I’m often asked about engine oil. Regular oil and filter changes are simple and an important part of vehicle maintenance. Not only are you doing good by your vehicle in terms of performance and reliability, if gives you a chance to crawl around and check other things.

Anyway, I’ve tried all sorts of engine oils. I agree with the advantages of using synthetic oils on more modern engines, and in those cases it’s worth the extra outlay. I’ve tried them in petrol and diesel Land Rover engines (3.9, 4.0 V8 and 2.5 300 TDi) and don’t think it’s worth the extra money.

Recently, I’ve settled on Shell Rotella T for both my petrol and diesel engines. Specifically the 15W-40 Multigrade.

Even though Rotella was developed as an engine oil for heavy duty diesel trucks, it works very well in larger (and older) petrol engines, and meets the appropriate specs [PDF], API Service Classes SH, SL and SJ for gas engines and API CI-4 PLUS, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF-4 and CF for diesels.

For me, this means I can use the same engine oil, year round and for every vehicle, from the Dodge Ram to my F650 motorcycle, except in the Infiniti FX35, but the dealer still does the service for that so I don’t change the oil anyway. And yes, it’s ok to use it in motorcycles, mostly!

The Engine Oil Bible is a great reference source for all things oily!

Shell Rotella T 15W-40. Recommended.