[Z06] Mobil1 says Corvette owners should upgrade from 5w30 to 0w40
03-04-2018, 07:18 AM
#21
Melting Slicks
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2018 C6 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '10, '17
Short answer is that it depends. If a lifter is leaking down excessively then a thicker oil can mitigate the noise. But this is only masking a symptom. Dirty oil, clogged oil ports in the lifters, partially collapsed lifter etc can cause noisy lifters. So a thicker oil is only masking a problem.
I would run either Seafoam or Amsoil Engine and Transmission Flush through the oil. These can help remove any deposits that may have accumulated and will clean the lifters and other internal parts (oil control rings etc). It might help. So you start there.
Ultimately, you should choose an oil based on other factors, not necessarily to reduce lifter noise.
I would run either Seafoam or Amsoil Engine and Transmission Flush through the oil. These can help remove any deposits that may have accumulated and will clean the lifters and other internal parts (oil control rings etc). It might help. So you start there.
Ultimately, you should choose an oil based on other factors, not necessarily to reduce lifter noise.
06-29-2018, 09:42 AM
#22
Race Director
One of my theories is that they noticed a higher level of fuel dilution in the oil, because of direct injection. I do know that with the first two oil analysis reports on my C7, I saw 2% fuel dilution on the factory fill (which I drained at 1100 miles) and around 1% fuel dilution on the second fill (which had about 2000 miles on it) With that first factory fill, because of that 2% dilution of fuel, the viscosity thinned out to 9.3 cst at 100c, making it a borderline 5w20, and even on the second one with 1% fuel, it still thinned out to 9.6 cst at 100c. I do believe the higher level of fuel on the factory fill was due to the fresh engine getting started and shut off cold a few dozen times while the car was moved around the assembly plant and on and off the various transport trucks. Direct injection has been known to cause higher levels of fuel dilution on any make of engine that uses it, and GM probably didn't like the idea of these cars being driven hard with an oil that was going to thin out to a 5w20, so then they came up with the idea of running a 0w40, which might end up thinning out to around 11.5 to 12 cst after a few thousand miles because of fuel dillution and shearing (because of the higher level of VII), but it would still be at higher point then M1 5w30 would have been.
My second theory is that they simply noticed after tearing down a few higher mileage LT1s in the real world, that engine wear might be slightly higher than they thought it was going to be, but with the higher HTHS of ESP 0w40 (3.53 vs 3.1) it should keep the engine wear lower on those hard driven LT1s.
So even though M1 5w30 has served us Corvette owners very well for many years (I ran it on both my C5 and my C6), the LT1 is a completely different animal, so I think it calls for a completely different oil. That being said, because the new Formula ESP 0w40 is not available for retail sale just yet, I decided to go with the readily available 5w30 version of M1 Formula ESP on my last oil change. I actually think on paper it's a better oil, it has a higher HTHS than the 0w40 (3.58 vs 3.53), lower sulphated ash (0.6 vs 0.8) and a higher flash point (254C vs 232C) And because it's viscosity at 100c is 12.1, vs 12.9, and because it's cold rating is 5w vs 0w, I'm very confident that the 5w30 ESP uses a lot less VII than the 0w40 ESP would, therefore it's going to keep the engine cleaner in the long run and hold it's viscosity (and HTHS) longer too. It's got the dexos2 certification just like the ESP 0w40 also. And rumor has it that in independent testing, the ESP Formula 5w30 showed a low NOACK value of 5.6%, making it even more attractive to me. So I might not even end up switching to the 0w40 once it hits the shelves.
06-29-2018, 02:12 PM
#23
Team Owner
^ Interesting points.
06-29-2018, 03:02 PM
#24
Race Director
Considering the ESP Formula 0W-40 Dexos 2 has just hit the market in the last 3-4 months, were you a research project using it or did you mean that you have been using the Euro formula 0W-40, which has been available for 10 years or more, well before even the Dexos 1 standard existed?
06-29-2018, 03:05 PM
#25
Race Director
Considering the ESP Formula 0W-40 Dexos 2 has just hit the market in the last 3-4 months, were you a research project using it or did you mean that you have been using the Euro formula 0W-40, which has been available for 10 years or more, well before even the Dexos 1 standard existed?
https://www.mobil1.co.uk/synthetic-e...esp-0w-40.aspx
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06-29-2018, 03:10 PM
#26
Team Owner
I have a couple of theories as to why GM wanted the switch to the new ESP Formula 0w40 in the C7, and I really don't think it's because they wanted to satisfy the very small percentage of owners who track their cars and were switching back and forth between 5w30 and 15w50.
