What oil brand do you use on your Fiesta ST?

[Harvick]

What oil brand do you use?

 

[Colin1337]

Used valvoline for my first oil change since I had a groupon for it. I'll be using Mobil 1 full synthetic for the life of the car from now on though.

 

[C. love]

depends on the car.. I have used lots of types. I think my favorite is redline oils

 

[Perry]

Castro, eh? The Cubans taking over now?

My long preference has been Mobil 1 synthetic as well. That said, pelotonracer2 had some interesting bits to say about oil choice early in the life of the vehicle.

http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/threads/569-Drivetrain-Break-in-101?highlight=change

 

[James Bart Dorsey]

Out of curiosity, what does Ford put in it? I haven't done my first oil change yet, and the dealership has a free first oil change, and it's coming up soon.

 

[Harvick]

Out of curiosity, what does Ford put in it? I haven't done my first oil change yet, and the dealership has a free first oil change, and it's coming up soon.

Motorcraft SAE 5W-20
http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/threads/461-Fiesta-ST-Engine-Oil-Coolant-Fluid-Specifications

 

[pelotonracer2]

I prefer Pennzoil Ultra synthetic myself and will use it in my car once I get around 5,000 miles on the odometer. I like both PP & PU better than Mobil 1...

With that said, I wouldn't put non syn Pennzoil in anything lol

 

[NorthernProducer]

Depends on the vehicle...Motorcraft in my Fords, Mobil 1 in the Vette, John Deere Plus 50 in my turbo diesels, Rotella T6 in my small diesels and Brad Penn in my two wheelers. I hope that didn't complicate the results of the survey.

 

[Perry]

Kinda sad that nobody has chosen Havoline yet. That's what my Dad nearly always used way back when. I've not hefted a can of that in a couple decades at least.

 

[NorthernProducer]

Kinda sad that nobody has chosen Havoline yet. That's what my Dad nearly always used way back when. I've not hefted a can of that in a couple decades at least.

I agree...in the mid-60's I used Havoline in almost everything I had (except the race car). It had a good additive package. When I came back from my military service in the early '70's, Texaco had left the state...and took their Havoline with them. Not sure if Texaco's exit from several states may be at the heart of the survey results or not, but it certainly must account for some impact.

 

[Perry]

A little digging revealed to me that Chevron, the huge conglomerate that it is, only has motor oil under two labels: Havoline and Delo. Delo is targeted at budget-minded fleet operators of trucks, buses, and the like. The Havoline lineup seems somewhat limited--there is no full synthetic 5W-20, but they do have a syn blend that matches the Ford specs. I wonder where/how Ford sources their Motorcraft oil--they don't run their own refining operations, as far as I know, so . . . whose label is under the Motorcraft label?

 

[NorthernProducer]

A little digging revealed to me that Chevron, the huge conglomerate that it is, only has motor oil under two labels: Havoline and Delo. Delo is targeted at budget-minded fleet operators of trucks, buses, and the like. The Havoline lineup seems somewhat limited--there is no full synthetic 5W-20, but they do have a syn blend that matches the Ford specs. I wonder where/how Ford sources their Motorcraft oil--they don't run their own refining operations, as far as I know, so . . . whose label is under the Motorcraft label?

Whose under the Motorcraft label will depend on your country. Like every large manufacturer of motor vehicles and power trains, their engineers develop a specification for oil and go through a "bid" process to have a supplier manufacture their private label oil (and other lubricants). Due to various factors like shipping costs, taxes, duty fees, union contracts, treaties, etc., that same private label oil will be produced by different oil company's in different parts of the world. It is up to the vehicle manufacturer to test those oils periodically to ensure they meet the spec.

BTW those Delo oils are pretty good and not just for the budget minded fleet operators...although they are definitely more affordable then many brands that supply fleets, construction and ag equipment operators. I have seen oil analysis results on Delo oils that have come out of turbo diesels that measure up to the more expensive brands. Rotella T5 and T6 heavy duty oils compete with Delo and measure up equally when in service...BUT the oil analysis results will differ in certain areas and that is OK as long as the oil performs as expected.

It's interesting to see how oil discussions can "tickle" almost everybody's fancy.

 

[Sirhc]

I use royal purple

 

[Perry]

Thanks for the scoop, NP. I wondered if it might not be something like that, where it varies locale to locale, year to year, or both. Makes sense.

WRT the Delo oil, I didn't mean anything negative by "budget-minded", but was just referring to the fact that fleet operators are more interested in meeting budgets and specs than labels. Given the demands of intense use in big fleets, I'd imagine that Delo and Rotella and the like would have to be pretty good products.

 

[NorthernProducer]

Thanks for the scoop, NP. I wondered if it might not be something like that, where it varies locale to locale, year to year, or both. Makes sense.

WRT the Delo oil, I didn't mean anything negative by "budget-minded", but was just referring to the fact that fleet operators are more interested in meeting budgets and specs than labels. Given the demands of intense use in big fleets, I'd imagine that Delo and Rotella and the like would have to be pretty good products.

