Best Dyno Oil??

[mkgarrison5]

hey guys, if you only could put dyno oil in your motors what would you go with and WHY?? my family has been using Havoline since the 40's-50's.. no seized motors to this day.. with all this talk about how synthetics may not be synthetics i figured i would start a dyno oil post and see who uses what and why

thanks fellas
mike

[p nut]

I usually stick to Valvoline, Pennzoil, or Quaker State. But as long as they've got the ASE symbol on the bottle and you change the oil every 3-5k miles (I change mine at 3500-4000), you won't have any problems no matter what brand it is. I don't think anybody has had a motor seize up on them using oil from a reputable oil company (with regular changes, of course).

I use Valvoline, because that's what the Toyota dealerships use around here.

[MTL_4runner]

I've always used Quaker State, Castrol or Valvoline myself too (usually whatever I can get a cheap case of at Costco), but I have even tried some of the very cheap oils and they seem to do fine too as long as you change them often to limit any chance of sludge buildup.

[mkgarrison5]

so no one uses havoline? lol..

[MTL_4runner]

so no one uses havoline? lol..


I've certainly used it in the past, but I don't see it much up here at all.

[JB_96LTD]

I would say Valvoline....especially the Max Life oil.

[saulgoode]

I've been using Castrol high mileage since about 80k and it's worked good for me.

[SLC Punk]

For dyno, I use Valvoline.
The only vehicle I use dyno in is the 89 Pickup.
The Tundra and Celica only get Mobil 1 Syn.

[mkgarrison5]

i read on BITOG that valvoline high mileage dino is good, castrol gtx is good, and penzoil are good in the yotas

[Trustyrusty]

Valvoline, hands down, no exceptions. :thumbup:

[DNAhilux]

ive always gone with castrol or valvoline. on my 92 runner i used castrol gtx high mileage, i thought it was awesome. next oil change the 99 gets the gtx hm

[YotaJunky]

Valvoline and Castol GTX for me.

[mkgarrison5]

when do you guys start using the high mileage? i have 90k miles and have been using mobile 1 for about 40k miles now. kind of tired of paying the price for it and thought about switching over to dino due to the subjects being brought up about mobile 1's formula being switched from a basestock 4 to a blend of basestock 3 and 4..so i guess you could say you may not be paying for the true mobile syn like you used to.. who knows.. plus i dont see a harm in switching back and forth from valvoline hm and mobile 1 syn..

[Seanz0rz]

the high mileage says over 75k.

i use castrol gtx.

[Trustyrusty]

Isn't high milage on a Toyota like 400,000? Cause at 75,000 your still breakin it in! :lol:

[Seanz0rz]

they must base that on domestics, because you would be on your third or fourth transmission by then.

[paddlenbike]

I have always used Castrol GTX, but recently switched to Castrol Syntec blend. It is $1 more per quart but I have also extended my oil changes from 3,500 miles to 5,000 miles. I cycle to work every day, so the 4Runner tends to sit several days on end. I understand the small amount of synthetic oil in the syntec blend will help reduce wear on startup.

[mkgarrison5]

you can run the standard GTX with no problems for 5k miles.. they also showed good UOA's in most vehicles... just use a good filter.. to me, filter is key

[MTL_4runner]

MK, keep up the research (BITOG, etc) and we'll make you the new go to guy for oil questions.;) You might have swayed me into trying the Valvoline Durablend next myself (instead of the Valvoline full synthetic) and see how that works for me. I really don't want to spend much more than $15 per gal CDN for my oil so I'm not dying to pay up for full synthetic unless I get proven value (via UOA or otherwise). I've always been a fan of using factory oil filters, but there are obviously others that do a great job as well.

