It's finally here! Mobil has relabeled their flagship diesel oil , Delvac 1 5w40 and is selling it much more widely. While this is no fresh news to some, some may not be aware. Delvac 1 is a group 4, full PAO/Ester based synthetic, and just about the ultimate oil(debateble, but clearly in the top few choices in synthetics) for our trucks. Anyway I finally found it at my local WalMart yesterday. It's called Mobil 1 Truck & SUV - 5w40 of course. Many of us have called mobil to ask, and they have confirmed that Truck and SUV's identical specs to delvac 1 are no coincidence, it's the same product. They wont tell you that over email but if you get them on the phone they will tell ya.

$4.77 a quart, worked out to be about 20 bux a gallon after tax, which is cheaper than anywhere I've seen d1. The manager is looking into ordering the 5 quart jugs, which should even be a tad cheaper.

Just FYI ppl!

 

In most real world tests I have seen the Delvac 1 IS tops.

If you plan on keeping your rig a long time...you would be money ahead to run Delvac 1 at that price.


The guys who lease and turn them in every few years. Use the cheap stuff and save the money.

 

I'm coming to the realization that not all Wal-Marts are created equal. The store in my "hick" town in rural Taxachusetts has no plans to carry it.

 

send a quick message to the district manager, store managers are not high enough to do anything from my experiance

 

Have tested Delvac I many times (using acid & heat) to simluate many miles of heavy usage. It is a top quality synthetic oil. At $19.08 a gallon its competitive but would expect better from W-Mart.

Lightman - are you sure it is group 5 (Ester) as well as PAO? This is new for Delvac I and would surprise me a little. Unless you have this info confirmed, I will see if my local Walmart has it and run it through a spectrometer.

From what I know of Ester baseoil - it has value to racers but is really overkill (and expensive) and unnecessary in a street oil, even for big rigs and a bombed CTD. My understanding is esters offer protection against very high heat but really do nothing to extend life of a street oil past what a PAO can do. I not an ester expert; anyone know differently?

Also not wild about the number spread...from 5 to 40 viscosity. The wider the spread the more polymer (viscosity modifiers) needed, which cuts into amounts of other additives. This wide spread has never been proven to be harmful, as far as I know, but just always made sense to me to keep the numbers within 20 to 25 spread; ie. 10w-30, or 15w-40.

Still nice to know Delvac I is becoming more available in something less than a 55g drum.

Rowland

 

Local Mobil dealer told me last week that the stuff they're selling at Wally World under "truck & SUV" label has the same base stock but a different package of additives than Mobil 1 Delvac. Showed me a fax from Mobil that indicated that. So it's not exactly the same oil, apparently.

(not claiming anything, just reporting what I've heard/seen)

 

my local wally worlds only have the delvac1 right now and it sits at $34.99 for a 4 liter jug. now if they drop that down in price to the same range as the rest of their mobil1 stuff [from $20.00/4liters on sale to $26.99/4 liters reg.] that will be great

[all canadian funds here]

 

my mom's been buying devlac 1 5w40 for here VW tdi at walmart since she bought it in 97

 

I believe your local mobil dealer is incorrect. Straight from the tech dept at mobil they told me it's delvac 1, unchanged, and relabeled. The specs are all identical. Most likely he's trying to figure any way he can to still sell delvac 1, because he's about to lose all of his business as soon as the truck/suv gets more widespread. Several people, about 10 or more, have also contacted mobil and confirmed separately that it is in fact d1.

RJohnson - it's a group FOUR PAO/Ester base. As opposed to common 'synthetics' which have a group 3 hydrocracked petroleum base. I am 100% positive D1 is a full PAO/Ester base, don't bother testing it. I also understand your point about possibly being overkill, however the reason they use them in oils like D1 is for extended drain capabilities. It holds its quality for a longer period of time than the conventionally based oils.

D1 is great stuff. Luckily folks in Canada have it available at their walmarts.

Don't get down on your walmart etc if they dont have truck/suv oil yet. I called 8 and only one had even heard of it. It's just finally making its way to stores. I called the local advance auto parts , and they said they'd just received a letter saying they'd get it in the next week or so. They price it at $4.28 a quart!!

 

Not to be argumentative - but I would like for all of us to be clear and on the same page!
Group 4 Base Oils are PAO (PolyAlpaOlifn)
Group 5 Base Oils are Esters
Group 3 = What you call "common synthetics" and are formally known as Clear or Unconventional base oil. It is cleaned up petroleum base oil that is less expensive and nearly as strong as PAO but with slightly lower flash points (400* instead of 430*) and slightly higher Pour Points (-30* instead of -40*).
My lack of comfort with Mobil has to do with their recent attempts to push their Tri Synthetic base oil, which I believe is combination of Groups 3,4 & 5. The problem is they do not disclose the percentage of each. Racers have been complaining for 2-3 yrs that Mobil I, for example doesn't hold up like it use to (when it was all PAO).
I looked at the Mobil Tech Data Sheet and the MSDS sheet on Delvac 1 oil and it shows small amt of Ester - which would be understandable in a street oil and is not a negative, just because they don't use much.
It lists no PAO -which may or may not mean anything - as all oil companys work hard to not make full disclosure and thereby protect formulas.

Would just like to be sure, even though I know it's an excellent oil.
Rowland

 

I have seen virgin oil analysis of both Delvac 1 and the Truck and SUV, and while there is a difference in the add pack, it's so minute, that it's nothing to squabble about.

I do believe, most true group 4 PAO synthetics always combine a certain small amount of group 5 esters into their formulations. True, the PAO basestock is less expensive to produce than the esters. When Amsoil synthetic lubes were group 5 based, they used to bash Mobil 1 for using PAO's. They claimed their oil was the only "true" synthetic! Oh well, the shoe's on the other foot now.

The local Fleet Farm store sells the Truck and SUV 5W-40 for $4.59 a quart.

Wide multi-viscosity point spreads are only a problem with petroleum baseds oils, and I think you'll only find synthetics available with these type of grades.

 

A quart of oil is still only 32 ounces! Whether it's a synthetic or a petroluem base oil - you still have to add more Polymer to spread out the viscosity #'s. If you add more Polymer, you have less room for either base oil or additives. How much less; I know it takes 50-60% more polymer to make a 5w-50 than a 15w-50 oil.

When was Amsoil an Ester (group 5) based synthetic? I remember now - way back in the 70's?

Rowland

 

I guess if you call $36+ a gallon lucky....

 

Dr evil, thats canadien dollars, not US, don't try to make it sound so extreme!

Rjohnson we are on the same page, I didn't really want to get into too many specifics, since most people place the most importance on the distinguishign between group 3 'synthetics' and group 4/5's. D1 is a blend of 4 and 5, the real point I was making is that its not the same thing as a group 3 like rotella synthetic.

RM - I'd be willing to bet the differences you saw in the virgin spectrographic analysis were variances in testing methods or batches. Think about it, why would mobil go and create a whole new additive package for Truck/Suv when they just spent millions reformulating D1 to be CI-4 certified a year or two ago? It was rated for both gas and diesel then. Did I mention that I spoke with the techs at mobil headquarters and they told me that it's relabeled d1? LOL.

 

yes it is Canadian $'s - not trying to make anything sound extreme. In all fairness, I make Canadian money.....and to me its $36 a gallon....which means that it costs $115.56 (with tax) just for oil !!!! Id LOVE to use it but I definitely can't justify that kind cost when I can get Delo syn for way less than half of that price.