DPE

I've searched many discussions, and even commented in some awhile back, but I thought I'd bring it up once again. New 2014 GT, just hit 700 miles today. Historically, I have done oil changes at 1000 miles as a mark of break-in being (mostly) done, and then gone to 3-5k intervals after that depending on use. I do track my car 4-5x per year, and it is probably driven harder than average, even for a Mustang. Plan to keep the car forever (or at least a good long time). Based on the above, questions are as follows:

1. I will likely do a 1000 mile oil change, and likely will stick with Ford 5W20 blend. Then I'll change again at 5k, with full-syn, and generally do changes at 5k. Does anyone see a flaw with this plan? Is there ANY legitimate reason (other than saving money) not to do the 1000 mile change? I know it isn't necessary by the book, but it's always stuck with me to clear out whatever was left from manufacturing and break-in.

2. Given my usage, what full syn should I go with? 5W20 seems awfully thin for a car driven as mine is, and I've read plenty on bobistheoilguy about how thin oil is generally better, but I was thinking Mobil 1 5W30. Or even the Motorcraft 5W50 as recommended for the Boss and Track Pack, but that could be overkill? My car is a Brembo, but no Track Pack (didn't want 3.73). Also read up on how, technically, my engine could be programmed slightly different from the Track Pack engine due to the thicker oil specified for it. I think JAJ was commenting on the specifics somewhere, but not for sure.

At the end of the day, I suspect I'd be fine with any decent oil as long as it's changed regularly, but I figured I'd stir this pot one last time and see what comes up before I commit to any particular program. Probably will do UOA with Blackstone and see how that looks too.

Rudolph Hucker

mobile 1
used it on all my cars and bikes since the 80's and never had a motor go bad on me

JAJ

Yes, the ECU is programmed for the engine oil viscosity - there's a table that controls how fast the cams change position and it takes longer with higher viscosity oil. But there's no evidence anywhere that it actually makes a discernible difference, so don't sweat it.


The oil I used more of than any other was Pennzoil Ultra 5w-30, and that was when my 2011 5.0 engine had a TVS2300 on it pushing about 540HP. I also ran MC 5w-20, Redline 5w-20 and Mobil1 0w-40. The only oil I wasn't impressed with was the Mobil1, and the one that produced the best results was the Pennz Ultra. At the time, my rule was that the oil had to be over the counter at WalMart, but the Pennz ultra is gone off the shelf there now. If I was shopping for 5w-20 these days, I'd try Castrol Edge Titanium 5w-20, or maybe 5w-30 if you want to run a higher vis.


I ran the factory fill out to 5,000 miles or so (OLM at 5%), including a bunch of track days, and it ran great. The UOA was good, and the engine sealed up nicely and always ran like a champ. There's no need to change at 1k miles. I wouldn't bother. In fact, I ran my new GT500 engine out to the manual-specified time too. There's no reason not to.

scottmach

I think changing the oil at 1000 miles is a bit of a waste. I along with many others are getting very good results with Amsoil 10w-30. This is based on actual testing, not opinion.
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...t-5w-20-a.html
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...oa-thread.html

And FYI but Mobil 1 is no longer a full synthetic.

scottmach

You've used it since the 80's but still haven't figured out how to spell it?

Nuke

If the 5.0's come with the Ford blend from the factory AND you intend to change the oil at 5k mile frequencies (which is rather short for today's synthetics and even the blends in some instances), then I'd stick with the blend. Going to full synthetic and changing it every 5k miles will buy you nothing more in engine protection. But it won't hurt either, of course, and often gives folks some peace-of-mind for the higher expense.

A good synthetic can easily go 15k miles or beyond but the oil companies as well as folklore tell us not to. I change my full synthetic in all of my vehicles no earlier than 8k miles but tend to shoot for 10k miles. The previous 4 vehicles on full syn using the 8k-10k change frequency were sold with over 200k miles on those engines, no issues. I expect the same from the current 3 on full syn.

dcarlinf1

Mobile 1 is all I use. And, a motorcraft filter.

scottmach

And yet you guys can't even spell Mobil 1 correctly. Simply amazing.

tbear853

I vote Motorcraft Blend 5W30 (or 5w20 if you prefer ) and Motocraft filters and 5K changes.

A 5.0, even on track days, isn't going to kill oil faster than an active trooper working his CVPI in the coldest of winter, the 100 degree summer, idle for hours at a scene today, tomorrow working radar going out from idle in a crossover to WOT .... time after time, into 70 mph traffic, 0-100 / 120 / 130 even, 30 times or more, then throw in a few longer distance pursuits.

I worked my last three assigned cars like that (and more), all CVPIs, from 1998 up to 2010 (retired then), sometimes getting called out in wee hours at home and getting dressed and getting in the cold car (no remotes) and it's "Katy bar the door" out the driveway, lights on (no siren on though) responding to a scene / incident / emergency maybe 10 miles or 100 miles away (it was emergency or they would not have called me out), as the case may be.

Never an engine problem, 5K changes with the MC 5W30 and MC filters, my last car had near 90K when I retired and the fella who took my slot wrecked his car just before he transferred so they gave him my 90K CVPI, he was on the tac team so he got more call outs, he only ran it to 186K before he got a new 2012. That MC oil is good stuff.

Prior to 1998, I had a few Chevys for PCs starting with the '86 Caprice and never a problem with an engine in them, and prior to that, my first police cars were a '78 440 Plymouth, a '80 360, and a couple '82s. I did have a bearing problem with the '80 Plymouth that required a engine swap and a burnt piston with a hole melted in center of one of my '82s that also necessitated an engine swap .... but back then we did 3K mile changes and used 20w50 oil. Sometime in the later '80s or early '90s we moved away from 20w50 to 10w30 and soon, 5w30 in mid 90s.


It's an easy mistake .... but that is still funny, I don't care who you are .....

DPE

Good info here guys, I appreciate it. Perhaps I will forego the 1000 mile change this time; causes me angst to not do that, but maybe I need to start living beyond 1990?

As for the type of oil, as usual, many opinions. I had heard Pennz Ultra 5W30 very good, but it's also nowhere to be found in the Wal-Marts and Auto parts stores I've looked in recently. Like JAJ, I prefer something that's common and readily available. Mobil (without an 'e' ) has been getting dinged a lot lately; kind of what I grew up on in terms of synthetics, but it sounds like they may be slipping a bit.

So in terms of grade, the thought is that Ford thinks a Boss or Track Pack needs 5W50, presumably due to the stresses associated with track use. My car will see harder use then many (most?) of the Boss and Track Pack cars out there, yet no one piped up and said anything beyond XW30 would be necessary. I understand that the Motorcraft 5W50 shears down to a 40 pretty quick, but even so, why will I be fine with a 20 or 30 weight? Not suggesting anyone is wrong here, just want to see a rationale.

And also not suggesting I'm a budding F1 driver or that I race around town bouncing off the limiter at every opportunity. Just saying it'll be run full bore on hot days (90+) at a race track on occasion in instructor-level run groups for 20-30 minutes at a time, and there will be plenty of high rpm running down twisty roads etc. If MC 5W20 blend will work for this, hell, I'll just stick with that. Certainly works for the police it sounds like . But I didn't think to switch to full syn because of intervals, rather because it is suggested that syn will provide better protection in the extremes. If the car never saw a race track I wouldn't have even posted my second question about which oil to run; MC 5W20 would be great. And it may be great even for track use. I just don't know. That Ford suggests a 5W50 full syn in the Boss and Track Pack cars is what gives me lingering doubt.