Mobil 1 Oil

18 years ago

Looks like Mobil 1 is changing yet again. They used to have "Tri-synthetic". Then they changed to "Supersyn". Now they are offering "Extended Service" Mobil 1. They say it's guaranteed 15,000 miles. I don't know that I would ever want to run ANY kind of oil 15,000 miles, but does anybody have any idea what they are doing? They still have the standard "Supersyn" oil, but they no longer offer the 15W50 in that variety. They DO offer 15W50 in the "Extended Service" variety though. It appears to be about a buck more than the standard Mobil 1. They offer the lighter grades in both "Supersyn" and "Extended Service" variety.

Anybody know what's going on here? Why would they now have two varieties of Mobil 1? If the standard variety isn't good enough, they ought to just replace it totally with the new variety.

I've had good luck with the 15W50 in my Harley.

Comments (12)

brianl703
18 years ago
I think the standard variety of Mobil 1 is between their Mobil Clean 7500 (a synthetic blend good for 7500 miles) and their Mobil 1 Extended Performance (good for 15000 miles).

Maybe the standard variety of Mobil 1 is good for 11,250 miles? It's got to be somewhere close to that.
worm
Original Author
18 years ago
I guess I'm more interested in why they are doing this? In the past when they game up with a new variety of Mobil 1, they did away with the old variety. They've only had one variety of Mobil 1. Plus, I'm wondering what the difference in formulations is for the two varieties of Mobil 1. There's still limits on phosphorus, etc. that have to be met. Seems that Mobil 1 has always been their BEST oil, now they have one that's BEST and one that's not BEST. Doesn't seem to fit the marketing.
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There are several people here with facts, but I think nobody has everything exactly right. I hope I can add some clarity. As for oil, I believe its primary cooling ability would be from reducing friction. Since it doesn't vaporize until actual combustion (at least the best oils do), then it can't cool the engine by absorbing heat in a vaporization process. Gasoline in liquid form will reach ambient temperature. IOW, like any substance that remains liquid at ambient temps it will reach equilibrium with the outside air. So you can put a thermometer in a gallon of gas but it won't be any cooler than the outside air in which it's been stored. The reason it feels cool on your skin sometimes, I'm sure, is because it is evaporating (probably parts of it, while some components of it get left behind). That's a vaporization process, and just like water that's drying off of you it will cool your skin. So that brings us to gasoline and vaporization. Yes, gasoline does have a cooling effect as it vaporizes in the carburetor. Since it's not the most complete vaporization in the venturi of the carb, I _think_ it probably keeps vaporizing as it enters the hot crankcase and chamber and keeps absorbing heat until it is really well vaporized. I can't put a number on it, but it is going to correlate to gasoline's specific gravity (and different blends have different SGs, to the point that one way they test racing gas to see if a driver cheater is to test the SG of whatever is in his tank) and the amount of fuel being vaporized. It is significant, and you can see this by looking at the new direct-fuel-injection cars coming out from Audi/VW and soon Cadillac and others. They are suddenly getting away with much higher compression ratios in those cars: 12:1 for a naturally aspirated VW and 10.3:1 for my _turbocharged_ VW, for instance. That is almost entirely due to charge cooling from the injected gasoline's fast vaporization. I find it hard to believe that varying the oil ratio would significantly affect the cooling from vaporization unless we are talking about some ridiculously high ratio of oil (like below 10:1), but I'd be open to data showing otherwise. Likewise, I'd be surprised to see a big decrease in cooling from a reduction of friction unless we are talking about really high oil ratios. And I think at that point you would have real wear to worry about from high friction - i.e., the heat and friction will be taking their toll on the engine together. I'd think the cheaper engines with plain bearings would be more susceptible than good engines with full ball bearings. Again, I'm open to being proven wrong (i.e., learning). But one thing that isn't true is that carb icing in a plane is mainly due to cooling from gasoline's vaporization. I'm sure it contributes a little, but the main reason for it is the rapid acceleration of intake air through the venturi of the carb. That also causes cooling and concurrantly lowers the air pressure such that humidity in the air condenses. Normally it's no big deal, but if the conditions are cold enough and wet enough that condensation will freeze. This could happen on a car or any carbureted engine, but it's more likely in a plane due to the conditions in which they fly. As for combustion temps and air:fuel ratios, it is true that leaner is hotter up to a point. If the total exhaust temp goes up as you lean out an engine, then you must be making more power. So up to a point leaning an engine out isn't bad. I _think_ the damage comes from incomplete combustion that creates hot spots with overly lean settings. At that point, only part of the exhaust is hotter, and the total exhaust probably come down but certain parts of the chamber and piston get too hot. This would also correspond to less power output and erratic running (surge, anyone?). Going back to piston aviation engines, most have manual mixture controls that a pilot can adjust in flight. It is routine and spelled out in most operating manuals that for best economy (but not best power) the pilot should actually lean out the mixture 50* lean of peak exhaust temperature. This is considered safe, but if the pilot wants full power (which is only achievable at lower altitudes, btw) then he would need a richer mixture for safety and power. I think I hit all the highlights, and I hope this is helpful.
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earthworm
18 years ago
An old marketing ploy, give the customer what you think he wants/needs..
GM is the past-master of this - a tweak here and twinge there.
But this is much easier with a liquid..
And Mobil will continue to sell the "low cost" ha !! standard Mobil One until they either run out of it or too few buy it..

