what kind of oil should i run for best performance and mpg

[2002ZR5]

what kind of oil should i run in my 2002 crew cab with the 4.3L to get the most for my money in performance and mpg what brand and what weight? thanks

[HenryJ]

Driving conditions? Terrain, frequency, mileage, traffic conditions? Include you age and "need for speed".
Modifications? Tire size, gearing, intake,exhaust, anything you have done to improve mileage or performance.
Do you do all you own service work? What is your "normal" service interval?
Budget?
How long do you plan to keep the vehicle?
How many miles are on it?

Need to have a pretty clear picture of the conditions under which it must operate.

Here is a very good read to get you started: All about motor oil

[hegel]

I am reviving this old thread because i am going to be doing my 1st oil change soon (this weekend) and want to get off on the right foot. the filler cap says 5w30 but things may have changed since the truck came out. are people running full synthetic? or is that a waste of money? how about diesel oil. when i worked at schucks people would buy delo diesel oil because it had a higher zinc content and was better for the cams. In my jetta TDi I run mobil 1 turbo diesel truck oil 5w40 full synthetic and i run intervals of 10k... have been for over 100k. soo..... what are you all running for oil.

thanks,
Steve

EDIT: when i say people buy the diesel oil because its better on the cams i am talking about people with high performance gasoline engines buying this (subaru's nissans, camaros)

[HenryJ]

For street duty I run a full synthetic and use extended change intervals. For offroading and conditions that may contaminate the oil quickly , I use Rotella 15/40. Motorcycles all get Rotella too. HenryJ gets Castrol 20/50.

Here is a very good article to read: All about oil

[ApproachMedium]

Something tells me to stay away from diesel oil in your GM truck. The VW I could see this, I have quite a few friends with TDi Jettas and playing all kinds of oil games. My S10 hated synthetic. It leaked oil before thought but was 10x worse with synthetic since its so well refined. if your truck is sound and has no leaks a good flush and switch to synth should be fine. I ran Napa Premium 5w30 in my truck pretty much from the day i got it (190k) till the day all the oil leaked out a few months ago when the cooler lines got crushed. I always added LucasOil to my changes and even with leaks, low oil/no oil etc the motor still ran fine.

[F9K9]

................For street duty I run a full synthetic and use extended change intervals. For offroading and conditions that may contaminate the oil quickly , I use Rotella 15/40.......

"Oh, this is the big one! You hear that, Elizabeth? I'm comin' to join ya, honey!"

The word synthetic grabbed me and suddenly my entire world began to fall apart.......

[HenryJ]

I ate the blue pill, but it is fake. "Synthetic" is a standard now. It does not mean it is truly synthetic base. It just has to meet those standards. My wife's car seems to handle it just fine
I am not sure if I would be running it in the S-10 if I still had it. That leak prone rear main might deter me.

[AVTekk]

Only use what weight is on the cap. If you have higher mileage, use a high mileage (HM) oil. It will have seal conditioners and additives to increase film strength when the oil is hot. Better brands will also have more anti-corrosive, acid-neutralizing, and antiwear additives.

I def wouldn't run diesel oil in a newer gas engine. We used to run it in old cars like my 62 Dodge because they had flat tappet cams and needed the extra zinc but the manufacturers removed it from the newer oils because it was messing up the sensors. Now I run regular oil with ZDDP additive.

A 4.3L is pretty old technology so it wont care as much to change the weight, altho I still wouldn't do it as the thicker oil won't flow as well when cold. If you had a newer engine with variable timing then you absolutely do not want to change the weight. The engine is using the oil as hydraulic fluid to control cam adjustments and the thicker stuff will ruin the engine. Thats why the new cars use such low weights as 0W20.

[killian96ss]

