Originally Posted By: SR5
I think Castrol, like most manufacturers has three product levels.
GTX - conventional oil, but the UltraClean is now semi-synthetic.
Magnatec - the middle level, was mostly semi-synthetic, but has been upgraded and is now mostly full synthetic and i assume Group III.
Edge - their premium product, with Titanium adds, always Full Synthetic, some of it with PAO base (0W40, 10W60, etc). Some grades may be Group III (5W30 last time I asked). But they all appear to have a high end metallic add packs with the Edge.
When looking at VOA's & UOA's it looks to me like GTX and Edge get the best metallic add packs. But Magnatec and Edge are the full synthetics (mostly - some SS Magnatec still exists). The Magnatec also has what appears to be a organic polar molecule that is attracted to metal surfaces, the silly named "intelligent" molecule. Something similar may be in the Edge, we don't know, as this is the marketing focus of Magnatec. While Titanium is the marketing focus of Edge.
This sort of makes sense to me. Three levels of products, one gets conventional base oils but with good metallic adds, the other gets synthetic base oils but standard metallic adds, and their premium product gets everything and a bit more with the Titanium.
I think that was roughly Castrol's plan, but I think it's hasn't worked out that way for them. The Magnatec is such a good product, that performs so well, for many people there is little - if any - advantage to spending more and buying their Edge. Maybe if doing extended OCI above 10k miles, Edge gold has some advantages.
Sure, if I was racing my BMW V8 then it's Edge 10W60, and for a new MB or Audi then it's Edge 0W40 and there is no Magnatec equivalent for either. But for ILSAC oils in regular cars and following the OLM for warranty, then Magnatec is the best bang for your buck Castrol oil.
Excellent post!
While I am personally a HUGE fan of Magnatec, to me it's just not a 10k oil without fussing over UOA's, so that is when I plunk down for Edge. Always 0w40.