I'm changing brand of oil.

[insite]

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.

[darknight]

Originally Posted by insite

a lot of people seem concerned with anti-wear addititves. show me ONE boxster engine that simply wore out.

This topic is probably one of the most recurring topics of debate that seem to draw battle lines and start wars. If you religiously change the oil and filter, with a quality synthetic, every few thousand miles, then you probably don't have much to worry about as far as "wearing" out your engine.

I understand why many of us are paranoid about engine failure; however, I think that the benefits of using ONLY one or two brands of boutique oils is equivalent to splitting hairs.