What brand oil do you use?

00Silverado4x4 · June 17, 2014

Oh I know but my driving habits haven't changed so that's why I curious why the sudden boost in mileage life. Currently at 2843 miles & 62% left. I haven't done anything else to the engine.

txab · June 18, 2014

Air temperature is warmer. Engine not spending as much time getting up to temp. Etc.......

Danthaman69 · June 18, 2014

I Use AMS Oil Or Mobil One Synthetic

TooTall1 · June 18, 2014

Currently I'm running Valvoline Next Gen. It's been really good. Not sure what the difference is but my OLM is telling me I'm looking to get over 7k miles on this oil change vs 5k on any other brand I've gotten so far. Oh and I'm too cheap to do synthetic so I have no comparison there.

Your OLM can't tell what oil you have in the truck. It bases your oil life on distance, type of driving, etc.

Z45 · June 18, 2014

Oh I know but my driving habits haven't changed so that's why I curious why the sudden boost in mileage life. Currently at 2843 miles & 62% left. I haven't done anything else to the engine.

The GM oil life monitor is all software.

The oil life monitor is customized for that specific vehicle/engine, it takes everything into account that deteriorates the oil; operating temperature, start up temperature, soak times, ambient, coolant temperature, etc... It is ALWAYS working so as to take into account THAT INDIVIDUALS driving schedule, and it tailors the oil change to that schedule and predicts, on an ongoing basis, the oil life remaining so that that specific individual can plan an oil change accordingly.

The algorithm was developed over the course of many years by several lubrication experts at GM Fuels and Lubes, spearheaded by Doctor Shirley Schwartz who holds the patents (with GM) for the algorithm and the oil life monitor.

Of course all this hinges on the owner using quality oils which many won't ever do so there is a considerable safety factor built into the OLM so 0% is not really the end of the oil.

00Silverado4x4 · June 18, 2014

The GM oil life monitor is all software.

The oil life monitor is customized for that specific vehicle/engine, it takes everything into account that deteriorates the oil; operating temperature, start up temperature, soak times, ambient, coolant temperature, etc... It is ALWAYS working so as to take into account THAT INDIVIDUALS driving schedule, and it tailors the oil change to that schedule and predicts, on an ongoing basis, the oil life remaining so that that specific individual can plan an oil change accordingly.

The algorithm was developed over the course of many years by several lubrication experts at GM Fuels and Lubes, spearheaded by Doctor Shirley Schwartz who holds the patents (with GM) for the algorithm and the oil life monitor.

Of course all this hinges on the owner using quality oils which many won't ever do so there is a considerable safety factor built into the OLM so 0% is not really the end of the oil.

Like I said, I understand that, but again if nothing else has changed except the oil then why is the mileage suddenly extended. Drive the same way, habits and distances, no road trips, tires have been on for 10k+ miles. The only work I've done lately is replace rear brakes, brake fluid change and replaced the front axle seal that's been leaking for a while. I'm not trying to say the engine oil is what did anything special, just made me curious since it was this oil change interval that's been different from what I see normally.

8.1HD/ALLISON · June 18, 2014

Schaeffers oil.

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Badbird2000 · June 18, 2014

Looks like I may go with Mobile One and go with that. How far down do you guys typically take the OLM down before changing? This is my first vehicle with a monitor... in the Ford, I usually went 7,000 miles.. but I really didn't care too much about it anyway, lol..

txab · June 18, 2014

Like I said, I understand that, but again if nothing else has changed except the oil then why is the mileage suddenly extended. Drive the same way, habits and distances, no road trips, tires have been on for 10k+ miles. The only work I've done lately is replace rear brakes, brake fluid change and replaced the front axle seal that's been leaking for a while. I'm not trying to say the engine oil is what did anything special, just made me curious since it was this oil change interval that's been different from what I see normally.

You say you understand but apparently you don't. Your oil is not the only thing that can change.My earlier post mentions several things that change over time. If ambient temp is warmer every morning when you start up, you engine will spend less time in open loop operation.... just one of the many factors the OLM software takes into consideration. Air temp, engine temp, time, rpm, run cycles etc....

The algorithm was developed over the course of many years by several lubrication experts at GM Fuels and Lubes, spearheaded by Doctor Shirley Schwartz who holds the patents (with GM) for the algorithm and the oil life montitor. I had the luck of working directly with Dr. Schwartz when the idea of the oil life monitor first progressed from the theoretical/lab stage to real world testing/development/validation. There were fleets of cars operated under all conditions that deteriorate the oil life for any and every reason and , thru oil sampling and detailed analysis of the oil condition, the algorithm was developed, fine tuned and validated to be the most accurate way invented yet to recommend an oil change interval by. As just one example, I have seen cars driven side-by-side on trips, one towing a trailer and one not, for instance, to prove the effectiveness of the oil life monitor in deteriorating the oil at a faster rate just because of the higher load, higher average RPM, higher temps, etc...and it works flawlessly.

The oil life monitor is so effective because: it is customized for that specific vehicle/engine, it takes everything into account that deteriorates the oil, it is ALWAYS working so as to take into account THAT INDIVIDUALS driving schedule, and it tailors the oil change to that schedule and predicts, on an ongoing basis, the oil life remaining so that that specific individual can plan an oil change accordingly. No other system can do this that effectively.

