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Sport Oil questions & Analysis

I am getting ready to change the oil in my 2014 Sport.

Does anyone have good advice for what motor oil to use? Other than simply Full Synthetic 5w-30. I used to use Amsoil in all my vehicles. It's great. But other companies must have perfected the art of producing great motor oil.
And, Amsoil is hard to find.
Can't go wrong with the recommended Ford products either. I used just the recommended regular non synthetic oil in my 2011 Limited and probably will in my current MKT Ecoboost as well.

Peter
 



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the synthetics are better at high temp, cold start and last a lot longer.

But if you do not cold start a lot, do not commonly overheat your engine and replace your oil as scheduled then there is little to any benefit to the synthetics.
 






Buy any quality branded full synthetic oil. Use a quality oil filter. Change it yearly or every 7,500 miles, or when the computer tells you. If you want to really know how your oil selection is going, send samples to Blackstone labs for used oil analysis.
 






I've used Mobil 1 for over 27 years in my '87 Buick Turbo and have not had any issues with the turbo, ever. Let the car break in with regular oil for 5k miles and then switch.
 






Here is my opinion, (Just that, my opinion)

I have worked as a mechanic for my local county maintenance shop for 14 years now, over my course of 14 years we have only run one type of oil in all of our vehicles, DELO 15w40. We have not once had any of our vehicles motors go bad. we are scheduled to change the oil in all of the countys road maintenance vehicles every 5000 miles, we run it in everything, from the dump trucks, to the police explorers, to the tahoes, to the old police crown vics, we even run it in the new chevy cop cars, and the twin turbo ford police cars. why you ask? Because diesel vehicles dont have to pass emissions, so the oil companies can add important things like zinc, iron, ect to the oil. if you run it it is up to you. i am not sure how it would do in a newer motor but it sure does seems to work for our shop. our oldest crown vic just hit 422k miles on the original motor. the only thing we have had to do to it is replace the timing chains. i also run diesel motor oil in my personal vehicles. for years i ran delo 15w40, up until royal purple came out with their diesel motor oil, i now run that in all my rigs, (1989 geo) (2000 explorer 4.0 sohc) (1991 cummins 12 valve) (2013 5.0 gt with stage 3 roush supercharger) and have never had a motor issue. could be insane luck, or could be the oil. but i bought my 1989 geo metro in 92 with 20k miles, been running diesel oil since then and just hit 380k miles on original motor. which is very impressive, especially for a geo.

Just my story, thought id share. i know people also like just regular royal purple 10w30.

I only use WIX high end oil filters if people are wondering.
 






I am getting ready to change the oil in my 2014 Sport.

Does anyone have good advice for what motor oil to use? Other than simply Full Synthetic 5w-30. I used to use Amsoil in all my vehicles. It's great. But other companies must have perfected the art of producing great motor oil.
And, Amsoil is hard to find.
Asking about what oil to use is about as controversial as asking when to change it. Everyone has an opinion on both and it is sometimes very difficult to get a real consensus. You can follow the manufacturer's recommendations on oil and interval or chose you own from the many and varied posts that you will get. There already is a long thread on 'Synthetic' oil and also on the oil change 'interval'. Check them out;
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333951
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309598

Peter
 






Here is my opinion, (Just that, my opinion)

I have worked as a mechanic for my local county maintenance shop for 14 years now, over my course of 14 years we have only run one type of oil in all of our vehicles, DELO 15w40. We have not once had any of our vehicles motors go bad. we are scheduled to change the oil in all of the countys road maintenance vehicles every 5000 miles, we run it in everything, from the dump trucks, to the police explorers, to the tahoes, to the old police crown vics, we even run it in the new chevy cop cars, and the twin turbo ford police cars. why you ask? Because diesel vehicles dont have to pass emissions, so the oil companies can add important things like zinc, iron, ect to the oil. if you run it it is up to you. i am not sure how it would do in a newer motor but it sure does seems to work for our shop. our oldest crown vic just hit 422k miles on the original motor. the only thing we have had to do to it is replace the timing chains. i also run diesel motor oil in my personal vehicles. for years i ran delo 15w40, up until royal purple came out with their diesel motor oil, i now run that in all my rigs, (1989 geo) (2000 explorer 4.0 sohc) (1991 cummins 12 valve) (2013 5.0 gt with stage 3 roush supercharger) and have never had a motor issue. could be insane luck, or could be the oil. but i bought my 1989 geo metro in 92 with 20k miles, been running diesel oil since then and just hit 380k miles on original motor. which is very impressive, especially for a geo.

Just my story, thought id share. i know people also like just regular royal purple 10w30.

I only use WIX high end oil filters if people are wondering.

I've used M1 5w-40 Turbo Diesel Truck in my Saab turbo and it has been great, but I rotate with M1 fully synthetic 0w40 Euro blend b/c I have been concerned about the ZDDP from the TDT harming the catalytic converter. Seems not to be a concern from your experience.
 






Here is my opinion, (Just that, my opinion)

I have worked as a mechanic for my local county maintenance shop for 14 years now, over my course of 14 years we have only run one type of oil in all of our vehicles, DELO 15w40. We have not once had any of our vehicles motors go bad. we are scheduled to change the oil in all of the countys road maintenance vehicles every 5000 miles, we run it in everything, from the dump trucks, to the police explorers, to the tahoes, to the old police crown vics, we even run it in the new chevy cop cars, and the twin turbo ford police cars. why you ask? Because diesel vehicles dont have to pass emissions, so the oil companies can add important things like zinc, iron, ect to the oil. if you run it it is up to you. i am not sure how it would do in a newer motor but it sure does seems to work for our shop. our oldest crown vic just hit 422k miles on the original motor. the only thing we have had to do to it is replace the timing chains. i also run diesel motor oil in my personal vehicles. for years i ran delo 15w40, up until royal purple came out with their diesel motor oil, i now run that in all my rigs, (1989 geo) (2000 explorer 4.0 sohc) (1991 cummins 12 valve) (2013 5.0 gt with stage 3 roush supercharger) and have never had a motor issue. could be insane luck, or could be the oil. but i bought my 1989 geo metro in 92 with 20k miles, been running diesel oil since then and just hit 380k miles on original motor. which is very impressive, especially for a geo.

