First oil change.... What kind?

[TicoSHO]

I've had the car for a little while now and it's time for the first change out. I don't know was is in it or was in it. What is the best to use in this case? Regular or Syn?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

Many opinions on this board exist on oil changes. I (and many others) use regular oil. Personally I use Castrol GTX, a very popular std oil. I never have liked syn. oils. There is probably more than a ton of posts on this subject. My personal favorites come from some of our more seasoned SHO owners who have anywhere from 200 to 300 thousand miles on their original motors and have owned said SHO's since they came off the lot.

 

[wood_e]

It is my belief that the oil brand doesn't matter much *flame suit on* but as long as you change it regularly there shouldn't be any problem. I personally use 5w30 (Supertech oil from wal mart) in my car with a Motorcraft FL1-A Filter.

 

[laxmax327]

i agree w/ wood e. just get the right weight depending local temperature. and change it on time. theres usualy something on sale here, so i just get that one.

 

[allbuti]

I have 222K on a 1992 and have always used Pennzoil. (Not touting the brand, just stating the facts). I have changed the oil and oil filter 74 times. Capacity with filter is 5 quarts, so I figure synthetic could cost an extra $10 per oil change. Now $740 would go a long way toward a replacement engine. I believe that if you suddenly lose oil or oil pressure, synthetic oil buys you a little extra time to stop the engine before it stops itself by seizing up. I don't believe synthetic oil buys you the ability to change oil less frequently, because the bad stuff is suspended in the oil, no matter what brand or kind of oil you use. BTW my daughter had a Saab 900. The air filter was smaller than the stock SHO Gen 2 filter, cost about 4 times as much, and was at least 4 times more difficult to change. Ours is a snap (well techniically 2 snaps). So skimping by not changing the oil frequently is less stupid than not changing the air filter regularly, but it's still stupid. Say can I borrow that flame suit?

 

[NWGRN94MTX]

Back when the SHO came out circa 1989, I would have said said synthetic would be the choice hands down. Nowadays, dino-petro oils are really dam good. I subscribe to the practice of, if it was broke in on syn, then stick with syn. if it was broke in with dino, stick with dino.

I have seen first hand Penzoil carmeling sludge, so I would not recommend it. Castrol, Kendall, Valvoline, Motorcraft seem good to me.

Use a good filter, this is what makes the difference. In semi price wise order, I would choose-

Mobil 1 or a K&N, high price,

Purolator Pure One or a Motorcraft, budget.

My $.02

 

[89SHOMAN666]

I run all Amsoil synthetic oil in all of my cars including my six SHO's. It has always treated me well and is an extremely high quality oil. As for the oil filter I only run K&N's.

Just my 2 cents,

 

[pitcrew207]

Mobile 1 fully synthetic 10w30 best stuff ever!my oppinion

 

[SHOwned213]

amsoil full syn, is the best oil hands down, but not everyplace has in and its a little more expensive.... anyways i would recommend any form of synthetic. they say if you use syn oil, in tranny, motor, etc. its worth 5% whp to.

 

[wood_e]

amsoil full syn, is the best oil hands down, but not everyplace has in and its a little more expensive.... anyways i would recommend any form of synthetic. they say if you use syn oil, in tranny, motor, etc. its worth 5% whp to.

dyno graphs?

 

[MYSHO1]

WHAT YEAR IS IT!??? I think its a little late for its first oil change!

 

[stangeater]

I've alwayas used Penzoil 10w-30. I agree that brand doesn't really matter that much, as long as you change your oil on a regular basis.

 

[black92]

I heard someone say they use K&N oil filters. When I was at the 05 Convention someone brought a display of used oil filters that were cut in half and the K&N filter was one of the top three worst filters after 3000 or so miles. I cant remember which ones were good but maybe some else remembers?

 

[Rockledge]

Back when the SHO came out circa 1989, I would have said said synthetic would be the choice hands down. Nowadays, dino-petro oils are really dam good.

I agree 100%.

Base oil technology has come so far in the past 15 years that the "synthetic v. dino" oil debate is hardly even worth the mental energy any more. The real question these days is: what lind of additive package does the oil have? Regarding this point, here is a post of mine from a little while back:

http://www.shoforum.com/showpost.php?p=414670&postcount=8

In that post, you can see where I pointed out that:

For example, there may be a problem for those of us with an older DOHCammer when the current SL-rated oils are almost entirely replaced by SM-rated stuff. The reason for this potential problem is as follows: As the phosphorus limits continue to fall in the newer oil formulations, the amount of ZDDP (Zinc) additive falls with it. This additive is regarded as the absolute best bang for the buck when it comes to protection from engine wear, particularly at the single highest friction/wear point in the engine - the cam/lifter interface. Most of the newer cars and light trucks today use roller cam followers, so this reduction in ZDDP seemingly does not pose as much of a threat to newer engines. But as we all know, the Yamahammer does not use roller lifters.

If you're not convinced by my opinion, then maybe this little tidbit from Comp Cams will help sway you:

...Another major factor in the increase of flat tappet camshaft failure is your favorite brand of engine oil. Simply put, today’s engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to ever tightening environmental regulations. The EPA has done a great job in reducing emissions and the effects of some of the ingredients found in traditional oils; however these changes to the oil have only made life tougher on your camshaft. The lubricity of the oil and specifically the reduction of important additives such as zinc and manganese, which help break-in and overall camshaft life, have been drastically reduced. In terms of oil selection, we recommend Shell Rotella T oil for the break-in procedure. Most often used in diesel engine applications, this higher lubricity oil works in gasoline engines as well.

See the Tech Note in this link: http://www.powerandperformancenews.com/Newsletter/Files/PAPNV2I10.htm

In short, the focus today should really be on the the add packs, and not so much on the base oils, especially for those of us with 10-15 year old engines sporting 4 camshafts.

 

[dpsutphin]

Count me in with the Mobil One 10W-30. I've used it since I had the car, which would be over 60,000 miles ago. Never had any oil realted problem, and the car runs great.

As has been stated here already, the key is the filter, no matter what oil you use, use a good filter. The Mobil One filter is one of the best if not the best one around. My oil with 3000 miles on it is as clean as most conventional oils with 1000 miles on it.

So far you got about $2.00 worth of people's $.02 worth. Hope you been helped, and not more confused.

Don Sutphin
1990 Black on Black
Mostly stock...and a **** of a lot of fun to drive

 

[Meat]

I've been using Valvoline High Mileage 5W30 in my SHO and in my 2001 Silverado with no problems.

 

[jedhead]

A larger concern for the SHO is the oil filter. The SHO engine moves ~12.1 gallons of oil per minute at 43psi at 6400 rpms. That amount of oil flow will overwhem most filters and the bypass valve opens which has the oil bypass the filter element. The only ones that I am aware of that can handle the high volume of oil are Motorcraft, Mobil 1 and K&N. Mobil 1 and K&N have the advantage over Motorcraft in the ability to filter smaller contaminates. I have used Mobil 1 oil and either Motorcraft or Mobil 1 filters since 17K. When I swapped cams at 110k, I had no wear showing on the cams or the shims.


Bob

 

[SolidState]

I use mostly GTX and the Valvoline Max-Life filter manufactured by Purolator.