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

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 :thumbsup:

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 :thumbsup:
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.