[mkgarrison5]

lol that site is addicting mtl! my brain has soaked up so much info its sad..though i am still learning how to read the charts.. this is what i gathered so far as far as oils that are NOT full synthetics and that is 5w-30 oil that work great in our 3.4's now our 3.4's are NOT sludge machines so really you can use any dino oil and get 5k quality miles out of them but these are the ones that stuck out the most

-valvoline maxlife and durablend (both actually a blend but the maxlife has more agents that clean the motor and condition seals) both are about the same but the maxlife has more of additives.. (i would toss a coin unless you have a LOT of miles then the maxlife will work better imo).. they both will clean the motor very well esp compared to mobile 1 synthetic bc actually the full synthetics dont really "Clean" the motor, they only keep it clean if that makes sense.. me personally i am going with the durablend bc as of right now i dont think my seals need "conditioning" but later they will. you can deff run the maxlife throughout the vehicle life and be very safe. its personal preference

-castrol gtx (regular dino)and the castrol gtx High Mileage (blend with cleaning additives and seal conditioning) did pretty well #'s wise, same as the syntec.. so dont waist the $ on the syntec (unless you are running over 5k mile intervals). just get regular gtx. esp within 5k mile intervals..the #'s were better for the 4-cylinders.. so if i had the 4 cyl tacoma i would deff go with castrol gtx regular or HM


-penzoil about the same as castrol gtx (regular dino)

those were the ones that stuck out to me the most... i dont question that mobile 1 syn is good stuff but its expensive and lately their additive package has been really questionable and the #'s show it.. therefore i am dropping mobile 1 from my motor. i do have mobile 1 syn in my gear boxes and t-case...



-

[mkgarrison5]

SYNTHETICS

as far as they go, unless you run over 6k miles in oil change intervals, run the absolute snot out of your truck from offroading and etc, have a turbo or other modification i would stay with a blend or just good ole dino. the #'s show that dino has just as much protection as syns do within 5k miles and some even more... so really take your pic but here are the synthetics baseIII and up that really stuck out #'s wise these are based on 5w30 and 10w30 weights

-the typical amsoil and redline
- royal purple did ok
- valvoline full syn did much better than mobile 1 (the durablend and maxlife had better #'s also)
- castrol syntec and penzoil platinum did well, better #'s than mobile 1 syn
- mobile 1 syn, not too bad but to me, not what you pay for.
- penzoil and havoline syn, both very affordable and still getting a "syn" if i had to chose between the two it would be the penzoil platinum. it has shown good numbers. i dont think anyone has done a test with havoline syn but it shouldnt be any worse than most. they are usually on sale and or cheaper than other syns..


--- the trick with syns is that you have to switch out the filters atleast every 5k miles or else most of the time you will have high lead and iron count which isnt very good for your motor...

if you have to have syn i would go with whats on sale to be honest. they are all very good. everything i have posted is what i have read and observed on other forums so dont jump to conclusions that i am some oil expert haha.. bc i am not, but the #'s dont lie.. it was enough to sway me and i am very loyal to products that i know that work.

[p nut]

So, I went to go get some oil this morning, because I'm coming up on about 4000 miles since the last change. They were all around $3/quart. Doing some simple math, that comes out to $15 for oil, $8 for the filter, which comes to $23+tax. Just called Toyota and they do it for $29+tax. I'm thinking to myself why I'm paying myself $6 to change the oil, bottle it all up, and take it to the nearest oil recycling place when I can have all this done....for $6 essentially.

When oil prices were $1 or $2, it made sense to do it yourself, but now, I think I'm just going to take it to Toyota. No need to get grimey or oil all over yourself, rig or the driveway. I like working on my car as much as the next yota-head, but not tedious tasks like an oil change. Plus, I think the Toyota dealership washes the car, too. Anyone else getting "lazy?"

EDIT: Ehh, I probably should've started a new thread on this. Sorry for the jack, mk. :chair:

[MTL_4runner]

So, I went to go get some oil this morning, because I'm coming up on about 4000 miles since the last change. They were all around $3/quart. Doing some simple math, that comes out to $15 for oil, $8 for the filter, which comes to $23+tax. Just called Toyota and they do it for $29+tax. I'm thinking to myself why I'm paying myself $6 to change the oil, bottle it all up, and take it to the nearest oil recycling place when I can have all this done....for $6 essentially.

When oil prices were $1 or $2, it made sense to do it yourself, but now, I think I'm just going to take it to Toyota. No need to get grimey or oil all over yourself, rig or the driveway. I like working on my car as much as the next yota-head, but not tedious tasks like an oil change. Plus, I think the Toyota dealership washes the car, too. Anyone else getting "lazy?"


