So my mom gave me her beloved 06 Hyundai Tucson and I was looking at 5W-20 oil to buy for the next oil change as written in the manul. I figured I would go with Mobil 1 since it’s a reputable brand and then I get hit with the big three different bottles
Normal
Fuel Economy
Extended Performance
I just thought of going with normal and just follow the owner’s manual interval but what the hell is all this? Is it simple marketing or what? I’m just looking at having a discussion on this. I’m no expert so I’m really curious.
I hear you on the oil types, better to change the oil too often, when I was doing my oil changes, Castrol, then other variations of castrol came up, I have never had to add oil yet, well at 188k and not using synthetic, and whatever stuff my shop puts in, do not even bother to ask, just make sure it meets specs and every 6 months may be overkill but should be a good recommendation to follow. Oil changes are cheaper than engine changes.
Understood. The normal Mobil 1 exceeds the specs as stated in the manual so should be good. I’ll buy loads when it’s on sale.
My 330ci BMW was 1 year or 15k KM. Now it’s a consensus the 15k KM was a bit high but 1 year was well within spec (Unless once again I’m mistaken and 1 year isn’t the average). I’m just nondrying why would a Tucson be 6 months.
I guess it’s just because of oil grade? Since Tucson is 20 while on the BMW it was 40? I’m just trying to understand here not trying to refute whoever wrote the manual or engineers with what they came up.
The Mobil1 extended performance oil has higher additive content to deal with contaminants longer. IIRC, Exxon/Mobil says it can go 15,000 miles between changes. If you follow Hyundai’s recommended oil change protocol, there is no need to spend more on the extended performance oil.
There’s likely some benefit to using the other two options, but my guess you’d be better off using the Normal version and changing the oil a little more often. In the early 80’s my auto shop night school teacher told us that the important parameters to match up with what the manufacturer of the car recommends are the viscosity numbers and the API service rating, SN is the most recent oil classification for ordinary passenger vehicles these days.
There used to be a rating for commercial vehicle oils too, or maybe it was diesel engines; instead of S, that one started with C as I recall. Not sure if they still have a rating for that. At the time SF was the best non-commercial oil but there was another one rated CC as I recall, and some brands hosting an CC rating were compatible with cars requiring SF, and that’s what I usually used back then.
IMO, once you decide which oil is good for your car, it’s better to stick with the same brand of oil to minimize any potential additive compatibility problems.
Man, everyone is pulling your leg.
If your mom maintained the car well with regards to oil changes and routine maintenance, then just use whichever synthetic oil you find it on the shelf. Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy, Pennzoil Ultra Premium, Quaker State, Even Walmart’s Super Tech Synthetic (usually made by Warren) are good.
If you want to get picky about the oil, head over to Bob Is The Oil Guy board for tribological data and decide yourself. BITOG also has a rebate section to find a current deal.