Summit Racing oil
Don't mean to be ignorant, but the oil at parts stores isn't good? Even the name brands?
Other people have posted this so it may be easier to do a search on it here. Of course, there are quite a few threads on this so you may spend a week sorting through them. So here goes.
Parts stores are in business to make money. 12 bucks a quart oil sells S-L-O-W!! That ain’t making them money. Plus, the cost to buy the oil is more (I’m talking about the initial cost for the store to put it in the warehouse, truck it to the stores and then let it sit on the shelf. That’s a profit killer for them.
Most guys will buy based on price and nothing more. The parts stores know this, so that’s what you get. The cheapest oil that moves the fasted so they make money. There is nothing wrong with that, you just have to know that going in.
So let’s look at the cost of the oil I’ve tested the most, one I want to test (someday I hope) and something you’ll find at a parts store.
Driven 5w20 XP1 is an oil that has made more power than any other oil I’ve tested so far. It’s synthetic. And it’s 22 bucks a quart. That ain’t cheap. But it makes power. Because it’s a synthetic and it’s built correctly and has a nice additive pack, you can use one grade lower (5w20 rather than 5w30 or a 10w30) and get the same protection, and make more power. It will also last longer between changes.
On that topic the only way to KNOW you are changing your oil soon enough or not soon enough is to get your oil tested. You will see if the additive package is getting used up or if you are changing it too soon and pissing away good money when the oil still has life. Changing an oil too soon is a giant waste of money. So get into the routine of getting your oil tested. It’s cheap AND you will catch little issues before they become massive problems.
A quick look on the web and I found Mobil 1 5w30 synthetic (not a “high mileage” blend) for 12.49 a quart. I picked this one because it’s about middle of the road as far as pricing goes, and I know a bit about this oil.
Mobil 1 uses a single base stock oil. I guess I should have cleared that up first. There are 5 grades of base oils recognized in the world. I forget what Group 1 oil are exactly, but IIRC it’s nothing used today for engine oils.
Group II oils are refined mineral oil (there is no such thing as fossil oil...but that’s another topic) and these group oils have characteristics that limit what can be done with them as far as additives are concerned. This is a pretty limited base stock and this is what is used for any engine oil that is classified as mineral oil.
Group III base oils are highly re-refined mineral oils. They are classified as synthetic but they aren’t really. The molecular structure is far more refined but it is still mineral oil. It gets classified as synthetic but it’s not. One dead give away you have a Group III base oil is if you can use it with alcohol based fuels. If you can and it’s called synthetic then it’s Group III. That is because the other two groups of base stocks are produced by and with methanol and in some cases ethanol and other alcohol based products. If you can use alcohol based fuels with Group IV or V base oils ring seal will suck and I’ve seen the additive package actually fall out of the base oil.
Group IV base oils are Polyalpholiefins. This is a true synthetic base stock. It has many properties that are great for engine oils but it does have its limits.
Group V base oils are ester based. It is a true synthetic base oil and there is more than one “ester” that can be used. One I can think of is polyol esters. Is think diester is another but that doesn’t look right now that I typed it. But there is more than one ester.
Like any base oil, it has things it does well, and things it doesn’t do well. Some base oils have high bulk temperature ratings. Some are better at holding additive packages.
To clean it up, Groups I, II and III are mineral oils and III gets classified as synthetic but it’s really not. Group IV and V base oils are true synthetic base oils. Some oils are built just using a single base oil and IMO the best oils are a blend of Group IV and V oils, using each base oil in a percentage that complements what it does best.
Now that that’s out of the way, Mobil 1 is a single base oil of either Group IV or V. It’s been a while since I looked at it. It fills a market that fits it between the Group III oils on the shelf and the high end oils the parts stores won’t carry. It’s a good oil for its price and is certainly better than any Group III oils.
The oil I want to test when I get a chance is LAT. It is an Ester/PAO blend. It is just over 25 bucks a quart. I believe it has a very expensive additive package. The base oils pretty much cost the same. The increased price comes from the additive package.
That is an example of three different price point oils. The chances of any parts store or even speed shop selling an oil like LAT is for all purposes zero. The oil
has a price that would make it a zero mover for the parts store oil shoppers.
Many believe that what they have been using for decades is good enough. And it may be. I have tested enough oils to know that the cheap store brand are just that, and that if you have to buy an oil from a parts store Mobil 1 is your best bet.
If you want to step into the 20th century with the oil you use, you should be looking at something that has a blended base oil of PAO/Ester and get on the phone and ask what is used in the additive package.
Some race only oils (especially oils with a PAO or Ester base only) are not capable of being used on the street because one of those base oils won’t readily hold a street level detergent package.
Spend some time and chose wisely. Doing so will produce hp gains and make parts live longer. Plus you will get better ring seal.
