Pennzoil Gold 5W30 better than Platinum?

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Hello, I was reading the product data sheets of Pennzoil Gold 5W-30 and Platinum 5W-30 and I think that the Gold looks like it is better than Platinum? For example:

Higher flash point @ASTM D93: 237 vs 207 (30°C higher ?!?! A 15% increase!);
Higher Kinematic Viscosity at 100°C @ASTM D445: 11.7 vs 9.8 (Platinum is quite close to a SAE20 ?!?! And the Platinum is 20% thinner when in engine operating temperature?!)

The price of Pennzoil Gold at my local Wally is $18.14, and Platinum is $27.76. Both of them are Dexos1 gen 2 approved. Is there anything in the Platinum superior to Gold, besides from the base oil (Natural Gas vs synthetic blend)?

I have been using Castrol Magnatec 5W30 ($17.88 @ Walmart) for the last couple of oil changes. Wanted to compare Pennzoil Gold to Castrol Magnatec but the product data sheet listed on the Castrol website is kinda silly as most of the technical measurements are minimum or maximum values. Thoughts?

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Product data sheet PDS for Pennzoil Gold said 216 C for Gold, 224 C for Platinum. From Pennzoil.com
More viscosity isn't "better". As long as the HTHS viscosity is in the right range to meet specs, its the right value.

Anything superior in Plat vs. Gold? The Gold will produce blacker pistons, and cold starting is more difficult. Thats about it really.
 
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Product data sheet PDS for Pennzoil Gold said 216 C for Gold, 224 C for Platinum. From Pennzoil.com
More viscosity isn't "better". As long as the HTHS viscosity is in the right range to meet specs, its the right value.

Anything superior in Plat vs. Gold? The Gold will produce blacker pistons, and cold starting is more difficult. Thats about it really.


I don't think that the PP will make cold starting any easier as the CCS and MRV viscosities are lower on the synthetic blend than PP. It's kinda confusing, that's what OP meant, I think. May be more deposits, though.
I've wondered the same thing myself.
 
I think this came up in a recent thread and we all figured it must be a typical messed up PDS sheet.
This happens. Many companies can't seem to produce accurate PDS documents.
Also, pennzoil.com which is THE website, doesn't even have the same PDS documents as what the OP presented here.
Source of the OP's PDS sheets?
 
Spec sheets from the Pennzoil website.

5W-30 Gold (synthetic blend) - LINK (see the 5W-30 column)

5W-30 Platinum (full synthetic) - LINK

They don't list a HTHS spec for the Platinum.
 
Yes "Confused" is what I mean. If the specs are not written wrongly, I think the Gold is actually better than Platinum... Higher flashpoint for summer, better cold starting, cheaper price
 
Hello Zee, the pdfs from Pennzoil.com were published in 2011 and 2014. I think they are the old formulations. The pdfs I found on the Shell website is printed in 2018, and got the dexos1 gen2 certification.
 
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A few days ago the Castrol Magnatec 5W30 was sold out at my local Walmart and so I bought the Pennzoil Gold for the oil change. If the specs of Pennzoil Gold and Platinum are swapped, I am gonna change the oil again tomorrow; 9.8 viscosity scares me!!!
 
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SAE 5W-30 requires HTHS >2.9 and viscosity between 9.3 to 12.5. Castrol Magnatec is 11.2 and Pennzoil Gold is 9.8 (I assume the product data sheets are swapped with the Platinum series). Both Castrol and Pennzoil did not publish HTHS values. Does it mean that Pennzoil Gold is superior to Magnatec as the engine consumes less fuel, but the protection is not reduced?
 
One more thing, the Castrol Magnatec specifications (11 April 2017) look like are outdated as it only has dexos1 but not dexos1 gen 2 approval. Seems like the name brands have problem publishing accurate and up-to-date product data sheets. Knowing that the specifications are not reliable, I am gonna buy the Walmart SuperTech and save a few bucks for my next oil change.
 