Just my story, thought id share. i know people also like just regular royal purple 10w30.

I only use WIX high end oil filters if people are wondering.

Along these same lines, is why I have been running Mobol Turbo Diesel 5W40 in the Explorer the past 2 years, and +70,000 miles.
 






In my 40 years of driving, I've settled on Royal Purple 5w20 for my Vehicles. Delo 400 in 30 for my power equipment. Never had an oil issue and engines are impeccably clean.
 






There may be a lot of differing opinions. But in the mist of all these replies is knowledge. This community serves to help disseminate and enhance our knowledge base. Thank you to all who have replied!
 






For Turbo engines like in the Sport I would only use a full Synthetic like Penzoil Platinum or equal. Most factory tunes tend to be on the rich side to help prevent detonation which is very bad in pressurized engines.

I've read a number of threads now, but I've seen no mention of what oil would be best with an aftermarket tune. I'm looking at doing a 91 tune soon, and so I'm pretty sure I'd like to switch to a full synthetic with my first oil change and toward the end of the break-in period (probably right around 4k miles)(my recent vehicle health report showed the oil at 63% at 1.5k miles).

It seems to me that the "the manual" is good for a starting point, but it's written for everyone on average. It wouldn't take into account factors that could affect what is best for each individual's Explorer, right?

Well, here's my situation: I have the twin turbo 3.5L V6. I live in Southern California, which very rarely gets below 50 degrees (and is often in the 90s/100s). I drive my Ex pretty aggressively. I may tow a trailer or small boat from time to time. What would y'all say is a good synthetic oil and why? (brand name aside- just lookin for weight/grade #s here)

p.s. I read the entire bobistheoilguy.com site, and though I learned a bit, I'm more confused than when I started. Why cant someone just put this into plain and simple language that everyone can understand and follow based on their situation?! (i.e. "if you drive more aggressively, buy a higher/lower weight/grade than the manual says"; "if you are towing, buy _____"; "if you are in cold weather, buy ____"; etc etc)
 






Although I'm not 'oil' expert, I would think the numbers would stay the same whether you are using regular or synthetic oil. The Owner's Guide doesn't recommend changing the oil numbers if you are towing or driving in adverse conditions. It just recommends changing it more often. I'd stay with the recommended 5W-20 if just for engine warranty reasons.
Curious as to how the VHR of 63% compared to your oil life monitor reading.

Peter
 






I'm a fully licensed automotive and heavy equipment mechanic, in the trades for 16 years. I agree with the benefits of synthetic and have used it most of my vehicles in the past. I have a full maintenance package on my sport as well as the longest (mileage/months) extended warranty. The dealer wants to charge me almost an extra $100 bucks to upgrade to synthetic per oil change. No sir, no thank you! They can put water in there as far as I'm concerned. I don't plan on keeping this till everything is bagged out and am not going to give them the satisfaction of paying more. If its good enough for Ford (warranty), its good enough for me!
 






Mobil 1 Full Syn 5w30 from Walmart. Cheap - run it 10K.
 






Oil

I have about 500 miles on my 15 Sport. When I buy a new car, I usually get an oil change pretty quickly. The questions is: What type of oil does everyone use. Just the synthetic blend at the dealer? I'm a big believer in full synthetic like MOBIL 1. I never had a V6 Twin-Turbo before.

TIA
 






any major oil brand of the correct viscosity is fine. Any thing more than that is strictly a personal preference. Changing oil before the oil monitor says its time is a waste of money. There is no empirical evidence that engines last longer with a 3000 mile oci versus the mfg's recommended interval. I personally use Mobil1 as I live in a cold climate and the price difference is less than $10 when I change the oil myself. I would go longer than 500 for the first change, more like 2000. Modern machining and assembly processes leaves little foreign material like they did years ago so there is not and good reason to do so. If you think about the particle size that could be in the engine they would not ever pass through then oil filter.
 






I'm a big supporter of full synthetic on any turbo vehicle due to potential sludge issues if you do a lot of short trips that don't get the engine to full operating temperature.

You will probably be fine with semi-synthetic in the Sport, but if I had one I'd use full synthetic like I do with my Saab, which is a turbo.

My NA Ex, I have no prob using semi-synthetic.
 






Mobil 1 - A jug is less than $30 at Walmart. No need to change early. Old wives tale.....
 






In my Ecoboost engine I use Ford's regular 5W-30 oil and change it every 6 months which in my case works out to about 2000 miles.

Peter
 



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I use Mobil 1 5W30 Full Synthetic purchased from Walmart. Walmart sure has the best price on that oil. Amsoil may be the best filter however i stick with OEM Filter recommended by Ford which is Motocraft. I change oil between 6000 and 7500 miles. The Oil Life Monitor of my ExSport tells me that based on my driving habits, i will need to change oil between 10,000 - 12,000 miles, still I stick with the schedule of changing oil between 6000 - 7500 miles. I know Full synthetic is going to last me at least 10,000 miles but just for peace of mind, i change it anyways. Hope this helps you decide. Best bet might be to verify what your Oil Life Monitor tells you about your Driving habits and as to when to change the oil, and subtract 2500 - 3000 miles from that for Oil change and use full synthetic as it sure is better however not REQUIRED. Whatever rocks your cradle.....is the way to go.
 






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