Which Oil Do You Use?

[D.J.]

Whichever full synthetic is on sale at Amazon.

For me, in Canada, it's Kirkland Brand (Costco)- always best price.

 

[Volfy]

For me, in Canada, it's Kirkland Brand (Costco)- always best price.

I used to buy that years ago when Costco first started carrying them and were even cheaper. Now they are around $18/5qt, which is still very good price, but occasionally some of the name brands go on sale on Amazon for about the same price, so I tend to stock up when that happens. I do wish Costco would carry more than just 5w30 and 0w20 though.

 

[D.J.]

Mobile One is the choice of KIA

Do you mean, your local privately owned Kia store?

 

[ht_addict]

Mobile One is the choice of KIA, but are the other opinions out there about motor oils that are better for the Stinger? One example is Royal Purple.

Any opinions or experience with other synthetics other that Mobile One? I hear AMSOIL is pretty good.

Not according to my manual. It states Total Quartz

 

[JSolo]

I used to buy that years ago when Costco first started carrying them and were even cheaper. Now they are around $18/5qt, which is still very good price, but occasionally some of the name brands go on sale on Amazon for about the same price, so I tend to stock up when that happens. I do wish Costco would carry more than just 5w30 and 0w20 though.

Putting 5w30 in the 2.5? Or wait til warranty is over?

I've been using mobil 1 0w30 from walmart, $25-28 depending on time of year for the 5 qt jug. Takes 1 1/3 jugs with oil filter here.

 

[Alpinesting]

Not according to my manual. It states Total Quartz

I stand corrected. I suppose that many of these synthetics are fine as others have posted on this thread as

long as they meet the requirements of the car maker.

 

[Volfy]

Putting 5w30 in the 2.5? Or wait til warranty is over?

I've been using mobil 1 0w30 from walmart, $25-28 depending on time of year for the 5 qt jug. Takes 1 1/3 jugs with oil filter here.

Those are for other vehicles I have/had.

Although, I don't see a problem using 5w30 in 2.5T for those of us who drive in warm climates. By their very ratings, 5w30 and 0w30 are supposed to have similar kinematic viscosity at 100degC, so once the engine gets up to speed, there should be little operational difference. Where they differ is at low temps, but hat is really only an issue for those who live up north. At say, 20degC, 5w30 likely has a thinner viscosity and flow better than 0w30 at -20egC. For more than 1/2 a yr around here, ambient temps rarely dip below 20egC. So that 0w isn't that important for us here.

Personally, I'm more concerned about protection at higher temps, especially for a turbo engine, so 0w40 and 5w40 are my choice for my own 2.5T, depending on the application.

 

[JSolo]

We get temp swings from -20F to 100F, so I guess I'll be sticking with the mobil 0w-30. So far my mileage has been under 5K, sometimes well under 5K between OCI's, do it at least once a year.

At 4800 miles the oil didn't look too bad, dark honey. By product of turbo engine. The G oil changes were done at roughly similar mileages, but looked much better.

Can you rephrase "At say, 20degC, 5w30 likely has a thinner viscosity and flow better than 0w30 at -20egC"? You're comparing 2 very different temperatures. ¿?

 

[Volfy]

We get temp swings from -20F to 100F, so I guess I'll be sticking with the mobil 0w-30. So far my mileage has been under 5K, sometimes well under 5K between OCI's, do it at least once a year.

At 4800 miles the oil didn't look too bad, dark honey. By product of turbo engine. The G oil changes were done at roughly similar mileages, but looked much better.

Can you rephrase "At say, 20degC, 5w30 likely has a thinner viscosity and flow better than 0w30 at -20egC"? You're comparing 2 very different temperatures. ¿?

I'm simply saying that an engine with 5w30 (or 5w40 for that matter) in my neck of the woods wouldn't see a "low temp" kinematic viscosity that is any higher that what you would likely see in yours.

Some folks might be afraid to use something other than what the car mfr calls for (in this case, 0w30), because of the belief that the engine was "designed" to work with 0w30. While there is certain nothing wrong with that approach, the reality is a bit more nuanced. In general, an oil's viscosity varies greatly with temperature. The viscosity modifiers (long-chain polymers) added to motor oils to make it "multi-viscosity" helps to make the viscosity vs. temp curve less steep, but change vs. temp is still substantial.

There is really no one single commercially available motor oil viscosity profile that works best for a particular car engine everywhere - from Saharan Africa to Arctic Circle. Car mfrs used to offer a chart that show various viscosity profiles that are suitable for a particular engine. The fact that they no longer do that for some cars (like this 2.5T) doesn't mean that is no longer the case. Frankly, I don't know what they don't do that any more. Maybe they think car owners these days are too dumb to understand the old-style charts? Dunno.

It also doesn't help that these days, car mfrs quite often spec ever lower viscosity motor oils, in order to raise the EPA fuel economy, sometimes at the expense of engine protection/longevity. This is a controversial issue, so I won't harp on it too much. Google "GM 6.2l engine oil viscosity requirement change" if you care to read up on the latest example of this sort of debacle.

 

[Ah GetFd]

""It also doesn't help that these days, car mfrs quite often spec ever lower viscosity motor oils, in order to raise the EPA fuel economy, sometimes at the expense of engine protection/longevity.""

