I'm changing brand of oil.
 

Well........I know this topic has been beaten to death but I'm changing the brand of oil that has been used in the Boxster (1998, 2.5, 5 speed, 27k miles). I have always been a Mobil 1 fan (use it in my truck and the wifes Charger) but after doing a lot of searching and reading of past posts on this site, I think it's time to try Castrol Edge (Syntec Technology). I have read many posts by JFP in PA and he highly recommends the Castrol 0W 40. He seems to have a huge amount of info on how different oils perform in the Boxster engine. I decided to go with the 5W 50 weight just because it is the weight recommended in my manual.

I'm wondering if there will be that much difference in 0W 40 vs. 5W 50. My thinking was the 5 would give a little more adhesion to engine parts at start up and the 50 would give a little more protection against oil breakdown at the higher temps Boxsters are known for. I'm probably putting way to much thought into this :D.

I live in Southern Indiana with temps averaging between 25-95 degrees. I change my oil only once a year due to low milage (2800-3500 miles per year). I'm curious what the oil gurus think of my oil selection.

I, personally, would stick with the 40 weight. We need to do what we are comfortable with and the oil change interval is more important than the specific oil brand, provided you stick with a quality brand, preferably with a fair amount of Zn and P.

Mobil 1 0w40 European formula has good amounts of both and should not pose a problem, especially when changed often (3,000 ish miles).

while you're stirring up the pot....Excellence Magazine's technical contributor recently recommended Motul 8100 X-MAX or a boutique brand like Redline. The higher the ZDDP the better and by what I was reading into their recommendation "mass market" oils spend more on advertising than they do additives. Castrol seem to get only a passing grade where Mobil 1 was a not too subtle D.

I did a lot of research an am no scientist... Changed to 0w-40 Mobil 1 last week... From what I have read , I am sticking with it and will change oil every 6 months, which for me will be ~2500 miles.

Pup

I don't usually like making waves, but I will "stir the pot" and call BS.

It is no secret that Porsche made some poor decisions when they designed the water cooled motor resulting in some reliability issues. It is all too easy to prey on this fear, given the potential consequences, blame the oil as a main contributing factor, and suggest an alternative that will prolong the life of the motor, while lining the pockets of the person selling, or suggesting the alternative.

""Mass market" oil spend more on advertising than they do on additives." It is easy to search for and find (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf) the Zn and P levels of Mobil 1 0w-40 (1100 PPM Zn, 1000PPM P) but I am having difficulty finding these respective numbers for other brands of oil, including boutique oils such as Motul.

My 1999 Audi A8 (flat-tappet, all-alluminum, 32-valve, V8 engine, that is as hot running as most any modern Porsche motor) has had a steady diet of Mobil 1, does not consume oil between its 7500 mile oil change interval and is just shy of 250,000 miles. I just replaced valve cover gaskets at 248,227 miles and was happy with how clean the top of the heads appear, with the absence of sludge and coking. I also use it in my 2006 Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter turbo diesel, 184,000 miles, at the recommended 10,000 mile intervals. My work truck gets pounded as hard as my Box and the A8 and none of my three rides have ever given me a hint of engine problems.

I'm not trying to start a war here; but I just don't buy into the common hate against Mobil 1. I would like to see actual numbers, such as ZN and P levels, that would suggest that Mobil 1 is inferior to others. Until then, I will keep using the 5-quart Wal Mart specialty.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1367425026.jpg

Wesson. You will smell like a salad...

I would really like to hear an opinion from JFP in PA. In previous posts, he seemed to have extensive knowledge on the subject and have quite a bit of oil analysis on multiple Boxers that backed the Castrol being superior to Mobil 1. I would also like to know how he feels about the Castrol in the 5W 50 weight.

A lot of Boxster owners complain about start up noise (I do not have that problem). One of the reasons I stayed with the 5W instead of 0 is due to my belief that the thicker oil at start up may be adhering to the engine parts better. Just a thought.

From what I could gather reading previous posts JFP in PA works at a shop that keeps track of the oil changes and the results of the oil analysis after the change.

Excellence Magazine's technical conributor Tony Callas (who posted in this forum) indicated that you should be at least 1,250 PPM, peferably at 1,350 PPM. I guess Mobil 1 is not in that ballpark. This recommendation was based on their complaint that they are seeing an abundance of valvetrain damage presumably from the bulk of its customers who used the factory fill Mobil1 at those interesting interval recommendations.