I'm using Mobil 1 synthetic in both of my S10 Blazers and my Impala SS with good results. By good results I mean no leaks, good gas mileage, and it keeps the inside of the engine very clean. I also ran Mobil 1 in my Crew Cab before I totalled it. Your climate, driving style, and driving conditions really are important when choosing oil. Right now I'm running Mobil 1 European 0W/40 in my 96 Impala and my 88 S10 Blazer because it offers great low temperature and high temperature protection plus it has the highest amount of zinc of all their oils for reduced wear. I run their 10W/30 High Mileage in my 05 ZR2 since it has 150k and a slight oil pan leak. I also use K&N oil filters on all 3 vehicles since they have one of the highest flow rates and lowest micron filtering of all the oil filters out there. They also have a 1" end nut on the end which simplifies removal and installation in tight areas. I use K&N part # 2001 an all 3 vehicles. This is the tall filter. Part # 1001 is the short filter, but I don't see any reason to use the short filter unless you have a vehicle with limited access which is not the case on any S-series I've seen. Royal Purple and Mobil 1 also make good oil filters. Stay way from anything cheap like FRAM! For normal driving you can go 10k miles with synthetic so it's easily worth the extra money. If this is your first oil change make sure you don't over tighten the oil pan drain plug which has aluminum threads. 20 ft pounds is the most I would go. You will need 4.5 quarts if you use the short filter or 4.75 to 5 quarts if you use the tall filter. Wal Mart is by far the cheapest place to buy oil and it is also much cheaper to buy the 5 quart jugs than individual quarts.

Steve

[Torskdoc]

I've been using the Walmart brand Full synth in my 02 since I got it back in '07 with 39K on it. Now 87K. But my driving has decreased drastically in the last 3 years. About 3500 miles a year about 1/3 of that towing a 18ft travel trailer. So it gets a yearly oil change with 10W-30. AC Delco PF-52 filter. It doesn't leak, or use any oil. In the 95 Jimmy I use the high Mileage Dino oil with a PF-52 also. Leaks or uses about a pint during the year. Mileage on that for the wife is about 3500 also. Being on a fixed income is a bitch sometimes, I'd rather use Valvoline or Castrol, but I can't afford it.

Agree on FRAM. The only good thing to use them for is targets for a Bravo-51 "KATE" @ 500 Yards! Or a M1911A1 @ 25 yards. They do fly quite a way with the right round hitting them. LOL

[Fv195]

I run Brad Penn full synth 5w30 in my dime, 20w50 in my air cooled vw

[Ezrollin]

I'm switched to 5-30 synthetic on my 2003 cc and my wife's 2003 Merc Marque. I changed my own oil (heard to many horror stories about oil change stations) and filter every 5000 miles and now with synthetic every 10,000 miles so it pays for itself.

[plantone]

i switched over to high mileage full synthetic too. it did find all the leaks for me that were "developing" that regular oil didnt show within about 2 oil changes as the detergents did their thing and cleaned my engine up, but i had them buttoned up earlier this year. the worst of the offenders was one of the oil filter lines. the crank case seal was also bad, and it appeared the oil pan gasket was leaking too, but that may well have been just blowback from the oil filter hoses. however since i had to drop the front end to do both of the Tcase seals, the oil pan gasket only cost me an extra $75 while the front end was out, so i had it done anyway. one of those "while you're in there" preemptive fixes since GM was awesome enough to make the oil pan gasket such a b!tch to replace.

at 190K and counting, i'm leak free on full synthetic 5w30 and loving the 6k oil changes. its also easy to remember my tire rotations since i go from the oil change shop right to the tire place down the road to get them done by going this route.

my cost per mile on full synthetic vs doing high mileage syn-blend actually went down about $0.005 per/mile so it was a total no brainer - epecially once i got the leaks all buttoned up.

[ApproachMedium]

Lucky you. At 190k when I bought my crew it leaked from every place possible. I am glad I am rid of that engine but the V8 leaks oil from the front end, i think the timing cover. I cant win.

[plantone]

i put the synthetic in at about 152k, found all the leaks by 160 or so and had them patched @ 165k.

i'm at 191,600 right now and nary a drip and not burning any. when i pull the oil at 6k interval the dipstick is right where she started when i put the oil in new. its a beautiful thing. still getting mid 19's on summer blend and low 18's on winter blend for highway

[Torskdoc]

I'm finding it harder and harder to find 10W30 @ walmart but if I look hard enough and ask one of the Brain Dead Minions I might be able to get some at the 1st of 3 within 7 miles of the house. On another tack my clotting times are all whacked out due to the Aspirin and Plavix I've been on for the last 25 years, and I suspect that one or more of the Big 3 are eyeing my blood to use as a -20W-0 lube for some of those exotic domestic turbo'ed 4 bangers that couldn't get out of their own way in a Go-Kart without a 4 shot nitrous plant. I'm keeping mine as long as i live or some Smart Phone addict broadsides me. It's getting worse and I don't see or hear of anyone getting pulled over in Md. even tho it's a primary offense.