Out of curiosity.. has anyone ever asked the dealer what kind of oil they put into their EVO X when going in for a change? I'm wondering how often lazy/uninformed parts guys are handing 10w30 out to the lube guys instead of the prescribed 5w30..

 

I use 10W30 Mobil fully synthetic

 

But you don't drive an X, do you?

 

Actually I drive both.. X MR and an EVO IX....

 

haha, nice profile edit! I'm sure 10w30 in the X isn't really a big deal..

Maybe someone ought to do a dyno test comparo?

 

^^^ I am guessing you drive an MR2 only ^^^ lol

 

I own MR2s, but I drive EVOs during the day at work.

 

I don't go to the dealer, but I use Mobil 1 5W-30 fully synthetic. Will be making the switch to AMSOIL 5W-30 for my next oil change.

 

Good question. The overhead dispenser is usually 5w30 but it's petroleum, not synthetic. So you have to get 5 qts synth from the parts dept. So yes the tech does need half a brain otherwise you get the wrong oil, believe me it happens. Your mind gets on cruise control and you just grab the overhead by mistake, then if your unscrupulous you don't take the time to correct the mistake because it doesn't really show. It pays to watch them change it if possible, otherwise you can get jacked.

synth ONLY in EVO's

 

what about the new 0w-30 AMSoil?

 

Mobil 1 5W-30 Synthetic

 

Eneos 5W40 Synthetic

 

Amsoil SSO 0W30 is one of the best oils on the market, second only to the RD 5W20. I am amazed at some of the comments by people on here regarding oil weight concerns. Some of you people don't seem to realize that a 0W30, 5W30, and a 10W30 ARE ALL THE SAME WEIGHT. Since most of you don't understand how to read oil ratings, hopefully this will help. The first number is the weight at cold start up, the second is at operating temperature. Once the engine is warmed up, THEY ARE ALL 30 WEIGHT OILS. As far as the RD 5W20 is concerned, and why I recommended it; it is almost the same weight as the SSO 0W30 and offers even better protection, thanks to the uber high amounts of ZDDP. For those that do not know, oil weights are all based on a centistoke scale, and the SSO barely makes a 30 weight oil, while the RD 5W20 is on the high side for a 20 weight, so they are almost the same weight oil. The difference is literally about a tenth of a point.

In any case, the thing that most people don't realize is that the weight of the oil isn't as important as the film strength, as this is what really provides the protection that the engine needs. This is dependant on the quality of the basestocks and additive packages used in the particular oil in question. For example, a high quality 20 weight oil with a good film strength will outperform and provide more protection than a mediocre quality 40-50 weight oil any day of the week. All these guys that are running 50 weight oils in their evos thinking that it's necessary because they live in a hot climate or because they are making a little extra power over stock are ********; they are losing power and gaining NO protection over a high quality lighter weight oil. In any case, run whatever you want to run.

At the end of the day, everyone has different preferences and I am only making recommendations based on my experience. For those that are interested though, I am currently running the SSO (soon to be RD 5W20), and my X made more power than any other similarly modded X on my shops dyno by about 10 whp, and in my last oil analysis test, has lower wear metals and better TBN ratings than mobile one scores from other evom members' test results. The proof is in the pudding .

 

If you're in a warmer climate like Cali, 10W30 is fine. If you're in a temperate/colder climate stick with the factory 5W30. And stick with Mobil.

 

Good post, some stuff I didn't know there. I'll just add that cold weight is also important because that's when most wear occurs.

Typically manufactures require a thinner cold weight because they are clearancing engines tighter. And typically racing engines go a little looser on some cold clearances so you can use thicker cold.