Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
If a company says their oil has a mostly Gp IV base, you can bet the other companies have verified that via lab tests. The oil companies have the labs and money to do that sort of thing. If it really was Gp III, it would have come up in M1s or Amsoil's ad campaigns by now.
Personally, I don't have a problem with Gp III and don't really care whether it's called "synthetic" or not. The performance difference between good Gp III and Gp IV base oils is not all that big when looked at in a practical way. You have to look at a the whole picture not just one corner of it. In comparing Gp III to Gp IV, a synergistic additive package counts for more. Given equally effective additive packages (which will be slightly different because of the base oils), then you might consider the Gp III vs Gp IV thing. Still, I think the margins are not all that far apart.
People are too fixated on one component in an oil and this thread seems to be evidence of that.
Yes, I don't have a problem with base oil either. What I do havea problem with is paying $8/qt for a Group III oil. I am running Royal Purple 5w40 in my dads car and will continue to do so.
I also have called Royal Purple and talked to Mr. Barker at length about base oils and all other claims Royal Purple makes. He is a stand up guy and has told me that all their street oils are Group IV. I started this thread not to attack Royal Purple but I was sort of confused about the terminology used in the CHP Insider article and wanted clarification.
I agree that a lot of people here are fixated with all the components that make that particular oil, be it base oil, VI, CCV, PP and what not. This is an oil forum where every little detail is scoured, manipulated and dissected but rightfully so otherwise this forum would become mundane and dull. I for one don't look at the PDS to select a motor oil but it sure is fun to look at the data and people scrutinizing it.
Is CHP California Highway Patrol?
FWIW, RP sounds very very good. Whether you run 5W-40 (all around good grade) or 20W-50, its synthetic Group IV-ness seems really well suited to engines! (Synthetic 20W number = still good start-up lubing. Group IV goodness.)
Only thing that seems to best it is Group V RedLine.
Also, heard an article or two about RP cleaning away so much stuff in an engine that the engine Grenaded. However, people conclude that this was the engine, not the Oil.
I like RP and will likely pursue finding it or Redline, as Castrol Syntec is inferior to these two oils and is only worth it when on sale.