Best off the shelf oil for the price

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Jan 9, 2017
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SE Michigan
I was playing around on the Lubrizol web site trying to see how the different oil specs vary with regards to the different properties.

https://online.lubrizol.com/relperftool/pc.html

Based on the tool, seems like the Daimler MB229.51 is the most stringent specification requirements (for the most part) compared to API SN, Dexos 1 and the various Ford specs, i.e with the widest coverage areawise on the chart tool.

So my questions is - for the same price if all else is equal, wouldn't is make sense to use the Euro spec oil which meets the recent MB Daimler specs. I am thinking of times when Wallyworld has all the Pennzoil Synthetic brands on Rollback pricing for the same for 5 qts jug.
Assuming a regular recent model car , maybe 6 or 7 years old requiring API SN or SM oil. If price was same, wouldn't it make more sense to buy, in this example, the oil which also meets the MB229.51 spec in the Euro line instead of the usual SN or SN+ spec oil?

Please comment if this line of thought seems right or am I making a newbie mistake and missing something? Thanks.
 
Why is Castrol Edge 0W30 A3/B4 price 3 times the price of 0W40?
They both meet MB 229.5

Maybe because 0W30 meets BMW LL01?
based on that, it doesn't seem like MB 229.5 is the "most stringent specification" ... but I am not sure.
 
Originally Posted by ChrisD46
QSUD 5W30 D1 / Gen 2 rated for $13+ at WM ... Tough synthetic oil + price to beat !

+1
 
"So my questions is - for the same price if all else is equal, wouldn't is make sense to use....."

I think the jist of what you are asking is 'wouldnt it be better to use Porsche A40 oil in my Corolla than plain jane API SN'.?


The answer is... probably not.

I think a good reference is Tig1 (from memory, may be another guy)... has a Ford Fusion that sees 0w20 at 10K intervals and his UOAs look fantastic, and i think he has posted under valve cover pics as well as racking up hundreds of thousands of miles.

Theres also a guy on here with a Prius that uses Traveller 15w40 with great results.

And the list goes on.
 
There is going to be lots of different opinions, but my vote goes to Mobil 1 0w40 or Castrol Edge 0w40 or Mobil 1 EP 10w30 or 5w30. These are what I can regularly buy on sale for $30-$34 Canadian for a 5qt jug at a local store like Canadian Tire or Walmart.

Lots of people will say it won't make a difference, but it depends on the vehicle and how hard you drive it, how long will you keep it?

I drive a 2005 truck (for work) and daily drive a 1984 and a 1983 cars (one for summer and one for winter). The 84 has a 1976 engine, never rebuilt and I plan to keep driving it until i die and I'm only 36 now.

So if you think your engine might still be in regular use 44+ years from now, maybe oil choice makes more of a difference than some people think?

I used to drag race every year with this 44 year old engine until a few years ago I changed the rear axle ratio to highway gears for better fuel economy and it's no longer worth taking to the track (if it ever was). I ran euro oils most of that time for the first 10 years. Now I'm using xw30 oils because it runs quieter on them, possibly better fuel economy and I'm not driving it hard enough to stress the oil in a V8 that turns 4500rpm at the most. I've put over 100k miles on this engine in the past 13 years and this is at least the 3rd car it's been in. It's a no rust, summer driver so it'll be around a long time.

200k miles shouldn't be a problem for almost any engine with any off the shelf oil, but pushing things to the limit like 400k miles + over a long period of time, maybe there is a small difference, none of us can really prove besides UOA's looking good.

Maybe my engine would still run perfect if I ran conventional all these years, but when I can buy top of the line oils for basically the regular price of a conventional, I don't see the point in buying a conventional to try to save $5-10 on an oil change twice a year per vehicle.

Even my 2005 truck, if it gets to the point I have to scrap it, the 4.8 LS engine is getting pulled out to use in something else. It's at 200k miles now and just got switched to synthetic. I'm hoping for 300k or more out of the truck before rust kills it.
 
Originally Posted by ChrisD46
QSUD 5W30 D1 / Gen 2 rated for $13+ at WM ... Tough synthetic oil + price to beat !


+2
 
Originally Posted by edwardh1
Do the Japanese have as many unique oils/specs like the Germans do?

Most Japanese cars run a long time and you can buy the oil anywhere


Reliability has a lot more to do with the manufacturer than the oil. The oil doesn't cause Audi's to break down and the oil doesn't cause Toyota's to run forever without issues.

Running an oil that is meant to protect an overstressed German vehicle in an under stressed corolla or Camry could be the recipe for a million mile car, if one could stand to be in one of those vehicles for long.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by walterjay
Originally Posted by ChrisD46
QSUD 5W30 D1 / Gen 2 rated for $13+ at WM ... Tough synthetic oil + price to beat !


+2

+3
 
Back to my original question. My thought were based on oil choice based on their approved specs and not as much based on particular brand or weight.

My car which is >10 yrs old and specs SM oil would do fine with SN, SN+, Dexos 1 oil, I am sure. But for example sometimes I will walk into Walmart and Pennzoil synthetics are all on sale for $23.98. I could choose the usual 5W-30 Platinum with SN+, D1G2 approval OR for the same price pick up Platinum Euro L with MB229.51 spec.

I am sure that my RX350 engine wouldn't mind either one of them, but just from the purely idle theoretical viewpointpoint wouldn't the Euro L be a better choice, especially when there is no price premium involved?
 
Define the best ? I doubt there is a dime of difference between most top tier brands, some thinner some thicker but the additive packages are so similar
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Define the best ? I doubt there is a dime of difference between most top tier brands, some thinner some thicker but the additive packages are so similar

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Originally Posted by samiamz
Back to my original question. My thought were based on oil choice based on their approved specs and not as much based on particular brand or weight.

My car which is >10 yrs old and specs SM oil would do fine with SN, SN+, Dexos 1 oil, I am sure. But for example sometimes I will walk into Walmart and Pennzoil synthetics are all on sale for $23.98. I could choose the usual 5W-30 Platinum with SN+, D1G2 approval OR for the same price pick up Platinum Euro L with MB229.51 spec.

I am sure that my RX350 engine wouldn't mind either one of them, but just from the purely idle theoretical viewpointpoint wouldn't the Euro L be a better choice, especially when there is no price premium involved?


My opinion is yes, the Euro is likely almost always a better oil.
 
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