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Best Oil /Filter combo?

R

Rodimus_Prime

Well-Known Member
What does the TTA take 5w-30 10w-30? I've always used exclusively Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-30 on the Cobalt with AC delco filters, works well.

Do these take synthetic or is it safe after 100,000 miles to convert to synthetic or perhaps a higher mileage formula oil?
 
I would stay with normal mineral oil, synthetic will introduce leaks in different areas I'm sure ... depending on the temperature you plan to use your car in 5w-30 or 10w-30 is fine ... I use 10w-30 in mine but only got 230 miles on my engine so far.

For the oil filter I use the Napa Gold 1086 (Wix is the manufacturer and I think the part number is 51086 from them, Carquest also sell the Wix filter under their own name) .... fleetfilters.com is a cheap place to get them in bulk :-)

Stay away from the new AC Delco 1218 filter as they changed them and the drain back is not as good as it used to be also the filter it self is crap ...

Some use the K&N filter (not sure about the part number at the moment) ...

Make sure you change the oil / filter frequently and you should be in for many more miles on your "new" ride !!!
 
For the oil, stick with the Mobil-1 full sythetic (It comes from the factory in Vipers & 100K dollar Porsches, so its good enuff for the TTA). I like 10w-30 for all around better protection. 5w-30 is an economy weight oil (looks thin like water when pouring it) made more so for fuel milage, thats why the majority of manufactures rec it. BUT 10w-30 is s little thicker (better cheap protection) and won't hurt anything. VERY IMPORTANT ON ALL TURBO CARS, Don't for get to prime the the oil filter & disconnect the ign, crank till you build pressure, reconnect ign, then start car. As for the filters, the NAPA Gold is a good one, but its personal preference when it all comes down to it.
 
Whatever oil you decide to go with, make sure it has plenty of zppd (zinc/phosphate). Mobil 1 0-40w has around 1200ppm of zinc as opposed to only 800ppm in their 10-30w. The zinc/phosphate forms a hardenend coating around your cam (only matters if you're using stock flat lifters)
 
Don't use synthetic. You will wipe your cam. It's been proven.

I ordered some Brad Penn oil but any oil will work with a bottle of the STP oil additive.

Like Jan said, Wix 51086 or Napa Gold 1086
 
For what it's worth I run Pennzoil 10w-40 with AC Delco PF1218 in my stock TTA's and Pennzoil GT 25w-50 with AC Delco PF52 in my GTA. Over 10 years on my TTA's and 8 years on my GTA with no problems :) And I actually drive/race my cars ;)
 
Brad Penn oils have the zinc and additives. It is for the metals in the engine. The new motors (like your ecotec) are made for the new emission compliant oils.

I use 10w-30 as the GM engineers call for. They are smarter than we are anyway.
 
Just add some info on the AC Delco filters. They "were" good to use but about 4 years ago GM out sourced them to Mexico and they went to shit. Like Jan said they changed them and the drain back is not as good as it used to be also the filter it self is crap. I would get some noise on my TTA when starting and switching to Mobil One and or a K&N filter made that all go away so there is problems with the AC Delco filters. I also send my oil out every change to a lab and they were finding paper in my oil. They said when they see this it's from using a cheap filter. Well that was when I was using the AC Delco filters. So yea.. I'd stay away from them at all cost for the good of your engine.
 
I've been using Mobil1 synthetic with flat tappet engines including this one for well over 60,000mls....no wiped cam. The key is in the zinc/phosphate.
 
Quiky One said:
Don't use synthetic. You will wipe your cam. It's been proven.

Proven by who? If your using it to break in your new cams, then ya that can happen, but they tell not to use syntheic for break in periods. It also depends on the brand & weight your using, as with conventional oil, some brands & weights are better than others, but to say in general, synthetic oil will wipe out your cam, I would say is a false statement. If that were true, The high end automakers wouldn't be using it.
Click to expand...
 
I use Mobil 1 in my truck so I am not against using synthetic by anymeans. The new formulas are not rated with the correct additives to provide an older engine the amount they need.

Do a google search or tb.com search "synthetic oils wiping cams"

Read until your hearts content. I change my oil in the TTA so often anyway, it wouldn't matter. Porsche did a huge test a few years ago proving exactly what I now believe in.

Jason
 
Jason is right. Plus, SYN oils from what I have researched leaks down on the bearings in 2 days, twice as expensive and does not provide the protection needed for our motors.

I switched to dino oil and no more issues with small specs of oil around my motor. Also, it got rid of the grayish smoke(oil) out the exhaust that I could not figure out for the life of me.
 
Quiky One said:
Notice how those aren't certified for the "high end German cars" as someone else said.
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I dunno which "high end German cars" your talking about but Mercedes and AMG recommend Mobil1 0w-40 in all of their newer gas engines (except for the SLR which uses 5w-50) and thats what my MB dealer uses. They use Mobil1 in all their diesels too. All factory fill too, but then again engines designed to use synthetic oil from the start go through a different machining process so they will wear in properly.
 
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