# 2016.5 2nd gen Cruze best oil for engine



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

For the 2016 cruze it's penzoil or amzoil.

For the 2016 cruze limited its pennzoil or amzoil.

I wouldn't think of ever using quaker state.

And if you're not averaging 40mpg. You've got the wrong oil.


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## jimmyc (Jun 27, 2020)

Curious...where do you guys get this information? All the "brand names" on the shelf say they meet the latest standards.
5-20 Syn Dexos, for instance........

What's the difference?


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## Jgehoski1 (Jul 31, 2021)

Well I’ve noticed performance wise that quaker state is better than pennzoil mileage is 3 less mpg but the overall performance is better in my ooonion


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Pay attention to the little details.

Economy. Engine sound. How fast does the engine cool down. Does the oil get dirty like it's supposed to.

I drive both semi and car.
The semi im in now likes delo400 the best.
My cruze likes penz and amz the best.

Both vehicles hated mobil.

Back in the day when oil changes were 3,000 miles. A lot of people swore on quaker because it was still fresh after 3,000 miles. While penz would be black as tar.

Guess which one was cleaning the engine and which one didn't clean the engine.


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## 6Speed2016LT (Jun 14, 2016)

2 simple answers to make your Gen 2 cruze happy.....Amsoil to help prevent LSPI as well as High Octane fuel...91+ If you can get it, especially in the hot summer months.

5 years strong here with zero issues....

Jason


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## Johnny B (Jun 4, 2019)

Well, just because I love oil talk, I'll throw in my two cents. 
I've tried several oils like Quaker State full synthetic, Pennzoil Platinum, Mobil 1, and Super tech full synthetic (don't judge...hehe). Being totally honest, it is hard to really judge any difference in performance between them. My Gen1 seems to run fine on any full synthetic, that said I have never messed around with the blended oil under the old Dexos gen1 standard. IMHO the differences in the oils rated to the Dexos gen2 standard are smaller than ever, and from what I see there isn't anyone selling Dexos gen 1 oil anymore.

My top choice of oil is Pennzoil Platinum. Its made from reclaimed gas, works well for me, and seems to always perform very well in independent tests.
Mobil products, are just fine (and yes Mobil 1 is factory fill in Vettes) but the truth seems to be it is an average oil advertised to be the best oil.
Amsoil products, again independent tests show it to be a top tier oil sold a top tier price. And last I checked it doesn't carry the Dexos rating (ya, I know why).

My logic is to use Dexos rated oil, and change it every 5K miles.


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## geddinwk (Jul 31, 2017)

I use Mobil 1, and have switched to Mobil 1 high mileage full synthetic when the car hit 75K. I used Amsoil in the gear box once (you’re supposed to change the manual gear oil every 15K miles per European guidelines, since it’s a 6 speed manual European gear box), and it was very stiff so now I use pennzoil synchromesh and it’s much better. Besides normal wear and tear expected by Chevrolet design flaws, I have had no issues with my car and it’s almost at 200K miles. When I changed the camshaft cover last, everything looked clean, no buildup.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I took mine to the dealer. For the freebie.
The dealer uses mobil 1.

My economy dropped to 28 mpg. And the engine wouldn't cool down at work. The following weekend it got changed. 

Pretty much every blown piston story on this forum is dealer oil changes. With one jiffy lube.

I tried using mobil delvac in a cummins motor. Sounded like a tank ready to blow up.

Penz for the car and delo for the semi.


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## Jgehoski1 (Jul 31, 2021)

Johnny B said:


> Well, just because I love oil talk, I'll throw in my two cents.
> I've tried several oils like Quaker State full synthetic, Pennzoil Platinum, Mobil 1, and Super tech full synthetic (don't judge...hehe). Being totally honest, it is hard to really judge any difference in performance between them. My Gen1 seems to run fine on any full synthetic, that said I have never messed around with the blended oil under the old Dexos gen1 standard. IMHO the differences in the oils rated to the Dexos gen2 standard are smaller than ever, and from what I see there isn't anyone selling Dexos gen 1 oil anymore.
> 
> My top choice of oil is Pennzoil Platinum. Its made from reclaimed gas, works well for me, and seems to always perform very well in independent tests.
> ...


