Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives which oil?

i have a brand new 2009 chevrolet Z71 crew cab. 5.3 aluminum block and heads. I want to know from facts not opinion what oil and filter i should run. The last new truck i had i ran Amsoil 5-30. Never had an engine problem. I am thinking about running dino oil with 3000 intervals. Thanks Kelly

I've been using Mobile 1 for almost 20 years. Usually run 10k between changes.

I'd second the Mobil 1 recomendation. Used to have a kawasaki 900 that ran extremely hot, design flaw, and would breakdown oil as fast you put it in. Only oil that would last without turning black and sludgy was Mobil 1. Could get about 3000 miles and it still had a faint amber color. Any conventional oil I used would be completely black in less than a 1000 miles. Sold me on Mobil 1. Have used other synthetics in other bikes and cars but nothing ever burned less than Mobil 1 in any motorcycle I have owned. Its one of those things though that is so costly that I only use it when I feel it is required and my current auto gets cheaper synth oil as it doesn't run so hot and maintains a good color for the 4k I ask of it.

I've been running Mobil 1 in my vehicles for years. I run Amsoil in my ATV, and I'm considering a switch to Amsoil in my other vehicles once my stock pile of Mobil 1 is gone.

I like Amsoil a lot and I run it in several vehicles. I also run Royal Purple and Valvoline dino oil in a bracket motor. I would run the Amsoil EA filters if they fit all of my applications, but they don't. And some they do, I may have run out. My go to filter in almost all cases and I don't feel I am giving up anything is the Wix Gold. They are about as good as any, cover almost every vehicle on the planet and you can get them at the local NAPA. They even have racing filters (which you would never use on a street car).

CHEVRON OIL KICKS AZZ.

Shell Rotella T in all my diesels.

Found the Shell oil burned up too easy pulling timber.

Weird ,Weve never had problems like that around here.

Could the climate be causing this?

I ran Fram for a couple decades, then read some test results that showed they weren't as good as I thought. So I've since switched to Puralotor Pure One filters. I AM making the switch to Amsoil EA filters once I've used up my others. I've been using a K&N for the last 150K in my Tacoma, but I'm going to try Amsoil's cleanable air filter in the next month or so too. I've never had problems with the K&N's flow rate, but I've questioned whether it's really trapping enough dirt since I can see thin spots through the thing if I hold it up to the light. Sorry for the hijack......

Valvoline 5w30 full synthetic goes in my three 4wd pickups...5K-6K intervals.....lightly oiled K&N air filters...K&N oil filters....which is the cat's azz on the V6 3.4 Tacoma....the one inch welded nut makes it simple...

What does the warranty and owner's manual say?

If the Amsoil 5w-30 served you well before why change?

Mobil 1 is a great choice too and easier to find.

As to filter, Wix, Pure One, Mobil 1 or any top quality filter.

I run Mobil 1 5w-30 and Mobil 1 filters with 6000 mile oil changes in the wife's 08' tahoe which has the same motor as your new truck. Did the same in her last Tahoe for 150,000 miles and never a problem. Could propably go more than 6000 miles between changes 6000 is just easy to remember for me. BTW at 6000 miles her oil monitor still shows 45%-50% oil life.

Bill

I'm running 4K between changes, and the oil is starting to look/smell dirty by then-------by my standards anyway. I've never tried just replacing the filter and topping off the oil, but could probably save time and money by doing so.

Reminds me of the guy on the rural water association that came to my great grandma's house trying to get her on rural water. They were buddies, he did some tests in her sink on her well water, and told her that the stuff in it was going to kill her. Her reply "well its taking a damn long time isn't it?" She lived to be 102, only on rural water the last 20 years or so.

That said, I use whatever of the 'name' brands are on sale at Wally World with a Fram filter. Have 165,000 miles on my 2003 GMC, doesn't burn any oil between 3,000-4,000 mile changes. Did the same thing with my 88 Toyota that I got rid of at nearly 300,000 miles. If using the wrong oil is going to make my engine go bottoms up, its taking a damn long time.

I ran chevron 5-30 and 10-40 in my 3.0 toy truck. I changed the oil and filter at 3-4k intervals. When I pulled the heads at 140k to replace a burned valve, there was absolutely no slugdge in the heads, and the bottom end looked great.

On my current truck, I started with the chevron delo for the diesel, but read a report that the additive package on the LE delo makes it one of the worst oils. So I swapped to Mobil 1 turbo diesel, change the filter at 7.5k and top off, and change the lube at 15k. Since I have to deal with cold starts in the winter I like running the synthetic. I'm sure I could get the oil tested and extend the oil changes, but I prefer to put in fresh fluid once a year. It really isn't that expenssive to change it ~$70 for 3 gallons and the filter.

Another Mobil 1 fan here, we run it in both our rigs, an 03 Dodge Ram1500 QC and a 99 Toyota 4 Runner. WIfe has me change her oil about every 5000 miles and I did mine at about 7500 but I could have gone a little longer. I change the filter at 3500 and top it off, seems to be working great so far.

BITOG.com


end of discussion.

Wix filters continue to be rated very highly. Wix also makes the NAPA Gold filters--which are less expensive than the Wix.

I have 265K on a Chevy 350 running QS semi-synthetic--alas, it seems it's no longer available, so now I run Valvoline semi-synthetic in it.

Believe it or not, Wal-Mart Super Tech synthetic oil has done well in the few tests where it has been included in the tests. I've put it in my 2001 5.3 a couple times, but it's still a very low low milage truck.

A lot of oil loonies say to change up brands of oil from time to time because each company has different additive packages.



Casey

Don't know what that was supposed to mean.... I went to that website and it was NOTHING about motor oil.

Bill