Thread: What grade of oil should I use in my SB chevy?

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Choosing oil is like choosing a color - very subjective, and lots of choices that really don't matter a lot for a street engine as long as you use a quality product. Many lubrication decisions are rooted in tradition, loyalty and the habits the users have formed over the years. In SOCAL you're not going to have the seasonal temperature swings, nor the sub-freezing starts others see so the cold start needs are not as much of an issue for you (really don't need the 0wt or 5wt cold feature as much in SOCAL). If you're going to be running it hard and fast I would consider something like Brad Penn or Joe Gibbs racing oils. If it's a cruiser then I would just select one of the majors like Castrol, Valvoline or others and stick with it. Personally I don't care for parafin based oils, and I've not switched to synthetics because I can't get comfortable with the extended change intervals and I'm too cheap to buy synthetics and change at 3000 miles, but that's just my tradition/loyalty/habit. If you want to read up on lubrication you might check out the Motor Oil University here - Motor Oil 101 - Bob is the Oil Guy Don't fret about the oil company ads - like CHR they accept advertisements from the industry to keep the site going, and most are oil companies vying for your attention.

If you are using a GM crate motor or even some builders engine, they should specify a letter grade as well as weight grade. Brand name - if it's a flat tappet engine, then you want one like Joe Gibbs or Brad Penn that has more of the zinc compound, ZDDP. If it's a roller cam engine, then any of the national name brands will work just fine. The Mobil 1's, Lucas's, Amsoil's, Royal Purples - IMO are fine but way overpriced oils which good advertising has cast an expensive ($10-$12/quart+/-) spell on the buyers.