Another oil thread!!
 

HEY GUYS! I know there are hundreds of oil threads on here but I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to. I am thinking of changing the oil in my Hemi to either Amsoil or Royal Purple, because I read that the Castroil syntec that I curently use isn't a true synthetic oil. If I went Amsoil do I use 0w-20 or 5w-20? I have read here that most of you say that I couldn't go wrong with either brand of oil but one thing I don't hear about is the Amsoil oil filter. I currently have a K&N on my truck but is the Amsoil filter better? What do you fellows use that use the Amsoil or Royal Purple? I know that those oils make the changes fewer but the Amsoil filter says it can go the full length untill you change your oil? I am TOTALLY CONFUSED!!! HELP!! sorry for all the ?'s but this is becoming a very complex subject for me. Thanks for any help

I ran a little over 8k miles on my Dak with Amsoil 0W-30 and the Amsoil filter (including a rollover and then 2 months in the body shop around 6,500 or so). Here's a link to my oil analysis results, might help you out some. http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...ilAnalysis.jpg

If you go to autozone they have a true castrol syntec synthetic it says, "made in germany" on the bottle; it's on the bottom of the label I think. I do not know if it comes in 5w 20, you would have to check.
As far was 0w 20 or 5w 20, your info says you live in the Carolina's so personally I would go with a 5w 20. The first number is the oils ability to flow in cold weather. The lower the better but it doesnt get as cold as up north and people in PA use 5w so I wouldnt worry about it.
Amsoil, Motul, Royal purple, Mobil 1, Agip PC Synthetic and the real Castrol syntec "made in germany," are all superior oils; these oils will more then likely outperform all conventional oil filters. Most oil filters clog and go bad before the oil does. The amount of microns the oil filter filters down to is an important factor. For the price, Mobil 1 filters down to a nominal 10 microns for only $8.99; 9 microns or less will pass through the filter regardless; however, most oem filters: mopar, motorcraft, ac delco dont filter lower then 20 microns.
If you want to use these oils, I would cut the first oil change to the %50 allowed time or mileage. These superior oils have superior detergent additives that clean your engine from: the build up of some sludge, harmful deposits and blah blah blah. So for your first change with amsoil and an amsoil filter, replace after 50% total life then you can go to the regular intervals amsoil suggests.
Some people will agree, others will disagree, but the best decision is an informed decision. Research everything before making an informed decision and you will never regret it. Good luck with whetever you choose ohhh and have a good day!

i don't think Amsoil makes a 5w-20 unfortunately, i was looking to buy the same. i wouldn't put 0-20 in that engine. 5-30 will work fine. but since the 05 recommends 5-20, maybe RP is the way to go.

as far as filter, k&n gold, wix, amsoil, mobil 1, they all work great. Just don't use a fram or pennzoil. Amsoil advertises the filter for 12.5k or something....yea, right...

Amsoil does make a 5W-20. http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/xlm.aspx

So from what I am hearing so far I can't go wrong with either brand of oil(Amsoil or Royal Purple). I'm still torn between the two but I can get Royal Purple localy at my parts store. So about the filter.... I take it I shouldn't trust what Amsoil says about their filter? So how often would yall change the filter if running Amsoil or Royal Purple? I'm not used to this extended change thing I always went 3months or 3k miles on my old stuff.

I have run Amsoil in mine since the 5k mark and it is just under 90K now. I run the mobil1 filter because its good, and I can get it locally. I have run 5W30 since the change, summer and winter. My change rate has been extended to 7500 miles now, and while the oil is dark when I drain it, you can still see through it. It doesn't carbon up like conventional oils. I would runthe new oil for 3000 miles the first time and change it. If you have any sludge buildup now, the synthetic will strip it away rapidly, so you REALLY want to keep an eye on it during this time. If it starts getting very dark---change it. This will keep the sludge from building up in the pan which could cause you some problems too.

Once you've got it cleaned up, then you'll be amazed at how long the oil will actually run

I don't see why you couldn't trust their filter, I ran it on mine for 8,000 miles and it was fine for that. That was also the first time the truck had synthetic in it, the previous owner had run regular dino oil. I have the K&N filter now simply because my local Napa stores carry Amsoil oil but they didn't have their filter in stock for my truck at the time and the K&N is supposed to be high quality as well.

I am convinced that the Mobil 1 and K&N Filters are the same thing, the only difference being the K&N has the wrench thing on the end. I compared them next to each other, and everything about them seems to be identical, including the factory identification stamps in the metal. Looking inside, everything appears to be the same. Even the model numbers for my truck were one digit off. The K&N is HP-2010 and I believe the Mobil 1 is M1-201.

I went with RP over Amsoil simply because of the ease of just going less than a mile and getting it at my local auto parts store. They are probably the two best out there and I'm not going to get into a debate over which is better. I firmly believe either is heads above just about anything else.
As far as the filter, I've always used a Wix or Mobil 1, but I've heard real good things about both the K&N and the Amsoil as well.
I always used to do Mobil 1 every 3k, but changed to 6k when I went with RP. Making it cheaper to use than Mobil 1 or other full synthetics changed at 3k. Never had it tested but it "looks" better at 6k than the Mobil 1 did at 3k...