Best grease out there: Valvoline Synpower

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I don't think you can find a better grease out there for automotive applications than the fully synthetic Valvoline Synpower:
  • NLGI No. 2 thickness
  • NLGI GC-LB for both chassis and bearing lubrication
  • Lithium complex EP (extreme-pressure) MP (multipurpose) grease for most optimal properties
  • High-temperature grease
  • Fully synthetic Group III base oil for extreme working temperature range from -40 to 400 F
  • Contains molybdenum disulphide, which is crucial to prevent scoring of metal surfaces
  • Contains ZDDP, which is crucial to protect against oxidation of the base oil and metal surfaces
  • Can be used in all automotive applications for all makes, including disc-wheel bearings and CV joints and high-temperature applications

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I just picked up the 1 lb can today from Grainger for $7.29. I intend to use for all grease-lubrication purposes, especially the critical high-temperature, high-speed applications!
 
Originally Posted By: chubbs1
Good choice! Pretty easy to get and proven. The only NLGI 2 grease better (maybe) is Amsoil's GLC multi-purpose grease.


I've been using Amsoil GPOR2 Synthetic Polymeric Off-Road Grease with 5% moly on everything lately and love the stuff....
 
Yep, that's why I buy synpower grease. It's available down the road and it's around $5 for a tube.
 
Good maybe,.... best? Temp range is not the highest (See Supertech store brand), and washout for marine and off road applications? Lubrimatic Marine (CA base) has better numbers but is minus the Moly...if the numbers mean anything.....Don't know enough to argue, but on what do you base "best"

Probably like everything debated here, better than what we need.
 
Originally Posted By: Cmarti
Temp range is not the highest (See Supertech store brand), and washout for marine and off road applications? Lubrimatic Marine (CA base) has better numbers but is minus the Moly...if the numbers mean anything.....Don't know enough to argue, but on what do you base "best"

Valvoline Synpower is a lithium-thickener grease. Lithium-thickener greases offer excellent lubrication and excellent resistance to corrosion. For general automotive use, you should use lithium-thickener grease. Off-road and marine greases are probably not a good idea for general automotive use, as they may use other types of thickeners.

Also, moly is crucial for any application that requires protection against scoring of metal surfaces, such as steering, ball joints, etc.

I doubt if there are other lithium-thickener greases with significantly wider temperature range than Valvoline Synpower -- working range of -40 - 400 F.

Valvoline Synpower also has the added confidence of having ZDDP. Not all greases have it. For example Valvoline Durablend has no ZDDP.

For those who can't find Valvoline Synpower or prefer a cheaper alternative, the Valvoline Ford grease with Group II base oil seems to be a very good one as well, but its working temperature range is 0 - 375 F -- somewhat narrower. It has both molybdenum disulphide and ZDDP like the Valvoline Synpower.
 
Best grease out there ?

No such thing.
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That Valvoline looks good, but AFAIK it isn't available outside the US.

As mentioned, Redline CV2 has a higher temp rating (500*F) and drop point so makes an excellent race car or tow vehicle wheel bearing grease and contains soluble moly, not MOS2 which IMO is better in taper roller bearings and is Calcium sulphonate based, so has exceptional water resistance and rust/oxidation control.
It's my current wheel bearing grease of choice, as well as using it in a rebuildable ball joint assembly in a Defender which tend not to last with standard Li Complex thickened greases as the joint is inverted and cops water washout during river and creek crossings.
So far, so good in over five years of use.

CAT chassis greases are available in full syn varieties to cover different (high and low) temp ranges and are calcium sulphonate based, much better for water resistance, water washout and corrosion resistance than any lithium complex based grease and contain 5% MOS2 for high load/low speed situations, as well as being suitable for high speed use.
Any CAT dealer/stockist in the US should have them.
If CAT Australia stockists had it it's be my chassis grease of choice.

For years my wheel bearing grease of choice was NEO Z12, a Li complex, syn grease with a Timken OK load rating of 75lb.
Excellent budget race wheel bearing grease if you didn't need the incredible high temp properties of their HP 800 (800*F) wheel bearing grease. (HP 800 is great for carbon/carbon brakes
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The Lubrimatic marine grease Cmarti mentioned is a mineral oil based grease but has a [censored] high Timken OK load rating (can't recall offhand) and is excellent for trailer, horse float and boat wheel bearings.
It solved the corrosion problem I had in a horse float wheel bearings that had to cross a causeway every time it was used, then sat for a week or two before the next use.
 
How can you prove it's the best? When I need grease I use M1 with confidence, but to say M1 is the best, no can do.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: tdi-rick
As mentioned, Redline CV2 has a higher temp rating (500*F) and drop point so makes an excellent race car or tow vehicle wheel bearing grease and contains soluble moly, not MOS2 which IMO is better in taper roller bearings and is Calcium sulphonate based, so has exceptional water resistance and rust/oxidation control.
It's my current wheel bearing grease of choice, as well as using it in a rebuildable ball joint assembly in a Defender which tend not to last with standard Li Complex thickened greases as the joint is inverted and cops water washout during river and creek crossings.
So far, so good in over five years of use.


Co-signed. I will be sticking with CV-2 for the foreseeable future, I'm exceedingly impressed with it for both chassis and sealed bearing duty.

Schaeffers and Amsoil make some very good greases as well, Amsoil's Polymeric Off Road grease is very similar to the CAT grease.
 
Well, I should have said "arguably the best lithium-thickener grease."
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Toyota recommends NLGI No. 2 molybdenum-disulphide-fortified lithium-thickener grease; so, I will stick with this.
 
Why is this considered fully synthetic? In the MSDS it says that the base oil is Heavy Paraffinic Distillate (64742-54-7). If this is fully synthetic, how do you call a grease that is PAO-based and contains no petroleum distillates? I'm just curious, I'm not an expert.
 
OK, to answer my question: group III-base stocks are widely permitted to be marketed as synthetic motor oil with few exceptions where they are not allowed to be marketed as "synthetic" (for example, Germany).
 
According to API:
  • Companies also use their own marketing phrases: “Group 1-1/2” and “Group 2+”
  • “Group III” can be legally labeled “Synthetic”
  • The word “Synthetic” is not part of the API Classifi cation
  • “Synthetic” is a marketing term, not a technical term
Also, chances are that PAO (Group IV) base oil wouldn't work well in grease as it would possibly not mix well.
 
By the way, I also have the Valvoline Ford moly grease, which is similar to Volvoline Synpower, except it uses Group I or II base oil. There is a quite noticeable difference between the smells of the two greases. Valvoline Ford moly grease made from not-so-refined base oil has a strong petroleum odor while Valvoline Synpower has a milder, more synthetic odor.
 
I used the Valvoline Synpower grease for packing the distributor shaft. It's a high-temperature application and the repair manual says use high-temperature grease. This grease is specified for -40 - 400 F use; so, I expect it to last for quite a while. The OEM Toyota distributor was brand-new when I bought it eleven years ago and I found out that the original grease had turned into a thick, non-oily paste, with wear scars starting to appear on the shaft. I had to choose between this grease and the CRC brake grease, which is a PAO/silicone high-temperature grease. I chose this grease because the CRC brake grease was stickier, therefore not suitable for bearings, as it could create too much friction and heat because of stickiness.
 
It also depends on the application. For the highly demanding, very high-temperature distributor-shaft sleeve-bearing application, I am hoping that Valvoline Synpower fully synthetic grease will give good results. Many greases, including the Toyota factory OEM grease, quickly fail in the distributor, which is directly connected to the cylinder head.
 
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