Shell Rotella T6

[Mr Clean]

Would using Shell Rotella T6 5w40 be beneficial or a good choice during the upcoming hot season in Baltimore, MD? I've read pro and con, more pro than con, but I'm wondering if it could cause any issues?

[bluedragon436]

What kind of mileage you have on your engine?? I've kind of wondered this same thing for mine, as I'm due an oil change right now... I've heard the T6 is good especially for "higher" mileage engines... I'm over in DE... so similar temps as you got there in Baltimore.. Have been trying to figure out what weight I am wanting to run on mine, and at the same time to track down the T6 in the first place... it always seems to be empty or non existent.. I'm going to look into Napa and see what they have tomorrow... already got the filter for it... if I can't find the T6, then I'll just stick with the Castrol High Mileage like I've been running until I can find T6...

[Charlie Foxtrot]

FWIW the last two lubricant classes that I attended (courtesy of Uncle Sam) Shell Rotella (diesel dino, not synth) was mentioned for older ICE (internal combustion engines) due to it's higher levels of zddp, a zinc additive that is deleted in motor oils for gas engines because of cat converter contamination issues. The zinc helps with the top end, at least that is the theory. As for multi-vis synthetics, you may experience better wear resistance (less tendency for shear) with a slightly higher viscosity (10W or 20W instead of 5W). That 5W-40 is great in winter for making it easier to spin, but I'd be afraid of low oil pressures on really hot days in a worn engine. My jeeps are high time 4.0's so I use the synthetics (5W or 10W-30) in the winter, but usually shift to good multi vis (20W-50) dino oil in the summers. I average monthly oil changes & use a good filter. I'm able to maintain good pressure all year round that way, and the synth tends to keep the engine guts clean.

[abebehrmann]

What kind of mileage you have on your engine?? I've kind of wondered this same thing for mine, as I'm due an oil change right now... I've heard the T6 is good especially for "higher" mileage engines... I'm over in DE... so similar temps as you got there in Baltimore.. Have been trying to figure out what weight I am wanting to run on mine, and at the same time to track down the T6 in the first place... it always seems to be empty or non existent.. I'm going to look into Napa and see what they have tomorrow... already got the filter for it... if I can't find the T6, then I'll just stick with the Castrol High Mileage like I've been running until I can find T6...

I don't normally recommend shopping at Walmart, but that's pretty much the only place I buy engine oil and they always have all the Rotella varieties. It's ~$10 cheaper/gallon there as compared to the parts stores around me.

For what it's worth, I usually run Rotella T5 or T6 (synthetic blend or full synthetic) 15w40 year-round because I live where it never really gets cold, they're both fairly cheap, and they have a high ZDDP content. If I lived where it were cold, I'd probably go down to a 10w30 for winter time.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/oil-viscosity.php
Here's an interesting primer on oil viscosity by one of the industry's independent test labs.

[Mr Clean]

I only have 131k on the engine. It had been rebuilt when I bought it.