One of my theories is that they noticed a higher level of fuel dilution in the oil, because of direct injection. I do know that with the first two oil analysis reports on my C7, I saw 2% fuel dilution on the factory fill (which I drained at 1100 miles) and around 1% fuel dilution on the second fill (which had about 2000 miles on it) With that first factory fill, because of that 2% dilution of fuel, the viscosity thinned out to 9.3 cst at 100c, making it a borderline 5w20, and even on the second one with 1% fuel, it still thinned out to 9.6 cst at 100c. I do believe the higher level of fuel on the factory fill was due to the fresh engine getting started and shut off cold a few dozen times while the car was moved around the assembly plant and on and off the various transport trucks. Direct injection has been known to cause higher levels of fuel dilution on any make of engine that uses it, and GM probably didn't like the idea of these cars being driven hard with an oil that was going to thin out to a 5w20, so then they came up with the idea of running a 0w40, which might end up thinning out to around 11.5 to 12 cst after a few thousand miles because of fuel dillution and shearing (because of the higher level of VII), but it would still be at higher point then M1 5w30 would have been.
My second theory is that they simply noticed after tearing down a few higher mileage LT1s in the real world, that engine wear might be slightly higher than they thought it was going to be, but with the higher HTHS of ESP 0w40 (3.53 vs 3.1) it should keep the engine wear lower on those hard driven LT1s.
So even though M1 5w30 has served us Corvette owners very well for many years (I ran it on both my C5 and my C6), the LT1 is a completely different animal, so I think it calls for a completely different oil. That being said, because the new Formula ESP 0w40 is not available for retail sale just yet, I decided to go with the readily available 5w30 version of M1 Formula ESP on my last oil change. I actually think on paper it's a better oil, it has a higher HTHS than the 0w40 (3.58 vs 3.53), lower sulphated ash (0.6 vs 0.8) and a higher flash point (254C vs 232C) And because it's viscosity at 100c is 12.1, vs 12.9, and because it's cold rating is 5w vs 0w, I'm very confident that the 5w30 ESP uses a lot less VII than the 0w40 ESP would, therefore it's going to keep the engine cleaner in the long run and hold it's viscosity (and HTHS) longer too. It's got the dexos2 certification just like the ESP 0w40 also. And rumor has it that in independent testing, the ESP Formula 5w30 showed a low NOACK value of 5.6%, making it even more attractive to me. So I might not even end up switching to the 0w40 once it hits the shelves.
One of my theories is that they noticed a higher level of fuel dilution in the oil, because of direct injection. I do know that with the first two oil analysis reports on my C7, I saw 2% fuel dilution on the factory fill (which I drained at 1100 miles) and around 1% fuel dilution on the second fill (which had about 2000 miles on it) With that first factory fill, because of that 2% dilution of fuel, the viscosity thinned out to 9.3 cst at 100c, making it a borderline 5w20, and even on the second one with 1% fuel, it still thinned out to 9.6 cst at 100c. I do believe the higher level of fuel on the factory fill was due to the fresh engine getting started and shut off cold a few dozen times while the car was moved around the assembly plant and on and off the various transport trucks. Direct injection has been known to cause higher levels of fuel dilution on any make of engine that uses it, and GM probably didn't like the idea of these cars being driven hard with an oil that was going to thin out to a 5w20, so then they came up with the idea of running a 0w40, which might end up thinning out to around 11.5 to 12 cst after a few thousand miles because of fuel dillution and shearing (because of the higher level of VII), but it would still be at higher point then M1 5w30 would have been.
My second theory is that they simply noticed after tearing down a few higher mileage LT1s in the real world, that engine wear might be slightly higher than they thought it was going to be, but with the higher HTHS of ESP 0w40 (3.53 vs 3.1) it should keep the engine wear lower on those hard driven LT1s.
So even though M1 5w30 has served us Corvette owners very well for many years (I ran it on both my C5 and my C6), the LT1 is a completely different animal, so I think it calls for a completely different oil. That being said, because the new Formula ESP 0w40 is not available for retail sale just yet, I decided to go with the readily available 5w30 version of M1 Formula ESP on my last oil change. I actually think on paper it's a better oil, it has a higher HTHS than the 0w40 (3.58 vs 3.53), lower sulphated ash (0.6 vs 0.8) and a higher flash point (254C vs 232C) And because it's viscosity at 100c is 12.1, vs 12.9, and because it's cold rating is 5w vs 0w, I'm very confident that the 5w30 ESP uses a lot less VII than the 0w40 ESP would, therefore it's going to keep the engine cleaner in the long run and hold it's viscosity (and HTHS) longer too. It's got the dexos2 certification just like the ESP 0w40 also. And rumor has it that in independent testing, the ESP Formula 5w30 showed a low NOACK value of 5.6%, making it even more attractive to me. So I might not even end up switching to the 0w40 once it hits the shelves.