I use Mobil 1 10w40 (as I don't need a 0w for cold) and use a ZDDP additive. Last change was a 50/50 mix of Mobil 1 10w40 and Mobil 1 Racing 4T (motorcycle) 10w40.

Personal preference. May look at other options as well.

In 7 driving seasons, and +51,000 miles and Blackstone UOA's, I've had great results with Red Line 5W40 and Mobil 5W50.

I just switched to Joe Gibbs DT40 5W40. I'll have an UOA on that oil in a couple months. Car is still in winter hibernation. Will be out in a couple weeks.

As a disclosure, I have not read the article on Tony's oil suggestions. I did find it interesting though when I Googled "Tony Callas oil suggestions," I found his website (Callas Rennsport) and he has a big Mobil 1 graphic under the heading "featured products." Why is this a featured product if this brand leads to an abundance of valve train damage?

The factory oil change interval is probably the bigger factor. I'd like to know how the 1,250-1,350 PPM number was chosen and what the levels are in the Redline and Motul brands, that were suggested earlier.

I guess if the 150-250 PPM shortage of Zn was the sticking point, one could always add ZDDP. Again, it boils down to doing your homework and then making the decision you are comfortable with.

I don't think Excellence/Callas were indicting all Mobil1 products. Just this particular formulation which is probably the most widely used for this car. And it really wasn't so much an article as a Boxster owner writing in to Excellence about his plans to switch from Mobil1, which he changed well below the factory recommended interval, to Castrol, as well as the weight in part because he was in very hot weather climate. The answer, surprisingly (for a magazine like Excellence that needs to maintain a good relationship with Porsche) praised his decision to get off Porsche's preffered oil for the Boxster and likewise his decision to have kept Mobil1 in for only short stints.
I thought it was pretty ballsy to make the case that in their opinion Mobil1 0-40 is not passing long term muster.
Also, Castrol Edge which apparently just meets the ZDDP recommendation of Excellence/Callas can be picked up for $5 per quart at stores like Autozone during regular sales.
So what $50 plus a $20 filter and you're done? Why go out of your way to add the recommended level of an important additive that is already provided a reasonable cost with the Castrol product? Are you really saving all that much money by buying a jug of M1 at Wal-Mart only to then go tinkering with your oil to find the precisely correct quantity of ZDDP?

I suggest reading all ten chapters of the Oil University. Then re-visit which oil to use.

Motor Oil 101 - Bob is the Oil Guy

Here is another really good read. LN Emgineering has been doing motor long enough that well you know.
https://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html#Z4

Guys (and Gals), we are lucky enough to have one of the smartest Porsche Boxster experts tell us to use Joe Gibbs DT 40 5W40. And made it available to us retail.

Hello!

Enough said.

Thanks Flat 6 Innovations.

You don't need to know everything, just people who do.

FWIW my mechanic uses ELF 5-40 synthetic. Hard to find but he swears by it.

a lot of people seem concerned with anti-wear addititves. show me ONE boxster engine that simply wore out. i think they are few. far more often, substantial & catastrophic damage occurs that is more likely the result of viscous breakdown at high temperature. IMO, this is a direct result of low 'W' weight base stock that is used to improve fuel mileage.

0W and 5W oils use light base stock. additives are used to thicken it at higher temps. OEM's choose these because they help the manufacturer achieve CARB standards for fuel mileage.

my vote is, and always has been, to go with a thicker base stock & worry less about startup wear. FYI, racing motor oils tend to be single viscosity, heavier weight oils. there is a good reason for this.

i use castrol 20W-50. if my car didn't see the track, i'd probably use 10W-40. ZDDP is a bonus, but i think thicker oil = longer engine life for us.

I'm sure JFP gets tired of repeating himself so much, why not search what he has posted on this & many other topics.
JFP recommends Castrol Edge 5w-40 (formerly known as Syntec)
Due to JFP & LN this was my oil choice until Jake Raby introduced DT-40 by Joe Gibbs. Ironically DT-40 only comes in 5w-40.

Not 100% correct. There is also a Joe Gibbs DT50 15W50. Good for the air-cooled Porsches.

If you read carefully you will see that not only is my statement 100% percent correct, but yours is irrelevant to this 986 thread.