Maxlife Now Has The Starburst Donut

[buster]

Good points Leaky. In speaking with one of the Tech guys, he said they don't use "swellers" and he said they get asked that a lot. Now he may have no idea, but the fact that he brought it up made me think he's being honest about it.

It's my understanding the Valvoline uses the best seal conditioners on the market. Traditionally, seal conditioners/swellers have always been esters.

*Also, it's important to note than in XOM's testing, they never found any harmful effects of seal conditioners. It's the shock treatment type that come in a bottle (Stop leak etc.) that can cause issues.

I don't think any HM oil has enough conditioners to cause problems.

MaxLife's PDS specifically says for new and used vehicles, so it should be no worry at all.

 

[LeakySeals]

The sweller question was asked to a tech there, so that settles it. Whats not settled is the XOM side, the word was mentioned indirectly answering a question about leaks. And I wonder if the person answering that was accurate, maybe misspoke. Maybe an a email to them is in order.

If a HM oil doesn't use swellers, I would think any leaks resolved through conditioning should be fairly permanent, and leaks should not reappear shortly after stopping use. Where a swelling agent was in use leaks would reappear almost right away as the swelling agent wears off.

 

[SteveSRT8]

The only thing is i have heard that they have no responsibility if the tech is misquoted or misspeaks.

 

[BillyTheKid]

Easy answer to the question - YES, you can use this oil on a newer vehicle if you want to do so.

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: buster
MaxLife 5w30 is also dexos 1 compliant, so it's a good oil. You could technically use that oil in a Corvette, which is interesting because it's technically a blend.


Several blends meet the Dexos 1 spec, including Pennzoil Synblend gold bottle...

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: buster
I've asked that question numerous times and even spoke to Thom Smith about it. He said no problems at all.


Considering it's GF-5, of course. One can use it without problems.

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
This is important because the use of the word "conditioners" varies by oil brand. Mobil 1 High Mileage for example uses the word conditioner on bottles and documentation, but the word "swell" is quoted on its website.


I can't comment much on the U.S. Mobil HM, but up here, our Mobil Super 2000 (HM) is GF-5 approved. However, I don't think any of us know whether a GF-5 HM oil versus a non-GF-5 HM oil is because of seal conditioners/swellers or, more likely, other additives, including phosphorous.

 

[Drew99GT]

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife.pdf


New Maxlife data sheet. They changed the formula for sure. They dropped the viscosity (hence the starburst), dropped the moly, and added a touch more sodium (to bring out the flavor

). The NOAK is even lower.

 

[KCJeep]

That makes no sense to me. Somebody posted here Castrol has done much the same with their HM.

 

[Drew99GT]

I don't think it's a bad thing; one data point doesn't make or break an oil. If they can develop an oil that protects better and lowers consumption more while simultaneously dropping the viscosity a tad and allowing better fuel economy and engine performance, I say go for it.

Many people complain about harder and noisier cold engine starts with the thicker HM oils, and decreased economy and engine performance; it wouldn't surprise me if the changed the formula to address these concerns.

 

[KCJeep]

I see it differently I guess. Why turn Maxlife or Castrol HM into just another 5w30? We already have a million of those.

 

[buster]

The back of the jug I just bought has a L1312 number. We don't have the new bottles yet.