Oils With High Sodium Add Pack ?

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I recently saw Valvoline Synpower Synthetic oil on sale so I decided to look up it's VOA on PQA's web site . I noticed a high Sodium level which other than to throw off a Blackstone report may help with cleaning . I will also note that in terms of what I could see - Valvoline synthetic oil does not have an add pack that particularly jumps out at you versus M1 or PP...Your thoughts on sodium in a add pack as well as Valvoline Synpower in general ?
 
Sodium in fresh oil usually means it contains sodium sulphonate friction modifier. It's not something I've used myself but I'm aware it exists.
 
SynPower puts up equally well rounded UOA as the other majors. It used to be considered a medium range oci oil but more recent UOA show it can also go the distance. For comparison sake, look at Royal Purples API offering. Same VOA and expressly mentions it's a 12,000 mile oil. Not saying they are the exact same formulation, just that VOA don't tell you everything about the ingredients and that Sodium based oils are just a different means to the same end.
 
SynPower always seems to have a light or rather different add pack compared to the rest, but I've mostly heard good things about it's performance.
 
I've also noticed that their motorcycle syn oil has much higher
sodium content, and boron, than many other brands. No idea what
all this means tho.........
 
Synpower is a great oil. Only metallic additives show up in a VOA. We can't see what organic additives may be in the additive package.

Valvoline oils look light on paper, but the keep engines very clean and provide excellent wear control.

Lubrizol provides the additive packages for Valvoline and as a general rule they are cutting edge, and have received awards for excellence from the SAE.
 
It is a fine oil, but two issues...

First, because it comes out a bit "light" in the VOA, it is harder to justify the pricepoint compared to other upper-end oils such as PP, M1, etc. Likewise, other lower-price point Syns (Havoline, Mobil Super (another Sodium oil), Motorcraft, AC Delco, and others) are just as robust. It is not "bad" but I can't point to anything that shows up on UOA... and I do not "leap" and assume that it has unicorn blood going untested. Some folks are ok with that, some folks like me aren't.

The other issue with SynPower is Napa Synthetic. Both are Ashland and are nearly identical VOA and even UOA (same goes for Vanilla Royal Purple). So if you are looking at those three, the sleeper is Napa Syn. So, given the option of a Sodium heavy add-pack, I will go with Napa.
 
I once spoke to valvoline customer service and they told me the biggest reason for sodium in their oil is differentiation from other oils, rather than serving a true purpose.
 
Thanks for the replies - so the Sodium is a friction modifier rather than a cleaner ?
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Synpower is a great oil. Only metallic additives show up in a VOA. We can't see what organic additives may be in the additive package.

Valvoline oils look light on paper, but the keep engines very clean and provide excellent wear control.

Lubrizol provides the additive packages for Valvoline and as a general rule they are cutting edge, and have received awards for excellence from the SAE.


I agree with this.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Synpower is a great oil. Only metallic additives show up in a VOA. We can't see what organic additives may be in the additive package.

Valvoline oils look light on paper, but the keep engines very clean and provide excellent wear control.

Lubrizol provides the additive packages for Valvoline and as a general rule they are cutting edge, and have received awards for excellence from the SAE.


I agree with this.


Me too.
 
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