What is the Best Engine oil for my VT?

[Heffer_Slayer]

Hey everyone before you flame me, i did a few searches and didn't find anything interesting....

There were previous debates about how a $3 per litre oil if changed frequently has little to no effect if you used a $11 per litre oil.

I somehow fail to believe this as i am a firm believer of what you pay for is what you get, (to some extent of course)

Anyway my car is due for a change and i am wondering what to put in it.

Its done 140,000km still goin fine.
Also is there a way to keep my oil filter? As in a reusable one?

Just wondering if there is a reusable oil filter and what sort of oils you guys use to take "exceptional" care of your cars Because i wanna keep this one for a while

Cheers.

[SSbeast]

Well alot of factors goes into the right engine oil for your car. No single oil is fit all. Take into climate, engine condition, driving habits. For me i've got a V8 so maybe just a little different but my engine is in tip top shape, i drive it like a normal person, and mainly drive it in city stop start, and the climate is warmish so from that i just go with what holden recommends the 10W-30 Sythetic. If all conditions mentioned above is the same for you i'd say go with what Holden say but stay with a synthetic fortified i only use sythetic cause of low Ks and i drive it a little hoonishly sometimes. With oil filters i belive K&N do a reuseable.

[pablo]

Just ask your self,.... how long am I going to keep the vehicle and how many K's do I expect to cover in that time.
If you want to keep the motor running "till the end", put in some up market oil, if not, Castrol or Valvoline or similar 20/50 around the $20 per 5 L mark will be all you will need to keep it running as it should. Do oil changes around 6-7 K with a filter change.

Pablo

[Heffer_Slayer]

Just ask your self,.... how long am I going to keep the vehicle and how many K's do I expect to cover in that time.
If you want to keep the motor running "till the end", put in some up market oil, if not, Castrol or Valvoline or similar 20/50 around the $20 per 5 L mark will be all you will need to keep it running as it should. Do oil changes around 6-7 K with a filter change.

Pablo

I expect to keep the motor going till end, What are some up market oils?
So you recommend the 20-50 oils?

[pablo]

I would consider any well known brand over $30 per 5L and of the grade recommended by the General for that particular model vehicle to be on the 'up market'.
If you knock out 15,000 K's per year (thats around about what the aussie average is) its going to take you about another 16-18 years to take the motor to the 'end'. So you recon you will still be driving the same vehicle!!!

Pablo

[commsirac]

There were previous debates about how a $3 per litre oil if changed frequently has little to no effect if you used a $11 per litre oil.

I somehow fail to believe this as i am a firm believer of what you pay for is what you get, (to some extent of course).

Yes, there is some truth in that, but the old adage the sellers of the oils are relying on is " a fool and their money are easily separated".

By the sounds of it, you've already read what I think of the issue, so I want bore your with any repetitions.

There is no conclusive evidence that using a boutique oil will significantly increase the engine life in a low stress motor, such as a typical comm, or be an economical choice if it did.

Its a little like feeding your dog the most expensive dog food, sure the more expensive food is better, but providing the cheaper food you give you dog is an acceptable quality and you actually feed the dog, your dog will be just as healthy.

Some more food for thought, Im in the process of getting rid of three thirty year old cars......the motors are all fine....its the rest of them that isnt so good......and they certainly didnt get anything other than the basic oil.......and the basic oil 30 years ago isnt as good was what we have today either.

[veclubby]

penrite penrite penrite haha yeh the only oil i use simply because its one of the best out there for the price and will keep your engine alive for longer :P

for urs having done the kms it has i would recommend penrite hpr 15 set u back $32.95 and is semi synthetic and gives you great all round protection both on start up and on the highway

personally i use hpr 10 and change my oil every 5000km...possibly 2 frequently bt yeh i would prefer to do it every 5k and no i would have any probs

also on the filter department you are better off changin ur filter wen u do ur oil its pointless otherwise and no such thing as a reusable filter as far as i am aware but for the price of filters especially for commos its cheap enough anyway

any questions hed them my way...i recommend oil for a living haha well at the moment anyway till i get outta uni

cheers
ryan

[Heffer_Slayer]

Thanks for the helpful advice mate,
I understand the dog theory and if we replace a dog with my car, i wouldn't give my car the cheapest food

So in oil terms i guess penrite is the way to go?
Does it matter which one i get?
should i definatley get the penrite hpr 15?
How long should i be on it before i switch to a diff value?

