Originally Posted by Labnerd

FWIW, Motorcraft oil in 5w-20 has gone thru another reformulation. Reformulations are pretty much normal and most of you have never used the same formula twice. Ford was looking to improve the long life performance of the oil and they have switched from a normal severely hydrocracked Gp III to a white oil acid washed Gp III. The white oil Gp IIIs are extremely high in saturates which is ideal. Gp III white oil base stocks are pharmaceutical grade which means they are incredibly pure. They have also come up with a different type of Zinc in the formulation that is emissions friendly. I don't don't have any numbers to share but from the skuttlebutt I'm hearing about it, it's far and away the best in that viscosity range. I've been a fan of the YB Pennzoil for a few years because of the formulation. Motorcraft just became my favorite. Considering what's in the bottle and the price, it's too good of a deal to pass up.

Originally Posted by Labnerd

The reason that Castrol can make such a claim and not get hammered by Mobil is that Mobil One 5w-20 oils have been failing IVA testing for almost 2 years now. Mobil has been silent in that regards. I guess they feel like their oil is still selling to the die hards so why make it an issue- who knows. But just about anything is better than Mobil One 5w-20 especially for yer Triton engine and the cams.

Castrol Edge as I remember is a Gp III mostly with a splash of PAO which makes it similar to the base of the M1. Nothing really there that's remarkable, just kinda ho-hum at best. The add pack in Edge is fairly straight forward and again, nothing there remarkable. Yeah, it's a good oil but is it worth a premium price over something like Motorcraft? Not in my book. There are very few premium oils out there that yield premium results. Most have a hard time staying with Motorcraft oils. If you just want a premium oil and it does actually have something in the bottle other than the usual, look for Kendall GT with Titanium. While there isn't a bunch of titanium in the formulation, it does bring a little more high heat protection to the game. Considering the time of year, you certainly don't need it.

Originally Posted by Labnerd

You can switch anytime and back and forth all you want today. That was not true exactly back in the 90's. Most synthetics were of the Gp IV variety which means they were a PAO basestock. PAOs had more solvency than the dino base oils of the day. You could easily have a marginal seal that didn't leak from varnish from the dino oil that a PAO may cleanout causing a leak. There was also the viscosity. While you may know oil as a 5w-30, that's the SAE rating. The industry goes by a much finer scale. Synthetics were often formulated to be just inside the thin end of the viscosity range. The "thinner" oil made for leaky seals. PAOs also do absolutely nothing for seals. The materials used for seals requires the oil to provide a "seal swelling agent" which dino oil provide naturally. So as much as some of you love yer synthetics, they are not a cure all and come with a host of issues.
Todays synthetic oils are mostly a Gp III base, even those that have been for many years a PAO base oil. There are very few left that are a PAO only base. Some of the mentioned oils are a Gp III with a splash of PAO. Doesn't make them a bad oil nor does it mean you are getting less than what you previously bought. It means that the ethylene gas used to make PAOs has become hard to find and expensive. The formulators have now made the base oils and add packs to equal the old base oils and in most cases, the product is better.

The blends are usually a mix of Gp I and Gp III base oils. Depending on the brand determines how much of what is in the bottle. Motorcraft, the last I had on them, was right at 60% Gp III which is a lot for a blend. The GpI oils are solvent refined. The Gp III oils are generally a severely hydrocracked oil which means they are a gas to liquid AND liquid technology. The Gp IVs are generally known as the PAOs. They are a gas to liquid technology and made in a refinery. Most of these types of base oils come from the south around the Mississippi River area over to Houston. The Gp V oils are everything else but is mostly thought of as the esters. Esters are a reaction of a fatty acid and an alcohol. Esters are the only base oils that brings a hair more lubricity to your engine. But it's so small you and your engine will never know it. With todays oil technologys, there is no reason to use any of the synthetics unless extended oil changes are ideal to keep the unit on the road. There is NO more lubricity in any synthetic oil that is usable in your engine. Any formulation of the add packs in a synthetic that brings an advantage can also be used in a dino based oil with equal results. Yer truck, yer money, and you are the one making the payments. But when was the last time you saw an oil related failure? It doesn't happen often and there are a lot of engines on the road today with several hundred thousand miles on the clock using Walmart oil. Chose wisely, grasshopper.

Originally Posted by phil6608

Regular motor oil only call for 5000 miles changes.
You must really like to through money away.

I don't run synthetic and I change mine ever 3000 miles, and that's considered overkill..

Phil

Originally Posted by Bansheeman6100

just how i was raised, hence why i asked . before this i drove a diesel, and before that it was a 92 F150 and Mustangs. im used to driving older non modular engines

Originally Posted by jethat

Motorcraft synthetic blend is such a good deal $14 a gallon at wal mart..
Its actually rated very high by guys like bob is the oil guy if you Google it. I've pretty much decided to run it in everything.