Rotella vs. Delo 400

[DocStressor]

Ron - $18 per gallon for Delvac 1 is a great deal. If you can pay less than $20 you should use the Delvac. This oil is a proven performer and is the result of more R&D than just about any oil out there.



Walker - As a matter of Best Practice, I wouldn’t recommend mixing oils of different types. All oils are supposed to be compatible, but each product is developed by carefully optimizing the base oil and additive package. This is a particular issue with Group III and Group IV base oils. By trying to be your own chemist, you are operating in the dark as to what is really going on.



I don’t buy the statement about 80% of the benefit of running full synthetic. While you will get better flow properties at low temperature and better resistance to shearing, the synthetic components will not affect the rate at which the convention oil degrades. Under normal conditions, synthetic oil doesn’t really protect an engine better than conventional oil anyway. The advantages are only realized if you have a lot of cold starts, sustained high speed driving under load, or use extended drain intervals.

 

[Cooker]

Originally posted by ronsram1999

Lee,

The oil industry must have changed the way they catigorize their oils in the past year when I done my research. group I and group II were called mineral based regular oils, group III was severly hydrocracked mineral based that passed for synthetic, and group IV and V was full synthetics.

Ron,

This is still the case. Delo 400 15w40 is a Group II basestock as Lee mentioned, and therefore is still a conventional oil. Delo 400 5w40, as well as the Rotella T 5w40, is a Group III basestock and does classify to be call a synthetic.



BTW - Delvac 1 at $18/gallon can't be beat. That is an exceptional price.

 

[illflem]

Originally posted by ronsram1999

Hey Bill is that a typo. I didn't know Rotella made a 5-30 diesel oil or were you referring to their 5-30 for gas engines?



Ron

No typo, just a brain fart, should have said Rotella 10w-30

 

[Hummin Cummins]

Mind if I throw another Wal-Mart oil into the mix? Anyone use Pennzoil Long-life 15-40? It was about 1. 00 a gallon cheaper than Rotella, and I have read that Shell has bought Pennzoil. I love my Rotella, but I ran Pennzoil in all my gassers and it was an excellent oil. I may give it a try the next change. It meets all the same (blah, blah requirements that I dont understand) as Rotella does

 

[Cooker]

From what I have read, the Penzoil 15w40 seems to be a pretty decent oil also. I personally wouldn't hesitate to use it over the Rotella.

 

[Sled Puller]

Those requirements are minimum.



Get a data sheet on each, can't believe they would sell one cheaper that is the same stuff.

But oh my wouldn't that be interesting if they were just relabeling the same product?

Where is Gitch?

 

[Cooker]

Sled Puller,

From the virgin oil analysis that I have seen they are not relabeling the same product. Unless this has changed very recently (withing the last two months).

 

[Bluefalcon]

Premium Blue

All this talk about oil and I have not heard one mention of Valvoline Premium Blue. I run the 15W40 synthetic blend, use Fleetguard Stratopore filters, and change every 5000 miles. You guys have posted a lot of useful information, a helluva lot more than I know, but I thought the Premium Blue was supposed to be the best for any and/or all Cummins engines. It has been damn cold here in western Pa the last few days but Blue (its what I named my truck) starts even when its zero and the oil pressure comes up fast. I have never had any problems with the oil and it only costs me a few more dollars a gallon than if I bought Delo or Rotella. Just wondering if anyone else is using it too.



Brad

 

[pwr2tow]

If I lived in a climate that never got as cold as it does here I would not even bother looking up oils, just use any mineral based oil that was available in 15-40 and change it every 3,000-4,000 miles and never look back.



I had an experience a few years back and it scared me like nothing before . I was at my nephews wedding and it was -25 or -30 (don't remember exactly) degrees F, I was useing Delo 400 15-40 at the time, the truck sat for 6 hours without being started and when I went to start the truck It started just fine but I always count how many seconds it takes for the oil to pump up. Normal pump up time is 5-6 second (oil sending unit is located at the end of the oil galley). I sit there and count 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand, etc, etc, when I get to 16 I reach for the key and at that moment the oil pressure comes up slooooowly, if that doesn't scare the hell out of someone they either have more money than me or they don't care about their truck.



