Choosing Engine Oil and Filters
 

*Disclaimer* I, nor the person I reference below, work for any of the oil companies discussed in this thread. This is simply information I received during a conversation with someone that conducted independent tests on his own time.

Hey guys, just thought I'd share some info from a conversation I had a few weeks ago at the head analyst from one of the biggest oil analysis companies in the country.

He is a gearhead in his spare time, and conducted his own independent testing of many top brand, off-the-shelf engine oils and filters to see which ones are the best "bang for the buck." This was something he did on his own time before deciding on what oil to run in a newly built engine he was putting in his car.

First of all, he told me you'd be amazed at the metal particulate counts you can find in the oils of some of the leading brands in the automotive industry. If you know much about lubricants of any kind or have worked in an industrial environment, you know that lubrication is the leading cause of machine failure, and that contamination is the leading cause of lubricant failure. In other words, many oils you buy at the store that you think are "clean," really aren't clean at all, and can cause major damage to your engine over the life of the vehicle!

After concluding his tests, he told me that when it comes to engine oil and filters, you certainly get what you pay for. Nearly all of the "premium" oils finished at the top of the list from his tests. I asked him for his personal recommendation, and he said he would definitely go with the Mobil1 line of oils and filters. He told me they were definitely the cleanest of all the oils he tested, and the filters outperformed all the others. I know their products are more expensive than most, but a little extra money spent up front could really save you costly damages later on!

This came at a perfect time for me because I had this conversation about a week before I started my newly built engine for the first time. To me, this knowledge is invaluable, and I'm just trying to pass it on to everyone in hopes of helping someone out. There are a few guys that are currently working on engine builds/swaps, so hopefully it helps you as well.

I too have never heard a bad thing about Mobil products. When I run out of my oil I've already bought, I'm swapping over to all Mobil. Thanks for the info Justin

No problem. I plan on taking regular samples of my oils and sending it to his company for analysis so that I can find the optimal change interval for everything. It's relatively inexpensive, and could save me money later on by not changing my oils too early or too late.