[ember1205]

Originally Posted by c4racer

Really? What area Costco is selling for that price?

In CA they sell a 6 pack case for $37 - I just picked up 2.
The 5gal jugs at Walmart are cheaper, but they don't always have the gen2 version - or didn't used to anyway.

All areas.

Kirkland Signature 5W-30 full synthetic dexos2. $30 for two 5 quart jugs (reg price), frequently on sale for $25.

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by ember1205

All areas.

Kirkland Signature 5W-30 full synthetic dexos2. $30 for two 5 quart jugs (reg price), frequently on sale for $25.

Oh - I thought you were referring to Mobil1

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by c4racer

Oh - I thought you were referring to Mobil1

Ah... No. The Kirkland oil is put out by Warren and is reputable in general (not to mention it meets the dexos2 spec according to GM). Zero reason for me to spend $100 on oil because of a brand name, especially when I do not need the additional benefits / protections of the 0W-40 compared to the 5W-30.

[CamaroSS18]

Originally Posted by ember1205

Ah... No. The Kirkland oil is put out by Warren and is reputable in general (not to mention it meets the dexos2 spec according to GM). Zero reason for me to spend $100 on oil because of a brand name, especially when I do not need the additional benefits / protections of the 0W-40 compared to the 5W-30.

Yeah, no need to spend $100 on the good stuff, when the good stuff is at Walmart for half that. You can get a 12Qt case of Mobil 1 5w-30 for $50 or two 5Qt jugs for $50. Or for a couple dollars more, you can get the Extended Performance version. That is all regular priced, most times it is marked down, where you can get two 5Qt jugs for around $40. That is what I use and will stick with is Mobil 1 5W-30.

Kirkland oil is made by the Warren Distribution company, which also makes Walmart and Amazon brand Synthetic oil. So if you wanted to get a Synthetic 5w-30 oil cheaper and equivalent to the Kirkland oil from Costco, then you could always buy the Supertech synthetic 5w-30 at Walmart as well for two 5Qt jugs at $30, which would be the same thing, just different label.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by CamaroSS18

Yeah, no need to spend $100 on the good stuff, when the good stuff is at Walmart for half that. You can get a 12Qt case of Mobil 1 5w-30 for $50 or two 5Qt jugs for $50. Or for a couple dollars more, you can get the Extended Performance version. That is all regular priced, most times it is marked down, where you can get two 5Qt jugs for around $40. That is what I use and will stick with is Mobil 1 5W-30.

Kirkland oil is made by the Warren Distribution company, which also makes Walmart and Amazon brand Synthetic oil. So if you wanted to get a Synthetic 5w-30 oil cheaper and equivalent to the Kirkland oil from Costco, then you could always buy the Supertech synthetic 5w-30 at Walmart as well for two 5Qt jugs at $30, which would be the same thing, just different label.

I'm pretty sure the Supertech oil is only dexos1 (gen 2) and not dexos2.

[CamaroSS18]

Originally Posted by ember1205

I'm pretty sure the Supertech oil is only dexos1 (gen 2) and not dexos2.

It is. That is why I said it is compared to the Kirkland oil, which is also dexos1 (gen 2). Made and blended by same company, just one is called Kirkland and gets shipped off to Costco stores and Supertech gets shipped off to Walmart and the Amazonbasics goes to Amazon. They are all dexos 1.

[Emoto]

Originally Posted by JSH

I chose Pennzoil's best synthetic 5W30 dexos 1 Gen 2 since I'm 99.9% street

Same. Good stuff.

I cannot confirm that every single part in my 2016 engine is identical to those in later years where the oil spec changed. I am talking about crank and rod bearings and everything else in the lubrication system, nevermind piston rings and other things. So, I will stick with 5w30, thanks very much.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by CamaroSS18

It is. That is why I said it is compared to the Kirkland oil, which is also dexos1 (gen 2). Made and blended by same company, just one is called Kirkland and gets shipped off to Costco stores and Supertech gets shipped off to Walmart and the Amazonbasics goes to Amazon. They are all dexos 1.

Yes, sorry... The whole "dexos1, Gen 2 versus dexos2" thing is unnecessarily confusing to keep track of.

The Kirkland stuff is $30 for two jugs "all the time" and often on sale for $25. So, price is pretty much in line with the Supertech as well.

I have a Costco membership (predominantly for the cash back from booking vacations through them) and it saves me quite a bit on premium fuel for the Camaro (it's a Top Tier Fuel) compared to any other place out there (including BJ's, which is NOT a Top Tier Fuel). If I didn't have it, the Supertech would be what I would go for.

[Rock-It Man]

Originally Posted by WhiteMale

Its a shame GM doesn't write an owners manual.

I know, right?

And a shame they don't have any engineers to determine what the correct weight oil is.

[Invertalon]

I took a closer dive into the various oils (major options) in the 5w30 and 0w40 'flavors' for dexos1/dexos2. Primarily, the viscosity in relatively normal conditions (40C/100C). As far as the 0W vs. 5W goes, unless you are in sub-zero conditions it won't really matter. But there are standards that must be met to be called 0W or 5W (basically cracking and pumping viscosity requirements at around -30C and -35C for 5W and 0W respectively). But for the most part, I think most people here are probably more worried with the protection during normal ambient start-up and aggressive conditions.

Mobile 5W30 is probably the 'easiest' and cheapest to get for most. It is thinner 'cold' (@40C per ASTM) than the 0W40 ESP and of course is thinner at operating temperature (100C), as well.


For 40C/100C operation (cSt):


M1 5W30 - 64 / 11.1
M1 ESP 0W40 - 69 / 12.9

Per ASTM, SAE 30 must be 9.3-12.5 cSt at 100C. For SAE 40, 12.5-16.3 cS at 100C.

M1 ESP 0W40 is thin for a 40W, justttt making the SAE 40 grade.



Compare to the following Dexos 5W30 options at 40/100C:

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30 - 56 / 10.3
Valvoline Synpower 5W30 - 59.5 / 10.7
Castrol Edge 5W30 - 62.6 / 10.7
Edge EP 5W30 - 62.4 / 10.8
M1 5W30 - 64 / 11.1

You can see the M1 5W30 has a bit more viscosity compared to the competition at 100C. It's also thicker when cool. But not as thick as the more 'exotic' ESP 0W40.


Then you have:
Valvoline Synpower MST 5W30 - 70.5 / 12.2
Castrol Edge EP 5W30 - 62.6 / 10.8
Mobil1 5W30 EP - 59.8 / 10.6


Of course you have so much other chemistry going on behind the scenes in terms of NOACK and such. Dexos1 Gen 2 supposedly requires a NOACK of 13% or less. The upcoming Gen 3 is rumored to require 12.5% or less. While Mobil1 doesn't note their NOACK, around the web it is believed to be 10.1% for the M1 5W30. I want to say Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30 may be the best if after lowest NOACK, posted at 6.6% that I have found.

Just posting this for a quick reference more than anything... No real point, I guess. I have more digging to do, but the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30 is looking mighty fine with it's low NOACK, but it runs a bit thinner both cold and hot. How much that matters here? Who knows. I may dig into it though and more deeply compare the M1 5W30 vs. PUP 5W30 (both dexos 1, gen 2 approved).

[JSH]

As a practical matter either 10W40 or 5W30 in Dexos 1 Gen2 is fine. We're splitting hairs and microns here.

[LT4Greg]

I used Lucas Synthetic 5w30 in my ZL1 when I changed it last month.