Lightman

Sam - good info. I can't speak with experience about mobil 1's general oils. I can speak from experience regarding Mobil Delvac 1, which is the only mobil 1 that's really being discussed here. It was always a separate, diesel-specific oil formulation, primarily marketed to OTR trucks. In any case, they have relabeled it as m1 truck and suv. I still see it as separate, and I don't think ANYONE can put together a solid argument that Delvac 1 is anything but a fantastic oil.

lucey

I am considering the synthetic route just for the shear cold temps here in Northern Alberta, -33C the other day. I like the fact the Valvoline is easy to get right from the Cummins store and they also make a 75W-90 syn gear oil. I don't think they are very cheap compared to some of the other brands but i like the convenience and the fact it was the only brand that was willing to work with Cummins to make a engine brand specific oil. Does anyone know if one of these brands will be making a Dexron or ATF +4 soon ?

JHardwick

Being from Ohio I'd have figured manufacturing job losses to have effected you at least somewhat. I'm not sure how a strictly consuming nation can survive ......... but it may, we'll just have to see how that one plays out!

Check this link, it affected me directly! I own a machine shop and supplied RCA with $400,000 a year worth of maintenance parts. Losing an account that size hurt me bad, not to mention the 800 plus people who lost their jobs! Circleville is a small town, everybody felt this ……….. From the instant water hike to the local McDonalds.

Sam Walton was “buy American” ……… that has been lost with his kids and I personally will not and have not shopped there for several years!

here is the link to the Chinese owned Walmart

Lightman

They just made the oil to meet cummins' oil specs. The other oils discussed all do too, and the valvoline doesn't have any special differences in the additive package compared to the others. Premium blue extreme is a group 3 based oil - which means it's part petroleum. The group 4 PAO/Ester based oils should give you a tad better longevity and cold weather performance yet.


-30 ? Brrr, hope you have a warm coat, because I know the factory seat heaters aren't cutting it if you have them!

Lightman

My bad - didn't mean to be insensitive and I'm definitely about buying American when I can. I run biodiesel all the time.. I was just trying to point out where the oil was available since oil was the topic at hand. Interesting article about Wal-mart. At least they still allow CCW in their stores.

JHardwick

no biggy lightman, I'm just overly sensative to importers in general.

what the article failed to mention was the other 2,000 jobs lost in the last five years from closings or cutbacks from GE, DuPont and PPG.

the old iron horse mentality that brought these plants to rural Ohio 20 years ago can't compete with $.50 and hour in China!

that being said, I still use the stuff in the blue jug and buy it from the local Central Auto & Farm ........... better known as NAPA. I've always liked Valvoline and if it's good enough for Cummins, it's good enough for me

Sam Strano

Companies follow their "plan". I highly doubt that Delvac 1 is a completely different base than the other Mobil1 products. I'm not talking additives and detergents and all that to make a oil a "diesel" oil, I'm talking about the basic oil itself. That's where you have problems with thinner oil films, and that's my one concern. I seriously doubt that considering the cost of the Delvac 1 vs. Mobil 1 or Mobil 1 SUV is the same that the base is very different at all. I'm sure the additives and detergents are, but not the base.

Comparing numbers shows that Delvac 1 and 5/30 Mobil 1 have very similar numbers. Actually the Viscosity Index of the 5/30 is *higher* than the Delvac 5/40. Pour point is the same at -45C, Flash point is different by 2 degrees C beween them. This is odd, the density of the oils @ 15C is higher with the gas 5/30, .861 vs. .854.

Honestly, unless someone blows up an engine you aren't going to hear "this oil is sucks ***, that one is great". The fact is if the oil meets spec, you likely will never have a problem with any of it in terms of the engine itself. I know that. But, the turbo is my main concern. I have confidence the engine will have no trouble being what it is and that it turns a relatively low RPM, and we really don't work it hard at all compared to what it's built to do. The turbo is where you see tremendous heat. It's where you get tremendous poundings on the oil film with the RPM's the turbine is spinning. It's where the oil will gunk up when you shut down. We've replaced lots of customer's turbo's on various things, the engines are just fine. I don't want to replace my turbo, and given what I've seen first hand, however unscientific..... I'll pass on the Mobil 1. MHO, and certainly not trying to argue. We all have our opinions.

Lightman

Delvac 1 has been typically 22-24 dollars a gallon, but is a lot cheaper I guess because they're trying to sell in bulk as truck &suv. I'm not basing my opinion on whether or not someone's engine blew up, I'm basing it on tons of oil analyses with different brands of oils, with delvac 1 consistently performing better.

Hannibal

Premium Blue is Cummins' recipe. It used to be brewed by Castrol but is now contracted with Valvoline. The Cummins B with it's sliding cam followers and other unique attributes make Premium Blue the most logical choice. But oil choice is up there with religion and politics.

hovisimo

indeed! we use premium blue exclusively in our fleet of 60 cummins N14 powered semi tractors, some of which have logged over a million miles using this oil from the day they were new. good enough for me.

that and i get it for free.

N.Johnson

Lucky enough to have a cummins shop nearby for Fleetguard filters and Valvoline Premium Blue 15w40. Just today took my 5 gal pail back for a refill
Oil, enviro charge, taxes= $59.86 Cad which is $48.77 US. Have used nothing but since new.

Muzzy

I had Delvac 1300 in mine during the break-in period and then switched over to Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme. I have been running that for about 4000 miles now. I can say that it must be lubricating better than the Delvac 1300 since it now takes about a 3rd longer for my engine to warm up that it did with the Delvac 1300.

I would have run RP 15W-40, but I like the 5W-40 better for the frigid Iowa winters. I think anyone is good to go with any oil they choose with the exception of Sludgoil(AKA Pennzoil) or Quakerdeposits(AKA Quaker State).

-Muzzy

Lightman

Muzzy, might that have something to do with WINTER?

Muzzy

Yeah, winter doesn't help much , but I last changed it in August and I noticed it then too. I only live 8 miles from my work and it's all country road, so there isn't much warm up time unless I plug in the heater.

-Muzzy