What type of synthetic motor oil would you guys recommend? I have the 3.8L. I'm just curious cause I will hopefully be changing my oil soon (waiting on the weather) and wanted to try something new.
Ture synthetics, per European standards, are from Group IV base stocks.Group III base stocks are considered synthetic motor oil ONLY in the United States.
- Castrol Syntec sounds great as well.Castrol EDGE. Unsurpassed engine wear protection from the technology leader in motor oil.
Castrol EDGE’s is an advanced synthetic that offers unsurpassed engine wear protection that no leading synthetic can beat and is guaranteed to protect your engine for up to 15,000 miles, or one year, whichever comes first.*
Sounds like ExxonMobil were caught with "their pants on the ground". :lol:For those that took the time to read the Q&A sheet that accompanied Valvoline's letter (see link below), Valvoline turned up the heat even more by saying " Mobil 1 5W-30 DOES NOT MEET the most basic API SM or ILSAC GF-4 specifications. That means Mobil 1 5W-30 cannot meet basic GM, Ford, Chrysler or Honda specifications."
Ouch! That's certainly a serious claim, and one that Thomas R. Smith, Technical Director of Valvoline Lubricants told JobbersWorld he stands behind. According to Smith, Ashland made ExxonMobil aware of this issue in September and as of December 11th, "ExxonMobil has been silent."
But whereas ExxonMobil apparently has not responded directly to Ashland, they did respond to JobbersWorld's request for a comment. So here it is, ExxonMobil's response to the press:
"We would like you to know that while we are aware of Valvoline's assertions, ExxonMobil stands behind the quality of Mobil 1 and all of our lubes products. ExxonMobil's GF 4 licenses for all product lines are valid."
If I were using a synthetic, especially for a vehicle which calls for 5W-30 oil, I'd probably start with the Castrol Syntec 0W-30 or Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30. The Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 almost passes for a 0W-30. It provides great protection and its service is extremely well-documented on BobIsTheOilGuy.com. I'm not all high on Mobil 1, only because I used it once and wasn't happy with it. I don't recommend against it, but I do prefer other products.Shipo has extensive experience with Mobil 1 synthetics and Jason has extensive experience with Castrol synthetics.
Our former 1998 DGC Sport 3.8 was a June 1998 build and it definitely had the lifter tick following a cold start with most oil filters on the market. Not so the FL-1A.That being said, the 3.8 was upgraded a few different ways in '98, the valve covers are different, and has higher compression as well.