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Quick oil recommendations

eithkrp1

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Have 2500 miles on my 2020 ram and about to hit the road for some traveling. Wondering if should go ahead and change oil and filter and whether to switch to synthetic? And possibly the penzoil ultimate ?


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cra1g

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It's not necessary, and a case could be made that it's just a waste of money. With that said, I switched to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and a Wix 57060XP filter at 2538 miles. I'm now around 11k miles and about to change it again.
 

jdefoe0424

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Not necessary unless you want to put your preferred oil in.
I changed mine at 4k mostly knowing that it was possibly going to be the last nice-ish weekend before winter really set in. I also drive about 2k miles around Christmas seeing family so I didn't want to have to change it before it got warm again.
I put in my preferred oil, AMSOIL, and a WIX filter.

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eyeguy

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I changed out factory oil to pen u plat. at 1800 miles just a month ago. Wanted a good synthetic with a little bit of molly in for my cold winter starts. I know it probably wasnt needed but made me feel better.
 

1FastHemi

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I always change out factory OEM oils early to get all the possible contaminates out of the engine. I have been using Shell Rotella T for years and it Has Never Let me down. I change oil and filters every time. In my Pickups about every 8k miles. In my Heavy and Farm Equipment I change about every 3 to 4 month, In My Big Over the Road Trucks (18 wheelers) I change them about every 20 to 30k miles. My saying is, "Why Fix Something That Isn't Broken" and it has yet to let me down.
 

sman301

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Have 2500 miles on my 2020 ram and about to hit the road for some traveling. Wondering if should go ahead and change oil and filter and whether to switch to synthetic? And possibly the penzoil ultimate ?


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Do a change.

sman301 sman301 sman301
 

mikeru82

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I'd change it. I normally do the first oil change before 3k miles, and go with PUP oil. For your situation, you're right at the sweet spot for my first oil change, so no question I'd do a change before going on a long road trip. I'd want clean full-synthetic oil for the long duration runs the engine could see on a trip.
 

JJRamTX

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I would change it and go full synthetic. The chemical analysis that someone else has done on here shows why. There are a significant higher amount of microscopic metals and chemicals that are in the first oil. It should be changed after the first initial break in of 750-1250 miles.
 

Billy James

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I did my first oil change when the oil life was at 50%; that was around 5,000 miles. If FCA engineers thought a 1,000 mile oil change was necessary; then it would be recommended. There are a lot of different opinions of when to do the first oil change; I am just sharing mine. I still don't run the oil to 0% life; I usually take it to around 40 to 50%. My oil of choice is Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic with a MOPAR oil filter.
 

SacRebel

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I did mine at 1,500 with Mobil 1 and a 20k mile oil filter. I installed a Fumoto quick release valve at the same time.
 

The_Dude

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Changed oil at 600 miles used shell Rotella gas truck and Purolator one filter. When I dumped the oil out of the filter, had fine particles in it.

Good comparison of the Shell Rotella Gas Truck vs Mobil 1 on YouTube by project farm.
 

brian42

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If FCA engineers thought a 1,000 mile oil change was necessary; then it would be recommended.
I agree. I'm an old guy who is used to doing 5+ oil changes in the first 10K miles "back in the day" for a break-in. Those were also the days of 3K mile OCI and spark plugs lasted 15K miles or so.

From the Owner's Manual pgs. 276-277:

ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the engine and
drivetrain (transmission and axle) in your vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After
the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or
90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the
limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.
Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detrimental
and should be avoided.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil changes
should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions
under which vehicle operations will occur. For the recom-
mended viscosity and quality grades, refer to “Fluids And
Lubricants” in “Technical Specifications”.
NOTE:
A new engine may consume some oil during its first few
thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This should be
considered a normal part of the break-in and not interpreted
as a problem. Please check your oil level with the engine oil
indicator often d uring the break in period. Add oil as
required.

While not all requirements and recommendations are straight from the engineer's mouth (there's some bureaucracy that everything goes through between concept and production), it is published by FCA so it is adequate enough for use. One of those is the first oil change.

As you can read from above there some recommended driving conditions but no early oil change recommended. There are plenty of opinions in between and it's your choice on what makes you comfortable.

I planned on changing mine at 5K but ended up going to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum (PUP) 5W20 around 7K miles. So far no "ill effects" of changing it too early or too late (I'm at 26K miles now). I switched weight to PUP 5W30 at 17K miles to give it a shot (plenty of opinions floating out there about that too) since it was a heat wave. Again, no "ill effects". No codes (for incorrect weight) and change in noise (tick), performance, or hand-calculated fuel economy. Next oil change is due this month (27K miles) so switching back to PUP 5W20. If I get the "tick" I'll either bump up to 30 weight or switch to Redline otherwise I'm settling down with PUP 5W20. I've got a 7 year extended warranty and they can't argue that the oil caused the problem.

