Help Me Chose an HPL Oil!!!

A

AdmiralYoda

Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
195
Location
MA
Just bought a 2021 GMC Canyon with the 3.6L LGZ engine with 20k miles on it. No idea how the previous owner took care of it and I generally use the best oil I can buy. I haven't used HPL's oil yet so I figure I'll give it a shot. But I'm not sure which one to pick from. The 3.6L takes 5W-30.

Premium Passenger Car Oil
Premium Plus Passenger Car Oil
Euro Passenger Car Oil
No VII Passenger Car Oil
No VII Euro Passenger Car Oil

For the oil filter it uses a cartridge type and I plan to use a WIX XP Extreme Duty or Fram Ultra Synthetic.

Can someone recommend an HPL oil for me?
 
 
Thanks everyone! I looked but was unable to find an obvious answer. What is the difference between the various HPL oil, specifically the ones I mentioned above. Would someone mind explaining the difference for me aside from price? I'm sure the additive packages are different and I'd like to understand it a bit better to learn which would suit my driving habits a bit better.

We see overnight temps in the teens quite often in the winter and will usually see a few days of single digits as well. It does drop below zero every now and then but not too often.
 
Honestly the "basic" PCEO will do just fine. What you get with the upscale products is more additives which are beneficial IF and ONLY IF you intend to greatly extend the OCIs. If not, then the "normal" basic product is just fine. It's far more capable than most any person here will run it. I'm running it now in my Taurus; had a great report at 10k miles. The oil is still in the car; approaching 12k miles. Once it' gets to 15k miles I'll take another UOA.

Don't get all wrapped up in thinking spending more will get you more ... if your OCI is "normal", then the basic HPL lube is way more than adequate for any job you'll put it to.

Don't use the Wix XP; just use a normal Wix or Fram Ultra. The XP does not have a great filter efficiency, per their own specs.
 
dnewton3 said:
What you get with the upscale products is more additives
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Actually, all motor oils in the PCMO family have the same Dexos 1 additive package, with the same levels of boosted detergents, diapersants, Moly, AN, and Ester.

The differences are:
1. PCMO: Blended with Group III base oil and Olefin Polymer VII.
2. PCMO Premium: Blended with PAO and Olefin Polymer VII.
3. PCMO Premium: Blended with PAO and Star Polymer VII.

The cheapest HPL will go just as far as the most expensive HPL. The differences are:
1. Cold flow.
2. Viscosity retention.
3. Shearing resistance.

All HPL oils are very shear resistant and stavle. Star Polymer is maybe 10% better than Olefin Polymer VII. Unless someone tracks their vehicle consistently and abuses it, the basic PCMO can go just as long as the most expensiclve Premium Plus. Alao, the PCMO is blended with thicket base oils, so I like that better.
 
@Slick3914 @Rod Knock Sticking with M1 EP was my first thought until I read more about HPL.

In the event of a warranty claim would GM really require me to show proof of purchase of the oil? Even if I had a shop do the oil change that would probably be hard to prove that I used a Dexos1-Gen3 licensed oil. If GM sent the HPL oil out for analysis I sure it would probably exceed the D1-G3 requirements.

My biggest motivation for switching to HPL is to clean up any potential sludge/varnish in the engine if there is any. No idea what the service history has been over the first 20k miles and I just want to give it as much of a clean slate as possible. I intend to own this vehicle for another 200k+ miles.
 
What do you think about using HPL's engine cleaner (EC30), or perhaps Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30? The latter should have some cleaning agents from what I understand.
 
AdmiralYoda said:
My biggest motivation for switching to HPL is to clean up any potential sludge/varnish in the engine if there is any.
Click to expand...
It's summer time. Just get the PCMO 5W-30 or 5W-40. The 5W-40 has some really strong anti wear properties, with a HTHS of 4.1. I ran it in a 3.3L GDI Hyundai engine, and after 5K miles I had nearly no metal goo on the magnetic drain plug. Just get the regular PCMO. Winter comes, you can move to PCMO Premium and sleep well.

For a first oil run, you want to spend as little as possible, as you will most likely drain it in 5K miles.

AdmiralYoda said:
What about the No VII oil they offer?
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Their NO VII oils are either blended with a monograde base oil, or a mix of PAO and mPAO (instead of VII). They are great oils, however, I doubt they will do anything for you. If you ask the owner of HPL, David Ward, he will tell you the same thing: just get PCMO for your application. All HPL motor oils have the same cleaning and anti-wear properties. You have a NA 3.6L V6. If you were running a twin turbo or supercharged V8 then I'd say go for the BAS 5W-40 or Supercar 5W-40 or 5W-50, or something thicker, depending on the application. However, you will be more than happy with PCMO 5W-30. If you tow and want the added peace of mind, go with PCMO 5W-40. That's some stout oil!
 
AdmiralYoda said:
@Slick3914 @Rod Knock Sticking with M1 EP was my first thought until I read more about HPL.

In the event of a warranty claim would GM really require me to show proof of purchase of the oil?
Click to expand...
It really depends on the situation. The dealer always wants the work if there isn't any blatant indication of neglect, but sometimes, they have to work with GM's technical hotline and if GM asks for that info, it may be out of the dealer's hands.
 
Azimuth said:
Is that because of the VIIs that make it more appropriate for the winter?
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The NO-VII lineup was created primarily because it was requested by forum members here. We never dreamed that we'd see anything beyond 10W-20 and a stout 5W-20, but HPL surprised all of us. The primary advantage is lower NOACK. However, the thing is that 10W-20 and 10W-30 have the lowest NOACK values in the lineup.

Azimuth said:
What are you currently running in your 3.3L Hyundai GDI?
Click to expand...
Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 API SP, and next oil change I'll go even cheaper, to QS Euro 5W-40 API SP. This engine needs frequent oil changes, so it's not worth spending big money on oil for it.
 
AdmiralYoda said:
No idea what the service history has been over the first 20k miles and I just want to give it as much of a clean slate as possible. I intend to own this vehicle for another 200k+ mil
Click to expand...
The LGZ is a good engine. The prior version, not so much. There are quite few that hit 150k-200k plus just following the OLM.
 
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