Oil Preference?

[dutchman187]

I still dont understand the difference between the Pennzoil Platinum and the ultra platinum...

Honestly, probably a very small difference if any. It won't likely make much of a difference for most of us, as we don't push the mileage between oil changes. But for what it is worth, I believe the PUP touts slightly better cleaning abilities and better friction reduction. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/pennzoil-q-a/

 

[Aseras]

I predominantly stay in FL, and it gots HOT in the summer. I usually run the recommended viscosity in the cool November-March and I run a thicker viscosity May through October.

If the rec is 5w20 I may run 5w40 or 10w40 in the summer especially in my vehicles that run hot. In my old RX8 I ran premix and 20w50 in the summer and it made the car so happy on the 95F+ days. spec 5w20 would turn to water and the engine would stall from excessive oil being injected.

Some of the new cars need the 5 or 0 weight oils to meet emissions or fill tiny poorly overly engineered parts in engines that rely far to much on not enough lubrication in those critical areas. AFAI care that's a design fault. There's NO need for a 0 weight oil when ambient never drops below 60.

I think a lot of the new not synthetic "synthetic" oils that are extreme multiweights are great but I have yet to see a 0w40 perform as well across all temperatures and have longevity, they crap out as soon as the additives are gone.

 

[PowerJrod]

Honestly, probably a very small difference if any. It won't likely make much of a difference for most of us, as we don't push the mileage between oil changes. But for what it is worth, I believe the PUP touts slightly better cleaning abilities and better friction reduction. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/pennzoil-q-a/

Right, I'm sure the cost difference is there too lol.

 

[PowerJrod]

I predominantly stay in FL, and it gots HOT in the summer. I usually run the recommended viscosity in the cool November-March and I run a thicker viscosity May through October.

If the rec is 5w20 I may run 5w40 or 10w40 in the summer especially in my vehicles that run hot. In my old RX8 I ran premix and 20w50 in the summer and it made the car so happy on the 95F+ days. spec 5w20 would turn to water and the engine would stall from excessive oil being injected.

Some of the new cars need the 5 or 0 weight oils to meet emissions or fill tiny poorly overly engineered parts in engines that rely far to much on not enough lubrication in those critical areas. AFAI care that's a design fault. There's NO need for a 0 weight oil when ambient never drops below 60.

I think a lot of the new not synthetic "synthetic" oils that are extreme multiweights are great but I have yet to see a 0w40 perform as well across all temperatures and have longevity, they crap out as soon as the additives are gone.

0w40 is normally used in turbo gas engines. But I've been thinking about doing what you mention...maybe a 5w30 in the summer. I'm in Vegas so hot summers here are an understatement lol.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I still dont understand the difference between the Pennzoil Platinum and the ultra platinum...

The Ultra has slightly higher ZDDP and detergent levels than the Platinum. I'm surprised the Ultra is still even around, it really doesn't provide much benefit over the Platinum for the additional cost, and it's a little harder to find. Also the 0W-20 Ultra hasn't been updated to the new SP/GF-6 on their product data sheet for some reason, it may be an oversight on whoever is responsible for updating the PDS or it wasn't tested.

I think Pennzoil is sort of stuck with an unnecessary product in the Platinum line with the Ultra.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I predominantly stay in FL, and it gots HOT in the summer. I usually run the recommended viscosity in the cool November-March and I run a thicker viscosity May through October.

If the rec is 5w20 I may run 5w40 or 10w40 in the summer especially in my vehicles that run hot. In my old RX8 I ran premix and 20w50 in the summer and it made the car so happy on the 95F+ days. spec 5w20 would turn to water and the engine would stall from excessive oil being injected.

Some of the new cars need the 5 or 0 weight oils to meet emissions or fill tiny poorly overly engineered parts in engines that rely far to much on not enough lubrication in those critical areas. AFAI care that's a design fault. There's NO need for a 0 weight oil when ambient never drops below 60.

I think a lot of the new not synthetic "synthetic" oils that are extreme multiweights are great but I have yet to see a 0w40 perform as well across all temperatures and have longevity, they crap out as soon as the additives are gone.

The viscosity of 0W and 5W oils are virtually identical until the ambient temperature is in the -25F range, and even then the 0W is only slightly less thick than the 5W. 0W-40 oils are proving to be some of the best oils being made. There's a reason Chevrolet switched to Mobil 1 0W-40 as the factory fill in the Corvette engine after years of using M1 5W-30, and also why it's the factory fill in the SRT engines. It also meets some very demanding Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and other manufacturers specs. Those engines demand an extremely good oil.

 

[silver billet]

Royal purple and redline are for when you beat on your engine (lots of towing, hauling or racing, or all 3 combined). I'm currently using Pennzoil Platinum but going back to Mobile 1 next oil change with a tough guard FRAM filter. Don't bother with those fancy oils or oil filters. Just get a good synthetic oil and a decent filter ... You'll be all set. Oh and get the correct oil viscosity that is recommended in the manual...not what's recommended by some YouTube or thread nerd.

0w40 is normally used in turbo gas engines. But I've been thinking about doing what you mention...maybe a 5w30 in the summer. I'm in Vegas so hot summers here are an understatement lol.

Uhm, are you schizophrenic? Just riding you man, you're welcome to change your mind.

 

[PowerJrod]

Uhm, are you schizophrenic? Just riding you man, you're welcome to change your mind.

