[dukenyc]

I am the original owner of a 2006 Elise. The car isn't driven much,it has less than 10,000 miles on it. When driven, it is used aggressively and sees some HPDE events.

I have used the Mobil1 5w40 turbo diesel truck oil since my first oil change.

I saw the oil thread and I read parts of the 540rat link, and he makes the mobil1 5w30 sound better. What is the deal? I am changing my oil tomorrow.

I only drive the car in the summer, and I change it once a year, or twice if I actually put more than 1000 miles on it. I do change it after each HPDE, but I haven't done one in the last 3 years.

Should I change oils? Is the Mobil1 5w30 better than the 5w40 turbo diesel truck?

I want something that is available at local auto stores, and will protect the car. Thank you for the help.

 

[CABT]

I'm not the authority on the matter but after speaking with some of the more learned folks here I picked up several 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 Euro spec 0W 40 at wallyworld for $27 a jug. Similar to what you are using but without the diesel particulate filters. 0W-40 Synthetic Oil | Mobil 1™ 0W-40

Again. I'm not the expert just throwing in my two cents.

Cheers

 

[agirls]

I use the weight recommended by Lotus. Also, you change your oil a lot.

 

[dukenyc]

I use the weight recommended by Lotus. Also, you change your oil a lot.

Agirls, the original recommendation was for Havoline 5w40. This is unavailable in retail settings in NY. When I first purchased the car I was on the site quite a bit, and the Mobil1 5w40 came up as the bet alternative due to its similar ZInc content. The link in the oil thread indicated that the Mobil1 5w30 had better wear qualities. I was interested in what the latest thoughts were, and what other owners were using.

Nw when you say I change the oil a lot, are you being sarcastic? When I bought the car I changed it twice a year, unless tracked. Once in May when I put it on he rad, and once in October, when I put it into storage. I realized that I was changing out brand new oil each May, but reasoned that perhaps siting for 7 months might degrade the oil.

Now, after a few years of ownership, I have been jt changing it each may when I put it back on the road. I just having been driving it much, less than 1000miles a year for the last 3 years.

I still wonder whether it s safe to let the "old" oil sit in it over the winter while in storage.

Thank you both do th replies, any input is appreciated.

 

[Nessal]

I bet you the oil sat for a while before it even hits the store for you to purchase.

 

[agirls]

No, I wasn't being sarcastic, you change your oil a lot compared to the mileage driven. Oil does not degrade from sitting. It's your car though, so I'm not judging. I drive my car a heck a lot more miles than you do so I do not have the same problem.

I also have 5W40 full synthetic available locally. I usually use Castrol's 5W40 full synthetic but I have used Valvoline's, which is marked diesel. I honestly have not followed the oil thread. I have about 50,000 miles on my car and change it about every 5,000 miles and no problems.

 

[<@¿@>]

Look...it sounds like you've read the tribologist's (lubrication expert) opinion on engine oils... why are you asking a bunch of non-experts for their opinions? You've already gotten the best advice available!

 

[dukenyc]

Look...it sounds like you've read the tribologist's (lubrication expert) opinion on engine oils... why are you asking a bunch of non-experts for their opinions? You've already gotten the best advice available!

I ask because I don't know how reputable the source is, so I thought input from fellow owners would be valuable. Also, as mentioned above, I would be changing from the manufacturers specified weight.

agirls, thank you, the Castrol is also available locally. I should drive it more, but my summers seem to get full, with less and less time to drive the Lotus. I should never have gotten into boats!

 

[agirls]

Ah, I get to drive mine year round!

 

[<@¿@>]

I ask because I don't know hoe reputable the source s, so I thought input from fellow owners would be valuable. Also, as mentioned above, I would be changing from the manufacturers specified weight.

agirls, thank you, the Castrol is also available locally. I should drive it more, but my summers seem to get full, with less and less time to drive the Lotus. I should never have gotten into boats!

Do you realize that Toyota's recommended oil for the 2ZZ-GE is 5W-30?

 

[BRGreen]

Do you realize that Toyota's recommended oil for the 2ZZ-GE is 5W-30?

Great Point. I was going to say something like this. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of engines in Celica GTS and Pontiac Vibes are running perfectly with the cheapest brand of oil those owners can find.

 

[bri3d]

Great Point. I was going to say something like this. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of engines in Celica GTS and Pontiac Vibes are running perfectly with the cheapest brand of oil those owners can find.

The other 2ZZ cars cars redline substantially lower. Even more importantly they don't have oil coolers, which means their average oil temperatures are probably a good bit higher than ours. I don't think it's quite apples to apples, especially since people rarely (if ever) see wiped cams on those cars while they're rare but more frequent event on the Lotus.

The 540RAT blog gives good data and I think it does a great job proving his thesis: that zinc additive is far from the most important factor when evaluating an oil, and that zinc additive alone does not correlate with wear protection above and beyond that of other additive packages.

However, I don't think it's the end-all of oil selection because warmup behavior, detergent, additive package life, and a huge number of other factors affect an oil's real-life performance.

It's also worth noting that 540RAT tested oils at 230F and 270F, not the lower 160-180F temperatures that our cars (with the stock coolers and oil thermostat) see on the street.

I've used the 5W40 TDT oil for my last few changes but might switch to something different after reading around. The use of the TDT oil doesn't seem to have a lot of bearing (ha!) on whether or not cams get wiped, it's expensive and annoying to get here, and all the arguments I've read for its use revolve around zinc additive and nothing else.