any better than any other oil over 5000 km. I don't care that the oil may have lasted longer - the crud still builds up and the filter still gets blocked - so 5000 km it will always be for me. The Mobil has been swapped for ULX-100 - a mineral oil. Haven't been able to measure a difference due to different oil filters. The Mobil 1 tested viscosity appears to be thicker than the specs - this is odd.

So I have completed 10 000 km with the Mobil with two oil and filter changes. No more Mobil. Next up is same with ULX-100.

There is no power increase with ULX-100 or Amsoil over Mobil 1 - Aaron and I have dyno graphs - no difference.

Full Lab report for both Mobil 1 samples can be viewed here:

http://www.planetsoarer.com/oilAnalysis/OilAnalysis.htm

So for the V8 over 5000 km, all the oils are ok - none of them offer better protection or less wear than each other. I doubt any would drive their V8 much harder than me.

So I save your money on the oil - take the wife to the movies instead.

 

Darn, man you are never going to stop amazing me with all this test you always perform, very well done, I always check your site for info and its got lots of it!!! thanks a lot !~!

 

Pete,
Great updated information.
I too frequent your site for informative and valuable information.
Keep up the great work!

 

Hey Pete, do you have any opinions or experiences with engine flushing fluid? When Io switched to synthetic, I added this can of engine flush to my oil reservoir and ran the engine for a good 15 minutes at idle on it. It's supposed to strip all the metal deposits and gunk from the motor, which I think it did. The oil came out of the drainplug thick and black. The guy at Kragen Auto swears by it and uses it on his motor ever 10,000 miles. Have you played around with this stuff?

 

Thanks for the feedback guys

I remember my old Ford 289 ci V8 from way back - the crud stuck to the rocker cover nice and thick - it hadn't been maintained that well.

When I got my car I ran some flush through it - but i really don't think it is necessary and I will never do it again.

Every oil has a detergent in it - if you change your oil regularly then it will clean the engine - not gum it up.

Take off the oil filler cap and have a look inside the engine with a torch - should be nice and clean - a light tan color is ok - but there won't be any buildup.

Engine flush helps the mind more than the engine. I reckon you're better off changing the filter AND a good quality oil every 3000 miles and leave the flush alone.

When I switched back from synthetic to mineral it was recommended to me that I flush engine with a mineral oil first. So I did. Filled with Valvoline, drove for 15 minutes and dumped it. It too looked black. It doesn't take much for oil to look black in a pan or draining out a plug hole - looked clear on the dipsitck though - because you only get a thin film of oil on the dipstick - when the oil looks black on the dipstick then you know it's really black!
After 3000 miles the oil film on my dipstick is not clear anymore - more of a light brown - can still see through the oil though. If the oil on your dipstick is black and you can't see through then perhaps it's time for a change.

 

You always have some great info about our cars... I change my oil constantly in my cars. I always use Castrol and castrol synthetic(also syn/blend), but as you stated any oil is good if you change it often enough...

GREAT WORK!!!

 

I'd always heard about how much beter the syn oils are,but wondered about just what your test showed;the debris are still there indeed,and now we know,certainly good info to have!