Perry...I didn't take your comments as negative...you are correct about fleet managers. In the end, they have to make sure they stay in budget, but still protect the BIG investment in those powertrains. Even a typical 85 HP (and big torque) turbo diesel used in mid-sized utility tractors can cost over $6,000 for a used short block...more for certain brands like John Deere. It's quite a balancing act.

If you think about it, we have the same concern about protecting the investment in our ST powertrains. So, we have to be happy about our selection of oil, but most popular brands are pretty good and will do the job if we maintain a reasonable change interval (flat tappet engines require a little thought given the newer chemistry relative to friction modifers...but that's a whole new topic). Racers will probably add oil analysis to their routine oil maintenance program.

 

[Perry]

Thanks, NP. I didn't really think you were upset or the like, I was just trying to be clear. And I love learning more about the ways in which seemingly simple things play out in a complex world, so thanks for your posts.

 

[xplorguy]

I just did my first oil change......2,600 miles in. Some will think that's early and some will think that's late. I used Mobil 1 full synthetic. My dealers service department claims it comes with full synthetic from Ford and as we know, Ford recommends SynBlend or Full Synthetic. But I worry that I won't or haven't gotten a good break-in with synthetic from the start. I can't worry about it. It is done.
Opinions on oil and brands and weight are beyond endless..............In any case, so far, the Black Beast is running like a champion..........

 

[pelotonracer2]

Whose under the Motorcraft label will depend on your country. Like every large manufacturer of motor vehicles and power trains, their engineers develop a specification for oil and go through a "bid" process to have a supplier manufacture their private label oil (and other lubricants). Due to various factors like shipping costs, taxes, duty fees, union contracts, treaties, etc., that same private label oil will be produced by different oil company's in different parts of the world. It is up to the vehicle manufacturer to test those oils periodically to ensure they meet the spec.

BTW those Delo oils are pretty good and not just for the budget minded fleet operators...although they are definitely more affordable then many brands that supply fleets, construction and ag equipment operators. I have seen oil analysis results on Delo oils that have come out of turbo diesels that measure up to the more expensive brands. Rotella T5 and T6 heavy duty oils compete with Delo and measure up equally when in service...BUT the oil analysis results will differ in certain areas and that is OK as long as the oil performs as expected.

It's interesting to see how oil discussions can "tickle" almost everybody's fancy.

Yep and gasoline distribution is the same way. Most people don't know that franchise gas stations and convenient stores only have to buy "company" gas formulations for whatever time stated in the contract. After that they can buy gas from ANY distributer or refinery and still retain the "brand" sign. That's one reason brand-X gas from this station may be completely different than brand-X down the street a ways. There are still corporate gas stations, but few and far in between these days. This is one reason I stay away from ma and pops gas stations/convenient stores. You really often have no idea what the quality of gasoline is until after you've purchased it and even then it can change daily. lol

 

[NorthernProducer]

Sounds like you might have worked in the petro industry PelotonRacer2? In the late '60's I worked at Shell Oil and remember they kept "house grade" gasolines at the terminal and those stocks were available for sell to independents. The only difference was a lack of the Shell additive package, so you are right about watching out for independents that sell lower quality gas. Moving the clock forward, I currently buy from a wholesaler in Tennessee (primary for diesel fuel, but some gasoline) that used to supply Shell petro's until last year when Shell stopped producing "100%" gasoline (no alcohol blend) in this region. I don't use alcohol blended gas if at all possible...interestingly, it took my wholesaler several months to find another supplier that could supply low sulfur diesel and 100% gas with the proper additive package. Are we seeing the end of 100% gas soon if the major's are stopping production of the "best" gasolines?

 

[pelotonracer2]

Sounds like you might have worked in the petro industry PelotonRacer2? In the late '60's I worked at Shell Oil and remember they kept "house grade" gasolines at the terminal and those stocks were available for sell to independents. The only difference was a lack of the Shell additive package, so you are right about watching out for independents that sell lower quality gas. Moving the clock forward, I currently buy from a wholesaler in Tennessee (primary for diesel fuel, but some gasoline) that used to supply Shell petro's until last year when Shell stopped producing "100%" gasoline (no alcohol blend) in this region. I don't use alcohol blended gas if at all possible...interestingly, it took my wholesaler several months to find another supplier that could supply low sulfur diesel and 100% gas with the proper additive package. Are we seeing the end of 100% gas soon if the major's are stopping production of the "best" gasolines?

Yes, sort of. I'm a retired fluid dynamics (hydrodynamics) engineer. I did a lot of long term engine wear analysis, tear down and "run to destruction" testing back in the day. We had our own gas pumps in-house and had to find fuel that met our formulation specifications for certain projects. That includes high test and aviation spec fuels. We also tested different oil (weight & brand) for certain vehicle manufacturers and did thousands of oil analysis studies. The most fun was building stock legal purpose built parts bin motors (blue-printing) and doing comparisons with production units. Never a dull moment... lol