What oil do you use in your car?

[Dino Scuderia]

@ G35COUPE

I put 235,000 on a Mazda 626 and I had the oil changed every 5-6,000 miles. It was a 2.0 4 cyl 5 speed. I only used conventional oil in it with zero engine problems. The people I sold it to are still driving it.

In my current daily driver, Contour SVT, I do basically the same procedure...now at 123,000 miles...9 years old with no problem. I do flogg it good fairly often.

I've had many cars before those and most of them I put at least 90,000 on with no trouble.

I had a friend with a Toyota Cressida who changed his oil at 10,000 mile intervals...he used whatever Amoco's synthetic was. He put 300,000 trouble free miles on it.

I don't recommend that everyone change the oil like I do however I think changing every 2,000 is overkill....but if it works for you do it.

You have to keep in mind that oil companies do sales jobs on the industry that influences some of these recommendations etc. also.

BTW, I used to sell Royal Purple in the mid 70's when you could hardly give it away. It wasn't synthetic then IIRC but it just had no brand value.

[clutch-monkey]

castrol magnatec 10w-40 in the 911 iirc, changed monthly
penrite HPR10 in the rover mini, changed 5000km
penrite HPR30 in the triumph, changed...whenever.. it runs i guess

[Badsight]

I use Castrol GTX 20W-50 in the B13 Nissan. Excellent oil for that engine. Maybe thats why the engine has lasted 260.000 miles with daily flogging. Oil change = 2,000 miles.

I know this might seem excessive for some, but i can tell the difference in engine performance when I drive with fresh oil versus an aging oil. I need my engine to be ready for flogging all the time.

& if you didnt use such a heavy oil , it might last even longer

[nota]

20W-50 works ok for me @ 450,000 kms

[Matra et Alpine]

Oils operate differently in spinning bearings, in moving bearings and on mating surfaces.
Getting one to do ALL best is an expensive mix and especially if it has to last.

The Rex using it's oil the way it does is good as we are changing our oil regularly without having to drain down and refill in a one off -- whcih I still do though, but that's coz it gets tracked and thrashed.

BTW, it's not true that the RX-8 engine uses lots of oil.
It's on a par with any performance saloon out there

[Rockefella]

I use whatever I feel like buying at the time. Depends on how much money I'm willing to spend....

[henk4]

diesel oil

[uknown]

i use Castrol GTX in my Lexus IS300 (2008 model)..n i change it every 5000KM...also how do u know when to change depending on your driving style ?

[pimento]

When the oil goes dark, change it. How dark you leave it depends on how hard you drive it.

[uknown]

oh because i thought that the quantity of oil dumped into my engine is specifically made to do 5000km... i think im not going to stick to the 5000km limit anymore...probably will change it around 4000km just in case i get sometimes hard on the pedal

[johnnynumfiv]

When the oil goes dark, change it. How dark you leave it depends on how hard you drive it.

Not really true. We've had race cars go out for a couple 15 lap sessions, and the oil is dark.

[ruim20]

Castrol magnatec 10w-40, and i skip an oil change, mainly becouse i have to pour in about half a liter every 2-3 weeks.

[jcp123]

In the Mustang, Rotella 15w40, usually used in diesel trucks. It's the only oil left on the shelf with a passable amount of ZDDP in it to lube the flat tappets properly. Only other option would be some Redline oils, but I'm tired of ordering oil.

The Harley gets HD Screamin' Eagle synthetic 20w50.

[csl177]

Like JCP123, a couple of my cars benefit from ZDDP (VW bus and 356), but I use Brad Penn 10W30 or 20W50, depending on season... it gets hot down here. Otherwise, Amsoil is the choice for both of our 911s and both 3.0CS and CSL. I also use Amsoil tranny and differential fluids, along with Redline LSD additive. Street car fluids are changed every 3K miles or so, depending on use.

My F250 V10 Ford truck has used Mobil 1 from new, changed every 5-7,500miles... again depending on use.

I also flush all brake fluids once a year, and use DOT3 for street cars. Silicone fluids are even more hydrophilic; brake lines can develop internal corrosion no matter what fluid you use. It's prudent to flush annually, especially in humid climates. ATE Superblue has been my choice for track use, but is replaced after every event.

[jcp123]

Yeah AmsOil is great stuff. Scarily enough, I was using it in my Mustang before I found out about ZDDP.

On a side note, my Mom's car gat Royal Purple on the last oil change...hey, it was free (one of the rare perks of working at a parts store )

csl, can I have your 356? I love those things! :P