Got A New Chevrolet Crate Motor? Use Fully Synthetic Oil
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GM just announced that Mobil 1 is now the official engine oil provider for its Chevrolet crate motors and that a selection of fully synthetic Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Racing motor oils will be available to order alongside Chevy’s various crate engine offerings through an authorized Chevrolet Performance dealer at the time of purchase.
Not only is this is the first time that the automaker has endorsed, recommended and offered fully synthetic motor oil with a Chevrolet crate motor purchase, but it’s also the first time any major vehicle manufacturer has exclusively recommended fully synthetic motor oil for its crate engines.
“It’s never been easier to select a ready-to-run Chevrolet Performance Crate engine system for a project vehicle or race car,” said GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports Jim Campbell in a press release.
There are currently roughly 50 different Chevrolet Performance crate engines available in the Chevrolet Performance engine portfolio, including everything from the 195-horsepower GM 350/5.7L Truck engine, to the high-spec ZZ572/620 delivering 621 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque, among many, many others. There are tons of options, power levels and price ranges, with both street and track applications on offer.
For street builds, Chevy and Mobil1 recommend Mobil1 5W-30 or Mobil 1 15W-50 for high- and low-temperature applications. For those builders running the vaunted 6.2L Small-Block LT1 V8 or supercharged 6.2L Small-Block LT4 V8, the Mobil 1 ESP Formula 0W-40 is available as the first motor oil specifically developed for the Camaro and Corvette-sourced powerplants.
For the racers out there, track-ready formulas like Mobil 1 Racing 0W-30 and Mobil 1 Racing 0W-50 are available, both of which come with double the zinc content compared to standard street oil. These oils were “specifically designed for highly-loaded flat-tappet engine applications,” according to the press release.
Mobil 1 is used extensively in Chevrolet’s motorsport efforts, including the Corvette Racing program, which has used the Mobil 1 Racing 0W-50 formula to secure victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Offering a specific oil with a Chevrolet crate motor certainly makes things more convenient. Synthetic oil is typically more expensive than conventional oil, but it offers greater protection and longer life. Plus, with specific formulas tailored to a given engine and application, there’s added peace of mind as well. And besides, for those willing to spend big bucks on dropping a new Chevrolet crate motor under the hood, why cheap out when it comes to oil?
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I used to make synthetic oil here in Canada. I was taught by the engineer who developed the very first full synthetic that met U.S. military specs in 1952. The double portion of zinc in the racing versions of the Mobil 1, is to prevent wear. Street racers should also use this racing version. I like the 0W40 for the street. We also used to put the 15W50 in the heavy highway truck manual transmissions, going back 45 years ago. The trans often went over 1 million miles without requiring a rebuild.
I fully back Mobil1. Particularly the Extended Performance version because of the base stock used. It’s more in line with the original Mobil1. Running a high zinc motor oil in anything with a catalytic converter is foolish though. So street racers with cats (which is most of them nowadays) should stay away from it. It’s the sole reason why roller cams became the norm. They don’t require zinc as the pressure additive. Flat tappet cams do in order to not wipe out a lobe.
You say most street racers use cats. Not in my hood. Most street racers use mufflers, not cats. High performance cars on the street use cats, some without mufflers. If i was reving my ( balanced and printed ) engine to 7,000, i would use a mix of 50/50 racing and street synthetic, both of the same brand. For my commercial truck only the full street synthetic.
AGREED, unless its Cali or a state that’s fanatical about emissions, many street racers running late model cars skip on the CATs.
Been using Mobil 1 (and occasionally other synthetics) since I began on my 1971 Peugeot 504. I keep my cars for a long time and have never had an oil related engine problem on any of them. It’s not scientific, but anecdotally synthetics are great and remain my choice. BTW I still change my own oil regularly, but not at the frequency I did with non-synthetic oil.
I’ve been using Mobil 1 since it first came out. In all my cars, trucks, boats, and motorcycles.
I’ve always thought Mobile1 should only be switched to on the second oil change on a new car. The theory being the factory installed non-synthetic oil allowed the new moving engine parts to wear a little which was a good thing. Is this no longer true or are crate motors run-in at the factory making synthetic oil OK from day one?
