Mobile 1 Users... What weight do you use?

[carnut169]

I live in Atlanta and the winters here range from a high of 75ish to a low in the teens- average temp is right around 45. What weight do you guys recommend? (10-30, 15-50, 20-50, 10-40...)

[Ted Stringer]

I live in SW Florida and run 15w50. Also I only have the trombone cooler up front, and havn't been to any autox or DE events.

[Vipergrün]

SoCal, 80SC, 15W-50. No leaks, does good with hard street driving. Yes, I am careful

-brad
80SC

[wckrause]

Mobil 1 comes in the following weights

0W-30
0W-40
5W-30
10W-30
15W-50

and there is also a 20W-50 (sold as a high performance motorcycle oil)

I use 15W-50 in all weather.

[widebody911]

Central California, 15w50, 3.6L w 2 external coolers.

[88911coupe]

Could someone explain why Mobil 1 20w 50 is only sold as motorcycle oil? This doesn't make sense to me...
Thanks

[wckrause]

Not sure why but here's their webpage

Mobil 1

[Oldporsche]

I guess in selling it for air cooled motors, they figured that only motorcycles still had them?


Good luck,
David Duffield

[carnut169]

Thanks! I too was using the 15/ 50, but was about to buy the two boxes today and started thinking about it.... anyway, I knew there were folks here who had probably done research and testing and.... While we are on the subject- what about oil filters? Should I use a different filter w/ synthetic oils? The molecules are smaller so a standard filter would not work as well- right? Or would a finer filter impede oil flow?
Thanks again !

[Doug Zielke]

Originally posted by carnut169
.... Should I use a different filter w/ synthetic oils? The molecules are smaller so a standard filter would not work as well- right? .........

Smaller? Really??

[speeder]

I don't understand the molecule-size/oil filter question. You are filtering dirt in oil, not oil. Are dirt molecules smaller w/ synthetics?

[StuttgartDavid]

If I read between the lines properly on Mobil 1's website, the big difference is that the 20-50 V Twin oil makes no environmental or fuel economy compromises in the additive package that may reduce high temp lubrication ability in the name of being green. This product has me most intrigued, because my '68S makes no such compromises either . . .

I know old-time racers used to run straight weight oils because the additive packages in early multigrades just didn't stand up to the heat and pressure. This new Mobil 1 may be just the ticket for our early cars - minimal viscosity additives, max lubricating additives and stable, thick base stocks - the environment be damned.

However, before I leap, I'd love to hear more from people who may know more.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by StuttgartDavid


I know old-time racers used to run straight weight oils because the additive packages in early multigrades just didn't stand up to the heat and pressure. This new Mobil 1 may be just the ticket for our early cars - minimal viscosity additives, max lubricating additives and stable, thick base stocks - the environment be damned.

However, before I leap, I'd love to hear more from people who may know more. [/B]

Wish I knew more about oil itself, but I don't. I do know that the owner's manual of my 1972 911 does NOT call for multi-weight oil. It gives a temperature/oil weight chart, suggesting a straight SAE 30 here in Oregon, at least most of the time. Racers back then? Valvoline SAE 50 Racing oil seemed to be the favorite. I remember watching oil being drained after a race of 30 minutes or so. Other than color, it looked very much like water draining instead of oil. 30 minutes of racing. I wonder how many freeway miles that would equal as far as oil breakdown is concerned?

[Doug Zielke]

Before ya'll decide you want to run Mobil 1 20w-50 m/c oil, check the price. It's almost twice what Mobil 1 15w-50 (at Wal-Mart) costs. Mobil 1...good products, but rips the bikers!

BTW...I have several m/c's that I run synthetic oil in. I use the same Mobil 1 15w-50 in them as I do the SC. Works for me.

[old_skul]

Porsche has recently changed their Mobil 1 specification for the 996 line to 15w50, now that Mobil no longer sells the 20w50 as oil for cars.

Mobil claims, anyway, that the 15w50 has the same performance characteristics as the 20w50.

I actually ran 10w40 all summer - and never had a problem with overheating or any other indications of problems. I worry about its protection of my motor at those summertime temps, but no ill to speak of yet.

[Early_S_Man]

When I was at Wal-Mart last week, the 15W-50 Mobil 1 was on sale for around $3 per quart, but the 20W-50 Harley stuff wasn't on sale, JUST for SALE ... at $6.88 per quart! Considering all the good stuf said about the 'regular' 15W-50, you would have to want that special additive package pretty bad to shell out $82.56, plus tax, for two six-packs for an oil change!

[Argo]

If anyone's interested, there's a basic oil overview here:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/mult_gas_and_oil/mult_oil_article.htm

Argo
88 Targa

[jluetjen]

pwd72s; I can't admit to knowing much about oil either, I think that it is one of those things that people get PhD's in!
You said a couple of things that I'd like to add my thoughts to.

1) "I do know that the owner's manual of my 1972 911 does NOT call for multi-weight oil."
Keep in mind that you are reading a 30 year old document. Oil technology has progressed quite a bit since then.

2) "Valvoline SAE 50 Racing oil seemed to be the favorite. I remember watching oil being drained after a race of 30 minutes or so. Other than color, it looked very much like water draining instead of oil. 30 minutes of racing. I wonder how many freeway miles that would equal as far as oil breakdown is concerned?"
Racers often would use a 50 weight oil because race engines were/are often built with larger bearing clearences. Doing this reduces the internal friction in the motor, but at the expense of engine life. Anyhow, using the 50 weight oil would help to "prop-up" the oil pressure with the large clearences. It also kept its viscosity better during high heat which is often the case in race engines. Of course its a trade-off since you really want to run the thinnest oil that you can get away with when racing since thick oil = windage and pumping friction. So it's really a case of picking the oil with the right compromise.
Today's synthetic 15-50 oils will often keep the high temperature viscosity as well as yesteryears 50 weights, without being as thick as honey at cold temperatures.
Finally, the fact that the race oil that you saw being drained seemed as thin as water might have been due to its temperature at the time.

The last thought is that I always chuckle at how Jiffy Lube and other oil replacement companies say you need to replace at 3K to 6K miles, and then define almost everything as "extreme driving conditions". The oil and car companies seem to be describing longer service intervals. I guess it comes down to what each of them is selling.

I doubt that I've added any revelations, but it might be a different way of looking at some of this.

[thabaer]

15-50 year round, just behave yourself fer a bit when itza cold mawnin'

I made a trip to Walmart in the next city when someone on the 200tq20v list mentioned it was $17 for a 5-quart jug, then stocked up.

[Z-man]

I use 15W-50 in my 944S2. (EEK: a front-engined water-pumper invading the 911 board!!!) That's what the knowledgeable guys (who do DE's and such) in my PCA recommended. So far, so good.

In a recent Excellence, Bruce Anderson wrote about the different oils and which ones to use. I don't remember what he suggested, but it was NOT 15W-50. Oh well....

-Zoltan.