[jreagle56]

Curiousity got the best of me; looked at SAE J300 specs for low end of viscosity range for motor oils @100C
xw30 is <9.3
xw40 is <12.5

So most are on the low border line and a couple have gone below the low viscosity spec.
Does it matter? not sure.
Just wondering if there are oils that would stay more in the middle of the grade until its time to change?
i guess we will see what happens as others post UOA s of different brands of oil.

i guess the missing link is that we don't know what the 100c viscosity was when first poured into the engine, so its hard to track how much shearing has actually taken place.

[Ichabod]

pennzoil ultra platinum 5w30

[LinPark]

Here are my results:

Vehicle: 2017 SS
Vehicle Mileage: 1,490
Oil Type: Factory Fill
Usage: Light/Break-In

[wjones14]

First oil change prior to taking it to the track. 5W-20 for factory fill?!? Hope it was synthetic at least!

I followed the recommended break-in to the letter. Never over 4000 rpm, no WOT, and vary the engine speed over the first 1500 miles. It was tough, believe me, but I made up for it during the track day at Lime Rock.

The comment says amended because the first copy they sent me had the engine listed as the supercharged LT4. No biggie, I notified them and they corrected it with no fuss.

[Chef-j]

Originally Posted by wjones14

First oil change prior to taking it to the track. 5W-20 for factory fill?!? Hope it was synthetic at least!

I followed the recommended break-in to the letter. Never over 4000 rpm, no WOT, and vary the engine speed over the first 1500 miles. It was tough, believe me, but I made up for it during the track day at Lime Rock.

The comment says amended because the first copy they sent me had the engine listed as the supercharged LT4. No biggie, I notified them and they corrected it with no fuss.

Looks like it shear down pretty quickly in that short miles. This is one another reason i like to run 5w40 for my climates instead 5w30!

Thank you for sharing it!

[DaveC113]

In "Ask Al" he said factory fill is 0W40 Dexos2. wjones result doesn't look great as far as viscosity. I did read a suggestion to do 1st change at 500 miles, it's in the performance camaro supplement with the owner's manual, so I'm switching to the new 0W40 M1 ESP. I used 5w30 ESP in my last car and came back with perfect UOA and NO SHEARING after 4k miles. I'll also be going with WIX XP oil filters.

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

In "Ask Al" he said factory fill is 0W40 Dexos2. wjones result doesn't look great as far as viscosity. I did read a suggestion to do 1st change at 500 miles, it's in the performance camaro supplement with the owner's manual, so I'm switching to the new 0W40 M1 ESP. I used 5w30 ESP in my last car and came back with perfect UOA and NO SHEARING after 4k miles. I'll also be going with WIX XP oil filters.

Factory fill for the 2019's is the new 0W-40 ESP oil. 2018 and before was 5W-30.



I will be needing to do an oil change soon. I hope amazon or some where will stock the new oil soon and hopefully in 5 quart jugs too. If not, probably do another change with Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by ChevyRules

Factory fill for the 2019's is the new 0W-40 ESP oil. 2018 and before was 5W-30.



I will be needing to do an oil change soon. I hope amazon or some where will stock the new oil soon and hopefully in 5 quart jugs too. If not, probably do another change with Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mobil-1-ESP...53.m2749.l2649

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mobil-1-ESP...53.m2749.l2649

That's still the Euro Spec GM is/was distributing as a temporary measure.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by ChevyRules

That's still the Euro Spec GM is/was distributing as a temporary measure.

Ok... it has the dexos 2 label on it which means it's approved and seems to be the best choice for the LT1.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by Chef-j

Looks like it shear down pretty quickly in that short miles. This is one another reason i like to run 5w40 for my climates instead 5w30!

Thank you for sharing it!

You're welcome. I did change it to the Valvoline MST 5W-40 Dexos2 specified for track use per the manual. Going forward, not sure what viscosity I will use. I only track the car the one day per year. I'm leaning toward the Mobil 1 0W-40 Dexos2 once that becomes more easily available.

