ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

[kalpeshc]

Any recommendation on engine oil for i20 Petrol? I searched this thread for i20 keyword but found none.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Any recommendation on engine oil for i20 Petrol? I searched this thread for i20 keyword but found none.

Refer your manual for the oil spec. Then buy an oil that meets or exceeds the API rating mentioned there. For instance, if manual specifies API-SH go for SH/SJ/SL/SM oil, but never SG. As for viscosity, ensure you stay at or above the upper figure, and at or below the lower one. Eg: If manual specifies 20W40, you can buy 20W50/15W40/10W40 or even 0W40, but never 10W30.

I recommend the Shell Helix Ultra if you don't mind the expense (RS 1000 per litre) or my favourite mineral oil - Shell Helix HX5 (~Rs 950 for 4 litres).

[nitrous]

Eg: If manual specifies 20W40, you can buy 20W50/15W40/10W40 or even 0W40, but never 10W30.

You can't generalise this way.
There's more to these numbers that one can see.
20W50 is a pretty crappy grade. Stay away from it.

15W40 is about the minimum grade that one should look at using.

[Torquedo]

The Swift Manual states: 20W40, Shell synthetic offers 5W40, can I go for it?

Happy Motoring !!

[Sankar]

Yep 5W40 is okay for your car. Mobl1 is good too, it's not hydrocracked, Shell helix iirc is.

[Torquedo]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Yep 5W40 is okay for your car. Mobl1 is good too, it's not hydrocracked, Shell helix iirc is.

Thanks a Ton! Sankar

Pardon me for my limited knowledge on Oils, but would be thankful if you throw some light on Oils being hydrocracked

So you would suggest Mobil1 over Shell Helix?

Thanks.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Thanks a Ton! Sankar

Pardon me for my limited knowledge on Oils, but would be thankful if you throw some light on Oils being hydrocracked

So you would suggest Mobil1 over Shell Helix?

Thanks.

Hydrocracked oils are classified as group 3 oils, they behave like synthetics but they're not. Group 4 and group 5 are synthetic oils of which its the group 4 that's used in the engine.

Synthetic oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 is a group III hydrocracked oil

Read the synthetic oil part of Motor Oil Viscosity Grades Explained in Layman's Terms

I say, when a group 4 oil is available at almost the same price as a group 3 oil then why go for group 3? I, for my car, would go for Mobil1 10w40 over Shell. The MASS here is pushing Shell Helix Ultra at higher prices than open market rate of Mobil 1.

[Torquedo]

Originally Posted by Sankar

I say, when a group 4 oil is available at almost the same price as a group 3 oil then why go for group 3? I, for my car, would go for Mobil1 10w40 over Shell. The MASS here is pushing Shell Helix Ultra at higher prices than open market rate of Mobil 1.

Thanks once again Sankar, but on the Shell website, the only oils available in India are:

0W40
5W50
Mobil Super 1000

10W40 as you suggested is not available.

Which one of the above mentioned would you suggest?

Regards.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Thanks once again Sankar, but on the Shell website, the only oils available in India are:

0W40
5W50
Mobil Super 1000

10W40 as you suggested is not available.

Which one of the above mentioned would you suggest?

Regards.

Its 0W40 indeed, bad memory. There is another oil, which i did not find at their website but is available at a car service centre here in Tvm, i took this pic sometime back and uploading it here for you. This super 3000 5W40 was slightly cheaper than the bottle next to it which is 0W40.


Do confirm that the oil match or exceed the grade recommended in your manual.

Edit1: Btw, i'm not sure if this Super 3000 is group 4 or group 3. Tryin to find that out. You're safe with M1.

Edit2: It seems Super 3000 is group 3 Esso Ultron 5W40. So Shell helix ultra 5w40 and Mobil super 3000 5W40 both are group 3. Here the Super 3000 was being sold at Rs850 iirc. Only M1 is group 4.

[1self]

Guys, where does one buy "Motor Silk" oil & additives in India?

Thanks!

[condor]

Saw this note about GM not recommending 10W-40. What do you guy say ?

Note:
Motor oils that have a wider range viscosity rating such a 5W-30, 5W-40 and 0W-40 are blended with more base stocks and additives. Because of this, it may be harder for a wider range oil to remain in grade as the miles accumulate (which is why GM does NOT recommend using 10W-40 motor oil. They say it breaks down too quickly and does not say in grade as long as 10W-30 or 5W-30. Also, an oil with a lower winter rating like 0W-20 or 5W-20 will contain a higher percentage of thinner base stock oil (which is typically a synthetic oil. This requires more viscosity improver additive to achieve a the same high temperature rating as a 10W-30, 10W-40 or straight 30 or 40 weight oil.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by condor

Saw this note about GM not recommending 10W-40. What do you guy say ?

I would say i'd go with the recommendation of German car makers like BMW or Porsche in using an even wider range oil like Mobil1 0W40 rather than GM. But wrt mineral oil grade like 20W50 or 20W40 i guess GM finding doesnt apply. Not sure about wide range semi-syn and goup 3 (which can be sold as syn in USA).

[sgiitk]

@sankar: following your link above I find that now there is an API-SN! A who;e new ballgame. Can someone find and post the card of specs or a link to it. I am currently, at a location with very slow connectivity.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@sankar: following your link above I find that now there is an API-SN! A who;e new ballgame. Can someone find and post the card of specs or a link to it. I am currently, at a location with very slow connectivity.

This came out last year. Hope this helps APISn.pdf (261kb)

[nishantgandhi]

Has Mobil 1 increased prices recently? I used to procure it at Around 685-700 per liter, 1 year back. Recently, I was quoted Rs 1100 per liter! Can someone please confirm?