Super gas mileage!

mdb_foxmx · 03-31-2005

Hey guys...I took my civic (04 ex coupe) to JIffy Lube a while back, and the salesman tried to sell me mobil 1 synthetic 5w-20. I said ok, but on the invoice, M1 10w-30 was listed. I didn't really believe him when he said that that was a "typo." But, I didn't really care either. I just drove my car for a while thinking "if something screws up with the oil, it's on them." Well, I got a little worried, so I decided to change the oil myself. I bought some castrol syntec 5w-20 and changed the oil. My gas mileage before the change was around 33-35 mpg. What is it now, you ask?... Try 40mpg!! And this wasn't all highway driving! MOST of the time on the last tank was spent in traffic, WITH the ac on (low). I figured maybe it was a fluke, but I just refueled again today, and it was right at 39.4mpg! Amazing, yes? Anyone else getting that?

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Vantage · 03-31-2005

ive never heard of oil maknig better gas milage... only extra HP, but thats cool, i might have to try that.

i8dabomb · 03-31-2005

lol maybe time for the castrol?

Chris3k2 · 03-31-2005

sounds interesting... I've never heard of it either though and I didn't know oil can give u extra HP?? that's coo

doubledeuce2k2 · 03-31-2005

5w20 is a lighter weight. they recommend that oil for your engine. so why shouldn't it perform the best?

most places don't have bulk 5w-20 "on tap". meaning they have to crack open bottles off the shelf. bulk oil for them is under a buck a quart, off the shelf a couple bucks. so what are they gonna do? give you bulk oil everytime you can.

i bet you anything it was not a typo... don't go back, i might even call to complain.

thats good milage but not uncommon. i got 38 in an auto w/ a/c running. it's not super oil, just the reccommended

Vantage · 04-01-2005

oil can free up HP, not make HP. The free it up because they cause less friction. And less friction = less heat, and less heat = more power.

doubledeuce2k2 · 04-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vantage

oil can free up HP, not make HP. The free it up because they cause less friction. And less friction = less heat, and less heat = more power.

exactly. it's like running with pants and running with shorts. you aren't physically any faster in shorts, but you will have less slowing you down. and you'll stay cooler

2K1Civic17"Gabe · 04-04-2005

I get about 30, and 35 was probably the best I ever got.

S2000man01 · 04-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by i8dabomb

lol maybe time for the castrol?

castrol syntec is crap. in fact, it's hardly any better than valvoline regular minoil. don't use castrol syntec.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vantage

ive never heard of oil maknig better gas milage... only extra HP, but thats cool, i might have to try that.

oil will do neither better gas mileage OR more hp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vantage

oil can free up HP, not make HP. The free it up because they cause less friction. And less friction = less heat, and less heat = more power.

you're talking maybe 1hp at most. if that. and that's only if you wait a long ass time before changing your oil, so it's overly cruddy and dirty and thick. if you change your oil at normal 5k intervals, for example, you're not going to free up any horsepower when you change your oil.

mdb_foxmx · 04-09-2005

why do you say castrol is crap? I haven't read much about the different oils... Just want to know what your basis is for that.

i8dabomb · 04-09-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by S2000man01

castrol syntec is crap. in fact, it's hardly any better than valvoline regular minoil. don't use castrol syntec.

oil will do neither better gas mileage OR more hp.

you're talking maybe 1hp at most. if that. and that's only if you wait a long ass time before changing your oil, so it's overly cruddy and dirty and thick. if you change your oil at normal 5k intervals, for example, you're not going to free up any horsepower when you change your oil.

hmm i suppose i wont use castrol cuz s2000man01 knows EVERYTHING!

S2000man01 · 04-09-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by i8dabomb

hmm i suppose i wont use castrol cuz s2000man01 knows EVERYTHING!

haha loser.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdb_foxmx

why do you say castrol is crap? I haven't read much about the different oils... Just want to know what your basis is for that.

castrol is not as good compared to other synthetics. in one test, castrol syntec actually does WORSE than it's regular old oil does! and it's in one of the more important tests!!

1. All the oils were 10w30 viscosity
2. The oils tested were:
Amsoil (syn)
Castrol GTX Drive Hard (mineral)
Valvoline Synpower (syn)
Mobil Drive Clean (min) - isn't this the rebadged Honda oil?
Pennzoil Purebase (min)
Quaker State (Syn)
Quaker State Peak Perf (min)
Castrol Syntec (syn)
Valvoline (min)
Pennzoil Synthetic (syn)
Mobil1 SuperSyn (syn)

The following ASTM tests were run:
Thin-film Oxygen Uptake ( D-4742)
High Temp/High Shear ( D-4683)
NOACK Volatility ( D-5900)
Pout Point (D-97)
Total Base Number (D-2896)
Cold Cranking Simulator D-5293)
4-Ball Wear (D-4172)
************************************************** *******
Test 1: Thin Film Oxygen Uptake:
Measures the oxidation stability of an oil.
The induction time (break point) in minutes is measured. The test uses standard amounts of fuel dilution, soluble metals, and water to offer a real-world applicability.

Results for this test(all units in minutes):
Amsoil: >500 (no break)
Mobil1: 397
Pennzoil Purebase: 242
Castrol Syntec: 221
Valvoline: 219
Vavoline SynPower: 211
Mobil Drive Clean: 209
Quaker State Peak Performance: 192
Pennzoil Synthetic: 159
Quaker State Synthetic: 159
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 132

castrol syntec did ok here

Test 2: High Temperature/High Shear (HT/HS)
Measures a lube's performance under severe heat and shear (mechanical stress) as would be found in the journal bearings under heavy load. The units displayed are viscosity based, using the centipose unit (cP). The minimum spec for a 30w is 2.9 cP.