Originally Posted by DaveC113

In "Ask Al" he said factory fill is 0W40 Dexos2. wjones result doesn't look great as far as viscosity. I did read a suggestion to do 1st change at 500 miles, it's in the performance camaro supplement with the owner's manual, so I'm switching to the new 0W40 M1 ESP. I used 5w30 ESP in my last car and came back with perfect UOA and NO SHEARING after 4k miles. I'll also be going with WIX XP oil filters.

I'm with you on the 0W-40 Dexos2. That would have been my first choice if it was easier to get. Next time...

And I actually do prefer to follow the manufacturer recommendations, but I have to say it's very difficult with this car due to the unorganized manner in which the recommendations are listed in the various manuals (and in some cases online). I just searched my PDF owner's manual and track supplement, and don't see the recommendation to change the oil at 500 miles (if track events are planned), in either manual. But that recommendation does exist in the 2018 Camaro Track Preparation Guide PDF available online. Another example: the Track Prep section in the Owner's manual says to change the rear diff fluid AFTER the first track event. But the Break-In section says to change the rear diff fluid prior to first track event.

I'm still curious about how the oil got to the 5W-20 viscosity after doing the recommended break-in procedure, and changing the oil when the gauge cluster said the oil was still at 50%? On the plus side, there were close to 10 quarts when I drained it, so it didn't appear to burn any oil in the first 2000 miles.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by wjones14

You're welcome. I did change it to the Valvoline MST 5W-40 Dexos2 specified for track use per the manual. Going forward, not sure what viscosity I will use. I only track the car the one day per year. I'm leaning toward the Mobil 1 0W-40 Dexos2 once that becomes more easily available.



I'm with you on the 0W-40 Dexos2. That would have been my first choice if it was easier to get. Next time...

And I actually do prefer to follow the manufacturer recommendations, but I have to say it's very difficult with this car due to the unorganized manner in which the recommendations are listed in the various manuals (and in some cases online). I just searched my PDF owner's manual and track supplement, and don't see the recommendation to change the oil at 500 miles (if track events are planned), in either manual. But that recommendation does exist in the 2018 Camaro Track Preparation Guide PDF available online. Another example: the Track Prep section in the Owner's manual says to change the rear diff fluid AFTER the first track event. But the Break-In section says to change the rear diff fluid prior to first track event.

I'm still curious about how the oil got to the 5W-20 viscosity after doing the recommended break-in procedure, and changing the oil when the gauge cluster said the oil was still at 50%? On the plus side, there were close to 10 quarts when I drained it, so it didn't appear to burn any oil in the first 2000 miles.

"Resource conserving" 5w30 oils shear down and it's expected and normal. Helps with fuel economy.

If you're going to stick with 5w30 I'd look for a heavy duty oil with high HTHS (High Temp High Shear), like the M1 ESP 5w30, it will not shear down like regular 5w30.

I got my case of 0w40 M1 ESP and it looks legit, it has the dexos label. It's in my car now!

[Chef-j]

Originally Posted by wjones14

You're welcome. I did change it to the Valvoline MST 5W-40 Dexos2 specified for track use per the manual. Going forward, not sure what viscosity I will use. I only track the car the one day per year. I'm leaning toward the Mobil 1 0W-40 Dexos2 once that becomes more easily available.

Im stickinv with 5w40 for all year. It works better in my climate, just need decide which one i like to stick with.

[MatthewAMEL]

OEM PF64 filter and the uber expensive, dexos2, Motul oil...


Track use, autocross, and daily driver duties? Your Camaro sees the full gamut of operating
conditions, and it's been handing the usage like a champ. You could've convinced us these miles were all
done by your grandma going to the bingo hall with results this good. Copper continues to read lower with
each oil change, and it's now well below average at 6 ppm. Iron's mild increase isn't a surprise either since
this was a longer oil run than the last. Iron naturally increases with miles on the oil. The viscosity is in spec
too, making for a perfect report. Nice!

Guess I am staying with the $100 oil changes.