Are PUP, M1 EP, Castrol EP Gold still the superstars they were years ago?

cammyfive79

cammyfive79

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I had occasion to walk down the motor oil aisle of my local Walmart for the first time in probably 5+ years and noticed that the vaunted PUP bottles were non-existent (at least in my location). I also didn't see too many bottles of M1EP compared to shelf after shelf of M1 AFE. Finally, I didn't see a single (gold) bottle of Castrol Edge EP. Is the brick-n-mortar sales strategy shifting away from these specific brand offerings and instead holding space for more profitable stock? I read here that the gold bottle of Castrol Edge EP is going through a reformulation so that may explain its absence but it seemed to my brief tour that most of the Walmart superstars in reasonably priced ($30 and under on sale 5qt jugs) volume was lacking.

*In Seinfeld voice* So what's the deal with PUP and M1EP???? Are they still considerd the best you can get before you start creeping into boutique oils and their respective pricing?
 
dubber09 said:
EP oils are def better than plain synth oils, but don't overlook M1 ESP line, they are great oils.
Click to expand...
The ESP flavors have MB approvals. I would say the ESP line is a true, approved extended drain. The others claim 25k miles but ultimately say follow your manufacturers OLM which normally only required API or dexos.
 
I saw data someplace that VW 504/507 certification requires oil to pass 650 engine hours test, don't recall what properties oil had to retain thou. In my book oils that have following 3 certifications at the same time are simply excellent: VW 504/507, MB 229.52, C2.
Another important thing is to run good gas, one can significantly reduce life of engine or even kill it with bad gas.
 
dubber09 said:
EP oils are def better than plain synth oils, but don't overlook M1 ESP line, they are great oils.
Click to expand...


I agree …. And in my opinion Mobil 1 ESP oils are the best off the regular shelf oils out there. Those oil meet the toughest testing requirements like you says Porsche C30 and A40, MB 229.5 etc etc etc.. And those tests are well tougher than API SP or Dexos Gen 3.
 
I have bought and used all of these oils in recent years but since Mobil made M1 ESP 0w20 and 0w30 relatively inexpensive and easily accessible at most Walmart stores that has become my go-to oil for everything.
 
Triple_Se7en said:
Stars, not superstars. A Superstar category belongs to the 4-5 most popular Boutique Oils spoken here quite often
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I should have been more clear in stating “superstar oils available at Walmart” indicating they punch above their class in the $30 and under 5qt jug.
 
I have NEVER seen Pennzoil Ultra on the shelves of Walmart, or anywhere else for that matter. Which to me is strange. Can’t even get it at my local parts stores, I’ve never seen it. I buy it off Amazon.

As for Mobil1 EP at Walmart, I see it fully stocked all the time. I now see Mobil1 ESP fully stocked too…and I year ago at this time I wasn’t finding it there. The Castrol Edge EP I haven’t seen in over a year now at any Walmart or parts store near me. I do see a TON of Valvoline Restore and Protect. I see a ton of other Castrol products. I see the usual lineup of Pennzoil offerings minus their Ultra. And of course the lower tier Super Techs, Pennzoil synthetic, house brand stuff at parts stores ringing from Fram Synthetic to Napa, Amalie, Carquest, whatever. All with up to date certifications on the labels.

I have no idea if Mobil1 EP is still a super star but I’ve been buying and using it with great UOA results. Even compared to using Amsoil SS, the Mobil1 EP performed identical or even slightly “better” in my engine.
 
dubber09 said:
I saw data someplace that VW 504/507 certification requires oil to pass 650 engine hours test, don't recall what properties oil had to retain thou. In my book oils that have following 3 certifications at the same time are simply excellent: VW 504/507, MB 229.52, C2.
Another important thing is to run good gas, one can significantly reduce life of engine or even kill it with bad gas.
Click to expand...

Understanding the VW 50400 50700 Approval

Not all engine lubricants are the same. Here we discuss why selecting an approved lubricant can protect one of the most valuable assets many of us often take for granted.
360.lubrizol.com 360.lubrizol.com
 
camrydriver111 said:
Was Castrol EP ever a superstar?

Castrol was on the fore-front of using cheaper base stocks.
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EDGE EP is a good oil on par with Mobil 1 EP. Just never had the traction Mobil 1 does here in the U.S.

The new EDGE looks to be very good.

Also, there are only 3 ways to determine oil quality:

  • Specifications met
  • How much you meet or exceed testing parameters
  • Faith of blender

That's it. No other way around it.

Torco claims to make top tier oil. Their website is very good too. They use AN, esters and mPAO. But Torco can't provide data sheets, meets no specifications and can't tell much anything else about their oil. Therefore I won't touch it.

How do we know EDGE is good? Simple:

1729785668654.webp
 
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High mileage oils seem to have a prominent place on the Walmart shelves.

Also, the Pennzoil Platinum and PPHM oils at Walmart seem to be a mixture of the older and newer containers (the newer ones have the 15,000 mile OCI formula). It's interesting, as there must still be such a huge inventory of the older ones, even today Walmart has that mixture.

As for the older oils you mentioned, I saw a PUP 5W-30 1 quart size on the shelves at my Walmart.
The other oils are still there like Mobil 1 and Castrol, as they seem to have a dedicated following.

I also noticed the oils are more expensive if bought at the store in some cases, as the price tags on the shelf are sometimes higher that for the same oil if purchased on Walmart's website.
 
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buster said:
EDGE EP is a good oil on par with Mobil 1 EP. Just never had the traction Mobil 1 does here in the U.S.

The new EDGE looks to be very good.

Also, there are only 3 ways to determine oil quality:

  • Specifications met
  • How much you meet or exceed testing parameters
  • Faith of blender

That's it. No other way around it.

Torco claims to make top tier oil. Their website is very good too. They use AN, esters and mPAO. But Torco can't provide data sheets, meets no specifications and can't tell much anything else about their oil. Therefore I won't touch it.

How do we know EDGE is good? Simple:

View attachment 246805
Click to expand...
Some have suggested BP ships oils to the USA with “lesser” base stock quality and thus their oils meet standards / specs via using more additives , VII’s , etc. If you have a GDI engine without PFI help then there may be better choices long term from Mobil , SOPUS and boutique oil suppliers .
 
ChrisD46 said:
Some have suggested BP ships oils to the USA with “lesser” base stock quality and thus their oils meet standards / specs via using more additives , VII’s , etc. If you have a GDI engine without PFI help then there may be better choices long term from Mobil , SOPUS and boutique oil suppliers .
Click to expand...
That's news to me. Never heard that before. Well, the EP Edge is a US product only, I think.

I'm just going by what Castrol claims via industry standard tests. 🤷‍♂️
 
ChrisD46 said:
Some have suggested BP ships oils to the USA with “lesser” base stock quality and thus their oils meet standards / specs via using more additives , VII’s , etc. If you have a GDI engine without PFI help then there may be better choices long term from Mobil , SOPUS and boutique oil suppliers .
Click to expand...
They don't seem to ship engine oils to the US. Their jugs, from what I've seen, always say made in the USA.
 
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