After weighing the pros and cons, I decided try it.

The theoretical pros are obvious: 0 weight oil for cold weather starts plus it has good viscosity when your engine is warm. Recommended by Porsche and Audi for turbocharged cars in Europe.

The cons are mostly related to the additives required to allow a spread this large. They can burn at very high temps and will degrade with time and hard use. This is probably not an oil to go endurance racing with.

I have no sustained 140 mph travel or 10,000 mile change intervals planned, so I figured I give it a try. I put it in yesterday, along with a new Mobil 1 filter. It replaced Syntec 10w30.

Click here (https://dallnd6.dal.mobil.com/GIS/MobilPDS.nsf/26b7c4b33367a4a086256665004e4266/48949cdadd4294fc852567f3006a781c?OpenDocument) for the data sheet.

Comments: the cold start is MUCH better. I was getting all sorts of clattering and tapping when the temp was below 50 overnight. Now it starts and idles cold very nicely--like it's already warmed up. Haven't driven it hard yet, but we'll see what happens to the oil temps.

Come on up here and see what happens when it is -30F. My car starts up like a charm with Valvoline Synthetic 5W30. :D

Christian

I'm not saying that mine ever took more than one crank to fire up--just that it would run very rough for a few minutes. Valve clatter, engine noises, etc. kind of like an old Audi. ;)

Actually, I wonder what is different for people in warm climates because I hear a lot of complaints concerning start-up when it is <50F. I have never had a problem with excessive (yes, it does sound a bit rough) noises, even last winter when the thermometer was reading -34F! Ah, you gotta love the Northern Minnesota winters. It gets really fun trying to start the snowmobile when it's that cold!

Christian

When I owned a Porsche, I really wanted to use Mobile 1 0W-40, since I had read that it was the factory-fill. But it was unavailable in the US the last time I looked. Where did you buy yours?

Local Mobil wholesaler. Check Mobil's website for sources. NONE of the local retailers have it.

Oh yeah--Mercedes dealers have it too.

I work at a Porsche dealership and we now use this oil on all of our new cars. Ive been thinking about using it in my Subaru for a while now and have been collecting bottles of it. I guess if its good enough for Porsche it should be good enough for me.

Would something like a 0W30 weight have less detrimental side effects? Does someone even make a 0W30?

Christian

I've seen the 0w mobil1 at Autozone in my town, but at the one 15 miles up the road they only had like 2 quarts. Guess it's a hit or miss type thing sometimes.

Amsoil Series 2000 0w-30

Best oil you can buy, IMO.

According the the info in this document (http://www.kwakas.demon.co.uk/ixion/oil.html), Amsoil is a superior oil in all aspects, though Mobil 1 is towards the top of the pack, also.

- Steve

Amsoil is a superior oil in all aspects
C'mon now, Amsoil's happy to be mentioned in the same sentence with Mobil 1, Redline and Motul. Other than the "definitive" research data helpfully provided by Amsoil's marketing materials, there is no evidence of any kind that Amsoil outperforms any of the premium synthetic brands.

What is certain:
1) Amsoil costs a lot.
2) Amsoil is sold primarily by the annoying whining of Amway-style MLM dealers on car forums and in car clubs nationwide. Many of these hucksters try to position themselves as oil experts and present Amsoil marketing fluff as if it were irrefutable scientific proof.
3) Because of #2, you should be very skeptical of any so-called FAQ. Many of them are written by Amsoil dealers.

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but if you spend 1/2 hour searching the web for Amsoil, you'll see what I mean. I'm sure Amsoil makes fine oil. It may even win comparison tests on late night TV. But having seen the way these MLM scams work, I'll choose another brand thanks.

Now how's that for an emotional response? :lol:

I guess you didn't read the doc I linked to which I believe had nothing to do with said annoying marketers. There isn't anything hokey or ambiguous about Viscosity Index, Flash Point, Pour, %ash and %zinc.

Personally, I'm not going to let a products distirbution channels stop me from taking such facts under consideration when choosing an oil.

Anyways, to each his own - whatever gives that warm fuzzy feeling. ;)

- Steve

Not that it matters much, but I have seen how much better Amsoil flows than several popular synthetics at temps well below zero. This goes for both motor oil and snowmobile oil.

Christian

Dunno if they carry it down in the states, but up here where I am in Canada, the local Walmart carries Mobil1. Yes, sometimes they're outta stock, but that's cauz they charge $1-2 less for a 4L bottle than anywhere else!

LaterZ!
Darren!!

My Walmart carries Mobil1, only the oil though, not the filters. Also they don't have the 0 weight.

on my dad's 2001 corvette...the oil cap as "Mobil 1 synthetic" on it.....

New Benz's and Porsche's Have stickers on them I think that say to use only Mobil1

I'm sure that Corvette, MB and Porsche have a lucrative marketing deal with Mobil. It's nice that they recommend it, but I wouldn't make your decision on that alone. Mobil1 is certainly the cheapest, most available high-end synthetic around, which makes it pretty appealing to a lot of people.

Maybe in PA, but here in CT Mobil1 is the most expensive, and isn't all too easy to come by in all its varieties.

A little heads up :)

L F Powers Co Inc
Brand: Exxon, Mobil
40 South 5th Street
Waterbury, CT 06720
203-753-5555
203-596-7997

If Waterbury is too far, search Mobil's web site (look for distributors or heating oil retailers--who are usually distributors):

I got the 0w40 from my local distributor for ~$26 per 6-pack.