Funny how people look at the same thing differently. See I took the same logic, but thought to myself that if I was willing to spend $8 on a toyota filter yet I was putting in the super cheap oil and typical oil changes cost $30-40 now (for regular dyno oil), why wouldn't I just put in a low cost full synthetic for a few more dollars per quart. So I went with the Valvoline Synpower full synthetic which was about $5.25 per qt (about $31 for 6 qts) plus an $8 filter from Toyota for a grand total of about the same as I would have been charged for a regular oil change. Up here a full synthetic oil change will often run you near $80 (using M1) so getting it for 1/2 price is a steal. I'm not too worried about the mess because I could already do a 10 minute oil change in a suit and not have any dry cleaning bills.

[p nut]

Actually, on my past cars, I pretty much had the same mentality as you. I used M1/Amsoil and just wrote off the extra cost to "what it would've cost at the dealership." In the engines that take much more abuse than my current 3.4L V6, I wanted to be sure that the correct amount of oil and the correct type of oil were being used, so I did it myself. (One engine redlined at 8400 and the other, 9000, which when on the track, they barely ever dipped below 6000). With my Toyota 4Runner, though, I'm not that concerned about using synthetic, so I couldn't justify spending the time and effort for a measley $6.

[mkgarrison5]

sounds logical to me pnut. here they charge from 45 up to 80 for an oil change at the stealership.. with m1 syn (6qts)for 32$ and a pureone or puralator filter for 7$ i get syn oil change at half price. so therefore i do it myself... just next time ill try not to break the oil pressure sensor lol... 30$ mistake

[CJM]

I have used castrol GTX hi mileage and saw no real gains in anything, I now use 5 qts (cause it comes in a large container)of havoline. its under 10 bucks and changing every 3k or so means it isnt worth it to run $$$ oils.

I use walmart supertech filters, bought 2 bucks for one and they are the same as champ ones you can buy for alot more. I think its costing me about 10 bucks for everything and I can dump my oil at a variety of places I know since I am a mechanic.

[mkgarrison5]

how many miles you got on that t100??

[p nut]

SCREW YOU GUYS!!!! After I read over this thread, I started to feel like a friggin yuppie having the dealership do my oil change. I went to Checkers and got 6 qt's of Castrol GTX (5w-30) and a Heavy Duty Fram oil filter (yeah, yeah, I know. But as much driving as I do, the Fram will be changed out next month. I just didn't have time to go to the dealership before they closed today.)

I guess I'll be getting a bit dirty this weekend... bastids... :flipoff:

[MTL_4runner]

SCREW YOU GUYS!!!! After I read over this thread, I started to feel like a friggin yuppie having the dealership do my oil change. I went to Checkers and got 6 qt's of Castrol GTX (5w-30) and a Heavy Duty Fram oil filter (yeah, yeah, I know. But as much driving as I do, the Fram will be changed out next month. I just didn't have time to go to the dealership before they closed today.)

I guess I'll be getting a bit dirty this weekend... bastids... :flipoff:


You're welcome! :rofl:

The issue for me not letting other people change my oil isn't the money aspect, it's all the time wasted dealing with the garage when they screw stuff up (yes, even an oil change can get screwed up, I've seen it happen). To me a few minutes getting dirty every now and then is time well spent. I used to do dealer oil changes when I first got my 4runner until they tried to screw up my engine (it was a dealer in AZ) and I've never been back except for getting parts, changing tires and recharging the AC (current dealer is much better).

[p nut]

Yeah, it definately feels better knowing that all of the oil was drained out, the proper amount of oil went in, the drain plug/oil filter were not over-tightened or stripped, etc. I just get lazy sometimes. :D

[mkgarrison5]

hey those Supertec filters and the purolators are far more superior than those FRAMS you bought! lol... pure one is supposed to be really good for yotas on extended OCI's.. i trust them up to atleast 7500 miles..

[surf4runner]

castrol, in all its forms, for the last 20 years, in all vehicles
its usually the most cost effective
have full syn in the 4runner now at 137K, switched at 100K.

