VileViciousVette

Hey all in Vette land!! As a new owner, it's somewhat informative getting all the first hand opinions, the do's, don'ts, where, how, etc.

Here's one question: Mobil 1 or Quaker State Synthetic?? At recent TV ads, QS prides itself as the official OE oil for all the Ferrari production line. So now, are we all hoodwinked by GM to buy Mobil 1??? MobilExxon probably paid GM tons of money for this arrangement as QS paid Ferrari for it's prestigious endorsement.

I use Mobil 1 but I believe our Vettes won't spit or barf out any name brand synthetics that we feed it. lol. Technically, the name-brands are the same, in my opinion. Of course, the Amsoil, Redline oil fans will pledge to their loyalty as well.

dashotgun

use whatever you want as long as it meets the manufacturers quality recomendation. The world will not come to an end and most likely the third owner of the car will be the one to enjoy wahtever longevity the use of any marginaly better oil would grant anyway.

last901

Well, IMHO, this is little more than marketing. Porsche used to recommend QS as well, which coincidentally happened to be during the same period their Indy Car effort was sponsored by the same company.

Frankly, motor oils are supposed to adhere to a standard set by, I believe, the American Petroleum Institute (API). In other words, any oil carrying the API standard (I don't know what the current standard is - SG1 or whatever) should be effectively the same as any other brand conforming to the same standard, at least so far as performance is concerned.

I really think this whole oil issue is being overworked by some of you.

AORoads

I agree it's an overworked topic. Corvette recommends M1 and has since about '92 or a little before and uses it as first fill. Porsche started using it before that. Marketing and sales to some extent. As long as the oil meets the GM specs for the car, it doesn't matter if Lambo, Ferrar, and Carroll Shelby all use and recommend it.

last901

What? you mean that additive ol' Carroll is advertising on TV really doesn't have "his name on it"?

AORoads

no the old snake oil saleman, actually takes a piece of paper, writes his name on it, wads it up and throws it in a barrel of the stuff and sez, "See, I got my name in this here product, and I stand by it!" and he is! standing by it, that is.

cadguymark

I couldn't afford a Ferrari, so I bought a Vette instead

but I use the same oil as a Ferrari, oh yeah

oh yeah

need-for-speed

Any oil meeting GM's spec will keep the warranty in effect. The manual will state the spec, i.e. GM spec 6418, or something like that. The oils that meet that spec will state it on the bottle.

I don't know why you would think QS is any better than M1. It's quite simple: QS bribed Ferrari, just like Mobil bribed GM. I'll stick with the Mobil.

scottsdalevette

Go to your friendly WalMart and buy a couple jugs of Mobil 1, save the receipts - don't worry, be happy!!!

su8pack1

Works for me.

xs650

That's not just any old snake oil, that's cobra oil.

AORoads

Hey, the man IS a certifiable legend. And let's face it: he is one of a kind. Not very many could've pulled off what he's done with cars (and sold them), especially the "extension" 427 Cobras (I think they're called "continuation"), not to mention the long running lawsuit against one of the (formerly) largest automakers regarding the word "cobra". And then to partner up with them again.

That's one ole' guy who's STILL got a lotta venom in that cobra oil.

Wayne O

Use GM recommended Mobil 1 or Ferrari recommended Quaker State Synthetic???

For your Corvette or your Ferrari?

foremaw

Its not a Ferrari, why would you use what Ferrari recommends for their cars? Life is complicated enough. GM recommends Mobil 1 so I use Mobil 1. Now get out there and have fun driving your 'Vette!

twfreightman

talon90

Use whatever you're comfortable with. If it meets GM Spec 4718M it will even keep your warranty in tact.

C66 Racing

I used to feel the same way before losing a motor in my first race season and deciding to educate myself on why one oil differs from another. The answers are actually very complicated.

The actual current API standard for automotive engines is API SM.
These standards were developed in parallel with the new ILSAC GF-4 standard, which is what other parts of the world use. These standards define minimum performance standards the oil must meet, and also provide maximum and minimum limits on some additives, primarly phosphorus and sulfur.
You can read the ILSAC GF-4 standards here:
http://www.ilma.org/resources/ilsac_finalstd011404.pdf

If you want to learn a little more about why the automotive industry and the EPA wanted this new more restrictive standard, this link provides a good background:
http://www.northamericanlubricants.c...s/gf4specs.htm

These new standards did raise the minimum performance of motor oils (meaning the cheapest oils got better), but it also limited the primary anti-wear additive (ZDDP) by limiting phosphorus to 0.08%, or 800 ppm, somewhat handicapping the best oils. How each oil company has responded to these new requirements has been interesting. Based on used oil analysis results of the new API SM oils, it appears that AMSOIL has increased the percentage of Group V basestock it uses, and Mobil 1 has gone the other way, and now uses a significant portion of Group III basestock.

