Factory service intervals are getting longer and longer thanks to advances in oil technology and better manufacturing tolerances. While these maintenance schedules are sufficient for a vast majority of drivers, those who put more stress on their cars through off-roading, track driving, etc. should consider more frequent oil changes as well as oil additives designed to prolong engine life.
Our customer's 2018 Camaro SS 1LE (track package) sees 4-5 track events a year and the maintenance schedule from the owner's manual would not be sufficient for the extended stress this engine undergoes. We recommend doing an oil change every 1-2 track days as the oil can suffer from viscosity breakdown due to high heat on track. This article from HowStuffWorks offers a good explanation of thermal breakdown in motor oil.
Synthetic oils meant for high performance driving will hold up better in high heat but a tighter maintenance schedule should still be followed if you are taking your car to HPDE's. For this Camaro, we used the Motul X-Clean fully synthetic motor oil. This oil has GM's Dexos2 spec meaning it is a warranty approved oil that is safe to use in this high performance LT1 engine. For the oil filter, we went with the factory AC Delco PF64 part. We recommend changing the oil filter with every oil change, for $10-15, it's cheap insurance and ensures your oil does a better job of protecting and lubricating the moving parts in your engine.
In addition to changing the oil, we also added Liqui Moly's Cera Tec engine treatment which reduces friction and enhances the protective properties of the oil. It bonds to the moving parts in the engine and its effects will last several oil changes (Liqui Moly claims up to 50,000 km). For an engine with a larger oil capacity (10L on this LT1 motor), Liqui Moly recommends using two bottles of Cera Tec. This is one of the few engine additives on the market that consistently receives very good reviews and has been tested to reduce friction and wear through oil analysis. Liqui Moly's MOS2 oil treatment is another good friction reducer but is meant to be added during every oil change.
We also added a GM Performance strut tower brace which was a perfect fit in this Camaro. We have accounts with most major manufacturers and can get factory performance parts like this high quality piece from GM. The fit and finish is second to none and they've actually been proven to improve handling on these cars.
