2 jugs are the same price. I chose Pennzoil

[jorton]

"Buzzy" 2005 Ford Focus 115,000 miles.

Castrol GTX and Pennzoil HM are each $17 and change. I Chose the Pennzoil product just because folks say they run smoother than some other brands. Changed the oil last night with 5w-20. My intuition tells me for the same price, I should have used GTX. Do you think I will like the Pennzoil?

 

[NHGUY]

I would go with the PHM over GTX.Pennzoil makes some decent products.Castrol is BP owned,and we all should be a bit miffed at that company for its misdeeds.

 

[fxrider]

I like the pennzoil better.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Unless you NEED the HM I would have bought the QSGB 5w-20 or Mobil 5000 5w-20 for $14.

Next would have been the PYB 5w-20 for $15

Either of your choices are fine. (again if needed)

 

[Mr Nice]

The one with a MIR.

 

[SatinSilver]

I think you made a good choice. From a very respected member on another forum I'm on:

Originally Posted By: abc;796896
If it were my car I wouldn't be running that.

Castrol (as well as Valvoline) has had a recent history of not passing all of the specs they claim to "exceed".

Based on their product data sheets, the oil is slightly thicker than other brands at both hot and cold, and the colder it gets the thicker it is. Their 5w20 is actually much thicker at very, very cold temps than their 5w30.

It could be draining out of the vtc actuator more easily. It could be as simple as that. or not.

I'd be looking at the following oils:

Shell and their sister brands, Pennzoil and Quaker State. (both are owned by Shell)
The Shell oil is usually less expensive, but just as good.
Motorcraft Semi Syn 5w20 and other ConocoPhillips oils. It seems now that's who makes MC oil, as well as Honda's US factory fill and dealer oil.

 

[Gabe]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Unless you NEED the HM I would have bought the QSGB 5w-20 or Mobil 5000 5w-20 for $14.

Next would have been the PYB 5w-20 for $15

Either of your choices are fine. (again if needed)



I'll bite: Why shouldn't a HM oil be used unless needed??

With a higher TBN and lower NOACK numbers, wouldn't it be a better choice for most vehicles?? Besides, if you wait for a seal leak to develop or sludge to form, then a HM oil isn't going to to help. HM oil is about preventing future problems; if you wait until it is needed, then it won't do any good.

 

[volk06]

Originally Posted By: Gabe
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Unless you NEED the HM I would have bought the QSGB 5w-20 or Mobil 5000 5w-20 for $14.

Next would have been the PYB 5w-20 for $15

Either of your choices are fine. (again if needed)



I'll bite: Why shouldn't a HM oil be used unless needed??

With a higher TBN and lower NOACK numbers, wouldn't it be a better choice for most vehicles?? Besides, if you wait for a seal leak to develop or sludge to form, then a HM oil isn't going to to help. HM oil is about preventing future problems; if you wait until it is needed, then it won't do any good.



Your not entirely correct.

Most HM oils I've seen have higher NOACK values. Some HM oils like m1 or max life have been able to slow or completely stop some leaks. It can help stop a problem just as well as it can create a problem due to the seal swellers and conditioners. If you take proper care and appropriate OCI you shouldn't have any sludge in your engine anyway.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: Gabe
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Unless you NEED the HM I would have bought the QSGB 5w-20 or Mobil 5000 5w-20 for $14.

Next would have been the PYB 5w-20 for $15

Either of your choices are fine. (again if needed)



I'll bite: Why shouldn't a HM oil be used unless needed??

With a higher TBN and lower NOACK numbers, wouldn't it be a better choice for most vehicles?? Besides, if you wait for a seal leak to develop or sludge to form, then a HM oil isn't going to to help. HM oil is about preventing future problems; if you wait until it is needed, then it won't do any good.



Then with that reasoning I guess we should be running HM oils from day one. Why is not all oil HM?

How do millions make it just fine 100k, 200k or more with no problems not using HM oils? How did we get hundreds of thousands of miles on engines trouble free with yesterdays oils which were not as good as today's?

I've tried HM oil for a few oil changes and you are correct it did not help existing leaks. Would it have helped the engine if it was run from new? Nope. Design a piece of garbage and no type of oil is going to fix it.

My engines over the decades could care less of Noack values and such. They just require good oil changed with reasonable OCI and good to go.

Take care, Bill

PS: The HM oil is $3+ more in your example. Time how many oil changes for something that IMO is not needed.

 

[aquariuscsm]

GTX is a great oil. If I ever end up going back to dino,that`s probably what I`ll use. Either that or Valvoline.

 

[Lead Shoes]

Dino GTX has a very high quality base stock, defiantly better than Pennzoil's, but for the "HM" version I would have got the Pennzoil.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: Brenden
Dino GTX has a very high quality base stock


I agree. I`ve always thought of it as being the best dino oil.

 

[Since1941]

"I would go with the PHM over GTX.Pennzoil makes some decent products.Castrol is BP owned,and we all should be a bit miffed at that company for its misdeeds."


In regards to the above statement, BP is not the only company to be miffed about for its misdeeds. SOPUS, Chevron, and ExxonMobil are no saints.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Shoulda got the DEFY

The basestocks are CONSTANTLY changing on every batch. The last very decent conventional Ive run was Mobil clean 5k (not mobil super) and even that needed a qt of 10w40 subbed in the sump to keep the engine(s) from rapping. Second best goes to Pennzoil HM 5w30 and third best to Formula Shell SM. QSGB SN was acceptable and better than Mobil super and MC_SS in Winter. Castrol or Valvoline has NEVER run well in anything - 67 cars and over 200 oil changes.

 

[wally6934]

Originally Posted By: jorton
"Buzzy" 2005 Ford Focus 115,000 miles.

Castrol GTX and Pennzoil HM are each $17 and change. I Chose the Pennzoil product just because folks say they run smoother than some other brands. Changed the oil last night with 5w-20. My intuition tells me for the same price, I should have used GTX. Do you think I will like the Pennzoil?



OK let me get this story straight. You were standing in a store looking at 2 nice size jugs. You thought one was smoother than the other so you chose it. Later you thought about the other jug, and thought you should have grabbed it before you left.

Well from the way you describe the situation i would have grabbed both jugs.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: wally6934
Originally Posted By: jorton
"Buzzy" 2005 Ford Focus 115,000 miles.

Castrol GTX and Pennzoil HM are each $17 and change. I Chose the Pennzoil product just because folks say they run smoother than some other brands. Changed the oil last night with 5w-20. My intuition tells me for the same price, I should have used GTX. Do you think I will like the Pennzoil?



OK let me get this story straight. You were standing in a store looking at 2 nice size jugs. You thought one was smoother than the other so you chose it. Later you thought about the other jug, and thought you should have grabbed it before you left.

Well from the way you describe the situation i would have grabbed both jugs.


I agree. I`d grabbed both jugs!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Hittin the Guinness already

 

[REDDOG]

 

[jorton]

There are just too many choices. I wanted to grab 2 but there were 2 pennz, 2 gtx and I was going to grab 2 pennz, then 2 gtx and then 1 pennz and 1 gtx and I never did decide which 2.

Today I did grab 4 stp for the other car. They were little ones, not jugs.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Pennzoil is the best selling dino on the planet. Castrol doesn't even own / formulate their base oils. They buy it on the open market.