Question for oil guru's

[CJ3FLYR]

I read the whole Amsoil post. I looked at the Blackstone labs report(s). I understand all the terminology and numbers with the exception of the viscosity #. I noted it getting higher in the case of the LS1 Camaro as the miles accrued but 60.something to 61.something etc means nothing to me. I would have expected a number just like 5w-30 or whatever... You know, a cold pour and a hot pour.

Thanks guys.

[CJ3FLYR]

Anybody?...

[92TripleBlack]

So, is your question what kind of oil do you want? Or is it what brand, weight, etc.?
Amsoil has a lot of good propaganda about their oil. Bottomline, if you get a full synthetic, it will work just as good. In layman's terms:
Synthetic oil has particles that are uniform in size as they are created. Dinosaur oil has particles of varying size as it is natural. Small particles burn earlier from heat, killing the oil sooner than synthetic. This is the main reason synthetic lasts longer and is more slippery for longer. A part synthetic like castrol will have less small particles, but still some, so to me its a waste. You want a full synthetic. I use Mobil One in all my cars and couldn't be happier.

[DeTitan]

CJ3FLYR,

No answer for the viscosity and how it relates to the oil weight. I would just look at it as an index.

Breakdown or oxidation may cause the viscosity to go up I don't know the chemistry behind it.

Looks like your pooches are enjoying their in-flight service of dog bones etc!

That is an awesome pic.

I will be switching to full synth in a week or two, have to get to the 3k mark on the odo. Already had two dino changes in the past 1k to flush any metal particles out. Will probably do the diff at the same time.

I will be going with mobi brand.

[CJ3FLYR]

Originally Posted by DeTitan

CJ3FLYR,

No answer for the viscosity and how it relates to the oil weight. I would just look at it as an index.

Breakdown or oxidation may cause the viscosity to go up I don't know the chemistry behind it.

Looks like your pooches are enjoying their in-flight service of dog bones etc!

That is an awesome pic.

I will be switching to full synth in a week or two, have to get to the 3k mark on the odo. Already had two dino changes in the past 1k to flush any metal particles out. Will probably do the diff at the same time.

I will be going with mobi brand.

That's what I was wondering about... The viscosity in weight (0w-20, 5w-30 etc) vs. the index # provided on the oil sample report.

[Talkinghorse]

Originally Posted by CJ3FLYR

I read the whole Amsoil post. I looked at the Blackstone labs report(s). I understand all the terminology and numbers with the exception of the viscosity #. I noted it getting higher in the case of the LS1 Camaro as the miles accrued but 60.something to 61.something etc means nothing to me. I would have expected a number just like 5w-30 or whatever... You know, a cold pour and a hot pour.

Thanks guys.

I believe you are talking about the Neptune report which stated that after 1 year and 14,000 miles of use, while using the same aftermarket filter, analysis showed that while AMSOIL 5w-30 did a good job controlling wear, that it thickened to a higher grade.

If that's what you're referring to, there's a standardized test that measures the viscosity of an oil at 100 deg C. Every grade of oil has an acceptable viscosity range...a 30 weight oil must fall between 9.3 and 12.5 cSt and the range for a 40 weight is 12.5 - 16.3 cSt. It's normal for oils to thicken as the miles accumulate, and most oils thicken out of grade uncontrollably at far fewer miles than the 14,000 miles on which this test was based.

I have attached a publication that shows how AMSOIL 10w-30 performs when subjected to the API Sequence III test. This is really interesting and it illustrates/confirms my point. The Sequence III test measures an oil's ability to resist deterioration in the presence of elevated temperatures. The test establishes a maximum of 275% viscosity increase when an oil is subjected to the test for 80 continuous hours. AMSOIL tested their oil for a solid 240 hours (three times longer than the standard interval) and the oil thickened by only 90.2%, three times better than the industry standard/limit established for only 80 hours!!!!

One more thing about the Neptune test...they failed to adhere to AMSOIL's recommendations concerning filter changes. The aftermarket filter they used in the test is not designed to be used for 14,000 miles or 1 year without changing. AMSOIL specifically recommends that when using a non-AMSOIL filter, that it be changed IAW the filter mfgrs recommendations, which in this case would probably be 7500 miles or less. Had they changed the filter, they would have replaced ~ 1 quart of oil half-way through the test and the outcome could have been even more favorable.

Bottom line is that all oils thicken as they are subjected to high heat...it's the rate and amount of thickening that's important. Read the attachment...pretty interesting.