Just wondering what everbody uses in there 6.5 or other diesels.

My oil is not listed, I use Shell Rotella Synthetic.

I was thinking that the rotella dino 15w40 and the rotella synthetic 5w40 would both go under rotella T. I kinda ran out of slots to put oils in. If i broke each company down there is probably close to 50 diesel oils on the market.

I purchased a gal. of rotella T yesterday to feed the beast..
I usually opt. for the syn. but my little voice said
it's pricey fuel(I consume oil through the intake at about 1/2 qt. per
Fuel tank). When I last changed oil it was the syn. that went in,
so now I'm mixing them.

I'm guilty of buying what ever is cheapest that day. I usually buy a pail at a time. I can't justify spending big bucks on an oil that I'm going to throw away before 5000 kms is up.

Dino vs Syn,


For me dino is way to go I prefer Delo but since I can get Rotella in 5 gal buckets for less; I use it. Synthetic is a good even great oil, but modern dino is nearly as good as syn plus it is lots less and available everywhere.


One of the dangers in a Diesel is fuel dilution (especially with higher mileage engines and improperly spraying injectors) if you go for extented interval or don't test & monitor for dilution and run to the extended interval offered by syn you could be jeopardizing the engine(small risk but one I think about). Without testing I recommend 3500 mile interval max regardless which oil you run, so at that frequency the economics make syn a expensive proposition.


Now incorporate a testing regimen and bypass filtration syn makes more sense, but you know what; the same also works for a quality dino oil.


I just had mine sampled for 1st time since owning the truck, I run Delo or Rotella exclusively; I try not to mix I run 1 or the other, I have had a bypass setup since I bought the truck at 37K, changed at 3000-3500 mi interval.


Now at 83K miles the test said based on result I could double that interval, maybe I'll bump it to 5 K changes, so I must be doing something right, and use the money saved over syn on something else I need for the truck.


Syn is good but for me the economics and test results say staying with dino oil is an acceptable plan.

i have been using schaeffer's in my 6.5 and have used it in other vehicles in the past. i believe it is the best synthetic blend on the market. but i have always been one to change at 3000 miles no matter what. i guess it is just ease of mind. but doing this with schaeffer's is hitting my wallet pretty hard, especially with my rear main leaking. that is why i am pretty sure i will be switching to rotella t dino in the future. very easy to find and pretty darn cheap at just under six bucks a gallon. and i have always thought rotella to be the best dino. and i will stick with the 3000 mile change interval.

Hello everyone, thought I'd finally post something since I've just been reading all the great info here. I started out only using Chevron. But it's tuff to find around me anymore so I go with Shell or Mobil. Whichever is on sale.

well i changed my oil tonight and went with dino rotella t. couldn't beat the $5.98 per gallon from tsc. maybe by some awesome chance my leaking will stop and then i will definately stick with rotella.

Just curious why mobil 1 isn't on your list

the reason i didn't put mobil one on the list is because in the past anytime i hear a mobil brand oil being usedin a diesel, it has always been mobil delvac 1300. mobil delvac 1300 and shell rotella t are the two most common oils found in the trucking industry and are definetely heavy duty engine oils. mobil 1 doesn't have the heavy duty additives like the delvac.

What about Valvoline all-Fleet or Premium Blue?

Esso XD-3 15:40 Winter


Esso XD-3 SAE 30 Summer.

Shell Rotella T 15W-40 for me. I like buying the 6-gallon cases at Sam's Club, lasts me a while. Mine doesn't burn a drop of oil, but it does leak a decent sum, usually about a quart every 2 tanks.


There're two things I prefer about using dino oil: 1) it's cheaper 2) it's a higher viscosity. I don't like using thin oil in general (when I had my Jag on the road it took 20W-50 factory, but sometimes I'd throw in straight 50 just for fun), especially on a high-mileage engine.

Rotella T 15w-40 in summer.


Rotella T 5w-40 Synthetic in winter.