The OP is correct. Member, Virtus_Probi and I discussed this in previous threads along with a few other members. When i wrote Pennzoil, they confirmed PDS for Gold d1G2 is correct.
 
Let me tell ya something... Whether it be Pennzoil Gold, Castrol Magnatec, and or Wally World Supertech you end up running... These 3 oils are very good and will perform just fine. If you had a GDI turbo boosted motor I would say go with Castrol Magnatec due to it holding up it's viscosity really well as evidenced by UOAs done on here. But a regular motor.... It don't matter. Heck... You could run Mobil Super 5w30 and be just fine as well. Our member PSD2015 ran Mobil Super 5w30 in his truck and in the UOAs Mobil Super held up just as well as Pennzoil Ultra in his truck even after 14k miles.... Your biggest variables in play are 1) your motor 2) what's it's usage pattern aka short trips or long highway runs 3) mileage on motor 4) condition of spark plugs,coils etc 5) certainly underrated here but don't forget your air filter and it's overall system condition 6) oil filter... get one that doesn't tear, fail, leak, act retarded etc etc...

Those are the factors you have got to look at more than the oil you run. Oil even Amsoil Signature Series don't do no good if your air filter system is in disrepair and letting all kinds of silicon in.. or if you oil filter tears and is not worth it's own weight in horse #2...

Not trying to give ya a hard time here buddy. Not at all. Just trying to help you see there's a whole lot more to consider here.
Again, my thinking is all three will be like going deer hunting with a RPG. Anyone of them will do just great for ya. But... Make sure the rest of your ancillary components are up to a high standard as well.

By the way.. I live 40 minutes east of ya. In Williamsburg area. The Walmart in Mechanicsville is the best at keeping their oil and filter section stocked up and very well organized. There have been times that Walmart has had oils not seen at other Walmarts. Which was really cool in my opinion. It's the best Walmart I've been in for oil and filters.
 
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Good question... Don't know. I cannot recall hardly anyone running Castrol Edge in the GDI and turbo boosted motors.
 
Thank you for your confirmation! Pennzoil Gold is exceptionally good for the price in my opinion. I am gonna stay with the current fill for 3000 miles
 
Hello bbhero, Words are not enough to express my gratitude. Definitely going to Williamsburg in the coming weekend. I looked at your signiture and it is good to know that you are a Nissan owner. Can you share your experiences with us about maintaining your coupe? About the motor type and driving style, my 2017 Versa is 1.6 liter. I like to rev the engine at 3000-4000 rpm for acceleration after it is fully warmed up. 60mph 200 highway-miles commuting from Richmond to The Captital 5 days per week. Any suggestion? Besides, I have a feeling that the oil gets sticky and makes the engine feel sluggish after 2000 miles. So I usually do 3000 mile oil change. Is it because of my driving style (I dont rev the engine to 5k+ but is it still considered spirited driving?) or the engine has some sorts of problems that are not known yet? Thanks man
 
Originally Posted By: Fulgore
Hello bbhero, Words are not enough to express my gratitude. Definitely going to Williamsburg in the coming weekend. I looked at your signiture and it is good to know that you are a Nissan owner. Can you share your experiences with us about maintaining your coupe? About the motor type and driving style, my 2017 Versa is 1.6 liter. I like to rev the engine at 3000-4000 rpm for acceleration after it is fully warmed up. 60mph 200 highway-miles commuting from Richmond to The Captital 5 days per week. Any suggestion? Besides, I have a feeling that the oil gets sticky and makes the engine feel sluggish after 2000 miles. So I usually do 3000 mile oil change. Is it because of my driving style (I dont rev the engine to 5k+ but is it still considered spirited driving?) or the engine has some sorts of problems that are not known yet? Thanks man


Sticky? Oil is not sticky after 2000 miles. Pull the dipstick and prove it to yourself. 5k on that engine because it has a small sump.
 
Hello, i have pulled the dipstick after 3000 miles before. The color was dark brown, compared to the light amber of unused oil. Is it abnormal? Thanks for your input
 
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