Hey guys, I had a couple friends ask for some info on current classification for oils o nanother forum. Just thought it would be cool to share in case it helps someone. And please feel free to correct me if you see a mistake or any mis-information...

Ok guys, I was able to look up some info before getting busy at work. Check out this website for good info on motor oil, http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html. There is a ton of info out there and a lot of oil companies have their own oil ratings systems so watch out and make sure the info you get is from a neutral party. Prior info I had read listed the oil categories as Classes, it now seems the correct classification is by Groups. Group I II III IV and V.

Synthetic Oils Groups
V- Non mineral based stock, all man made
IV- Semi mineral based, stock still partially derived from dino-oil
III- Mineral based, most popular "syn" oils you see ( they get the job done for most applications one will see)

Group II- Mineral based oil using the Iso-DeWaxing method, 97% oil 3% paraffin wax.

There is a ton of oil info on the web you can look up and spend hours reading. I suggest everyone do so to get educated on how oil really works and how its made instead of relying on advertising, plus its pretty intresting. Basically Group II 'dino' oils include most conventional oils like Chevron Delo 400, Mobil Delvac 1300, and Shell Rotella. Group III mineral based synthetics are Mobil1, Castrol Syntec, and most other popular syn oils. Group IV are rarely seen since they are more expensive to produce than Group III but dont perform like Group V so no one really makes them. Might as well stick to Group III. Group V REAL full synthetics only include a small group, AMSoil, Redline, Motul 5100, Royal Purple, and Delvac-1.

A few more misconceptions: 'European Formulas' are better oils. In the U.S. youll find that some companies put a Euro Formula label on a specific oil. Only difference is that these oils contain more detergents than other 'US' oils but offer no extra protection and are no more special in other lubrication areas. Diesel oils as well can be used on gasoline engines. These oils contain more detergents for cleaner oil and additives for higher engine temps. They also usually contain more zinc. If you dont have a "smog legal" hi-perf engine it wouldnt hurt to use a good syn diesel engine oil. Also, ONLY IN THE U.S. is Group III oils sold as Full-Synthetics. Any where else they are considered to be a conventional oil or a blend.

Hope this helps. Like I said, there is a ton of info out there but truth is most oils, even dino-oil, will get the job done if you routinely maintain your vehicle and change the oil at the proper intervals, which vary with engine run time, not necessarily miles. I only recommend a Group V synthetic if you regularily see oil temps exceeding 250 degrees for a prolonged period of time or high revs. Good luck

BTW, Mobil1 and K&N oil filters are the same, made by Champion labs. K&N has that nut on it though that comes in handy.

 

WHY?

 

So more guys can argue about what oil to use. Isnt it fun?

 

Interesting reading. Although his quest is/was for determining the ideal motorcycle oil, there is still a lot of good, useful info. I like his sense of humor too.

 

^^
Yeah funny guy. Looks like the main oil info is general though. I printed it out, makes for good toilet seat time reading.

 

there is no hard evidence that mobil1 is a group III oil. some oil companies say they did tests and found traces of a group 3 oil in the mobil 1 high mileage formula ONLY. For all we know this could just be for marketing. i know amsoil likes to bash a lot of other oil companies using tests that are completely irrelevant to a motor oil. nothing has been released by mobil about the formulation of their oil. this is internet propaganda. i will keep using mobil 1.

 

Well, Im not saying Mobil1 isnt good. All I know is that so far on all the articles I have read Mobil1 is never listed as a Group V. They are big and have to make a profit so I wouldnt be suprised if they did cut cost there. I do know that in the bearing oil tester we have at work, RP did outperform Mobil1 by a lot. You could even feel it right away and see more marks on the bearings where Mobil1 was tested. Im just saying since I once was a Mobil1 only guy.

 

i would make sure the oil testing method you use is relevant to engine wear. certain tests may give false answers (four ball wear test comes to mind) if they are not applicable to engine lubricants. some oils will perform better in some of these tests, but may actually have significantly less performance in an engine (the actual application) in comparison to another oil. unfortunately due to the marketing in this business, 95% of the information you read on the internet about which oil is better is going to be bogus . i do know for a fact that mobil 1 has done more engine wear testing for their oils than any other company rather than wasting their time on tests that give useless answers.

 

It's again apparent that some owners are very passionate about their oil of choice.

I'll keep using what GM recommends since GM is who warranties my cars.

Otherwise, use whatever you want in your car.

 

I agree though. It is hard to simulate engine wear in a test. Another factor is that everyone drives different and in different climates that affects engine oil performance as well. I guess for piece of mind I use Royal Purple as well, but thats just me. If you properly maintain your vehicle and service it, even dino-oil will work just fine for most applications. I happen to have a high compression (12:1) heads and cam LS6 so I hope that Royal Purple offers better protection at high temps and rpms.

 

Well, really the point wasnt to argue on which oil brand was better. I was trying to explain to some guys the difference in the oil categories or Groups. Todays oils are really refined, even the conventionals. It comes down to picking one for your application, needs, and preference.

 

Just my .02 but i was using 2 1/2 quarts in 5000 miles of mobil1 in my2001 c5 just rolled 30,000 miles. After weeks of research I went with Amsiol 0-30 I have used not quite 1/2 quart in 15,000 miles. I did reaserch on mobil1 and they claim to be the first synth oil but the us pattent office says Amsoil was the first and only true synth. I sent letters asking gm why I can't run any high quality synth oil in my c5 finaly got one former gm engeneer to tell me that gm specs mobil1 for a profit share agreement. He informed me its not the best oil out there but it is a good oil. One more thought My business had a small sponsership in a nascar team a few years back. I was at chicago land speedway on pit row talking to team owner and I was amazed that the car had mobil1 all over it and what was in the car was Amsiol!!!!! Avertising is big buisness