My 997's getting "motul" oil. Is it better than Mobil 1?

 

i would recommend to read this:
http://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html

 

Many threads on this one to search on. Personally I run Castrol Syntec 5-40, it's recommended by L&N Engineering and after a year & half no problems. Sent a sample of used oil to Blackstone and got an A+ in all categories.

 

Castrol 5w-40 and Motul 5w-40 are both recommended by a couple of porsche indy shops that I trust. They recommend this slightly heavier weight for the warmer LA climate.

Obviously motor oil is a highy subjective topic, but personally I went with castrol 5w-40. car is running great and fuel economy is a bit better.

 

i run mobil 1 5w50 now. it is fine enough oil and is recommended by porsche.

 

motul is good. my indy prefers redline so i use it. anyone else?

 

Redline is a fine oil, and I have used their MTL and rear diff oils in my BMWs for many years (track too), but their oils are not API certified (this may have changed recently). So you have to take "on faith" that they meet or exceed industry standards, which they likely do. Also know that if you are under warranty and have a catastrophic failure and you are using a non-approved, non-API certified oil it may create hassles for you.

 

A 5W 40 oil is only heavier, or more viscous, at start up of a cold engine when you are looking for a thinner oil to insure maximum engine oiling. The first number indicates an oils weight, or viscosity when the oil is cold and you are starting a cold engine so increasing it to 5 makes it heavier in a cold engine. Once the engine has reached it's specified operating temp the oil performs like a 40 weight oil. You would have to increase a 40 weight oil to a 50 weight oil in order to make the oil heavier when the engine is fully warmed up when you may benefit from a heavier oil in warmer climates. If you run a Google search on oil viscosity there are a number of technical papers on the subject worth reading.

 

I believe you will find the difference in lower visc to be insignificant until you are below 0 deg F or close to it. Ie there is no difference in most climes. But I would go with the 5w on general principle. Motul is a grade 5 oil, Mobil1 grade 4. You can search the differences but they are in favor of the newer synthetic bases as in 5. I am using the Motul 8100 series x-clean 5-40. There is also an x-cess in an older formulation which is good. Motul 300 series is for track use/short fill only. I don't get peeps who say Mobil 1 is "good enough" or the like. Sometimes change is good. Mobil spends a lot for product placement. I'm sure it is fine but progress is good too Btw, my shop charges me $9 per qt. of 8100.

 

also keep in mind - it means much less what brand of oil you use compared to how often do you change your oil. despite of what get written on a box and in service manual - any oil gets beaten up quite fast.

 

I track my car and know many of capable and experience Race Teams who found that they have problem with crank shaft that lead to engine blow when they use Redline oil

 

For a warm climate a 5w40 ihas no more viscosity or protection than a 0w40. The 40 part of the spec is the highest viscosity for both grades of oils. The 0w part will just flow a little better at cold temps below freezing.

 

Where are you finding Mobil 1 5w50? thanks!

 

Redline like Motul is a gr5 oil based on a renewable base. It is probably fine but it is not on Porsche's recommend list. This may or not be a concern for you, esp if you are out of warranty.

 

But: I have read in several journals that the narrower the viscosity range the more resistant the oil is to breaking down ie. higher shear value. Following that thinking you might consider not using a 0 on the lower end unless you need it. That point is well below freezing. If I had that concern I might use a 0-40 in winter and 5-40 (or higher?) in summer. I change oil 2x year so that would not be a problem.