Agree.

This was one of the points I picked up with the recommended (here) of 5W30 "A5" by Kia

Firstly the temperature doesn't get near the prolonged cold of other places. Whilst we get a couple of days of 0C as we have now, its only for an hour in the middle of the night and it is back up to 15C - 20C by mid winter during the day so there is no need for a 0W30 oil which might be needed elsewhere.

But the A5 rating does have a lower viscosity than other 5W30 oils such as "C3" and the "A5" does run "thinner" therefore wear "could" increase, at the expense of the "better" fuel economy it seeks to produce.

 

[Rob 02]

I use Liqui Moly. Felt like it eliminated any slight smoke I had. Car runs great just ticked over 100,000 Miles.

 

[ht_addict]

I use Liqui Moly. Felt like it eliminated any slight smoke I had. Car runs great just ticked over 100,000 Miles.

The one your using doesn't meet the ACEA A5/B5 thats specked in the manual. Or even the ILSAC-GF6A

 

[Ohiocruiser]

The one your using doesn't meet the ACEA A5/B5 thats specked in the manual. Or even the ILSAC-GF6A

And it's not even correct weight

 

[Thomby]

The one your using doesn't meet the ACEA A5/B5 thats specked in the manual. Or even the ILSAC-GF6A

And it's not even correct weight

I believe we're spec'd for A3, and GF-4 (GF-3 at launch). And the API was SL, then SM, because SN was pretty new and SP didn't exist. I did a deep dive on this at one point, maybe I'll post my notes when I get time.

But as a short answer, ACEA ratings are distinct categories, not sequential like API/ILSAC where higher number supersedes or is better. A3/B4 = High Temp High Shear additives for performance; A5/B5 = lower HTHS for fuel economy.

You may not even be able to get a 40 weight oil rated A5, because the only oils seeking that label will be thinner ones. For ILSAC-6A you can't -- by definition it's only 0/5w-20/30. So even the exact same oil with the latest API SP rating would be a GF-6A in 0w-30 or 5w-30, but couldn't carry that label on 0w40 or 5w40.

If your oil is API SP, you are at least two generations newer than what Kia designed for, and have LSPI protection (specifically for direct-injected turbo engines). ILSAC just adds fuel economy requirements, but it's like a 1% improvement (they use 20w40 as a baseline lol).

 

[Volfy]

If your oil is API SP, you are at least two generations newer than what Kia designed for, and have LSPI protection (specifically for direct-injected turbo engines). ILSAC just adds fuel economy requirements, but it's like a 1% improvement (they use 20w40 as a baseline lol).

I would just add that a "2-gen newer" oil isn't definitively any better or worse than a "2-gen older" oil at protecting the engine. It simply means it has been tested to the new standard. Sometimes, it could be the same exact formulation. Other times with a slight addtiive package tweak, here and there. Once tested and passed, it gets put in a new bottle and sold with the new label. As you mentioned, sometimes the newer standard specs requirements that has little to do with better protection.

All else being equal, I would, of course, pick the latest API spec that matches or exceeds the car mfr's spec. However, how/what a motor oil needs to do in a 2025 model year car isn't dramatically different than in a 2015 engine, or even a 2005 one. I don't get too picky with lubricants.

 

[Retro7610]

Driven high performing/racing oils are my choice as they have very low evap rates at high temps. I use DI40. Though a bit pricey and not available everywhere (so I order it), I have more confidence in it than Mobil 1 or other oils. Here is a link to it: DI40 5W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil, Quart. I'm sure there are many other great oils and its really personal preference of course.

 

[socalvn]

Full synthetic at the steelership $89 No Mess no hassle keeps me under warranty

 

[Thomby]

I would just add that a "2-gen newer" oil isn't definitively any better or worse than a "2-gen older" oil at protecting the engine. It simply means it has been tested to the new standard. Sometimes, it could be the same exact formulation.

Ok fair point...maybe the way I should've phrased it is: whatever the supposed benefits of going to SM or SN over SL, if you go all the way to SP you're getting the anti-LSPI formulation which is relevant for modern turbocharged DI engines (especially torquey ones like ours, which are likely to run closer to "lugging").

Edit: technically "SN Plus" started adding LSPI prevention in 2018, but SP in 2020 was where widespread adoption took place.

 

[Volfy]

Driven high performing/racing oils are my choice as they have very low evap rates at high temps. I use DI40. Though a bit pricey and not available everywhere (so I order it), I have more confidence in it than Mobil 1 or other oils. Here is a link to it: DI40 5W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil, Quart. I'm sure there are many other great oils and its really personal preference of course.

If squeezing every last HP out of your engine is the overriding goal, then that is what racing oils are formulated to do. However, do bear in mind for racing teams, long engine life measured in years and tens of thousands of miles isn't a priority. Quite often race engines are overhauled after only a few races, so they can afford to trade a little less kinematic frictional loss for a few more HPs, which might mean the difference between winning 1st place or finishing 2nd.

Besides, requirement for very speedy engine break-in after a fresh rebuild invariably means faster wear... from the beginning thru the end of a racing engine's serviceable life.

Not something most of us need... Or want.

 

[ht_addict]

I'll stick with what the manual says. For those that do their own oil changes and use something not to spec, don't expect warranty protection if something happens.