Castrol Confusion

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I find Castrol's product grid the most confusing and difficult to understand. After looking at their website I'm still confused if Edge or Edge Extended Performance is their premium product and when I look at their product data sheets I find multiple different types of 0W-20, 0W-30 and 5W-30 all under the Edge or Edge EP name some with vastly different properties on their PDS.

Can anyone break this down for me?
 
Edge EP (Gold Bottle) is the premium product.

There are several versions of different weights to meet different specifications.

There's a 5w30 EP that meets BMW LL-01 (A3/B4, API SL), for example, which is seperate from the standard 5w30 EP (API SN)
 
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Extended Performance is their "highest" end oil... Which is a really a great product. But it should be noted their Castrol magnatec is a strong oil in it's own right... Numerous UOAs on here have shown how good Castrol magnatec really is in service.
 
The only EDGE worth buying is their 0W-30 or 0W-40 A3/B4 oils. Those two oils are in a league all their own. Everything else is mediocre at best in my opinion and not worth the premium price tag.
 
Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
The only EDGE worth buying is their 0W-30 or 0W-40 A3/B4 oils. Those two oils are in a league all their own. Everything else is mediocre at best in my opinion and not worth the premium price tag.


Since you worded your quote without saying EP...

Ridiculous comment!
Have you looked at the most recent Edge 5w30 VOA?
I would have to say you never did. Otherwise, you never word your quote above that way. You need to recognize that SN Plus has brought recent changes to oils..... everywhere..... all the name brands. All these brands are premium.

A brand like Mobil-1 EP or Castrol EP would be considered Super Premium. Brand-names like NAPA, Harvest King, Supertech,.....etc... are not premium. They are not derived as name-connected to the manufacturer.

In dealing with Castrol, everyone knows Castrol is BP, Valvoline is Ashland, Motorcraft is Conoco Philips. These are all Premium. Manufacturers only deal with premium players at their factories. Our new vehicles do not house NAPA, Harvest King or Supertech oil.

It's too early to dismiss any of them as mediocre. If you do, then include them-all... QS Ultimate Durability, regular Mobil-1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Advanced, etc.
 
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Originally Posted by CT8
Read the labels one oil is designed for longer oil change intervals



Insightful
smile.gif


I just think they do a poor job of relaying their product hierarchy. Even the order in which they're presented on the webpage is confusing with Edge presented before Edge EP. Then you have inconsistencies like the Edge 0W-20 is D1G2 certified but Edge EP is not. Once you start looking at PDSs there are EIGHT different Edge 5W-30s some of which aren't on the webpage at all - Edge Professional?
 
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I agree with the OP.
Decades ago, I used to be Castrol loyal in all my vehicles and Consumer reports proved that right..
Their product line was simple and to the point - GTX

However, the new API standards are so good it really doesnt matter what brand you use anymore.

So where I am going with this post is;
I never buy Castrol products anymore, all the different freaking named Castrol products in all categories confuses me so, I cant even feel good about buying a product I know to be reliable.. even their motorcycle oil.

I suspect the reason is, most consumers are not loyal to any product anymore based on performance, so they need a catchy marketing bottle that you pick up when your in the oil section of your favorite store. They constantly change names/flavors heck, everything. Heck, they even had to go screw up Castrol 5w30 and now call it Castrol 5w30 "ultra clean" or something like that. No thanks, actually has less film strength then the 5w30 it replaced. Not that it matters, Im just not into this marketing BS.

So I now buy price, if it has the API I want, doesnt matter the brand, though at price I have been using Chevron Supreme 5/30 conv for 2 years now. $13 5 qt bottle

... and you know what? my Dodge v-8 engine and my Mazda Skyactive direct injection engine will outlast my vehicles and any of the same engines in these forums, no matter how expensive oil they use.
 
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Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
The only EDGE worth buying is their 0W-30 or 0W-40 A3/B4 oils. Those two oils are in a league all their own. Everything else is mediocre at best in my opinion and not worth the premium price tag.


Since you worded your quote without saying EP...

Ridiculous comment!
Have you looked at the most recent Edge 5w30 VOA?
I would have to say you never did. Otherwise, you never word your quote above that way. You need to recognize that SN Plus has brought recent changes to oils..... everywhere..... all the name brands. All these brands are premium.

A brand like Mobil-1 EP or Castrol EP would be considered Super Premium. Brand-names like NAPA, Harvest King, Supertech,.....etc... are not premium. They are not derived as name-connected to the manufacturer.

In dealing with Castrol, everyone knows Castrol is BP, Valvoline is Ashland, Motorcraft is Conoco Philips. These are all Premium. Manufacturers only deal with premium players at their factories. Our new vehicles do not house NAPA, Harvest King or Supertech oil.

It's too early to dismiss any of them as mediocre. If you do, then include them-all... QS Ultimate Durability, regular Mobil-1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Advanced, etc.


My comment includes EP as well. In my opinion M1 and PP use more advanced base stocks (PAO and GTL) and that really makes a difference in oil quality and performance. Castrol is plain group 3 except for the 2 I mentioned.
 
Originally Posted by benhen77
Edge EP (Gold Bottle) is the premium product.

There are several versions of different weights to meet different specifications.

There's a 5w30 EP that meets BMW LL-01 (A3/B4, API SL), for example, which is seperate from the standard 5w30 EP (API SN)


There is Edge Professional in golden bottle that meets those specifications. There is no EDGE EP that meets European specs.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
The only EDGE worth buying is their 0W-30 or 0W-40 A3/B4 oils. Those two oils are in a league all their own. Everything else is mediocre at best in my opinion and not worth the premium price tag.


Since you worded your quote without saying EP...

Ridiculous comment!
Have you looked at the most recent Edge 5w30 VOA?
I would have to say you never did. Otherwise, you never word your quote above that way. You need to recognize that SN Plus has brought recent changes to oils..... everywhere..... all the name brands. All these brands are premium.

A brand like Mobil-1 EP or Castrol EP would be considered Super Premium. Brand-names like NAPA, Harvest King, Supertech,.....etc... are not premium. They are not derived as name-connected to the manufacturer.

In dealing with Castrol, everyone knows Castrol is BP, Valvoline is Ashland, Motorcraft is Conoco Philips. These are all Premium. Manufacturers only deal with premium players at their factories. Our new vehicles do not house NAPA, Harvest King or Supertech oil.

It's too early to dismiss any of them as mediocre. If you do, then include them-all... QS Ultimate Durability, regular Mobil-1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Advanced, etc.

Edge EP is not as sophisticated as Edge meeting ACEA A3/B3 B4, BMW LL01, VW 502.00, and especially MB 229.5., or on a low-SAPS side MB 2209.51/52, BMW LL04 etc.
EP is ILSAC GF-5 oil, and just because Castrol brand is at 20,000 miles, it does not mean it is "super premium." In the end, Castrol tells users to observe their manufacturer recommended intervals.
Two Castrol products that are true departure of anything Castrol sells in the US are: Castrol Edge 0W30 that is approved for BMW Ll04, MB 229.51, and Castrol Super Car 10W60.
 
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