What does the number mean anyway?

[veclubby]

ok well basically the 15w-60 means this:

the 15w is the flow rate when the oil is cold meaning it flows like an sae 15 grade oil wen cold, so basically the lower this number the better protection at start up, as the oil flows more freely

the 60 means the flow rate wen warm, this means that at operating temp it flows like an sae 60 grade oil, and means at higher temperatures eg on highway driving u get better protection.

so what sort of driving do u mainly do?

if more city driving i would say u would wana go a slightly thinner oil such as the hpr 10 which is 10-50 as the car is under more stress ie stop start than one the highway....
if more highway drving i would say the hpr 15 as protection at operating temp is more important.

hpr 10 retails for about $38
where as hpr 15 is round the $33 mark
both are semi synthetic wich is the way i would recommend to go
but with these oils changing at 10k even 20k is fine i just prefer the peace of mind of changing at 5k

hope that helps mate
ryan

[pablo]

I am maintaining 3 vehicles in this house. I have ALWAYS used what is the cheapest from either Valvoline or Castrol, only because those two are generally the ones which are most often offered on special by the auto shops. Nearly always 20/50, but occasionaly 15/40 comes along at around the $20 mark. I have run the VT for 7 years on these oils, short, stop-start city and country running towing my trailer. The engine is as quiet as the day I bought it and it uses no oil.
Just sold the old Corolla, 140,000 K's and generally driven twice a day for only 4 kilometers each time. Always used the 20/50 cheaper oil for the 'earlier' vehicles. The interior eventually fell to bits, but the motor ran like a top, used no oil and was very quiet and economical. So the double the price oil would have been NO benefit to me.

So, the choice is yours, the more you watch the flashy adverts and read the glossy brochures and have visions of being 'boy racer' burning up the track at Bathurst, the more you will get sucked in by the oil companies into buying something that you don't need and will never get the benefit from,........................ unless you keep it for those 18 years.

[commsirac]

penrite penrite penrite haha yeh the only oil i use simply because its one of the best out there for the price and will keep your engine alive for longer :P

ryan

Ryan, have you got anything with which to back that up, or is that just the stuff on the back of the container/brochure.

[veclubby]

Ryan, have you got anything with which to back that up, or is that just the stuff on the back of the container/brochure.

mate what i have is feedback from numerous people in the industry including mechanics and drag racers as well as some of the customers that come into the store. most that i have talked to say that in their opinion penrite is one of the best out there up with mobil and the like in terms of quality and engine protection benefits. Also with the company being australian owned it makes the decision easy over the other oil giants such as castrol/bp or shell.

but mate its personal opinion i believe that this oil is great ive been running penrite oils in my car for over 2 yrs now with absolutely no probs and i will continue to use them in the future.

as for spending $20 on oil u get wat u pay for, in this bracket your getting an oil that has a basic makeup and is fully mineral based. spending a bit more and getting an oil that has some sythenic compunds in it is goin to give u better protection on startup which is where most of the engine wear happens because sythetic oils are a lot stickier than mineral based oils.

but then again it depends wat ur running it in...puting $20 oil in a older car would be fine but then puttin it in a brand new car would not be adviseable.
but basically it all comes down to wat u wana spend and do u wana get the most out of ur engine, interms of performance and life.

hope that clears things up
ryan

[pablo]

Well, just scored a good buy today, 5l Valvoline Premium sae 20/50 SJ/CF, $12 on special. ......and what does my good owners book from the General say to use in the engine?, gives a choice of numerous brews, one of which is 20/50 SH/SJ (lesser spec than SJ/CF)....Now, surely the General knows what they are talking about, well you would think so!!

...OH, and I purchased a years supply.

