Mobil 1 question

[porsche tech]

I have used Mobil 1 0/20 full synthetic motor oil in both my Hondas since new. Here's what I've been buying at Walmart:
It says for Hondas, etc.



Now on Walmart's shelf are these:






The closest one appears to be the green one but it says for Ford and NASCAR, nothing about Honda. Any thoughts?

[Noah930]

Given that your Hondas can't read (mine can't), I don't think they'll mind if you use the not-specifically-labeled-for-Hondas stuff. Mine haven't complained, at least.

[porsche tech]

Ha ha. Trying to figure out what the difference is between the varied ones.

[Noah930]

Well, the high mileage stuff (in general) is supposed to have some reconditioners of plastic/rubber seals. Kind of like gasoline companies' various detergent packages, I have no idea what really goes into it, but it's supposed to be some formulation to keep the seals in your motor from drying up and leaking. The tradeoff is some slight decrease in fuel mileage. At least that's what I've read. I once put some high mileage oil into Mrs. Noah's minivan, but I didn't notice any difference. It didn't leak to start with, though.

(Out of personal ignorance) I don't know what the "fuel economy" and "extended performance" flavors do to qualify for those advertising labels.

[Eric Coffey]

Looks like just a label change/update for the AFE and HM variants (still only 3 "flavors" represented in the pics). I believe the EP is the higher-tier product of the 3, but you would be just fine with the AFE @ change intervals of 10k miles or less.

[porsche tech]

Thanks for the input, guys.

[1990C4S]

Look for the API rating required in your owners manual, make sure the oil meets or exceeds...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Look for the API rating required in your owners manual, make sure the oil meets or exceeds...

Assuming the cars are more than a few years old, probably just about any oil you could buy would cover the requirements.

[porsche tech]

One is an '11 with 106k on it (got it new) and one is a '16 that was 1 year old with 6k (now has 23k) so I'm sure you're right that any of it would be fine. Just curious why there are so many varieties of Mobil 1 now. Probably like Noah said, different additives and reconditioners, etc.

[Sooner or later]

Dexos is a GM standard. Dexos 1 is for gasoline engines and Dexos 2 is for small diesel engines. I believe 2Dexos is the 2nd gen Dexos 1 and is different from Dexos2.

Is the above correct?

[pwd72s]

Compared to dinosaur (conventional) oils, I figure they're all good. And even conventional oils of today are better than those of 40 years ago...

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

Probably like Noah said, different additives and reconditioners, etc.

Different quality/percentages for the base oil as well.

[red-beard]

Honestly, the difference between the synthetics is minimal. There COULD be slightly different additive packages. There is a HUGE difference between the packages for gas vs. diesel. Between the higher compression ratios and the higher sulfur content of diesel fuel, there is more acid developed in combustion.

I'm using a lot of the Amazon Basics 100% synthetic which comes from Warren Distribution. Warren sells under dozens and dozens of brands, including Kirkland/Costco.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Honestly, the difference between the synthetics is minimal. There COULD be slightly different additive packages.

There are notable differences in the base oils (PAO/Ester/HC/etc.), and add-packs, especially when you include all viscosity ranges.
But yeah, for most applications it's not a huge deal if you stick with a reputable-brand synthetic that is within your mfg. recommended rating/range, and keep sensible oil-change intervals.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The “high mileage” oils are great but you need a quality filter that’ll go the distance as well otherwise what’s the point? Sure, the oil may be more chemically stable and less prone to breaking down, creating acids, etc. but if the filter is junk you’ll still be circulating a lot of particulates.

Never understood people who would spend big $$$ on premium oils (Mobil-1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc.) then buy some junk Fram filter to go with it...

[speeder]

Does the new oil container have the same part# in small print on it somewhere as the old one? I've always thought that if they change what's in the container, they have to change the part#, at least slightly.

Of course, I could be wrong. Not nearly the oil expert that some of my esteemed colleagues are here but I stick to manufacturer recommendations like a hawk. Does Honda have any of their own, manufacturer specific spec for their cars? It would be in owners manual.

[944 S2]

This is a good video on Mobile one.

https://youtu.be/pPFSR-2lhxY

[mattdavis11]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Never understood people who would spend big $$$ on premium oils (Mobil-1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc.) then buy some junk Fram filter to go with it...

LOL! Me either! I put Wix filters on every Honda/Toyota we have. Our 2002 4cyl Accord sometimes gets recycled oil, aka, oil from changes on our other vehicles. It burned oil from day one when I bought it for $200 and had only 166K. Smoked all the way home. It now has 285K. I give it a fresh change (filter and oil) around 20K. It is recommend to use 5w-20, but when changing or adding I use 20w50 if I have it, if not, it gets recycled oil.

I figure if I changed to gear oil, say 75w90, I might get to 3K miles before having to add any!

It has a VTEC engine, and I don't even have to bother checking the oil level anymore. It will let you know, when you get to 4k rpms and it starts bucking, it needs more oil!