Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > Boxster General Discussions

Post Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-07-2011, 02:22 AM   #1
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 874
Castrol oil branding / grades USA v UK

Greetings all

Having scoured the forum, it seems Castrol Syntec 10W40 would be the preferred oil for my 2.5. However, I can't find much reference to this oil in the UK it certainly does not appear on Castrol's UK website.

I also note that on the USA site, there is no longer a Syntec oil, rather there is "Castrol Edge with Syntec Power technology".

There are Castrol Edge oils in the UK - Castrol Edge and Castrol Edge Sport. But neither is available in 10W40. Closest is 0W40.

Any ideas whether this is just a branding issue / are there differences in the way oil grades are rated either side of the pond?
__________________
Manual '00 3.2 S Arctic Silver
pothole is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2011, 06:09 AM   #2
Registered User
 
Idaho Red Rocket 3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nampa, ID.
Posts: 488
From what I have been able to research, Castrol Edge is supposed to be the next generation and a step up from Syntec. A better oil. Where I live I have only been able to find "Edge" in 5-30 and 10-30 weights. Because both of my Boxsters are older (98 with 132k miles & 2K with 52k miles) I'm staying with the 10-40 weight.
Idaho Red Rocket 3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2011, 06:33 AM   #3
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 874
Thanks. May I ask what you use?
__________________
Manual '00 3.2 S Arctic Silver
pothole is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2011, 10:19 AM   #4
Registered User
 
BYprodriver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: O.C. CA
Posts: 3,709
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by pothole
Greetings all

Having scoured the forum, it seems Castrol Syntec 10W40 would be the preferred oil for my 2.5. However, I can't find much reference to this oil in the UK it certainly does not appear on Castrol's UK website.

I also note that on the USA site, there is no longer a Syntec oil, rather there is "Castrol Edge with Syntec Power technology".

There are Castrol Edge oils in the UK - Castrol Edge and Castrol Edge Sport. But neither is available in 10W40. Closest is 0W40.

Any ideas whether this is just a branding issue / are there differences in the way oil grades are rated either side of the pond?
It seems to me this is all brought on by the never ending quest for reduced emissions & increased fuel economy regardless of the impact on engine wear. In the USA it seems Castrol is seperating the new oils into emissions compliant & "specially formulated for classic cars" with the most obvious difference is removing zinc & lower viscositys for cars with cataylitic converters. I believe 10-40 is the best viscosity for 40 degree & warmer M96 engine operation. Castrol is owned by BP so maybe you could pop into their office & tell them what we want for oil along with resonably priced higher octane petrol!
BYprodriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2011, 06:30 PM   #5
Registered User
 
Steve Tinker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Queensland, Australia
Posts: 1,522
We've had Castrol Edge packaged oils here in Australia for about 4 years now - but like you guys in the UK / US there is no *W40 grade available.
I have used Castrol lubricants in my bikes and cars for over 30 years - always with good results, but since I cannot get the correct grade for my Boxster S, I have gone over to Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 oil. If its good enough for Ferrari (as they point out on the packaging) its good enough for my lowly M96 engine.....

As a point of interest, the first time I used the Shell oil (after it had been run exclusivly on Mobil 1 during the dealer warranty servicing) the oil darkened considerably after 3,000 miles of use. I changed the oil & filter again and now it hardly changes colour at all after the same 3,000-4,000 miles of service. Perhaps the Mobil 1 doesn't have the same amount cleaning agents that the Shell oil has....
__________________
2001 Boxster S (triple black). Sleeping easier with LN Engineering/Flat 6 IMS upgrade, low temp thermostat & underspeed pulley.
2001 MV Agusta F4.
Steve Tinker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2011, 05:40 AM   #6
Registered User
 
Brucelee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 8,083
M1 Euro brand (0-40) is a fine oil for your car. For that matter, any full syn Euro version would be fine.
__________________
Rich Belloff

Brucelee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2011, 06:14 AM   #7
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 874
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brucelee
M1 Euro brand (0-40) is a fine oil for your car. For that matter, any full syn Euro version would be fine.
Humm, I was thinking of trying 10w40 to see if it made the car a little quieter on cold starts. Also 0w40 seems outside of m ost of the advice I've read. 5w40 or 10w40 seem to be the two options. What do you think?
__________________
Manual '00 3.2 S Arctic Silver
pothole is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2011, 07:14 AM   #8
Registered User
 
Brucelee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 8,083
M1-Euro was factory fill for many years in the Box and 911.
__________________
Rich Belloff

Brucelee is offline   Reply With Quote
Post Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2025 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page