One thing is that I know personally from years of testing and thousands of oil analysis that the oil life algorithm works. There is simply no argument to the contrary. If you don't believe me, fine, but, trust me, it works. It is accurate because it has been calibrated for each specific engine it is installed on and there is considerable testing and validation of the oil life monitor on that specific application. NOt something that oil companies or Amsoil do. They generalize....the oil life monitor is very specific for that application.

Oil condition sensors in some BMW and Mercedes products are useful, also. They have their limitations, though, as they can be blind to some contaminates and can, themselves, be contaminated by certain markers or constituents of certain engine oils. Oil condition sensors can only react to the specific oil at that moment and they add complexity, cost and another potential item to fail. One other beauty of the GM oil life monitor is that it is all software and does not add any mechanical complexity, mass, wiring or potential failure mechanism.

There is considerable safety factor in the GM oil life monitor. Typically, I would say, there is a 2:1 safety factor in the slope of the ZDP depletion curve....in other words, zero percent oil life per the ZDP depletion is not zero ZDP but twice the concentration of ZDP considered critical for THAT engine to operate under all conditions reliably with no wear. This is always a subject of discussion as to just how low do you want the ZDP to get before the oil is "worn out" if this is the deciding factor for oil life. We would tend to be on the conservative side. If the oil life is counting down on a slope that would recommend a 10K change interval then there is probably 20K oil life before the ZDP is catostrophically depleted....not that you would want to go there...but reason why many people are successful in running those change intervals.

Please...NOT ALL ENGINES ARE THE SAME. The example above is an excellent practical justification of why you would want to add EOS and change the 15W40 Delvac in the muscle car at 3000 miles max and yet can run the Northstar to 12500 easily on conventional oil. You must treat each engine and situation differently and what applies to one does not retroactively apply to others. This is where Amsoil falls short in my book by proposing long change intervals in most everything if you use their oil. It just doesn't work that way. You can run the Amsoil to 12500 with no concerns whatsoever in the late model Northstar because even the oil life monitor tells you that for conventional oil off the shelf. Would I do that to the 502 in my 66 Chevelle...NO WAY. Amsoil says I can though. Wrong.

There are entire SAE papers written on the GM oil life monitor and one could write a book on it so it is hard to touch on all aspects of it in a single post. Hopefully we hit the high spots. Realize that a GREAT deal of time, work and energy went into developing the oil life monitor and it has received acclaim from engineering organizations, petroleum organizations, environmental groups all across the board. It is not some widget invented in a week and tacked onto the car.

scott19677 · June 18, 2014

The GM oil life monitor is all software.

The oil life monitor is customized for that specific vehicle/engine, it takes everything into account that deteriorates the oil; operating temperature, start up temperature, soak times, ambient, coolant temperature, etc... It is ALWAYS working so as to take into account THAT INDIVIDUALS driving schedule, and it tailors the oil change to that schedule and predicts, on an ongoing basis, the oil life remaining so that that specific individual can plan an oil change accordingly.

The algorithm was developed over the course of many years by several lubrication experts at GM Fuels and Lubes, spearheaded by Doctor Shirley Schwartz who holds the patents (with GM) for the algorithm and the oil life monitor.

Of course all this hinges on the owner using quality oils which many won't ever do so there is a considerable safety factor built into the OLM so 0% is not really the end of the oil.

I never trust a computer. Remember "SKY NET"

Z45 · June 18, 2014

No, what's sky net??

txab · June 18, 2014

No, what's sky net??

sdeeter19555 · June 20, 2014

Any of the big names will be fine. I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance and change every 6 months

I started out with Mobil 1 EP, even have a UOA on it that shows it is quite capable of going the OLM distance, and possibly twice that...

Pick out one of name brands that you like and go with it. Make sure it is Dexos 1 approved (Mobil 1 is). I think it is important to stick with one brand of oil after you make your decision. I don't go along with "just buy what's on sale".

Sticking with one brand stems from the old days when oil technology was poor and the detergents between brands varied (one would clean the sludge left by another). With today's oils, and the limited deposits they generate; swapping oil brands is not a factor...especially between oils that have a dexos1 rating.

Schaeffers oil.

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Schaeffers is what I currently run, now that they meet the dexos1 rating. Series 9000 5w30. I've had very good success with Schaeffers in other vehicles/equipment, figured I'd run it in the truck. Buy it 5-gallons at a time, pay about $4.50/quart for a full synthetic.

I typically run the OLM down to 10% because I never know when I might need to make a 1000 mile run somewhere.

Cowpie · June 22, 2014

I also use Schaeffer. Great oil. I really like the additive package that is part of the oil. It is also a factor, that I buy a lot of this brand for my commercial use, so when I place and order, I will have a case of 5w30 for the pickup thrown in. Free shipping on all of it right to my door.

I was able to extend drains on my commercial stuff to almost double the OEM recommended drain level. Some of the best wear number on used oil sample testing I have ever gotten with any oil. I am real convinced consumer in the benefits of molybdenum disulfide in oils and lubes, and Schaeffer was one of the pioneers in using Moly and they have the highest levels of any oil produced according to the Petroleum Quality Institute of America. And I figure that since they were the ones who developed the lubes for the Apache Attack Helicopter, and are the primary lube supplier for the M1 Abrams tank, and they make some products for the big names, like Shell, that those companies can't seem to formulate to customer demand, that they might just know how to make a good engine oil for my pickup.