Results for this test (all units in cP):
Amsoil: 3.51
Quaker State Peak Performance: 3.37
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 3.35
Vavoline SynPower: 3.30
Mobil1: 3.30
Valvoline: 3.30
Mobil Drive Clean: 3.28
Pennzoil Purebase: 3.16
Quaker State Synthetic: 3.15
Pennzoil Synthetic: 3.14
Castrol Syntec: 3.13

note castrol syntec was the WORST here. and high temp/shear is not something I would want an oil to be WORST at in my car!

Test 3: NOACK Volatility.
Measures the evaporative loss of lubricants in high temperature conditions. The higher the number, the thicker the lubricant will become. API SL and GF-3 specs allow for a 15% evaporation limit. In this test, obviously, lower is better. Syns almost always have an advantage due to their monomolecularity.

Results for this test (% weight loss):
Amsoil: 4.86
Vavoline SynPower: 7.03
Castrol Syntec: 7.77
Quaker State Synthetic: 7.80
Pennzoil Synthetic: 8.15
Mobil1: 8.92
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 8.93
Quaker State Peak Performance: 10.63
Mobil Drive Clean: 10.83
Pennzoil Purebase: 10.93
Valvoline: 12.18

castrol syntec did ok here

Test 4: Pour Point
This test reveals the lowest temperature at which a lubricant will flow when cooled under test conditions. The lower, the better the product will perform in getting from the oil pan to the upper oil galleys, and in providing oil pressure quickly. Synoils generally are the best, because they are free of wax crystals, but today's mineral oils are better refined to remove wax impurities, and use advanced pour point depressant additives to help offset the synoils' intrinsically better properties.

Results for this test (all units in degrees Centigrade):
Amsoil: -48
Mobil1: -46
Vavoline SynPower: -46
Castrol Syntec: -43
Pennzoil Synthetic: -40
Quaker State Synthetic: -40
Pennzoil Purebase: -37
Valvoline: -37
Mobil Drive Clean: -37
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: -37
Quaker State Peak Performance: -34

Castrol Syntec did ok here, but this test only affects those who drive in very cold temps

Test 5: Total Base Number (TBN)
TBN displays the lubricant's reserve alkalinity, and is, of course, the opposite of TAN (total acid number). A high TBN will help resist the formation of acids from sulfur and other sources. It is also a good indicator of reserve resistance to oxidation. The higher the number, the superior ability to suspend contaminants and the greater the ability to provide long-drain intervals
Results for this test (all units in mg KOH/g):
Amsoil: 12.34
Vavoline SynPower: 11.38
Castrol Syntec: 10.39
Pennzoil Synthetic: 9.73
Mobil1: 8.57
Valvoline: 7.88
Quaker State Synthetic: 7.82
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 7.74
Mobil Drive Clean: 7.71
Quaker State Peak Performance: 7.55
Pennzoil Purebase: 7.40

Castrol did ok here

RR's comments: I was very impressed with all the oils, as the mineral oils have significantly improved, consistent with previous comments about how mineral oils are closing in, and that the GF-3 spec has resulted in very good performing products. Mobil1's showing is the best i have seen for that product, which usually was in the 5-6 range previously. It certainly also supports my previous comments that the 3K oil change "necessity" is out of place with current technology. Like an enema for a dead man, while it may not help to do a 3K change, it wouldn't hurt I guess.

Test 6: Cold Crank Sumulator
This one determines the apparent viscosity of the oils at low temperatures and high shear rates, simulating the dreaded cold start. It has direct applicability to engine cranking, the lower the number the better in terms of stress on the battery, starter, etc. A 10w is tested at -25degF and must show a vis <7000 cP to pass.

Results for this test (all units cP at -25degC):
Pennzoil Synthetic: 3538
Amsoil: 3590
Mobil1: 3967
Quaker State Synthetic: 4142
Vavoline SynPower: 4541
Quaker State Peak Performance: 4620
Castrol Syntec: 4783
Castrol GTX Drive Hard: 5804
Pennzoil Purebase: 5936
Mobil Drive Clean: 6448
Valvoline: 6458

castrol did ok, but worse than the other synoils.

RR Comments: If you live and drive your car in very cold climates, the advantage of the synoils is obvious. Keep in mind that the NOACK performance figures here as well, as this tests hows the performance of fresh oil - after a few thousand miles, the oils with higher volatility will likely have thickened, unless there has been high dilution from fuel, such as can occur if excessive startup idling warmups are employed.

So it's not "crap". And I was a bit harsh in my first post. However, for the money, there are better performing synthetics out there.

S2KREY · 04-18-2005

there was a article in import tuner about the diff type of oil. read it but eh... oil is oil but that just my 2 cents

S2000man01 · 04-18-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2k1CivicRacer

there was a article in import tuner about the diff type of oil. read it but eh... oil is oil but that just my 2 cents

for those who look no further, oil is oil. but for those that read about it, do the tests, and find the research done, every oil is different and some are far better than others.

mdb_foxmx · 04-19-2005

so...where can I buy amsoil 5w-20? That seems to have done the best overall in that particular test, usually by a good margin. Should I ask an autozone rep to order it?