Anybody used it? This appears to me as a sortof psuedo-snake oil product, but my car leaks oil ever so slightly out of (I think) the front seal and I saw someone comment that it stopped their leak once.

I autocross the car and it gets pretty hot here in GA during the summer. I don't drag race.

 

I use Max life 10W40 all the time since about 90k. I have seen a significant reduction in my oil leaks, I have a couple I just get a little spot here and there where as with the full synthetic I was seeing puddles. I really need to go through the motor but until then the Valvoline stuff is working great for me. I am assuming the Castrol and Pennzoil stuff would work the same but I hate Pennzoil

 

been using it in my turbo eclipse for about a year now, i like it, i dont have oil leaks but i was burning about 1/2 quart between changes and that has dropped to burning about 1/4 of a quart, and it seems to run a bit quiet, as i had a few loud lifters...ill stick with it seems to to a good job...and it has 110,000 on the clock

 

Nice to hear. I just wonder how it holds up under extreme use.

 

yea like making my car snap the whole speedometer (well most of it atleast ), everytime i get on the freeway. im running mobil1 10w30 full synthetic right now but that **** is expensive, i used to run max life but switched for that extra self comfort, but does max life hold up to extreme, EXTREME use or should i stick with mobil1 just to be safe?

 

just my 2 cents-

any reputable (ie mobil, valvoline) sythetic oil is MORE than enough for 5,000 miles or so. Its the filter.

Id worry more about the filter than the brand of sythetic oil. Just use snytec and the best filter

again, just my 2 cents

 

valvoline max life is a synthetic ?

 

Max life has additives that swell the gaskets to make them seal but I've heard its just a bandaid as the gasket material will deteriorate faster. I quit using it and had my intake oil leaks (surprisingly) fixed under warranty -- it listed oil seals as a covered repair.

I think they make mineral based and synthetic based versions now. Not sure, though -- I skip past it to the good stuff .

 

Maxlife is actually a semi synthetic, since it's base oil has 10% esters in it. That's what gives it a little bit of a swelling effect, plus it helps keep things clean.

I ran Maxlife last summer and had oil analysis done on it and the results weren't too bad. Wear numbers were not spectacular, however the viscosity of the oil stayed nice and solid and it's TBN didn't drop at all. It proved itself to be a good 5 or 6000 mile oil in a sound engine.

 

However from my understanding they stopped using Moly in it a while ago. I hear good things about the Pennzoil high milage stuff.

 

Yes, it's true, they stopped using moly in it, which is why I switched. Pennzoil and GTX High mileage both contain moly in it.

 

Does either the Pennzoil or Castrol (shrug) swell the seals to help leaking?

I'd rather keep leaking than shorten the life of an engine with 90k already on it.

 

Yes, both of those oils contain esters in them to slightly swell the seals too. It's a very slight swelling, not a harmful amount.

I don't know what you mean by shortening the life of your engine though.