Honda 0w-20

[LuckyLakers]

Did some searching online; and speculating TropArtic Synthetic Blend Motor Oil - 0w-20 is the same as Honda Genuine Synthetic Blend Motor Oil 0w-20? Based on website below:

http://www.conocophillipslubricants.com/brands-products/Single.aspx?pid=321&brand=Phillips+66

They share similar black bottle, a yellow cap, and rating requirements?

What do you guys think? And would you use it in your Toyota, Subaru or Mazda?

Thanks mucho

 

[skyship]

Not possible, as Honda would have a contract signed with their oil company that includes them not being allowed to sell the same spec oil under their own label at a lower price and most car companies ask the oil company to design an oil specifically for their engines and then sign a contract that the oil can't be sold under another label.
Some more friendly car manufacturers just use off the shelf engine oils like Castrol Edge or Liqui Moly, so you can buy them at a lower price.
The bottle and the label in particular are meaningless in some US convenience stores or on private E bay sites, as there are folks in Mexico collecting used bottles or making their own, then filling them with El Cheapo supermarket rejected or even used oil for rich folks to buy.

 

[Hounds]

I agree that you can't tell much, if anything, from the shape or color of the ConocoPhillips ("COP") TropArtic bottle or cap. However, COP also bottles Ford's Motorcraft (MC) oil products, and if you compare the VOAs and UOAs of MC with "Genuine Honda" (GH) motor oil, both the synthetic and "blended" products respectively, you'll see they are virtually identical. Consequently, while it may reasonable to infer that TropArtic is comparable to GH, the only sure way to know how COP's TropArtic compares with GH or MC would be to submit a sample for analysis.

 

[LuckyLakers]

Thanks for the responses skyship & Hounds

Can I check if they were hypothetically the same formula would you buy the Honda 0w-20 to use knowing it is identical to TropArtic? I show TropArtic is available in certain Sam Clubs.

I did general search and historically in BITOG most users did not think TropArtic was reputable vs Motorcraft or Kendall. Initially, I thought the Honda 0w-20 shared a similar formula to the Kendall GT-1 Synthetic Blend because they share a similar bottle shape but then I found they do not carry a 0w-20 in synthetic blend form.

Thanks again

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: LuckyLakers

What do you guys think? And would you use it in your Toyota, Subaru or Mazda?

As Hounds pointed out, the only way to know whether the CoP made TropArctic Syn' Blend is the same as the CoP made Honda 0W-20 is if you can find a UOA on the oil or better still have a comprehensive VOA done. BTW the Honda USA 0W-20s are not very high VI oils like many of the other Japanese OEM oils.

Regardless, while I'm sure it's a fine oil that could be used in the Japanese vehicles mentioned it is not an ultra high VI oil like the Toyota and Mazda 0W-20 oils.

 

[CATERHAM]

I should add, one noticeable difference of the TropArtic Syn Blend from the Honda syn blend is it's lower 170 VI vs 176 for the Honda oil and the Honda oil has a lower KV100 of 7.9cSt. That's enough of a difference to conclude different formulations.

I do prefer the Honda version.