BTW, I doubt if anyone here buys that 7,500 and 15,000 oil change interval absurdity ..
I'll bet Joe SixPac does and Gus Wilson, Smokey Yunick, Roger Penske, and Bobby Rahal will never run out of work..
worm
Original Author
18 years ago
The "Extended Service" is a buck more than standard Mobil 1. About $5.50 vs. $4.50. They probably figure if you're willing to spend that much for oil, another buck is small potatoes. I do think that synthetic is good for an air-cooled motorcycle where oil temps are high, but for a car, I still use Valvoline 5W30 at about $1.50 and I got 210,000 miles on my car. I used to change every 3000, but now I go 6000.
brianl703
18 years ago
"There's still limits on phosphorus, etc. that have to be met."

Only for GF-4. I haven't checked, but I'm told that Mobil 1 Extended Performance does NOT meet GF-4 specs.

There is a bit of concern about GF-4 and whether the reduced levels of antiwear additives such as ZDDP that GF-4 mandates will result in engine wear for older engines with flat-tappet cams.

If you want lots of anti-wear additives, you don't need to buy Mobil 1 Extended Performance however..just get any dual-rated diesel/gasoline engine oil such as Shell Rotella.
gary__
18 years ago
I'm with the worms. They can keep the $5 per quart oil regardless. I'll stick with the good old valvoline @ $1.50 and change it somewhere between 3k - 5k miles, but closer to 3k. Tried the synthetic once and exended the interval to justify the cost. Drove me nuts worrying about it so I reverted back to what I've done for the last 30 years.
brianl703
18 years ago
Wal-Mart's Supertech, for 98 cents/quart, works as well as Valvoline.
worm
Original Author
18 years ago
Interesting comment about the GF-4. Here's what the web site says:
______________________

Does the Mobil 1 Extended Performance meet GF-4 specifications? How did the new specification impact the development of the high-endurance product line?
Mobil 1 Extended Performance contains extra performance additives to deliver exceptional performance and protection. This fully synthetic technology is designed specifically for longer service intervals. While it does not meet all the requirements for GF-4, it provides protection of the critical engine parts well beyond conventional engine oils including conventional GF-4 engine oils, and meets all the engine durability and protection requirements for GF-4. Additionally, Mobil 1 Extended Performance oils exceed the requirements of API SL/CF and various ACEA (European) specifications.
_________________

I thought automotive oil below 10W40 had to meet that. Evidently they've found a way around it. Did Mobil 1 15W50 EVER meet GF-4. I had heard in the past that it wasn't subject to the Zinc and Phosphorus limits because it was above the viscocity grade where it was required. Now I wondering if there's any difference in the old and the new Mobil 1 15W50 or if they just renamed it "extended performance" with this new marketing ploy and added a buck to the price.
measure_twice
18 years ago
The Mobile 1 oil could be exactly the same in each package, just charging more to cover any possible warranty costs. They have not specified any actual difference.

BTW, I prefer the full synthetics because in my experience they are less viscous for starting in very cold weather. At 0 or -10 F in MA, our cars are easier to start.

BTW, I doubt if anyone here buys that 7,500 and 15,000 oil change interval absurdity
Our Chrysler user manual specifies oil changes should be done at no more than 7,500 mile intervals. Hey, I'm just reporting - I think that is pushing it.
gary__
18 years ago
**Our Chrysler user manual specifies oil changes should be done at no more than 7,500 mile intervals. Hey, I'm just reporting - I think that is pushing it.**

Schedule 'a' or 'b'? That sounds right for what most manufacturers recommend for what they call normal use. Usually they have another maintainence schedule for severe use that's half that long. If you read what constitutes normal and severe use, most people fall into the severe use catagory.
earthworm
18 years ago
The original Mobil I is now sold at a discount at Walmart, seems to be a great buy, and a smart business decision by Mobil as they now have many looking at the extended drain oil.
I can just see the $dollar$ signs flashing wildly when sheeple look to save money..
And with all the reports of sludge/low oil pressure due to excessive heat and long drain intervals..The oil buyer is walking a tight-rope..
I'll stick with Mobil I "economy synthetic" and drain every 6 months(3 to 6K miles)...
Our vehicles are somewhere between severe and easy service..
worm
Original Author
18 years ago
They don't publish phosphorus levels so it's hard to figure this out. But, the new "extended service" oil seems to be associated with the new SM ILSAC GF-4 classifications (starburst and economy ratings) for cars. The "regular" Mobil 1 carries those, while the "extended service" does not. One thing that happened is phosphorus levels were reduced from 0.1% max to 0.08% max. Phosphorus is one of the main anti-wear additives. So, my guess is that the "extended service" is probably closer to the old Mobil 1 and the "regular" Mobil 1 may not be as good. Who knows. Since 15-50 never had the starburst in the first place, it's probably unchanged. Doesn't matter for my Harley, since I would need the higher viscocity anyway.

Mobil 1 Oil

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