DH
Last edited by Dirty Howie; 06-29-2018 at 03:14 PM.
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Patman (06-29-2018)
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07-03-2018, 09:38 AM
#30
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Mobile 1 isn’t even a true synthetic. It’s a base blend. Why not just use a true synthetic like Amsoil or redline. At our shop we have been running Amsoil SS 0-40
07-03-2018, 09:47 AM
#31
Race Director
Europe had no such problem with Mobil 1 0W-40.
07-03-2018, 02:54 PM
#32
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I have a couple of theories as to why GM wanted the switch to the new ESP Formula 0w40 in the C7, and I really don't think it's because they wanted to satisfy the very small percentage of owners who track their cars and were switching back and forth between 5w30 and 15w50.
One of my theories is that they noticed a higher level of fuel dilution in the oil, because of direct injection. I do know that with the first two oil analysis reports on my C7, I saw 2% fuel dilution on the factory fill (which I drained at 1100 miles) and around 1% fuel dilution on the second fill (which had about 2000 miles on it) With that first factory fill, because of that 2% dilution of fuel, the viscosity thinned out to 9.3 cst at 100c, making it a borderline 5w20, and even on the second one with 1% fuel, it still thinned out to 9.6 cst at 100c. I do believe the higher level of fuel on the factory fill was due to the fresh engine getting started and shut off cold a few dozen times while the car was moved around the assembly plant and on and off the various transport trucks. Direct injection has been known to cause higher levels of fuel dilution on any make of engine that uses it, and GM probably didn't like the idea of these cars being driven hard with an oil that was going to thin out to a 5w20, so then they came up with the idea of running a 0w40, which might end up thinning out to around 11.5 to 12 cst after a few thousand miles because of fuel dillution and shearing (because of the higher level of VII), but it would still be at higher point then M1 5w30 would have been..
One of my theories is that they noticed a higher level of fuel dilution in the oil, because of direct injection. I do know that with the first two oil analysis reports on my C7, I saw 2% fuel dilution on the factory fill (which I drained at 1100 miles) and around 1% fuel dilution on the second fill (which had about 2000 miles on it) With that first factory fill, because of that 2% dilution of fuel, the viscosity thinned out to 9.3 cst at 100c, making it a borderline 5w20, and even on the second one with 1% fuel, it still thinned out to 9.6 cst at 100c. I do believe the higher level of fuel on the factory fill was due to the fresh engine getting started and shut off cold a few dozen times while the car was moved around the assembly plant and on and off the various transport trucks. Direct injection has been known to cause higher levels of fuel dilution on any make of engine that uses it, and GM probably didn't like the idea of these cars being driven hard with an oil that was going to thin out to a 5w20, so then they came up with the idea of running a 0w40, which might end up thinning out to around 11.5 to 12 cst after a few thousand miles because of fuel dillution and shearing (because of the higher level of VII), but it would still be at higher point then M1 5w30 would have been..
The 2008 Cadillac DI V6 was one of GM's first full adventures into the direct injection field. By early 2011, they had a recall campaign to reprogram the OLI to a new lower limit in an attempt to force more frequent oil changes to compensate for oil dilution.
03-21-2019, 07:42 PM
#34
Instructor
I'm due for my second free oil change in my 17 Z-51. I'm trying to find out if GM is allowing the 0w-40 mobil 1 ESP Dexos for the free oil change. I switched to the 0-w40 for my 500 mile change but I had to pay for the oil. I stopped by a dealer today but it was lunchtime and the guy there didn't have an answer. If they are not I will just do it myself. Just looking for a definitive answer. Thanks.
03-22-2019, 03:34 AM
#35
Le Mans Master
Been using M1 Euro 0w-40 in the Carbon and my daily drivers (I bought a KIA SUV and those Hyundai engines need all the help they can get) for the last few years, will continue to do so for as long as I can find it and stockpile (I have at least six 5 qt. jugs on hand at any given time).
Last edited by Dan_the_C5_Man; 03-22-2019 at 03:35 AM.