I have a gen 2


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## 17Hatch6MT (Dec 28, 2015)

Wha'd'ya all think of 'Castrol synthetic'? I asked for a 'synthetic oil change Dexos 1 Gen 2 certified', and that's what my local mechanic told me they used. Car seems to be doing well on it, getting 40 mpg easy with trips averaging 10-20 miles. I don't know what options Castrol offers or what they might have used. That was the answer I got, 'Castrol synthetic'.

What's this (above) about the Europeans recommending 15k mile manual transmission oil changes?


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> And the engine wouldn't cool down at work.


This is actually the second time I've seen you say something like this. If my memory is correct, the other time was a claim that the engine in your semi truck would not cool off overnight when you were using [insert some oil name brand].

Once you shut the engine off, the oil has nothing to do with cooling the engine. It quickly pools in the oil pan after the pump stops circulation. It's physically impossible to say that you changed to one oil brand and that caused an engine to "not cool off."


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

17Hatch6MT said:


> What's this (above) about the Europeans recommending 15k mile manual transmission oil changes?


The M32 is not the world's greatest gearbox. It has design flaws with the bearings that cause problems if you don't do frequent oil changes and use a high quality synthetic oil. 15k miles is a little short, but in the range of 30k-40k is reasonable to do the changes.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Barry Allen said:


> This is actually the second time I've seen you say something like this. If my memory is correct, the other time was a claim that the engine in your semi truck would not cool off overnight when you were using [insert some oil name brand].
> 
> Once you shut the engine off, the oil has nothing to do with cooling the engine. It quickly pools in the oil pan after the pump stops circulation. It's physically impossible to say that you changed to one oil brand and that caused an engine to "not cool off."


And yet it happened. Both vehicles. 
And this is the 3rd time you heard me.

And not all of the oil goes in to the pan.
Regardless. If the oil can't shed the heat. It's not a good oil.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

17Hatch6MT said:


> What's this (above) about the Europeans recommending 15k mile manual transmission oil changes?











M20 & M32 Gearbox: Chocolate Bearings - Still Running Strong


The ULTIMATE GUIDE to the infamous M32 gearbox. Learn everything about bearing failures in the M32 and M20 gearboxes - Causes, Symptoms & Repairs.




stillrunningstrong.com


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> If the oil can't shed the heat. It's not a good oil.


I completely agree, because oil cooling is important in every engine. It's how the pistons are cooled, and a lot of other parts depend on oil circulation for cooling.

But it's simple 8th grade physics. Different brands of oil are not magical, mystery substances. Petroleum is petroleum, and there isn't much variance between the brands other than _MAYBE_ a couple percentage points of performance on thermodynamic heat transfer. The oil flows through a cooler (oil-to-air or oil-to-water) and it's cooled. There is no magic oil that exists to where it won't shed the heat like any other.


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## max762 (Apr 27, 2014)

I use Royal purple on my cruze.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Barry Allen said:


> I completely agree, because oil cooling is important in every engine. It's how the pistons are cooled, and a lot of other parts depend on oil circulation for cooling.
> 
> But it's simple 8th grade physics. Different brands of oil are not magical, mystery substances. Petroleum is petroleum, and there isn't much variance between the brands other than _MAYBE_ a couple percentage points of performance on thermodynamic heat transfer. The oil flows through a cooler (oil-to-air or oil-to-water) and it's cooled. There is no magic oil that exists to where it won't shed the heat like any other.


Oils are made by the manufacturer with their own additives package.

Oils don't work the same. And some retain heat.
I've seen it in my cruze. I've seen it in a semi.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> Oils don't work the same. And some retain heat.


They do work the same. Oil is oil.

Some do not retain heat any more than others. Once the engine is shut off, they start cooling and all are within a percentage of any others. There is no magic oil that violates the laws of physics and remains lava-hot for an entire day.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Barry Allen said:


> They do work the same. Oil is oil.
> 
> Some do not retain heat any more than others. Once the engine is shut off, they start cooling and all are within a percentage of any others. There is no magic oil that violates the laws of physics and remains lava-hot for an entire day.


Oils don't work the same.

If you paid attention to oil instead of paper analysis. You'd know that. 

End of discussion.


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