What oil and filter do you guys all run?

For whatever reason, I like to browse the BobIsTheOilGuy forums when I'm bored, and it got me to thinking, what oil and filter do all you guys use in your wagons?

When I turn 16 and buy my wagon I'm going to do all my oil changes myself so I can learn about the engine and plus after reading all the horror stories I'm never going to one of those quick-lube places, and I'm not paying the price a dealership will charge for an oil change.

There is a Wal-Mart 2 miles down the street from me so I'll probably end up using their generic SuperTech high-mileage 5W-30 oil and a Fram high-mileage HM3980 oil filter.

What do y'all use?

Ultraguard Gold UPF52

Mobil One 5-30 Extended Performance

The higher end Fram filters are quite good. I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

I use Castrol syntec 0W-30 with the older ACDelco PF-52C.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

The higher end Fram filters are quite good.  I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

I use Castrol syntec 0W-30 with the older ACDelco PF-52C.

I was thinking about their XG3980. I saw photos of it cut open on the BITOG forums and I'm quite impressed. Plus, even if I change the oil, the filter is good for 15,000 miles. If I do use a Fram I'll probably still use the High-Mileage HM3980 to keep my engine good.

For the last several hundred thousand miles, I’ve used Walmart Supertech 10W-30 and usually Purolator filters. The exceptions to this are: occasionally, I’ll pickup some Mobil or Shell 10W-30 when it’s on sale at a wholesale club, and sometimes in the winter, I’ll run a lighter viscosity.
I change the oil and filter every 4 to 6 thousand miles.
In any of the six vehicles that I’ve owned in which I’ve used this Walmart oil, I’ve never had any kind of oil related failure. A 403 Olds, which I built and put in my 86 Estate Wagon, was disassembled after 100 thousand miles, since the engine was run hard and I wanted to get another 100 thousand out of it. I should not have gone to the effort, since the engine looked like the day I put it together. It was spotless inside, and showed almost no wear on the bearings, cam and cylinder walls!

18 to 24 months ago the price of crude oil dropped significantly, and as a result, we are buying gasoline at about 60% of the price we were paying two years ago.
In this time period, the price of motor oil has remained at the high price it was two years ago. In some cases it has even increased.
I wonder why?

"I wonder why?"

The quality of today's motor oils would seem miraculous even a decade ago. If rated on the SAE system in use in the sixties, today's oils would run out of letters.

The cost of refining and processing a current motor oil is a lot higher as a percentage of total cost than gasoline . This makes the price more disconnected from the cost of the feedstock.

Of course, there is always profit opportunity.

Rev Bob wrote:

Of course, there is always profit opportunity.

Yes, I agree. It seems there is no shortage of folks eager to "shell out" $5-$8/quart for motor oil, today.

In the early 1960's, my father owned a couple gas stations. He kept a 55 gallon drum on mineral spirits (a petroleum distillate) on hand for cleaning. He would sell it to customers for $.20/gallon. Gas was selling for about $.35/gallon.
Today, gas is about $2+/gallon, and the last time I checked, a gallon of mineral spirits was about $13!

I usually use bosch Distance plus filters and mobil one- 5w-30 regular or the high mileage, depending on which car...($40 total) I change about every 5-6k depending on the timing.  0w-30 and an oil pan heater during the winter on my daily driver!    (obsessive;)

I use the NAPA Gold filters, and get them from here:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Sometimes they go on sale, and my Corvette uses the same filter. Mobil 1 5W30 gets used (again, same as the Corvette), so I stock up on both when they go on sale.

Rev Bob wrote:

Ultraguard Gold UPF52

Mobil One 5-30 Extended Performance

Where do you buy the AC Delco ultraguard at? I've seen the UPF52 on Amazon before and it looked like a nice filter and my local WalMart carries ACDelco but they only carry the cheap blue can filters.

TheRoadmasterKing wrote:

Rev Bob wrote:

Ultraguard Gold UPF52

Mobil One 5-30 Extended Performance

Where do you buy the AC Delco ultraguard at? I've seen the UPF52 on Amazon before and it looked like a nice filter and my local WalMart carries ACDelco but they only carry the cheap blue can filters.

You sure know a lot about oil filters for a kid that doesn't even own a car,..interesting that you want to know where to buy a specific oil filter too,.

phantom 309 wrote:

TheRoadmasterKing wrote:

Rev Bob wrote:

Ultraguard Gold UPF52

Mobil One 5-30 Extended Performance

Where do you buy the AC Delco ultraguard at? I've seen the UPF52 on Amazon before and it looked like a nice filter and my local WalMart carries ACDelco but they only carry the cheap blue can filters.

You sure know a lot about oil filters for a kid that doesn't even own a car,..interesting that you want to know where to buy a specific oil filter too,.

I got a lot of my filter knowledge from helping do oil changes on the family cars. On our cars I've used Fram Tough Guards or the PurolatlorONE and always the Castrol conventional of whatever viscosity the car I'm changing oil on needs.

""Where do you buy the AC Delco ultraguard at?""


Amazon is one source. RockAuto as well.

Rev Bob wrote:

""Where do you buy the AC Delco ultraguard at?""


Amazon is one source. RockAuto as well.

Thanks! Once I am an RMW owner I plan to run the Ultraguard on my wagon instead of the Fram. The Ultraguard looks like a nice filter!

atlantadan wrote:

AC Delco "ultraguard" filters are now junk. The PF52E is now the one you'll get in the stores. More info[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

That's a shame. I might roll with the Microgreen 300-6 filter then. It has a small filter in the bypass so literally all the oil is filtered. It's available on Amazon

Fram Ultra XG5 and Valvoline VR1 Racing (Street Formula) Synthetic 10w30.

""AC Delco "ultraguard" filters are now junk.""

The standard PF52 filter and the UPF52 Ultraguard Gold are different parts. The UPF52 has a different can, seal, and filter media.

It is a superior piece.

At one time Delco had Ultraguard products for their entire filter line. Slow sales made them cut back Ultraguard to only two of the most popular offerings.

I use Walmart "supertech" full synthetic in all my vehicles and have for 20+ years now. I feel the advantages of a full synthetic outweigh the minimal price difference.

I used to be a dumbass and used the more premium fram filters. after spending some time on BTOG site I switched to WIX/NAPA gold for all my filters.

I try to change my filters and oil at around 5k miles on all my daily drivers.

IF I can put a longer oil filter on a particular application I do.

I bought the longer filter for my new vette but there was no way I was going to run it.
The stock filter hangs down flush with the bottom of the oil pan and my driveway is only slightly smoother than a goat path.

The vette has an oil life monitor. I have put about 4k miles on it since the oil change and I do a fair amount of high speed runs with it. my oil life is at 51%. since oil life is determined by usage by the computer, and takes into account RPM, oil temp, coolant temp ETC, I may actually run my oil changes out to 6K now.


Oil changes and rituals used to be a real topic among real car guys. unfortunately now most people are just too lazy to change there own oil. it used to be a father son thing to do on a Saturday morning.
now the dad takes his kids to get processed chemical laden McDonalds breakfasts while they wait in line @ the quick lube.

""The vette has an oil life monitor.""

Doesn't your LT1 have one as well?

purolators, napa, and wix are all manufactured on the same line. I'm on another forum and member works on the line and sent photos in showing same.

Me, I take the free one that comes with the 5 qts I get on sale at Advance. I change every 3K and last two motors I pulled the covers one, were very very clean with 200K miles so they seem to be fine.