Red Line/Mobil1 mix

Romer · 12-03-04, 06:48 AM

First off, I want to thank Cary who has been giving me advice via PM. He really knows his stuff. He sent me to Bobistheoilguy.com which is a great web site. You could search for days. Basically, per Cary's advice I will add some Redline 5-30W with my Mobil1 0-40W. Just curious if anyone here has figured out what the best "blend" mixture is for our vehicles. Does anyone just run the Redline by it self (~$7 qt)?

Texus · 12-03-04, 08:05 AM

I've run redline in several cars...no w use Amsoil... I just change it @ 7-8k... works out to being approx 3.5 a quart, so a good investment & better protection... synthetics are meant to go the distance... also, an old Oil Co . exec once told me that you can do this with conventional too... just change the filter.... he said that the 3k change rule thingy was a ploy to get people buyin' more oil... but I'll keep my piece of mind & stick to syntehics ya know...

Texus · 12-03-04, 08:06 AM

I lived in Vail for 2 years & used 0-30... loved it... still use it... works great with the low temps...

basalt51 · 12-03-04, 08:57 AM

For those of you in Northern California, Redline is based in Benicia just off Hwy 680. Their products can be purchased directly from the warehouse at significant discounts. You'll get even better deals if you buy the 1 or 5 gallon containers. I believe last time I was in there they said they could even ship the order.

http://www.redlineoil.com/contact.asp

LX_TREME · 12-03-04, 09:25 AM

The thing is not the oil grade, but depending on whats the mileage of your '80 also you may want to consider 5w-30 for newer vehicle.
In my case i have '97 lx450 with 168k on it now i use Mobil1 synthetics 10w-30 ( green cap ) 7.5 quarts and mixed with 15w-50 mobil1 synthetic (red cap) 1 quart <- thats recommends for high mileage. When i bought the lx450 brand new back to 8 years ago i had mobil1 5w-30.

cary · 12-03-04, 09:35 AM

To fill in the gaps in the information, a little background. Romer is trying to slow down the leaking he has from old seals in the truck. I recommended the Redline mixed with Mobil 1 0w-40 because the Redline is a group V Ester based oil and ester based oils TEND to swell seals which can help stop leaks. The reason I recommend the 5w-30 redline is because Redline's 30 weight oils tend to be in the middle to heavy end of the 30 weight range (compared to Mobil 1 30 weights which are formulated on the light end as almost 20 weight oils) and they have a very high HTHS for their weight (High Temperature High Shear which is supposed to mimic the type of loads that are seen at the cam bearings, lobes, etc).

As a note, someone on bobistheoilguy contacted redline and they said it was fine to mix their oils with Mobil 1.

Amsoil- Good product (Group IV PAO like Mobil 1), but I have not seen any compelling evidence to use it over Mobil 1. It offers the same performance according to the Used Oil Analysis and costs $8.00 a quart instead of $4-5 a quart. Also, the XL-7500 amsoil stuff is a Group III hydrocracked oil, same as the Shell Rotella T 5w-40 Synth available at walmart for $12 per gallon.

basalt51 · 12-03-04, 12:03 PM

So what about straight redline? Especially for higher mileage vehicles (118K on mine). I think I'll swing by there today to get the prices.

ginericLC · 12-03-04, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cary

To fill in the gaps in the information, a little background. Romer is trying to slow down the leaking he has from old seals in the truck. I recommended the Redline mixed with Mobil 1 0w-40 because the Redline is a group V Ester based oil and ester based oils TEND to swell seals which can help stop leaks. .

Is this true for Toyota seals too? I know you can make cork seals swell by changing oils but almost all of the Cruiser seals are rubber of some sort.

mtycruiser · 12-03-04, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cary

Also, the XL-7500 amsoil stuff is a Group III hydrocracked oil, same as the Shell Rotella T 5w-40 Synth available at walmart for $12 per gallon.

Cary:
Does this mean the Shell Rotelle Synth is a lower grade/ not as good as Mobil I ?

cary · 12-03-04, 01:27 PM

Group III Hyrdrocracked oils are considered to be inferior to Group IV & Group V oils and may not be called synthetics in Europe. They do not have as good of pour points at low temps. That said in the real world they appear to be more than adequate for 7500 mile intervals. See this article about Group III oils being called sythetics in the US:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

The reason I don't recommend a full fill of Redline is I don't think the cost is justified. Redline is a great product and I use their gear and Tranny oils, but their additional cost does not appear to be justified over Mobil 1 except in pure racecars. Note, I can purchase redline for $6.25 per quart and still don't spend extra for their engine oil.