Hi guys, been lurking around the forums for awhile, and finally decided to register.

I recently purchased an 06 H3 with ~83K miles. The oil is clean, but I'm still planning to change the oil within the next couple of weeks and I'm trying to select the right oil for my vehicle.

I've decided to go with a full synthetic oil. From reading the forums here, it seems that everyone is using either Mobil 1, Royal Purple, or AMSOIL. Is there really a significant difference between them? or is it six of one, and a half-dozen of the other? I view oil as one of my first lines of defense against costly repairs, so an oil being cheaper is not necessarily a selling point. If it's a higher quality product, I'll pay for it.

Below are links to several oils I'm considering. If anyone has the time, and has any experience or other relevant knowledge on the topic, the insight would be appreciated.

5W-30 Synthetic Oil | Mobil 1™ Extended Performance 5W-30
5W-30 Synthetic Oil | Mobil 1™ High Mileage 5W-30

Sidenote, is there any advantage of the "High Mileage" variant over the "Extended Performance"? I notice it says it's specifically for vehicles with <75K, which leads me to believe it focuses on reducing wear, perhaps at the sacrifice of...what? Engine performance?

Every time I hear mention of Royal Purple, it's always described in a manner similar to top-shelf alcohol. Which is to say a higher price for a higher quality product. A very fuel conscious friend of mine mentioned that he noticed an increase in his fuel effeciency after switching to Royal Purple.

Royal Purple/1 qt. SAE 5W-30 high performance motor oil (01530) | Engine Oil | AutoZone.com

I've never actually heard of AMSOIL, but it seems to have a cult following...

AMSOIL SAE 5W-30 XL Extended Life Synthetic Motor Oil
AMSOIL SAE 5W-30 Signature Series 100% Synthetic Motor Oil

I'm also going to need a filter. Does anyone have filter suggestions?

As someone with no mechanical background, I appreciate the time taken to read this and offer insight.

-qui

 

Has anyone used any of these oils? Or does anyone know of a shootout between them?

 

Valvoline..and ANY filter ..EXCEPT...FRAM !!!!!!

 

Any of these oils will work great for you, also ozark is right on about the filters. As long as you changing oil regularly.

 

Didn't mean to post that yet but as long as your chaning your oil regularly and depending on your driving habits you'll be set for a long time!

 

amsoil incl the filter. It is the best there is. Used it for many years

 

OK,i'll bite,whats wrong with fram,which I use!?

 

Thanks for the input guys. I tried to find an AMSOIL retailer, but when I looked it up, it ended up being a residence.

Is it the same deal for the differential fluids? I mean, besides the higher weight, is there anything I should know about it? Brands? Frequency? Things to look for when I'm changing it?

Also, can I cause harm if I change these fluids too often?

 

I have all my running gear switched to royal purple, I run full synthetic Quaker state in the engine and change it at 5,000 miles. I do know this when I switched to royal purple in my stroker boat engine my oil pressure went up and oil temps went down

 

I can simply make you a dealer too. That way you get the stuff at wholesale.
It is the way I decided to do it over 10 years ago. Also gives you wholesale access to a bunch more stuff