Amsoil XL 5w20?

[demarpaint]

I’m asking you for your opinion, not other peoples.

Ok, I based it on facts and findings here, from other people and my own experiences. I've been a member since 2005, there's a handful of people here I consider experts, they noticed the change in the formula and wrote about it. What I gathered was the change didn't make it better, it probably made it cheaper. NOACK took a big hit. A vehicle I was using it in at the time started using oil, which it never did with the SM formulation. I got rid of the SN formulation I bought, changed to XOM again, and didn't look back. Oil use stopped too. Others had similar complaints, I wasn't going to stick with it.

As I mentioned earlier search the archives, the discussions are/were all there, and it goes into a lot more detail.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

I’m asking you for your opinion, not other peoples.

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum was moved to a GTL based formulation. The technology wasn't what it is today, the base oils where thin, which resulted in motor oils in that lineup with high NOACK and lots of VII. PUP 5W-30 used to turn into 5W-20 really fast. Things changed since then, Shell improved GTL technology, and PUP is an excelent oil now. NOACK values are below 10% now, and the oils are shear stable. Use with confidence.

 

[kschachn]

Just got off the phone with Amsoil tech support regarding the reg. XL as apposed to the current XL Boosted that is current for sale on the Amsoil website. Tech support did tell me that the reg XL oil is not as good as the Pennzoil Ultra platinum oil. The additive package Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is better.

Someone on the Amsoil technical support line used that exact terminology to you?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

How much difference from the Amsoil XL vs Amsoil Sig. Series regarding the additive package, etc?
Should I spend the money on the XL or just stick with what I always use which is Pennzoil Ultra Platinum ?

DR1 - Why were you thinking of changing from Pennzoil to Amsoil's lower tier API certified oils?
I have my reasons to avoid William Penn's PP though I haven't explored the reformulated ILSAC GF6A product.

Very much enjoying Quaker State 10W30 in my Ford that calls for a 5W20.
I might recommend this to the OP if I knew what he was installing it in.

_________________________________________________________

I also must question why a layperson is asking about additive packages when they should be looking simply at the service category, grade and Mfg. approvals. I don't think you should or could infer anything useful from this "investigation".

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Thanks for this discussion. I've been in the battle over which Amsoil to use too. This was helpful.

 

[BERLIN]

Just got off the phone with Amsoil tech support regarding the reg. XL as apposed to the current XL Boosted that is current for sale on the Amsoil website. Tech support did tell me that the reg XL oil is not as good as the Pennzoil Ultra platinum oil. The additive package Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is better.

Give me a break Tech support never told you that!

 

[buster]

Give me a break Tech support never told you that!

LOL I was just re-reading that and I don't believe for a second an Amsoil tech said that.

 

[bullwinkle]

Search the archives for when Pennzoil first introduced PU during the days of SM oils. See how it evolved and changed when the SN forumlation came out. Read what the resident oil gurus had to say about the change. I happened to agree, as did many members here. There's tons of info on the topic.

The original, pre-GTL Pennzoil Ultra was considered to be a Group IV oil, almost as beloved as green German Castrol 0W30. There’s a fair amount of info out there on it. Not that the GTL Ultra is bad, but the original was tougher, IMO.

 

[demarpaint]

The original, pre-GTL Pennzoil Ultra was considered to be a Group IV oil, almost as beloved as green German Castrol 0W30. There’s a fair amount of info out there on it. Not that the GTL Ultra is bad, but the original was tougher, IMO.

I agree. IMO they cheapened it drastically, as a result, and not that they care they lost my business. Their loss was XOM's gain [specifically ESP 0W30 and 5W30], not that they care either.

 

[bullwinkle]

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum was moved to a GTL based formulation. The technology wasn't what it is today, the base oils where thin, which resulted in motor oils in that lineup with high NOACK and lots of VII. PUP 5W-30 used to turn into 5W-20 really fast. Things changed since then, Shell improved GTL technology, and PUP is an excelent oil now. NOACK values are below 10% now, and the oils are shear stable. Use with confidence.

PQIA has a VOA on the original.5W30 Ultra, NOACK only 6.6%, boron 131 PPM, moly in the ~70 PPM range. Shell switched to GTL because it was cheaper & they had an excess (even PYB used GTL base oil for a while), not because it was better than Grp. IV.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Wow this thread has some legs almost 1 year old and still being "resolved"

 

[Pablo]

Wow this thread has some legs almost 1 year old and still being "resolved"

Typical.

I missed this one. Not sure how.

Anyway, there is no XL AND XL Boosted line - just one. The lines are OE and XL (Boosted is on the label). No Amsoil tech would tell you such things as posted here.

Amsoil OE and XL look expensive when l just looking at the retail price. Just like if you looked at anything straight retail. PC case price is not crazy and both have shown really good in UOAs.

 

[kschachn]

The original, pre-GTL Pennzoil Ultra was considered to be a Group IV oil, almost as beloved as green German Castrol 0W30. There’s a fair amount of info out there on it. Not that the GTL Ultra is bad, but the original was tougher, IMO.

No it was never a Group IV for interchange. Group IV is PAO only and isn’t defined by VI nor saturates.

 

[OVERKILL]

The original, pre-GTL Pennzoil Ultra was considered to be a Group IV oil, almost as beloved as green German Castrol 0W30. There’s a fair amount of info out there on it. Not that the GTL Ultra is bad, but the original was tougher, IMO.

They were both GTL. The formula changed when Shell split the product line into Platinum and Ultra Platinum.

 

[OVERKILL]

No it was never a Group IV for interchange. Group IV is PAO only and isn’t defined by VI nor saturates.

Correct, and the oil was never PAO based. When Shell first introduced the Pearl bases the Noack figures were exceptionally good. After a while, and a product line re-shuffle, things changed and the products started looking far more typical.

 

[OVERKILL]

PQIA has a VOA on the original.5W30 Ultra, NOACK only 6.6%, boron 131 PPM, moly in the ~70 PPM range. Shell switched to GTL because it was cheaper & they had an excess (even PYB used GTL base oil for a while), not because it was better than Grp. IV.

They never switched, the oil was always GTL based:

Note: "Fischer-Tropsch derived base oil" - That's GTL.

 

[02zx9r rev2]

Typical.

I missed this one. Not sure how.

Anyway, there is no XL AND XL Boosted line - just one. The lines are OE and XL (Boosted is on the label). No Amsoil tech would tell you such things as posted here.

Amsoil OE and XL look expensive when l just looking at the retail price. Just like if you looked at anything straight retail. PC case price is not crazy and both have shown really good in UOAs.

UOA on wife’s 2015 Altima running Amsoil XL 0W20 came back superb

 

[Deleted member 89374]

UOA on wife’s 2015 Altima running Amsoil XL 0W20 came back superb

Please post it.

 

[02zx9r rev2]

2015 Nissan Altima Amsoil XL 0W20 8,272 miles

First report on wife’s 2015 Nissan Altima SV. Oil was in use from 8-16-21 to 6-17-22. Oil filter was a yellow can Purolator PL14610 (have several left overs from my sportbike I no longer have). Filter had 16,703 miles on it, filter sent to 53 Stude to cut open and paste. Refilled with QS 5W30...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[kschachn]

Very little of which shows how "good the oil did", but rather that the engine is operating properly. You can't compare the quality of an oil via a $30 spectrographic analysis.