Anyone have any good info or comparison between the 2?

I've been running the Valvoline Premium Blue in 15w40 for a few years now and it works pretty good for me. However, I'd like a better flowing oil in the cold months so I'm considering switching to synthetic. The Rotella is $9/gal cheaper but the info I can find on it isn't real clear and most of it is related to gassers and bikes.

 

Mark,

It is more expensive, I run amsoil. You can hear the difference at start up. Even when plugged in. Cold flow point of synthetics is quite a bit lower. I run a dual bypass and based on oil analysis I have longer change intervals. so the cost kinda works itself out. Even if I didn't get longer change intervals I consider it cheap insurance, especially where it gets REALLY cold. course you don't know anything about that up there in balmy AK!!!

 

I run the Rotella in my truck.
Took out grid heater 3 years
ago, winter goes down to -0
never had trouble starting.

 

I use to use amsoil, but have found that the rotella 5-40 is just as good and a better bang for the buck, wallmart $18 bucks, I use it all year round now, I change it every 10k miles so my oil tests were good on both.

 

The local Cummins shop here sells Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme 5W40 synthetic for $24 a gallon. Is that the oil you're referring to, or is it something different?

 

That's what I was wondering about. Last oil sample I had done on mine was a 13K on the Valvoline 15w40 dino stuff and it was still good. I was hoping for similar out of the T6.

 

Yep, that's the stuff. $28/gal up here....... I really liked the regular premium blue stuff that's why I figured on using the synthetic version but $$$$ is tight as always which is why the T6 caught my eye.

 

Rotella T6 and Mobil 1 TDT are easy to find at Walmart and are both priced reasonably, unlike Amsoil, Redline and RP. Schaeffer 9000 5W40 is also around $25 a gallon, but can be difficult to find. I ordered 6 gallons at once and picked it up at the shop that ordered it and avoided any shipping charges.

 

Go with the Rotella 5-40. You will save money and it will perform as good as the more expensive Valvoline.

 

I run the Rotella T6 in my 6.0 since doing the first oil change at 5000 miles. I never plug the truck in. The 6.0 uses HPOP for the injectors. 15W-40 gets a bit thick in the winter and the truck does the romp-romp. With the T6 no problems and can get it at Wally World. Keith

 

Run the T6, been running it for 4 years, don't run the engine heater til it gets -10F, runs cooler in the summertime also.

 

if you have 290k on your rig and use Amsoil for the first time, you WILL find any oil leaks that were hiding before. I liked it; it flowed better and started easier, but the leaks made me pout!...

 

Another vote for the Rotella 5w-40. Best synthetic bang for the buck.

 

What about the lowering of ZDDP in oils? I know that has happened on the Rotella from talking with one of their engineers. it happened largely due to the oil being markedted as a "universal oil", meaning it can also be used in gasser autos.

 

how come when i run rosmella i can smell it in the truck--bad. but if a run delvac i never smell it in my truck. i like the idea of running syn for winter for easy starts vs plug in