Which oil is best per all testing criteria?

[TomYoung]

Another "best" question. Best for what?

What's the best root beer? What's the best kind of sneakers?

A&W. New Balance.

 

[TomYoung]

Some here believe oils like HPL, Amsoil, etc. are the "Best". Then you have the high on Fram folks that have tunnel vision. Oxidation/Viscosity probably far up the latter on importance.

Fram "Johnny come lately oil" ??? No chance.

 

[cb_13]

He told me he sells $100,000 plus of Amsoil oils etc per year… I believe that with no doubt.

I believe it as well but that’s only like 4 cases of gear oil.

 

[Pablo]

He told me he sells $100,000 plus of Amsoil oils etc per year… I believe that with no doubt.

I'm a little ahead of a guy that uses so much capital tied up in a storefront. Interesting!

 

[Foxtrot08]

I don’t disagree. Doesn’t mean it isn’t 1) surprising given where this is happening and 2) this is a boutique brand of oil. 3) Per scale size of that store selling that much of a boutique oil per month is rather impressive. 4) This store’s main focus is auto parts sales with commercial accounts with local shops NOT motor oil sales.

You don’t know about everywhere else and all places. I know it because I lived there and still have family living there. No way I thought a boutique oil would sell hardly any amount of Amsoil or any other boutique oil out of a small Napa store in that county. Hell I would have thought that store in that location would be lucky to sell $10,000 a year of any boutique oil. Nor would I would think that little store would carry ALL of those Amsoil products that store had.

You made my point. It’s a boutique high end oil. At ~$57 / gallon, that’s 1700 gallons sold.

Price is not something to judge any oil on. Nor is volume. Just because I move over a million gallons of motorcraft oil, doesn’t mean it’s the best in the world.

Price doesn’t = quality.
Quantity doesn’t = quality either.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Another post that was locked got me to thinking. We will use 5W30 as the example. Factory or API/European certification not needed. Which oil of this viscosity represents the best measured numbers in a VOA? Most shear resistant, viscosity stable, great TBN....you get the picture. I am thinking something with a moderate dose of PAO/POE would stand out, but perhaps not. Price is no object. Remember 5W30 only, gas or diesel or airplane...whatever. Time to bring a little perspective to oils without hype. Feel free to shout out your favorite along with its test results.

Are we asking for the GDI Best?
Are we asking for the TGDI Best?
Are we asking for the MPI Best?
I could name a few more........

 

[demarpaint]

 

[JeffKeryk]

Many of us have been around long enough to know that VOAs don't assure you that much, other than some min/max standards are met for a particular specification. VOAs are useful when you want to know whence you came (knowing a starting Si or oxidation value, for example; but those have nothing to do with your basic question). Further, we know that many very important additives used by some companies don't even show up in a VOA. We also know that some lubes are nearly immune to volatilization, and therefore are difficult if not impossible to accurately measure well in a typical NOACK test. Hence, VOAs won't tell you what's "best", or "worst" for that matter.

.

Wow, I learned something today! I have been doing oil changes religiously for over 50 years; I don't claim to understand what a VOA really tells me. It's all Greek to me.
The good news is I can just stick to what I am doing. Thanks for this valuable, at least to me, information.

 

[sloinker]

Maybe that's because the quest in your original post wasn't one based on science either. Your lightly veiled question was one where no clear answer exists, and I suspect you already knew that. If you really wanted to know the answer, you'd define your own parameters and then go look up the VOA data yourself.

Many of us have been around long enough to know that VOAs don't assure you that much, other than some min/max standards are met for a particular specification. VOAs are useful when you want to know whence you came (knowing a starting Si or oxidation value, for example; but those have nothing to do with your basic question). Further, we know that many very important additives used by some companies don't even show up in a VOA. We also know that some lubes are nearly immune to volatilization, and therefore are difficult if not impossible to accurately measure well in a typical NOACK test. Hence, VOAs won't tell you what's "best", or "worst" for that matter.


Typical of many BITOGers, you appear to be more concerned about what a lube looks like in the bottle rather than what it does in the crankcase.
After 6+ years of being here, I would have thought you'd have known better by now.

.

You caught me again! I amuse myself with these types of questions but find the answers telling. There are also usually some nuggets of technical wisdom that are tossed out along with the stompdowns. I have pretty thick skin so, whatever. I can say sincerely that I have learned many things on this site and oil is somewhere down the list. Quite a few extremely savvy folks here with varying degrees of patience with the less informed. Thanks for everyone's input!

BTW, as you can tell by my signature I have moved pretty exclusively to Valvoline products. I still like the boutiques but don't feel justified anymore on the extra expense without a good reason. When I was parking my vehicle for 13 hours at a time in temperatures as low as -40F I felt justified in spending the money on oils that would flow and pump at those low temps. Now that I have retired, that parameter isn't true anymore. I am somewhat interested in the new Valvoline that cleans ring lands but need to do a borescope inspection of all the rigs I service to see if it is needed.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

I am somewhat interested in the new Valvoline that cleans ring lands but need to do a borescope inspection of all the rigs I service to see if it is needed.

How are you going to inspect the ring lands and grooves with a borescope?

 

[Dave9]

The best one is in the yellow jugs, because I have less yellow in my garage than gray/silver/black/green/white/red/blue, so easier to FIND it!

 

[sloinker]

How are you going to inspect the ring lands and grooves with a borescope?

Can't, just overall coking of the cylinder top and valve pockets. Should be an indicator along with overall cleanliness of valve train, covers and pan. I suppose you could do a measurementyof cold cylinder pressure before and after treatment. Any significant change would show the product is doing something. Would be a drag if your engine started using oil and losing power because your oil control ring along with the top rings seated farther into the lands after treatment.

 

[mr_boring]

That’s the answer to the universe, not the best oil.

Grasshopper, when you reach zen you will realize that it is one and the same. Nirvana (not the Kurt Cobain one) OOOOHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[M56959]

Since this topic had no real point beyond one members amusement it ends here.