[Capricio]

https://youtu.be/i0VoEhW2I-E?si=GrPmvwYA115BmuEi

An excellent explanation of viscosity, temperatures, and friction.

[SnakeEyeSS]

Originally Posted by DeuceCam

Vato zone had full synthetic Mobile 1 SP-rated European Car Formula 0W-40 this weekend. No mention of Dexos.

Haven't seen any in the wild, I've been looking. All is SN so far, I think we need SQ which is the current rating on Mobil's website. Have about 3-4 weeks until the ZL1 is due

[Terry Mc]

As has been mentioned the Mobile 1 0-40 FS is DexosR rated on Mobile 1's site.
Here is the interesting part 5-40 and 5-50 FS is not.

I used the Euro formula in my LS3 in my 5th Gen 1le and liked it.
My blackstone Oil reports came back very nice for a car that had 120,000 miles on it.
Wear looked good and the oil properties were all in good standings.

Given that it has the DexosR rating I will probably continue to use it in my 6th gen 1LE.

[havelegs]

[havelegs]

Really, what even is the difference with those oils listed above?

[Rich292]

Originally Posted by havelegs

Really, what even is the difference with those oils listed above?

There are quite a few differences in those oils. How much they matter is a different story.

Mobil 1 Supercar 5W50 is the newest of those oils and is specified for the new C8 Z06. I don't have a ton of information on that oil, as it's not that common and there hasn't been that much in the way of oil analysis done. However, it meets the Dexos R spec, it's a good oil to use in the Camaro, and it has the newest API SP ratings.

Mobil 1 Supercar 0W40 is a slightly older formulation of oil. It's a rebranding of the old Mobil 1 ESP Formula. You'll notice it doesn't have the newest additive packages. It has higher levels of calcium and anti-wear additives. The base oil also contains more ester than the other formulations. If I recall correctly, oils with high levels of ester do need a little stronger of an additive package because the ester is polar and competes with things like ZDDP and detergents in the engine. That doesn't make it a bad oil, it's just different. The Camaros aren't all that susceptible to things like LSPI, so the oil is still fine to use, but it's not quite as resistant to that as the newer SP rated oils.

Mobil 1 Euro FS 0W40 is the newest formulation of an old favorite. The older formulation was similar to the Supercar, but the new SP rated versions are very different, with a lot lower calcium (which is a great detergent, but not so great for DI engines). That oil is classified as high SAPS, which means it's generally going to be better for things like extended oil drain intervals. This is a very common European car oil that's been around for years.

Mobil 1 ESP X4 0W40 is similar to the Euro, but this is a mid SAPS formulation which is better for things like exhaust particulate filters. It meets most of the same standards for things like wear protection as the FS Euro oil.

Which one is best? If you were going to track the car heavily, or if you were going to track it with more aggressive tires than stock, then the 5W50 Supercar is probably your choice. That oil is significantly thicker on startup, though, so you would want to make sure you don't beat on the car when it's cold. Which is something you should avoid no matter what oil you run.

Of the three 0W40 oils, I would say it's all a tossup. The Camaros don't have any kind of exhaust particulate filters, so whether you use a mid SAPS like the ESP X4 or the high saps like the FS Euro won't make a difference. What you are probably most concerned about with your oil is that it protects the engine. In that respect, all three of the 0W40 oils meet basically the same standards.

The Supercar formulation (and DexosR in general) is an evolution of the old Dexos2 certification. It is based closely on ACEA C3 standards for wear and engine protection with some additional GM requirements mostly based around fuel economy and emissions equipment protection (which you probably aren't too concerned about on these cars). The ESP X4 is based on the ACEA C3 standard, and the Euro FS is based on ACEA A3/B4 standards. If you look those up, the things we mostly care about, like wear protection, are the same between ACEA A3/B4 and C3 (which is also Dexos2).

So, the Supercar is the same oil that used to be Dexos 2 (which was what GM wanted for a track ready oil on these cars and is basically the protection of ACEA C3). ESP X4 is also ACEA C3, so that's going to give you the same protection. Euro FS is A3/B4, which is the same protection as ACEA C3, but without additives that are designed for exhaust aftertreatment that we don't have. So all three of those oils will give you the protection you need.

At that point, you just decide whatever is easiest or whichever you like better and go with that.

[Msquared]

The x3 and x4 versions of the 0w40 may have the same fundamental ratings as the Supercar 0w40, but they are not the same. The x oils have better high-temp/high-shear viscosities, and testing has confirmed that they resist viscosity breakdown better than the Supercar version. It probably doesn't matter at all for basic street driving, but if you track or even autocross your car, the x4 is the better option. It's also a great deal at Autozone (they always had a deal on x3 in the past, too). The lower calcium (a detergent) improves resistance to knock, as well. I'm really not sure how the new European 0w40 compares.

Since I relegated by 1LE to weekend fun (no more daily driving) and increased my track days (as well as ~15-20 autocross per year), I have started using the 5w50 Supercar. It has significantly more zinc, better HTHS, and higher 100C viscosity than any of the 0w40 options. However, as Rich292 pointed out, it's 40C (104F) viscosity is quite a bit higher than any of the 0w40s (112 vs 72). If I were going to start daily-driving again, I would probably revert back to x3/x4.

[keep_hope_alive]

Just ordered 10 qts of ESP x4 for $95 from Autozone with free delivery.

[Capricio]

Seems like in the past, I got 10 quarts of X3 and a couple of STP Oil Filters (for a different car) for about $75. But, now I can't seem to get any big discount like that. Anyone have some guidance on what item combinations work best? Or is the deal on Autozone not as good as in the past?

[SnakeEyeSS]

So FS just got new labels, but they still aren't advertising DexosR on the label, I find that strange?

Pennzoil has it right by the SRT logo on the Ultra Platinum 0-40.
Now regular Mobil 1 0-40 is on the R list.

I have FINALLY found FS on the shelf with the SQ rating.

https://www.gmdexos.com/brands/dexosr/index.html

https://a.co/d/0cOunanT

[Dabjbr]

Originally Posted by SnakeEyeSS

So FS just got new labels, but they still aren't advertising DexosR on the label, I find that strange?

Pennzoil has it right by the SRT logo on the Ultra Platinum 0-40.
Now regular Mobil 1 0-40 is on the R list.

I have FINALLY found FS on the shelf with the SQ rating.

https://www.gmdexos.com/brands/dexosr/index.html

https://a.co/d/0cOunanT

Good find and thanks for sharing the DexosR grid. I always use M1 and will now feel better knowing it's DexosR even though it's not labeled that way. I honestly think they just don't want to pay a licensing fee. Why else would they not advertise it on the bottle?!

Autozone is selling the M1 ESPX4 at discount. $35.99 for 5 bottles including an STP filter. I always exchange the filter after I receive my product.

[keep_hope_alive]

Ordered ESP x4 from Autozone yesterday, their deal was 5 qt bottles + filter for $39. Returned the filter, bought two sets. 10 qts for under $70.

Sending the first ESP x4 for analysis, have about 6,700 miles on it. Will get a comparison against the previous Supercar results.

[wakespeak]

Yeah in terms of the differences looking for an ACEA A3 or C3 oil is a good rating. HTHS 3.5 or greater is what these engines need IMO.