I sent in a used oil sample to Blackstone Labs.
I used Mobil 1 0w-20 year round.
I had the oil in for 13 months.
I put 17,255 miles on the oil.
I had 134,555 miles on the vehicle.
I never had to top off any as this car does not leak and does not burn any.
80% Highway miles.
Estimate 10% use of pure gas. 80% use of E10. 10% use of E30.

Test results follow. Values in ppm unless specified.
"Normal" is based on 5000 miles and will be in (parenthesis).
My values will be first, and at 17,255 miles.

Aluminum 6 (3)
Chromium 1 (0)
Iron 27 (10)
Copper 8 (5)
Lead 0 (2)
Tin 1 (0)
Molybdenum 99 (75)
Nickel 1 (0)
Manganese 3 (0)
Silver 0 (0)
Titanium 0 (0)
Potassium 0 (1)
Boron 49 (61)
Silicon 6 (10)
Sodium 10 (31)
Calcium 2465 (2116)
Magnesium 13 (78)
Phosphorus 704 (681)
Zinc 864 (817)
Barium 0 (1)

SUS Viscosity @210°F = 53.7 (46-56 nom. )
cSt Viscosity @100°C = 8.39 (6.0-9.4 nom.)
Flashpoint in °F = 395 (385 nom.)
Fuel % = BDL (2.0% nom.)
Antifreeze % = 0 (0% nom.)
Water % = 0 (0.1% nom.)
Insolubles % = 0.2 (0.6% nom.)
TBN = 2.3 (1.0 minimum) *Total Base Number (active additives)

Comments Follow

 

Note: Iron is a primary wear indicator. Blackstone says to expect 10ppm every 5000 miles. So the expected value at 17,255 miles is 34ppm iron. My 27ppm iron is actually pretty good. Based on this result Blackstone recommends I go 20,000 miles on the next oil.

John

 

Molybdenum is an anti wear additive. More is better.
Boron is a detergent/dispersant additive.
Calcium is a detergent/dispersant additive.
Magnesium is a detergent/dispersant additive.
Phosphorus is an anti wear additive.
Zinc is an anti wear additive.
Barium is used as a detergent in some brands but apparently not Mobil 1.

Potassium is a contaminant. Less is better.
Sodium is a contaminant.
Silicon is a contaminant.

 

This is the link where one can learn more about this: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free-test-kits.php

Advertised price of $25.00. Cheap way to gauge the health of the engine.

 

Thanks for posting, this is great. Your results looked good on wear.

I wanted to get your opinion. I read an article from "Machinery Lubrication" that discussed fuel economy vs. wear. Discussing 20 weight oils.
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/518/motor-oils

Usually not an oil additive kind of guy, but not opposed either.
I recently went on an 800 mile trip in my 06 Mariner Hybrid. I use full synthetic 5W-20 (this oil change the brand happens to be Valvoline) The car has ~54,000 miles on it.

The first leg of the trip I encountered 50 mph headwinds for about 350 miles. Maintaining an average traveling speed of 75 mph through hilly terrain, the engine RPM was consistently above 4500 RPM, and up hills it often went to 5500 RPM.

Running that high an RPM for that long makes me think that the 20 weight oil won't cut it. But your analysis seems okay for mostly highway miles. I know the article does not give hard data about thinner oils, but it definitely put some doubt in my mind.

Is an oil additive warranted, perhaps one with zddp or more boron? (Can't remember if it is boron, or borate that is an anti-wear additive)
Thanks,