308 GTSi QV - what oil?

The OM for my BB512i also recommends Agip SINT 2000 10w50 which is no longer available. So, I use Syntex 5w50 in the winter and 15w50 in the summer.

 

Mobile 1 Synthetic 15W50. Both the previous owner and I use it.

 

I use the Castrol Syntec 5W50 all year. Good stuff. Agip no longer makes 10W50. Just 10W40.

Tom

 

Valvolene 20/50 racing oil. that's what my mechanic Tim Stanford uses, and
several other owners I know use.Synthetic may be too thin and be prone to leak.

 

i am using Castrol 20w50 , but it is too thick to use in the winter, i am going to switch to a 5w50 and see if the car likes it. if you can believe the crappy gauges and unreliable sending units, my GTB did not like 10w/40 and 20w/50 seems to have monster oil pressure when cold. there must be a middle somewhere. Dr Haas's threads made me a believer about oil bing too thick at startup and causing more wear.

 

Wal-Mart brand. It's 86 cents a quart last I checked.

 

4 qts. 10w40, and 5 qts. 20w50 works great for me.

 

sindo, all Ferraris since the early 70s including the 308 came filled from the factory will synthetic or synthetic blend oil. Hint: Sint in Agip Sint2000 oil means synthetic in Italian. And a 5w50 synthetic is no thinner than a 5w50 mineral based oil.

 

Your owners manual will have been written over 20 years ago and oils have come a long way since then. There are lots of good threads on the topic so do a search. I use 0W40 Mobil 1 in my 308 and am thrilled with the results. It is miles better than anything else I have used.

 

at last ... somebody else !
i have always used Mobil 1 0w40 in Gina (308 carbs), and similary, i think it's the bees' knees.
cheers, d

 

When I had a Mondial QV I used Castrol Syntec 5W-50 and was happy with it year-round (in Hawaii and then Virginia). I have a 328 now (the manual also recommends Agip Sint 10W-50), but I just this weekend bought 10 quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40 and will change the oil shortly. I must confess to being heavily influenced by our own Ali Haas and his research on motor oils.

 

What is the difference between a 40 weight vs a 50 weight oil? With a 50 weight oil keep the oil temp down in the summer? FWIW, I use Agip SINT 2000 10W-40 year round and live in NJ.

Ken

 

The '50' is important in warmer climes.......

We'd see pressure problems here, not to stick with it. But agreed the 5-50W is over and above the original specification.

 

I changed from Valvoline VR1 Racing 20w50, "J"rated to Valvoline Durablend 20w50, "L"rated.

I would have preferred a 10w50 but it was not available in this brand. I will NEVER run a high number lower than 50 wt. in this car.

The Durablend is less "honey like' when cold because of the synthetic and the "L" rating is as high as it goes at the moment. As soon as the "M" rated oil comes out I will go to that.

The engine is never below 60 degrees F at start up and on cold days the air inlet to the oil cooler is plugged so the engine oil reaches the proper tempurature during the winter precluding the requirement to go to a "thinner" oil.

 

There are at least a million threads on this. Go to the Tech Q&A section and do a search. Read all the tutorials by Ali Haas.

I use Castrol Syntec 5w-50.

Birdman

 

Do a search in the "tech" section under "Motor Oil" . You will find 10+ chapters of in depth dissertation of oil and it's properties by AEHaas accompanied by many insightful arguements and commentary. Motor Oil 101,102,103 etc plus a mid term test.

I found the information invaluable even though I did not agree 100% with the examples, comparisons and theories offered. Most enlightening was the comparisons between Dino oil and synthetics.

I read all 300 pages twice and the result of all of this new found knowledge is found in my preceeding post.

DJ

 

I'm using Mobile 1 5W40 in my 308 GTSI--no complaints.

 

All oil, regardless of weight will reach the same tempurature under the same heating conditions but a lighter, faster flowing oil may dissapate the heat at a better rate when it passes through the oil cooler.

If your manual calls out an oil with a number ending in 50 then use 50, nothing less. Like 5w50, 10w50, 20w50. All of those are okay, that is, according to your manual. The preceeding is my opinion and preference. Others may have a different opinion that could oppose the manual.

 

I agree. That's why I now use the Syntec 5w50 in my Boxer instead of the 10w50 called for in the OM. I have even considered using the 10w60 that I use in my M5. I would NEVER use an oil ending in any number less than 50.