Pablo

[commsirac]

mate what i have is feedback from numerous people in the industry including mechanics and drag racers as well as some of the customers that come into the store. most that i have talked to say that in their opinion penrite is one of the best out there up with mobil and the like in terms of quality and engine protection benefits. Also with the company being australian owned it makes the decision easy over the other oil giants such as castrol/bp or shell.

but mate its personal opinion i believe that this oil is great ive been running penrite oils in my car for over 2 yrs now with absolutely no probs and i will continue to use them in the future.

as for spending $20 on oil u get wat u pay for, in this bracket your getting an oil that has a basic makeup and is fully mineral based. spending a bit more and getting an oil that has some sythenic compunds in it is goin to give u better protection on startup which is where most of the engine wear happens because sythetic oils are a lot stickier than mineral based oils.

but then again it depends wat ur running it in...puting $20 oil in a older car would be fine but then puttin it in a brand new car would not be adviseable.
but basically it all comes down to wat u wana spend and do u wana get the most out of ur engine, interms of performance and life.

hope that clears things up
ryan

Ok Ryan, you are simply recommending it based on nothing but hearsay and your opinion, that's okay, just as long as we are clear about that.

[Full Spectrum]

I have been using this in my VT Valvoline SynGard 10W/40..

I haven't drove it much but in even that small amount of time it's been really great, No slapping tapping ticking.. Very quite running motor.
I actually was recommended this oil from a BA XR6 owner, He tried many others and they made the motor sound tick for 10-15 seconds on start ups, Went to this oil and was very impressed it stopped ticking.
My Motor has got 147,999km.

[Nobody Actually]

Yes, there is some truth in that, but the old adage the sellers of the oils are relying on is " a fool and their money are easily separated".

By the sounds of it, you've already read what I think of the issue, so I want bore your with any repetitions.

There is no conclusive evidence that using a boutique oil will significantly increase the engine life in a low stress motor, such as a typical comm, or be an economical choice if it did.

Its a little like feeding your dog the most expensive dog food, sure the more expensive food is better, but providing the cheaper food you give you dog is an acceptable quality and you actually feed the dog, your dog will be just as healthy.

Some more food for thought, Im in the process of getting rid of three thirty year old cars......the motors are all fine....its the rest of them that isnt so good......and they certainly didnt get anything other than the basic oil.......and the basic oil 30 years ago isnt as good was what we have today either.

so what you're basically getting at is, if we just fed you some cabbage and maybe a couple of multi vitamins for the rest of your life, you'd lead just as happy and fulfilling life as you do today?

[commsirac]

Hmm, there was always the risk that some nut would to make something out of the analogy I used............most people get the idea........
yes Id live just as long(maybe longer) if I ate bread, cabbage, porridge multivitamins etc ....rather than my usual diet of caviare...
perhaps I should put a tv infront of the car it while its parked so it doesnt get bored.........

[veclubby]

Well, just scored a good buy today, 5l Valvoline Premium sae 20/50 SJ/CF, $12 on special. ......and what does my good owners book from the General say to use in the engine?, gives a choice of numerous brews, one of which is 20/50 SH/SJ (lesser spec than SJ/CF)....Now, surely the General knows what they are talking about, well you would think so!!

...OH, and I purchased a years supply.

Pablo

the specifications outlined in the owners manual are the minimum grades that should be used...now at $12 that is extremely cheap considering we sell it at work for $19 so youve definitely got urself a bargain there.
but wen you consider that the oil is an SJ grade and available on the market for not much more is SM grade oil its considerably lower quality than other oil floating around...

but we could go on about this all day and the fact is if YOUR happy with the performance of the oil than thats all that matters....but if u start developing ticking noises then yeh u need to start spending more money and gettin a thinner oil.

Commsirac: everything 2day is based around opinions unless you work for penrite or the like and actually do comparisions with other oils you wouldnt no which is better or not...basically if we had a rep come out from castrol they would say their product is best and the same with valvoline they would to, but the fact is the more people that recommend something to you the more youve gotta say they must have sumthing good goin on here for lots of people to be giving you great feedback on it...

cheers
ryan

[veclubby]

I have been using this in my VT Valvoline SynGard 10W/40..

