What motor oil do you use?

I know that Ferrari "works" closely with Shell hence they push Shells products etc... but for what its worth if I had a $200K car Id reconsider the oil I use.

Currently in my Skyline I run Castrol Edge Sport 5w-30. The car sees no track action and Irun her gently. I change oil every 7000 KMs with oil filter... however Castrol oils are not fully synthetic as they are claimed to be.

Its been said many times over if you want the best protection from a fully synthetic oil then go for ester based oils such as Motul 300 V chrono or Redline oils...

I recall that many of you still use Shell Helix Ultra... anyone use ester based oils?

Im considering to change over to it although they are quiet expensive... $100 AUD for 4 litres of Motul 300v chrono, you gotta buy two 4 litre bottles for a 5 litre oil change... thats like $200 bucks... +filter.

Opinions?

 

How do you define 100% Synthetic? Technically, engine oil consist of 70-80% base oil + 20-30% additives carrier fluid. The oil can be call a Fully Synthetic once the base fluid are 100% group III grade & above. The formulation of modern oil is very complex and can't be judge base purely on base fluid (but of course a group IV or V fluid will be more value than group III). A well formulated oil got to have good base fluid couple with strong anti-wear additives package, one can't just work without the other.

Group I - mineral
Group II/II+ - hydrocrak (VI below 120)
Group III - hydrocrack (VI above 120, mineral derive "Fake Synthetic")
Group IV - polyalphaolefin (man made Synthetic)
Group V - Ester & other un-group fluid (Ester or Polyolester, super high grade Synthetic, good for aircraft jet engine).

In my opinion:

MOBIL 1 --- are using group IV base fluid aka Fully Synthetic
MOTUL --- depends on type, the 300V are using group V ester base, race spec fully synthetic.
REDLINE - group V Polyolester + very overdose of anti-wear additives, race spec fully synthetic.
Shell Helix would be group III fake synthetic.

Im thinking if switching to group 4 or 5...

 

How can Redline be group IV when on the bottle it says Polyolester...?

Check out this:

Red Line synthetic motor oils are a superior strength oil, designed to provide the highest degree of protection and cleanliness for your engine. Red Line lubricants contain polyol ester base stocks, the only lubricants which can withstand the tremendous heat of modern jet engines, which makes our motor oil a necessity to properly lubricate a hot running engine or a turbocharger. More importantly, Red Line motor oils can significantly reduce engine wear, which means a longer useful life for your engine. Unlike other oils that break-down quickly, thus having to be changed at small intervals, Red Line has superior long-drain capabilities. Read about how Red Line synthetic oils have been shown to last 40,000 kms in field tests.

http://www.redlineoil.com.au/product-information.asp