got someone swearing up and down I will gain power from using 0W-30 synthetic oil and the type he has I only have to change once a year......does this guy know what he's talking about???

 

That guy is a complete idiot. Sounds like something that comes out of the mouth of a honda driver. Even if there was power to be gained of thinner oil(which is not in any way true) that oil is not thinner than 5w30 at running temperature. The 2nd number in the weight is the weight at running temperature. The only benefit of 0w30 is better oil flow at startup. But i dont think its an option for any camaro because it will leak like crazy.(Ive never seen a camaro, including mine, that didnt leak oil!)

 

I use 5W30 in my 158k mile camaro and it doesnt leak or burn oil.

 

"That guy is a complete idiot"

Yes indeed he is...not change your oil in a year? LOL WTF? what does he drive 2 miles every month? I'd hate to see his valve train...Don't believe the hype...oil doesn't really add any hp...but it can help your engine run better...so you might see some gains...but not gains on the since of a mod...more on the level of...running more efficiently....(like chaninging a dim light bulb). I still say 15W 50....Mobile puts out is good *** stuff. It's made for racing...It provides good protection and doesn't draw you back any. Just try it....


BTW My Camaro Doesn't leak for Sh*t!

 

He's probably talking about Amsoil. You CAN change it once a year, but you have to use the top of the line stuff, not the XL, which is only good for 7500 miles, and you still need to change your oil filter every 3000 miles, or preferably, use an Amsoil bypass filter setup.

As far as more power, it won't make you power, but it can cut your frictional/pumping losses. That'll most likely show up as slightly better mileage though, as opposed to HP you can measure or feel.

Anyway, you SHOULD use synthetic oil, but not because it makes power (it doesn't) or because you can use extended drain intervals (you can, with certain caveats).
You should use synthetic oil because it's a better product.

BTW, I wouldn't use 0-30 unless you have an engine with tight clearances; In an LT-1, I'd say 5-30 or 10-30. I personally use the 5-30.

 

Yes that's exactly the brand he is talking about.....currently I use Mobil 1 15w50 in my car.......he was trying to sway me away from Mobil one......

 

ah, Your already using the 15W-50....why look for anything else your already with the best of the best.

 

I'm running 0w30 German made Castrol Syntec, and have seen the lowest wear numbers of any LT1 engine I've ever seen posted on the net. This oil is a thicker 30wt oil, it's viscosity at 100c is 12.2 cst, which almost makes it a 40wt oil. Mobil 1 5w30 on the other hand, is only 10.0 cst at 100c, so it's thinner at operating temperature and won't protect the LT1 as well.

As an example, on my last oil analysis, I went 3100 miles and only saw 3.1 ppm of lead. That is incredibly low for a hard driven LT1! Most others I've seen would show triple this lead wear (and previous oils I used also showed triple the lead) So this shows how well this particular oil is protecting my bearings. My iron levels were also low too, showing good protection for the valvetrain. Chromium was also low, showing good protection for the rings.

So in other words, don't let the 0w number scare you, as this simply means the oil is created with a good base oil that can allow this oil to flow extremely well when cold.

Both Amsoil 0w30 and this German 0w30 are extremely stable oils, so they will not thin out easily. That is something that many people fear when running an oil with a large viscosity spread like this, but the technology of oils is getting to the point where an oil of this viscosity can be created with little or no viscosity index improvers, meaning the oil will not thin out easily and create sludge in the process.

And it's true, either of these oils will easily handle a one year interval. Amsoil is rated to 35,000 miles and the German Castrol is designed for more strict European long life standards, so it too can come close to that length of time. I wouldn't run it that long in a hard driven V8, but in a daily driver that sees all highway, it would be able to do it no problem. Oil analysis is your friend, don't just guess, if you use oil analysis you will see that many people are changing their oil far too frequently and can easily go much longer.

 

so you're saying I would be fine running it in my daily driver but not my Z28 which is drivin very hard? He quoted me $250 for the premium 0w30 which again, supposedly lasts a year or more, that also include oil filter changes...he sounded very knowledgable in what he was saying which is the only reason why I am considering it....

 

Amsoil 0w30 would work extremely well in your LT1, what I'm saying is that I would not try to go for the super extended intervals (such as 35,000 miles) in this car.

 

Who all, or where all is this 0w-30 castrol sold at. I havent seen it anywhere.

 

Same here. I've looked at the local WalMart and GhettoZone and cannot find it. Places on the net maybe??? What about cost? How much more is it than Mobil1(@3.99/qt)?

 

I used it for over a year leak free, 82,000 miles on the motor. Good stuff as far as Im concerned. I did read a few articles that discussed hp gains, if I rember correctly, they were minimal at best.

Aaron

 

The local autozone here sells the german castrol 0w-30. but its been flyin off the shelves lately

 

So far it's only at Autozone in the US. In Canada it's at Walmart and some Canadian Tire stores.

Look for the new style Syntec label, with the 0w30 in red, not yellow, and also make sure that on the back of the label it says made in Germany, not made in US (that stuff is completely different)