Is High Mileage Engine Oil Really Worth It?

Have you ever been staring at the wall of engine oils at your local auto parts store and wondered is high mileage engine oil worth the extra money?  In this guide, I will go over what makes high mileage engine oil different from normal conventional and synthetic oils and why you may want to look at using high mileage engine oil on your next oil change.

So is high mileage engine oil worth the money?  If your engine has over 100,000 miles and you want it to last as long as possible then it would benefit from using high mileage engine oil.  High mileage engine oil is designed with special additives to help protect your engine and keep it running longer.

While some high mileage engine oils can cost more than conventional oil if high mileage engine oil keeps your engine running longer it will be worth it in the long run.  Most high mileage engine oils will cost the same as other full synthetic oils. That means you can make the switch to high mileage engine oil for the same price as a synthetic oil change.

However, if you normally use conventional oil you can expect to pay a bit more to make the switch to high mileage engine oil.   If high mileage oil allows your engine to go another 100,000 miles then I would say that using high mileage engine oil would be worth the cost.

But just how much more does it typically cost for high mileage engine oil vs conventional engine oil?

High Mileage Engine Oil Costs

How much more does it typically cost for high mileage engine oil?  High mileage engine oil is pretty much the same price as conventional engine oil.   When comparing 5 quart jugs of engine oil at my local Walmart Supertech Conventional 5w-20 engine oil is $14.  At the same Walmart you can get a 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 full synthetic high mileage engine oil for $25.  Which is only a difference of about $10.

So if you have a high mileage car it makes sense to use high mileage engine oil if you are already using synthetic engine oil.  Mobil 1 charges the same price for their full synthetic engine oil as their full synthetic high mileage engine oil.

High Mileage Engine Oil Vs Conventional – What are the differences?

High mileage engine oil is engine oil that is designed to have additional additives to help protect high mileage engines.  Over time your engine seals and gaskets will start to wear down and will start to become smaller as they age. High mileage engine oil additives help your engine by revitalizing your engine seals and engine gaskets to help your engine last longer.  

Most high mileage engine oils are designed to be used on engines with more than 75,000 miles on them.  I would recommend using high mileage engine oil if your vehicle has over 100,000 miles on it. This will help the engine run as long as possible.

What are the Benefits of High Mileage Engine Oil?

High mileage engine oils are also designed to help clean the inside of your engine.  The additives are designed to help remove any engine sludge and carbon buildup from your engine.  They do this by breaking down the carbon and engine sludge.

Then the next time you go to change your engine oil all of that engine sludge and buildup would be drained out when you drain your oil.  How often should you change your engine oil?  Check out my other article to find out.

High mileage engine oil is also designed to help your engine last longer. They do this by including additives that are designed to help reduce friction.  This, in turn, allows your engine to run more efficiently and produce less heat and engine wear.  

The main benefit of using high mileage engine oil is the seal conditioners included.  These seal conditioners may stop leaks that you are currently experiencing. High mileage engine oil may also reduce the amount of oil that you go through in between oil changes.  

If your engine is currently burning a lot of engine oil you may want to give high mileage engine oil a shot.  It may just reduce the amount of oil that you go through in between oil changes.

What are the Disadvantages of High Mileage Engine Oil?

Typically high mileage engine oil will cost a bit more depending on what brand of oil you go with.  With Mobil 1 their high mileage engine oil actually costs the same as their normal full synthetic engine oil.  One disadvantage to using a synthetic high mileage engine oil is that once you start using it you would want to keep using it.  

If you use high mileage engine oil the additives will start conditioning your engine seals and try to bring them back to life. If you then switch back to regular engine oil this may cause your engine seals to shrink again and cause your engine to have more leaks.

Can High Mileage Engine Oil Help Stop Burning Oil?

As your engine begins to wear down over time the engine seals of your engine will begin to break down and will not function as well as when the engine was new.  This causes oil to be able to bypass the piston seals which ultimately will end up in the crankcase and circulated back through your EGR valve.

High mileage engine oils are designed to condition your engine seals to allow them to create a better seal in your engine without needing to replace them.  If your seals expand this can decrease the amount of blowby that you will experience from your pistons and reduce the amount of oil that your engine burns.

What High Mileage Engine Oil Would You Recommend?

I typically go with Mobil 1 high mileage engine oil for my vehicle.  I use Mobil 1 because it costs the same as regular Mobil 1 full synthetic and it is full synthetic engine oil.  Mobil 1 also has some of the highest ratings online for their full synthetic oil.

Amazon also recently came out with its own version of high mileage engine oil that has a better oil rating (SN Plus) that looks to be a better oil than what I have been using with Mobil 1 which has an SN rating.  The Amazon high mileage engine oil is also about 5 dollars cheaper than the Mobil 1 high mileage engine oil I have been using.

I have not tried out the Amazon oil out for myself but I did find out more about engine oil ratings by watching this video about it below.  

Where Can You Buy High Mileage Engine Oil?

My car takes 5 quarts of engine oil and I can find a 5-quart jug at Walmart for $25. You can also buy high mileage engine oil from any of your local auto parts stores. Just know that engine oil that is sold at auto parts stores will typically have a higher markup.

Amazon also sells engine oil but their prices seem to be higher than Walmart at least for the high mileage oil that I use.  If you wanted to check out the current prices of the Mobil 1 5w-20 high mileage engine oil on Amazon click here or the image below.

Selecting the Right High Mileage Engine Oil for Your Engine

You would want to find out what weight of engine oil that your manufacturer recommends and then buy that oil.  You can find out what the weight of engine oil is recommended for your vehicle by checking the oil filler cap.

Most vehicle manufacturers will list the recommended oil weight on that oil filler cap so that you can easily reference what oil weight you should be using.  You should typically only use whatever oil weight your vehicle manufacturer recommends.

Your vehicle manufacturer would have done extensive testing with your engine and different oil weights to determine which is best for your engine.  

One exception to that rule would be if you live in an excessively cold or warm climate.  If you live in a really cold climate you may want to go with engine oil that is going to be thinner so that it can flow through your engine easily at startup.  

If you have too thick of engine oil it won’t be able to lubricate all of the internals of your engine when you start your engine.  This is bad for your engine as it will cause excessive wear on any parts that don’t have lubrication.

If you live in a hot climate you may want to go with engine oil that is a bit thicker. If your engine oil becomes too thin from excessive heat it won’t be able to adequately lubricate the internals of your engine.  

Excessive heat can also cause your engine to burn off more oil than it should during use. If you use a thicker engine oil this should reduce the chances of your oil burning off.

Before you decide to deviate from what your vehicle manufacturer recommends for your vehicle you would want to consult forums for your vehicle.  I would check to see what other people are using in their engine and why.

You would also want to see what kind of climate those people were living in to make sure that you are not using engine oil to thick or thin for your climate.

The easiest way to pick an engine oil weight is to go with the one that your vehicle manufacturer recommends.

In Conclusion

If your vehicle has over 75,000 miles I think that high mileage engine oil is worth the extra cost.  If you typically replace your engine oil with synthetic oil then high mileage synthetic oil may not cost any more.  High mileage engine oil will help protect your engine to help it run as long as possible.

Chances are if you have a high mileage vehicle you want it to last as long as possible so using high mileage oil can help your cause.  Really the cost of high mileage engine oil is not that much more if not any more than normal full synthetic oil.