porksoda Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I am just curious about the intervals according to the oil life monitor on the dash. If you go by a general mileage or length of time I don't want to know. I am really wanting responses from the people that strictly go by the dash monitor just to see if different oil and filter combinations provide different intervals. Asking because I know oils all advertise their own mileage and the GM oil life monitor uses some equation with RPM and temperature to tell you the percentage of life left. Anyway here is mine 2003 SSS with bolt ons, cam, tune purolator classic filter with 5w30 valvoline maxlife oil 0% oil life comes on at about 4k miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntimidatorSS89 Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I manage a shop and all the newer vehicle lights are all different. Some are set at 3k 4k 5k 7k or even 10k. I have been in the business since I was 19 and I'm 25 now> The way I see it is there is conventional oil and there is synthetic. The synthetic blends, high mileage or any other combo are a waste of money to me. It all depends on what your preference is. I have an 06 SS with now 89k miles on it, a 10 suzuki car which started at 8k miles and now has 55k, and a 94 chevy 1500 that i got at 177k miles. I run Mobil1 full synthetic in all of them. On my 94 I would change it every 3k miles because it was an older vehicle. On my suzuki, i change it every 5k to 7k miles because its all highway driving. On my SS I change it every 3k to 4k miles. Im sure i could go more miles on it, but the way I look at it is I'd rather spend 40 on oil and a filter, than spend more money putting a motor in my truck. Most of these oil change or maintenance lights are all just counters. Personally I just disregard them and change my oil by mileage. I just reset the light when i change my oil so i never see it. I can promise you that preventative maintenance is the best way to keep your vehicle running right and prevent further problems. If a part goes bad, I replace it with the best. Just like oil, I want the best and to me Moblil 1 is the best. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC03SS Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I use Amsoil so I change mine like every 10 to 12 months depends on how man passes I make at the track. I usually just reset mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NipRing Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I use Amsoil so I change mine like every 10 to 12 months depends on how man passes I make at the track. I usually just reset mine. And then go down to? I've reset mine at about 5K but i dont think i'll go back down to 0 before i change. I'm using signature series btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8hnpSS Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 once every spring with m1 5-30 here. i havent seen the oil life monitor come on in the SS in 2 years lol. the oil life monitor usually goes off between 5-6k on my tahoe. if you drive normal and you use synthetic i dont see why you cant go atleast 6000 between changes. i go 7000 sometimes on my tahoe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porksoda Posted July 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I was just wanting to see if different oils made the monitor act any different. I usually never use synthetic in anything because to me oil is oil if you change it regularly. Like I said I am really wanting to see if the type of oil has any effect on the monitor or if they all last about 4k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desrtrat Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I was just wanting to see if different oils made the monitor act any different. I usually never use synthetic in anything because to me oil is oil if you change it regularly. Like I said I am really wanting to see if the type of oil has any effect on the monitor or if they all last about 4k. the OLM can not detect what type of oil you use. it is based on a number of factors, heat, load on motor, stop and go driving, highway, and a lot more. it is based on a sophisticated algorithm that is very hard to explain.. i run M1 and if i do a lot of highway driving i can get about 7000 mi before i'm down to 5% left..all stop and go, towing i get about 4000 mi before 5% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avtonomb Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 Great thread! I always go by the oil life monitor. Mobil 1 synthetic. Mileage varies a bit. Usually 4-6k. Don't really keep track anymore. I did an oil analysis before and the oil life monitor was on the dot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssBLACKEDOUTss Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 Full synthetic on all my 2K and up vehicles. Change every 3-4k unless 6 months comes first. The sensor in our trucks is set to 3K miles. Best to keep the clear stuff flowin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC03SS Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 And then go down to? I've reset mine at about 5K but i dont think i'll go back down to 0 before i change. I'm using signature series btw. After I reset if I do I never do it again I don't put a lot of miles on it. Sometimes it never has to be reset. I use the 25k mile sig series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I use full synthetic oil on all of my vehicles and change the oil when the oil life is at 25% and never had a issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I have never gone by the OLM in any of the 5 GM vehicles I have owned. I don't need a computer to tell me when to change my oil. My Tahoe gets an oil change every 4k with full synthetic, the SS every 6 months since she sits most of the time. The longer you go between oil change intervals, the more the oil will break down, leaving a greater chance of sludge buildup in your motor. It doesn't matter if it is conventional or synthetic oil, it's just the nature of the beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porksoda Posted July 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 the OLM can not detect what type of oil you use. it is based on a number of factors, heat, load on motor, stop and go driving, highway, and a lot more. it is based on a sophisticated algorithm that is very hard to explain.. i run M1 and if i do a lot of highway driving i can get about 7000 mi before i'm down to 5% left..all stop and go, towing i get about 4000 mi before 5% This is precisely why I made this thread. To see if person A that is paying $10 a quart for oil is less susceptible to any breakdown on the oil as Customer B that is paying $3 a quart. Obviously we all have seen the advertisements of oil that protect against this or that. So in theory the more expensive synthetic oil of a company should be less prone to engine wear and breakdown and should last longer according to the way the GM monitor tracks it correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Correct, synthetic will not break down as fast and will last a lot longer than normal oil. The Monitoring system will also change due to using a better quality oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsanders347 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 I've wondered about this so many times. Glad this thread was started. I run quaker state conventional oil and I always changed it every 3k miles. The truck sat most of the time since I had a company work van. I would just change it and reset the oil counter. I wondered how many miles the oil life was equivalent to so I let it go beyond 3k miles and at 15% oil life left I was right at 5k mikes. I didn't really feel comfortable with this so I went back to just changing it every 3k. I'd rather change it too often anyway. I run amsoil in my 4 wheeler and it's awesome stuff I just can't afford it for my truck. Awesome thread guys. I love threads that are educational Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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