Ron

 

[JJW_ND]

Ditto here to Ron....

I really likedPB2000 at first. Good oil test when dumping every 6K. It just was to thick when temps went below -15. I too hated how long it took to get oil pressure.



Even Amsoil 15W40 did not impress me when below -15.



I have since ran Amsoil 5W30 and now Mobil Delvac 5W40. The 5W oils are the real deal when temps go below zero. Quick oil pressure, engine turns over fast when very cold allowing less drain on the battery.



I run the 5W oils year round.



jjw

ND

 

[baby.driver]

I don't know about -30 pour points but

At the risk of boring some of us I nevertheless repeat



Pep Boys Pro-Line Universal 15w-40



meets Cummins spec. for our engines. About $1. 22/qt.

 

[Hummin Cummins]

Pennzoil Numbers

Flash point 435*F

Pour point -33*F



The other numbers I dont have a clue about, but I have them if you need to know more. Let me know which ones I need to check out and what they should be to compare to Delo or Rotella

 

[pm720]

I'm no expert here but my buddies 425HP Cat powered big rig went right about a millon miles on Rotella with no oil related issues. That was good enough for me! I've run it for the 20K that I have put on my truck and have no complaints. No oil analysis though. I do like the smell now that I have become used to it!



Scott

 

[Pit Bull]

Re:

Originally posted by kcoffman

Rotella vs. Delo 400 Which oil is better? I know synthetics are better, but I'm not interested because of the higher cost.



Thanks

These are not high performance race cars we are dealing with. These are medium heavy duty rated diesel engines that are in pickup trucks. Under normal use they never break a sweat. Use whichever is cheapest/easiest for you to get. Now if you operate your truck on the ragged edge then buy the synthetic and do the analysis.

 

[Cooker]

Pit Bull,

For the most part I agee with your statement, but there are some folks who want to use the best of the best. Having the best is why some of us bought a Cummins



Also there are situations, such as extremely cold conditions, where the old dino 15w40 will not do the trick.





Hummin Cummins,

Flash and Pour points are important numbers and they hint as to the type of base oil used.



The specs sheets of the three (Rotella, Delo, Pennzoil) are very similar so it is hard to pick the oil based on that info alone.



As Pit Bull alluded to, unless you are running the truck really hard, have big HP, or if you live in extrememly cold climates, any of the three will perform equally well (provided normal service intervals), but given the oil analysis I have seen the Delo would still be my first choice.

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by Cooker



As Pit Bull alluded to, unless you are running the truck really hard, have big HP, or if you live in extrememly cold climates, any of the three will perform well (provided normal service intervals

That is what I was trying to say My wife beats me if I spend more money on my truck then I should So for me Synthetics are not in my CTD's future, unless I can sneak them in the Diff's

 

[fortunate1]

I've used Rotella T & Delo 400 (both 15 w 40) with good results. The change to Delo came about when I read a comparison that was posted to TDR by Vaughn M. I think he got it from Mag Hytek, who got it from LE. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the numbers, but they were interesting enough for me to try the Delo since it is also priced cheap at Wally World.



BTW, the report listed comparative "wear scar" (and quoted an ASTM test) and "oxydation resistance" (no test reference given). Delo showed less than half the wear that Rotella did in the test, and posted a slightly better oxydation number. Premium Blue synthetic wore "between" Delo and Rotella; PB regular wore worse than Rotella. Both were a lot less oxydation resistant than Delo or Rotella according to this report. One oil that really stood out in terms of oxydation resistance was Mobil's Delvac 1 (syn. ) 5 w 40. The highest in the reported group by a wide margin. No other catagories were compared in Vaughn's post of the report.



The moral: changing the oil & filter every 5000 - 6000 miles will make even an average oil perform satisfactorily if you're not running hard. Severe duty and extreme temps (hot or cold) change the equation, and may dictate that you consider using a synthetic, a "higher" quality, or a different viscosity oil.