Hehe I'd never recommend to someone else to use a different viscosity than what it says in the manual...but for me... I'd consider trying it....just not while still under warranty lol

 

[Ortiz7983]

I still dont understand the difference between the Pennzoil Platinum and the ultra platinum...

Google is your friend. Extreme performance is the only difference. Now how much more this oil has to handle extreme performance, I don’t know. I have a heavy foot and hot temperatures in Houston. I don’t mind paying more for it.

 

[PowerJrod]

Google is your friend. Extreme performance is the only difference. Now how much more this oil has to handle extreme performance, I don’t know. I have a heavy foot and hot temperatures in Houston. I don’t mind paying more for it.

Eh looks like it's rated to handle the same temperatures as the platinum so not worth it to me paying extra for. Maybe if I had an SRT or a supercharger in my Ram

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Extreme performance is marketing fluff. How do you define and measure extreme performance as opposed to regular old every day normal performance?

 

[silver billet]

Extreme performance is marketing fluff. How do you define and measure extreme performance as opposed to regular old every day normal performance?

Agreed that that phrase has lots of wiggle room; to me, it would imply lots of towing or racing.

 

[Wsmith]

I will use any name brand full synthetic, there all good. I use Amsoil in my Harley, just because I have a friend thats a dealer.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

I spend the extra for Amsoil currently. As much as I pay for my vehicles, I'll pay a bit more for my oil for the peace of mind, especially with all the tests I've seen backing up the quality of Amsoil.

However, when Amazon's price on it dips to $5 a quart for Pennzoil Ultra Platinum (about half of Amsoil), I've very tempted. Its so close to Amsoil in testing.

If you change oil every 5k-ish or some other lower interval like I used too, you could probably stick with a house-brand full synthetic or Pennzoil Platinum. Costco recently rolled out a Kirkland brand motor oil that is basically the same as the other house brand synthetics @ roughly $3 a quart (2x 5 quart jugs), and when it goes on sale every other or every 3rd month, it dips down even further.

 

[PowerJrod]

Has anyone tried the Amazon basics full synthetic yet? ...not that I ever would lol.

 

[Timeless]

Has anyone tried the Amazon basics full synthetic yet? ...not that I ever would lol.

Not like it is made by Amazon...should be perfectly fine for normal use.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Amazon Basics oil is made by Warren Distribution, the largest producer of private label oils in North America and has been in business since 1922. It has passed all of the API and ILSAC tests, as well as GM's Dexos 1 generation 2 tests that are very tough. Any oil that is licensed by the API, ILSAC and meets the GM Dexos standard is a quality product that will provide excellent protection. The only thing that matters is the certifications the oil has, not the company name on the label.

 

[WXman]

Slightly different question than the "When" are you doing your first oil change thread. Regardless of when, what type of oil are you putting into it? I know the manual says: We recommend you use API Certified SAE 5W-20 Engine Oil, meeting the requirements of FCA Material Standard MS-6395 such as Mopar, Pennzoil, and Shell Helix. Refer to your engine oil filler cap for correct SAE grade.

I've never had a truck before so I was curious as to people's preferences. I'm well aware that this is a highly opinionated area, but I'm just curious as to some good options. I've never liked Pennzoil in any of my vehicles, but maybe the PUP is different for the RAM? Also, I freely admit that my opinion on Pennz is likely dated and based on info no longer applicable to this generation of oils. Bobistheoilguy seems to like Pennzoil and then Mobile1. It seems like people like the Pennz PUP a great deal on the Ram, but I also read it "shears" down quicker.. Other popular choices seem to be Redline, Amsoil, Mobil1, and Royal Purple.

There is another ram forum with over 2,600 pages on just synthetic oil. I read a few hundred and I'm pretty exhausted, lol. I'm leaning towards either Redline or Royal Purple.

Oil is like tires. It's hard to find a "bad" one these days. The Supertech synthetic at Walmart is made by Warren Distribution, and in testing it's been shown to perform just as well as Mobil 1 or some of the luxury oils. Plus, Supertech is $14.88 for a 5-quart jug. Why wouldn't a guy just use that?? I do.

One thing I don't do is stick with the watery viscosity that was spec'd soley for FCA profits. EPA cycle testing and CAFE rules are causing these 0W20 and 0W16 oils to become more and more common, and oil analysis testing has shown me that 5W30 and 5W40 oils still protect better with less wear metals in the oil.

 

[AmericanRebelution]

Oil is like tires. It's hard to find a "bad" one these days. The Supertech synthetic at Walmart is made by Warren Distribution, and in testing it's been shown to perform just as well as Mobil 1 or some of the luxury oils. Plus, Supertech is $14.88 for a 5-quart jug. Why wouldn't a guy just use that?? I do.

One thing I don't do is stick with the watery viscosity that was spec'd soley for FCA profits. EPA cycle testing and CAFE rules are causing these 0W20 and 0W16 oils to become more and more common, and oil analysis testing has shown me that 5W30 and 5W40 oils still protect better with less wear metals in the oil.

Could you please link an oil analysis test with a 5th gen RAM that shows better protection with 5W30 and 5W40?

 

[PowerJrod]

Could you please link an oil analysis test with a 5th gen RAM that shows better protection with 5W30 and 5W40?

+1 for that.
Also link for oil analysis that shows Supertech being even close to Mobile 1 please.