GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys....I am currently (and have been) using Mobil 1 5w-30 synthetic. I noticed a local convienince store a couple of miles from my house started selling Amsoil 5w-30 synthetic for $5.20 per quart. I pay $3.78 for one qaurt of Mobil 1. ShouldI pay the extra $1.50 give Amsoil a try?Jim

What would make you go with Castrol full synthetic over Mobil 1....just out of curiosity?Jim

Really, if you are going to change it every 3000 miles any major brand of 5/30 or 10/30 depending on where you live, will be adequate. I have used synthetic, Pennzoil, since the 13km mark and have changed it according to the manual. Not because I have to, just because.

Castrol synth (and others) in this country is hydrocracked (refined) dino oil called group 3 and can't even be called synth in europe. The exception is a 'made in Germany' 0w30. Mobile, redline, synergyn, and amsoil are true synth group 4 and/or 5 oils.

I thought you knew. I overstate some things for newby's etc. Let us know how it goes.

Quote, originally posted by goodvibe »Castrol synth (and others) in this country is hydrocracked (refined) dino oil called group 3 and can't even be called synth in europe.I have heard this about Castrol before. How does the buyer know what is 'true' synthetic and what is not?

Actually all major oil refiners use hydrocracking to prepare some of the base oil schedules, but all synthetics must be of a schedule IV or V base product to be called a synthetic. Primarily the base oil is always the same but it is the additive package (ad-pac) that changes depending on the grade of oil.

That's almost correct and dino still comes in group 1, 2 ,and 2+. Group 3 dino is considered synth in the US and Dino most other places. These can be and are mixed. Castrol blends are a mix of 2 and 3 for instance and you'll find gp 1 used as a carrier for add packs or mixed with 2 in cheaper oils. I'm not positive but I think only 2+ and 3 use hydrocracking. The higher the group, the less likely it is to varnish and have longer service. The adds do more for wear, friction and cleaning. US Castrol is group 3 and not 4(PAO) or 5(ester) but may have some added for viscosity reasons in certain weights. Mobile tried to get a court ruling against Castrol being able to advertise these oils as synthetic but lost in court. In Europe their synth formulas are different chemistries than here. Castrol GTX is a great clean dino. Thier US synthetic is better but not what I consider synth.

Quote, originally posted by goodvibe »Castrol GTX is a great clean dino. That's what I've been using. Haven't felt the need to switch to a synthetic, or neosynthetic.

So were all agreeing Castrol CTX is really one of t he best then??? atleast in this type of car??

I'm not sure if it's one of the best, and I doubt we can all agree on anything but for me, I think the castrol GTX is good enough. Other people swear by the synthetics, a lot of Mobil 1 users here. I think most oils are good enough, as long as you change them periodically and keep enough oil in the engine to do the job. That's my opinion though, and I am not an expert.

Amsoil, yes...others, no...amsoil is true synthetic.

Amsoil buys the basestock for their true synth from exxon/mobile but use a different add pack. I agree that their top oils are a bit better than MI overall. Amsoil XL-7500 is only recommended for a 7500 mi. schedule and is group 3 and not true synthetic at over $5 qt. This is why many of us are upset at Castrol for the group 3 oil thing. Other oil companies were bound to jump on higher available profits. It's a cheaper product at a premium price and a normal consumer won't have a clue about what he's buying.

Quote, originally posted by Kissfan79 »Hey guys....I am currently (and have been) using Mobil 1 5w-30 synthetic. I noticed a local convienince store a couple of miles from my house started selling Amsoil 5w-30 synthetic for $5.20 per quart. I pay $3.78 for one qaurt of Mobil 1. ShouldI pay the extra $1.50 give Amsoil a try?JimI thought Amsoil was like Amway, only sold by the disciples. Surprised to see it at a retail store.

LOL...me too. I was shocked to see it in the shelf.Jim

I still just use $1.89 a quart Quaker State. Change every 5k.Never had a car last less than 100k miles on it yet. Infact, every car but one is still running (the one was in a very bad accident that broke every engine mount and screwed up the transmission.)

Hey Kissfan...I know this was posted a while ago but if you can get AMSoil for that much, I'd try it at least. I bought 5 Quarts of Redline for nearly $8 a Quart and would have rather of found the AMSoil locally for what you found it at.Yeah, it's a bit much to pay but it'll just be a one time thing most likely, unless I find it does something totally amazing to the Vibe.Some people mention that a certain oil makes their engine more noisy or they don't notice a difference in buying a more expensive synth oil. I personally haven't moticed big changes between synth and dino oil, I see the most difference in the oil filter. Have gone from OEM to Fram to Mobil One (oversized) to K&N (oversized as well) with Mobil 1 synth oil and really, only when I switched to the K&N filter, did I notice anything majorly improve. The K&N is apparently a higher flow/less restrictive filter.Obviously, these are only my personal opinions and experiences but I would suggest trying the AMSoil with different filters to see if you notice any improvements... if not and you change your oil every 3K to 5K then just go with a less expensive Synth or blend.Dave

I stopped in to pick up something today and I did notice that it was the XL-7500 Amsoil. Given that ....I will probably just stay with Mobil 1. If it were the regular Amsoil...I'd probably try it.Jim