I haven't drove it much but in even that small amount of time it's been really great, No slapping tapping ticking.. Very quite running motor.
I actually was recommended this oil from a BA XR6 owner, He tried many others and they made the motor sound tick for 10-15 seconds on start ups, Went to this oil and was very impressed it stopped ticking.
My Motor has got 147,999km.

thinner oil and synthetic oil=gets round engine quicker=stops engine ticking which shows the results of better protection

this is a classic example of using the wrong oil

cheers
ryan

[pablo]

The whole point that I am making is, that the more expensive oils ARE probably better than the cheaper ones on the market, BUT, for the time most people own there cars, 2, maybe 3 or 4 years, and travel between 30,000 to, say 70,000 K's, the engine is not going to suffer any detremental side effects by using a cheaper oil, I would go as far as saying you could get away with NOT even changing the oil at all, just top it up as required.
If I were to get rid of my Commy tomorrow, can any body tell me what benefits I would have if I had been using an expensive product for the last 7 years?
Expensive oil is like a placebo ...(sugar pill), if you think it is doing you good, use it, but you DON'T need it!

Pablo

[veclubby]

The whole point that I am making is, that the more expensive oils ARE probably better than the cheaper ones on the market, BUT, for the time most people own there cars, 2, maybe 3 or 4 years, and travel between 30,000 to, say 70,000 K's, the engine is not going to suffer any detremental side effects by using a cheaper oil, I would go as far as saying you could get away with NOT even changing the oil at all, just top it up as required.
If I were to get rid of my Commy tomorrow, can any body tell me what benefits I would have if I had been using an expensive product for the last 7 years?
Expensive oil is like a placebo ...(sugar pill), if you think it is doing you good, use it, but you DON'T need it!

Pablo

yeh i no wat ur saying mate

[commsirac]

but the fact is the more people that recommend something to you the more youve gotta say they must have sumthing good goin on here for lots of people to be giving you great feedback on it...

Some of us figure it is just clever product placement that is used by some companies. ie Only sell it in an auto parts store, sell a high viscosity version (unsuitable for passenger cars) that only racers and dragsters will appreciate and all of a sudden you have a myth that its the best oil because X, Y and Z use it.

I dont recommend any body should use a particular brand of oil, simply because I dont know which is better/believe they all do a reasonable job anyway.......but I do have one brand which I wouldnt personally use.....guess which(pm me if you want details)

[Full Spectrum]

thinner oil and synthetic oil=gets round engine quicker=stops engine ticking which shows the results of better protection

this is a classic example of using the wrong oil

cheers
ryan

He did stop using HPR-15 and moved to this oil.

Thinner oils warm the engine slower because of the less friction on parts.
I'm using thinner oil in the VP 15w.. Still ticks on start up the same as it did with a thicker oil.
The best example was a guy with a Gen3 here who used a oil that made his car tick and slap and cold and warm temps. Once changed he had no issues.

But how is it the wrong oil?.

He didn't choose it to stop ticking only, It choose it again and again because it was the best he had used in all driving conditions.
And the My VT didn't tick before the oil change.

[Heffer_Slayer]

Ok, just went down to supercheap and bought a valvoline oil filter and some Penrite HPR5. which is rated at 5-40
Is this oil ok to use in my car?

[Shounak]

Some of us figure it is just clever product placement that is used by some companies. ie Only sell it in an auto parts store, sell a high viscosity version (unsuitable for passenger cars) that only racers and dragsters will appreciate and all of a sudden you have a myth that its the best oil because X, Y and Z use it.

I dont recommend any body should use a particular brand of oil, simply because I dont know which is better/believe they all do a reasonable job anyway.......but I do have one brand which I wouldnt personally use.....guess which(pm me if you want details)

Word of mouth does say a lot. I know a lot of people involved in motorsport and a poo load of them use Penrite. I've tried heaps of different oils in my VX and NOTHING gets it running as beautifully as Penrite Gas 10.

A lot of workshops are now changing their oils to Penrite, instead of the usual big conglomerates.

As for daily's, my mum has a BA XR8 which is still under new car warranty and the Ford dealer doesn't mind us supplying him with Penrite at all. He told me on the hush that he thinks its much better than the Castrol they use.

It's all a matter of opinion though and as we studied in marketing, no-one knows what quality is for most products.

Most people will say that the product in the supermarket at eye level with the prettier label is much better quality than the Homebrand equivalent, yet they would most likely not even notice the difference is you changed packages.

If you can find something that works awesomely for your car without breaking the budget,awesome. Stick to it.