[p nut]

hey those Supertec filters and the purolators are far more superior than those FRAMS you bought! lol... pure one is supposed to be really good for yotas on extended OCI's.. i trust them up to atleast 7500 miles..


:flipoff: Yeah, yeah, I know. Cut me some slack. I'm going OEM after this time around. I just wanted to grab some oil and get out of there, since it was almost at the peak of traffic hour.

[mkgarrison5]

from what i have seen and read the purolator pure ones, wix and supertec filters were better than the oem yota ones :flipoff: haha.... seriously.

[MTL_4runner]

I just wanted to post back on the Valvoline Synpower. I'm certainly noticing a bit more power and fuel economy using it. I'm also seeing a much less noisy idle and it seems to require a bit less pedal to maintain highway speed now (but that is very hard to measure with any precision). I'm definately sticking to this grade/brand unless they raise the price alot and force me to look elsewhere. :D

[mkgarrison5]

mtl, how many miles on the runner and how long have you been using dino oils?? just curious andi am glad that it runs well for you. i may give it a try if i dont just swtich back to dino (castrol gtx)..

[mkgarrison5]

oh and just think, the durablend and maxlife gave just as good #'s as the Syn.. now as far as gas response and fuel mileage i dont know.

[MTL_4runner]

mtl, how many miles on the runner and how long have you been using dino oils??

I used dino oil since I bought the truck in 1998 when it had 35k miles on it.
The truck now has just shy of 150k miles on it currently....not even broken in yet! ;)

[mkgarrison5]

so you just now switched to synthetics?

[MTL_4runner]

so you just now switched to synthetics?


Yep, in both vehicles (Civic and 4runner).
I did notice a difference in both too. :thumbup:

[mkgarrison5]

thats cool that you saw an almost immediate change in how your truck runs. i dont remember when i switched lol. it was over 40k miles ago (sometime last year).. now you are making me wonder if i should not switch back to dino haha.... i may do it one time just to see if i like it and notice a difference.

[MTL_4runner]

I think the bottom line is not to read too much into it. I was using just basic oil before so stepping up to a better quality oil (like a synthetic) seems to make enough of a difference for me to want to keep running it. That doesn't mean the durablend isn't a good oil, but up here, the price difference was almost nil ($24 vs $26 for 5L) so I just paid a bit more and got the best Valvoline had to offer. Mobil 1 is also great oil (even if it is mostly type III basestocks), but I'm just not spending $40 CDN for 4.4L of oil so I went with what I felt gave me the most value. Every person will have a different idea of what the best "value" is for them and I would urge them to go with that.

[mkgarrison5]

oh yeah i know what you mean jamie. if i come across a synthetic on sale (castrol, valvoline or what not) i may go with it just to save a few bucks. i think its cool that you see that much of a difference in BOTH vehicles. i think ill experiment with blends and see if i notice a difference. ill start with castrol or valvoline blend. with these motors you can run olive oil and you will not wear them out.

[Paul H.]

I use Mobil 5000.

[mkgarrison5]

I think the bottom line is not to read too much into it. I was using just basic oil before so stepping up to a better quality oil (like a synthetic) seems to make enough of a difference for me to want to keep running it. That doesn't mean the durablend isn't a good oil, but up here, the price difference was almost nil ($24 vs $26 for 5L) so I just paid a bit more and got the best Valvoline had to offer. Mobil 1 is also great oil (even if it is mostly type III basestocks), but I'm just not spending $40 CDN for 4.4L of oil so I went with what I felt gave me the most value. Every person will have a different idea of what the best "value" is for them and I would urge them to go with that.


well i just switched to valvoline durablend 10w30 "tought driving blend" (summer oil).. i cant tell much of a difference at all from mobile 1 syn 5w30. other than the notorius mobile 1 syn clattering noise. my motor is quieter and seems to be a tiny bit smoother.ill keep up with gas mileage to see if it affects it at all. so far its neglegiable at best.. i may switch to the durablend 5w30 and stick with that esp in the winter..also i saved about 15$ or more too :-)