Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
Originally Posted by Imp4
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
I consider them lower teir because they are minimalistic, with a rather cookie cutter recipe, that aims to meet minimum standards and push product. Everything is cheapened as much as possible, so long as it still meets API, in order to be competitive with one another and make a good profit. They are your bare bones basic recipes.
Oh brother!!!!! Based on what?!?!?
VOA?
UOA?
Blending recipe?
Base stocks?
Or is it successful marketing?!?
BTW, please include the details of whatever recipe you are aware of. For educational purposes only, of course!!!
They all follow along a similar path walking the fine line of API standards between emissions / environmental requirements and wear protection requirements. They are also very much restrained by cost. A lot of people pick oil by cost (just look at the majority of members on this board) so keeping it as cheap as possible, while turning the biggest profit, is ideal.
Now compare that to the likes of Amsoil, Driven, High Performance Lubricants, and other small blenders. They couldn't care less about meeting API standards because that's not their market. Their focus is making the best product possible with cost being a non-factor. They use higher treat rates of anti-wear, friction modifiers, EP, detergents, and so on, as well as better quality, more reactive, and more durable additives, because they aren't being restricted by API and cost. These are what I consider to be top tier oils. Molyvan 855, for example, is an outstanding friction modifier (blows trinuclear MoDTC out of the water) that is used by many of these small blenders, but you'll never find it in an API oil simply because it's too expensive.
The chemistry put into these "cookie cutter" brands (as I like to call them) is very limited, where as the smaller blenders branch out into far more extensive chemistry. The shelf brands use probably about 10% of the oil tech that's out there. The other 90% is used by the small blenders. If you focus only on API approved oils, your knowledge and experience with oils becomes severely limited.
I created an iceberg image of this a while back to represent what I'm talking about. This is why I refer to them as lower tier. They don't branch out into new and extensive tech and chase the latest and greatest chemistry. That's not in their interest. Their scope is extremely narrow.
Now this isn't to say the API shelf oils suck. They don't. They get the job done, as is shown by numerous UOAs on here as well as millions of vehicles on the road today that go several hundred thousand miles on these oils. For the vast majority of people, they are sufficient. What I'm getting at is if you base your scope of oil quality off those oils alone, you are severely limiting yourself.
C'mon man!!!
You stated that these 'lower tier' oils use cookie cutter recipes. So I asked what recipe exactly is it, because you seem to know.
Your response was a truthful but irrelevant, non-descript, non-specific comment with no evidence.
I will commend you on the artwork but I'll also note it's also based on your own speculation and conjecture. Completely irrelevant other than to note the brands you personally like or don't like.
Please answer my original questions.
And if you don't know what the recipe(s) are, it's totally ok to say "I don't know what the recipes are", cause that's what I usually say when I don't know.
In an effort to keep this from degenerating any further, could you please just substantiate your claims with evidence?
Thanks!!!
Happy New Year!!!