That was true in the old days. Modern engine tolerances are tighter (less to wear) which means that a synthetic oil could be installed from the start. Always follow the manufacturer’s break-in procedures on a new engine since there will be some wear. Wear means that the film strength of the oil was insufficient to prevent metal to metal contact which will produce heat.
I moved all my vehicles to Mobil 1.
For the little more money the added protection is a bargain.
I did move my on flat tap pet car to 15w50 oil for the added Zink. The older cars converters are not as sensitive in the flat taller cars.
All Lt1/Lt4 WC4 techs know we have special break-in oil, and it’s not Mobile 1 ?
Agreed re the break-in oil. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, GM had a product that was called EOS, meaning Engine Oil Supplement. Whenever the dealership did any bottom end work, this EOS was required by GM to be added to the 10W30 oil before cranking the engine. The insides of an engine was no as clean as today, meaning metal bits would be inside the engine, because of the finish machine work on the parts. I used to run my fingers around the top end of the lifter holes, to see if there were any sharp points or bits that were missed at the factory, when blocks were replaced under or outside of warranty. Machine work is much better now with closer tolerances, but i would still drain the original oil at about 1,500 to 1,800 miles max and add i quart of a full synthetic oil to the normal factory petroleum oil, then run another 1,500 miles and drain again. After the 3,000 miles and two oil and filter changes ( 5,000 km ), you can and should switch to a full synthetic. The 100 percent synthetic acts as an additive and cleaner to prevent any carbon buildup after the first 1,500 miles because the synthetic is a full chemical, with no petroleum oil in it.
i agree with all the posts here. I began using Mobil 1 in my wife’s 1980 Ford Mustang around 1981 after reading a Popular Science magazine review that covered all the benefits. The only location that sold the polished Mobil 1 cans at $4 each was a Mobil gas station two miles away. Since then, all of my cars (1980 Ford Mustang, 1984 Old Ciera, 1995 Buick Regal, 2009 Chevy Equinox) had their oil changed once a year (i drove less than 6,000 miles a year) and none even had engine related problems nor oil leaks. My present car is a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and the dealer does use Mobil 1 on each annual oil change (I watch when it is being done). It is the best oil for all non-racing vehicles!
I bought a 2006 Chevrolet 2500HD truck LT3, 6.0L engine, crew cab (new in the fall of 2005). I have been using Amsoil full synthetic 5-30W engine oil from the beginning. I change the oil and (Amsoil) oil filter in January each year. The annual mileage on the truck is between 12000 and 15000 miles. The truck has 223,000 miles on it and doesn’t burn oil. I usually have to top off the oil 1/2 to 1 qt every 6 months. I supply the oil and filter ($60) to my Chevy dealer and pay $10 for labor.
I’ve installed a new Chevrolet Performance ZZ6 Turn-Key 350ci/405HP crate engine with a 770 Holley curb in my ’86 Monte Carlo SS. I’m ready for my first oil change…what is the oil capacity, and what is the suggested oil weight. I’ve ready 4 quarts ? 10w30 Mobil ?
The rings and other parts need to seat in properly, so unless you want the break in period to last 9,000 miles, do not use a full synthetic for the first oil. Use a semi-synthetic, run it for about 1500 miles, then change the oil and filter. After running over 25 million miles on 3 different fleets since 1991, i know what works perfectly. GM in Oshawa used to beg us for the worn out engine parts from our fleets, but we used very hot burning, very clean propane, so there was less wear than a diesel engine. We only had one engine with 90,000 miles on it that had a problem, but it was a factory machining error, so that is the one that we gave to GM. They gave us a brand new engine and even paid for all the oil and filters and labour, just to get their hands on our properly maintained engine on a 17 month old car.
I’ve used Mobile 1 oil ever sence it came on the market and have never had an oil related issue. I even used it in my boat engines. I learned that it even improved fuel mileage over the long term.
1980 chev 5.7 diesel….used regular oil and did normal changes ….sold it with 550,000 km and was still running perfectly.synthetic is expensive hype
While synthetic oils offer many benefits, they can also be more expensive than conventional oils. Nevertheless, the added protection and potential performance improvements might justify the additional cost, especially for a high-performance engine like a Chevrolet crate motor.