Oh yeah, I'm using the Mobil 1 M1-113A filter. Wix would be my second choice. I thought about the SRT filters but I don't know how much longer the filter is. With the skid plate and 4wd system up front there's not a lot of room to work with to start with so haven't tried that yet.

Just my .02
 
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Nails

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^^^^^^I use M1 filter for a 2011 Ram. It’s really not horrible. Twice the size then the one it calls for. Srt filter will be the same size so it will work. For the price I don’t see why not to just stay with M1. Everywhere I read not seeing where the srt shines above M1
 

brian42

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I used M1 filters for 10 years on my last truck and was happy with them which is why I defaulted to them for this one. I'm not interested in hunting down the #1 or some special-order exotics (that was my younger years). Mobil 1 filters are usually rated near the top and that's good enough for me.
 
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brian42

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I used all M1 products in my last truck (oil filter, engine/gear oil, trans fluid) for 10 years and had no issues. I switched from Mobil 1 synthetic grease to Valvoline synthetic during that time as I though the M1 was a little "watery".

Mobil 1 was my second choice for oil for this truck. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum edged it out when I made my choice. First time Pennzoil user and I'm happy so far.
 

JJRamTX

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You can't go wrong with M1 oil or filters. After seeing the chemical analysis I switched to PUP full synthetic just because it performed a little bit better.. Worth the extra $$?, that is debatable, but since I am holding on to the truck for longer than after it is paid for, I wanted the best. I use Purolator Boss filters, but the NAPA gold, Wix, RP, M1, or MOPAR are also right there in quality.
 

SpeedyV

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You can't go wrong with M1 oil or filters. After seeing the chemical analysis I switched to PUP full synthetic just because it performed a little bit better.. Worth the extra $$?, that is debatable, but since I am holding on to the truck for longer than after it is paid for, I wanted the best. I use Purolator Boss filters, but the NAPA gold, Wix, RP, M1, or MOPAR are also right there in quality.
I've been a Mobil 1 EP user for many years, but I switched to PUP to ensure FCA couldn't give me trouble about M1 not meeting the MS-6395 spec.
 

2020GraniteBH

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You can't go wrong with M1 oil or filters. After seeing the chemical analysis I switched to PUP full synthetic just because it performed a little bit better.. Worth the extra $$?, that is debatable, but since I am holding on to the truck for longer than after it is paid for, I wanted the best. I use Purolator Boss filters, but the NAPA gold, Wix, RP, M1, or MOPAR are also right there in quality.
Any issues with that Purolator Boss filter?
 

Oldphart

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I agree. I'm an old guy who is used to doing 5+ oil changes in the first 10K miles "back in the day" for a break-in. Those were also the days of 3K mile OCI and spark plugs lasted 15K miles or so.

From the Owner's Manual pgs. 276-277:

ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the engine and
drivetrain (transmission and axle) in your vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After
the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or
90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the
limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.
Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detrimental
and should be avoided.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil changes
should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions
under which vehicle operations will occur. For the recom-
mended viscosity and quality grades, refer to “Fluids And
Lubricants” in “Technical Specifications”.
NOTE:
A new engine may consume some oil during its first few
thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This should be
considered a normal part of the break-in and not interpreted
as a problem. Please check your oil level with the engine oil
indicator often d uring the break in period. Add oil as
required.

While not all requirements and recommendations are straight from the engineer's mouth (there's some bureaucracy that everything goes through between concept and production), it is published by FCA so it is adequate enough for use. One of those is the first oil change.

As you can read from above there some recommended driving conditions but no early oil change recommended. There are plenty of opinions in between and it's your choice on what makes you comfortable.

I planned on changing mine at 5K but ended up going to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum (PUP) 5W20 around 7K miles. So far no "ill effects" of changing it too early or too late (I'm at 26K miles now). I switched weight to PUP 5W30 at 17K miles to give it a shot (plenty of opinions floating out there about that too) since it was a heat wave. Again, no "ill effects". No codes (for incorrect weight) and change in noise (tick), performance, or hand-calculated fuel economy. Next oil change is due this month (27K miles) so switching back to PUP 5W20. If I get the "tick" I'll either bump up to 30 weight or switch to Redline otherwise I'm settling down with PUP 5W20. I've got a 7 year extended warranty and they can't argue that the oil caused the problem.

Oh yeah, I'm using the Mobil 1 M1-113A filter. Wix would be my second choice. I thought about the SRT filters but I don't know how much longer the filter is. With the skid plate and 4wd system up front there's not a lot of room to work with to start with so haven't tried that yet.

Just my .02
As my screen-name indicates, I also remember the old school days. My uncle had a early 60's Chrysler Imperial with the 426 wedge (I think). It required retorquing the heads after 500 miles!
 

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