The basestock used in a motor oil significantly impacts its performance. Most users of synthetics probably don't know what basestock their oil uses. The API has not come out and defined what is "synthetic", but rather, classified oils into five major groups.

Group I base oils are the least refined of all of the groups. They are usually a mix of different hydrocarbon chains with little or no uniformity. While some automotive oils use these stocks, they are generally used in less demanding applications.

Group II base oils are common in mineral based motor oils. They have fair to good performance in the areas of volatility, oxidation stability, wear prevention and flash/fire points. They have only fair performance in areas such as pour point and cold crank viscosity. Group II base stocks are what the majority of engine oils are made from. 3000 mile oil changes are the norm.

Group III base oils are subjected to the highest level of refining of all the mineral oil stocks. Although not chemically engineered, they offer improved performance in a wide range of areas as well as good molecular uniformity and stability. By definition they are considered a synthesized material and can be used in the production of synthetic and semi-synthetic lubricants. Group III is used in the vast majority of full synthetics or synthetic blends. They are superior to group I and II oils but still have limitations. Some formulations are designed for extended oil changes. AMSOIL XL Motor Oils, Castrol Syntec and many others fall into this category.

Group IV are polyalphaolefins (PAO) which are a chemically engineered synthesized basestocks. PAOs offer excellent stability, molecular uniformity and performance over a wide range of lubricating properties. AMSOIL SAE Synthetic Motor Oils and Mobil 1 primarily use group IV basestocks (though recent info posted on the oil forum indicates that Mobil 1 is also now using a significant proportion of Group III basestock). PAO is a much more expensive basestock than the highly refined petroleum oil basestock of Group III.

Group V base oils are also chemically engineered stocks that do not fall into any of the categories previously mentioned. Typical examples of group V stocks are Esters, polyglycols and silicone. Redline uses an ester basestock.

In the 90s, Mobil filed suit against Castrol for falsely advertising Syntec oil as synthetic, when in fact it contained a Group III, highly hydroprocessed mineral (Dino) oil, instead of a chemically synthesized (group IV or V) basestock. Due to the amount that the mineral oil had been chemically changed, the judge decided in Castrol's favor. As a result, any oil containing this highly hydroprocessed mineral (Dino) oil (currently called Group III basestock by the American Petroleum Institute) can be marketed as a synthetic oil. Since the original synthetic basestock (polyalphaolefin or PAO) is much more expensive than the Group III basestock, most of the oil blenders switched to the Group III basestock, which significantly increased their profit margins.

For those that think all motor oils are created equally, note the differences in the constituents in these two used oil analysis reports:
2006 Cadillac CTS-V Used Oil Analysis Mobil 1 Engine Oil
Corvette C5 Used Oil Analysis Report – AMSOIL SAE Synthetic 10w30

For the original poster, check your owner's manual for requirements. I believe you'll see that your car takes an oil meeting GM Standard 4718M. Not sure if the QS meets that or not, but it likely does. I'd check before switching.

AC54ME

If you have a Ferrari, use what Italians recommend.

If you have a Corvette, use what the General recommends.

carpe dm

Mobil 1, QS, and other oil companies PAY to get auto manufacturers to label them as their "official" oils. That doesn't mean they aren't good, it just means that they are good enough and marketing takes over from there. Use any of the major brands and you are good to go for regular road driving. Racing or high performance driving I would pick Royal Purple or Amsoil.

bob53

I'd pick Royal Purple... Like Carpe Diem said, Mobil 1 pays GM to have every vette filled with their oil. It's not that GM did an exhaustive search for the best motor oil at any price, they did a search for the oil company who did the best job at the lowest price. Very different. A recent thread here posted a PDF from an Australian magazine showing test results from many of the different motor oils. Mobil 1 did surprisingly poorly while Royal Purple did amazingly well. If you are going to baby your vette, never bring it above 3.5K on the tach, then keep using Mobil 1 as it likely does not matter too much. However. if you like to push the vette hard on occasion or often, you should are about putting the best oil in the motor that you can. As long as it is the same weight, do you really think putting a non-recommended oil can hurt the motor???

GM also recommends Goodyear tires for th vette- methinks there are much better tires out there, but once again GM has a business agreement to fulfill, not an obligation to put the highest performance tires on the vette.