Yet another oil discussion -- Best oil for Me.

[ScottyB]

I should also mention that oils now are pretty damn good - so you probably cant go wrong with anything, even cheap-o castrol GTX.

I figured this to be the case, and I'm over-thinking the whole thing, but I do want a full synthetic to minimize coke on my turbo bearings...it's at least gotta last until it's paid for. :-p

my engine is prone to sludge so i've had to do alot of research on oil...i'm nobody to quote but i have learned a few things. anyway, RJ is right on....in fact many dino's today are equivalent to synth's from not very long ago. you'd be hard pressed to make a truly poor choice, as most oils at the bottom of the "scale" are still very good to begin with.

as for brands....

mobil 1 is not the hotness they used to be, IMO. i've heard they are using group 3 stock for some oils now, instead of group 4, which is better. there are better brands for your application, and as a bonus some are cheaper as well.

i will always put amsoil at the top of my list. they are a truly innovative company (read their history on their site) and from personal experience my car ran at a lower oil temp and idled quieter after putting amsoil in after using strictly mobil 1 0-40 for a long time. barring price/availabilty i think next up i would recommend royal purple. i read a friction test that put it at the top of the heap and the results were pretty dramatic (i gotta find this link, the photo is interesting). castrol is a strong brand, and if you can get a hold of the "german" castrol 0-30 it is top notch stuff, actually closer to a 40 weight. havoline has posted some good oil analysis from many people lately, and as a bonus they are a very affordable brand.

a good synthetic will allow you to extend your oil change interval but don't take it too long. on a turbo car i think 5000 miles is a good point to change it at. on an NA car i'd push more towards 8000. coking your bearings is what improper cool down will get you, not oil choice IMO, unless you pick a really heinous weight or totally cheap wally world special.

lastly, the forum on bobistheoilguy.com is gold and use blackstone labs to analyze your oil after a change. its the only real way you can get proper evidence that your choices are correct or not.