Battle of the Big Three

Would be great if this had all three oils VOA and good guy price lined up. What the heck is mobile 1 vanilla?
I’m using M1 fuel economy because it’s easy to get and on sale a good value. 3 vehicles on it and all have decent UOA at 10k miles.
I’m 67 and change my own oil so I look at oils value proposition and availability
 
Yea BLND1, I caught that mistake after it was too late to edit. Having been here in the early years of BITOG, we were initially more serious about trying to identify oil that was "better". I wanted to express the thought that after all these years of debating oil quality, we have come full circle to where we started - choose the oil that you "feel" is best for you whatever your reasons. Because yes, they all get the job done if you generally use what your owner's manual recommends regarding grade and approvals.

Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Standard Oil of New York most of the time unless I’m feeling froggy.:) I’ve come to trust most all major brands now after many posts I’ve read on these forums. Depends on application sometimes as to what you may use.
 
kschachn said:
No it wasn't a lawsuit either. Had it progressed to that stage Mobil knew they would lose. One of the reasons they knew this is because they were using hydrocracked base stocks in other markets and labeling it as synthetic.

And labeling severely hydrocracked base stock as synthetic wasn't a lie and that's what the NAD decided. It's not technical jargon or anything, it is good science and good chemistry. You've got a hard battle making a technical argument otherwise. I just find it odd that you praise Shell GTL but criticize Castrol for their Group III base stocks.

And by the way, Shell's capital investment in the Pearl plant wasn't because they wanted to pursue GTL for technical reasons.
Click to expand...


Group III is fine and dandy... Group III does perform very well and I have zero problem running it and buying it. But it is a combination of refinement processes... Refining the same base molecules and structure of those molecules. It is not taking two reactants and forming synthetic molecules.

I guess Aleve is potentially synthetic because it has the exact same atomic formula has Ibuprofen... Only difference is how those atoms are aligned and structured.

Hydromorphone is a "synthetic" derivative of morphine. It takes 7 mg of morphine to equal 1 mg of hydromorphone...

Changing the structure of atoms can certainly change the performance or effect of a drug or obviously a base oil.
 
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Pennzoil uses the pureplus GTL base which in theory should give it the advantage.
 
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GalaxyS8 said:
And the wheel has been since around the days of the Assyrian empire.. :cool:
Click to expand...
My friend is Assyrian and he always reminds me that they invented the wheel. I told him it's one thing to invent another thing to innovate a product further. we always have a good laugh and a few drinks, then his father comes in and tells stories about how cool Sadam was an to show all the photos he has with him etc. Interesting stories that give a different perspective.
 
Gene K said:
All else being equal (including price) which of the mainstream big three synthetics do you like and why.

Castrol Edge

Mobil 1 "Vanilla"

Pennzoil Platinum
Click to expand...
From the time I first started driving and changing my own oil 45 years ago, I've always been a Pennzoil guy. I don't even remember why. I think I might have just liked the yellow and red color scheme. I still like and use Pennzoil and still like the colors. I also appreciate their presence in Motorsports. Out of all the oil companies, Pennzoil is the probably the biggest and most visible sponsor across many different classes; NASCAR, NHRA, Indy cars, WOO even local dirt track racing. I still root for the yellow & red car regardless of who's driving.
I guess the fact that I now have 234,000 miles on my car using Pennzoil also helps make my decision. I've strayed on occasion, mostly since joining BITOG, but I always come back to Pennzoil.
 
Castrol Edge.

I noticed one of my car's engine becoming smoother and quieter when i switched from Mobil1 (not EP) to Castrol Edge, (2GR-FKS engine, on 7500mi OCI, made the switch at around 35k). This engine uses the 0w-20. I have a 5qt jug of Pennzoil platinum I'm waiting to put in after summer next year (got it because the $22 rebate), so I'll see if it's good or not.

My other car which I also made a switch from Mobil1 Euro to Castrol Euro because of BMW LL-01 certification did not have noticeable improvements, but the engine is still smooth with Castrol,

I would still put mobil1 in my car if the price is right. Heck, I just got a 6 pack from costrol today because it was 22.99 and I need something to blend with the left over castrol form my last OC.

The idea filling my garage shelf with just one brand of oil would do wonders for my OCD though...
 
Been going between M1 and Pennzoil over past 15 years, usually whats on Sale. I am getting to the point where its more important to change oil sooner using something cheap like Amazon Basics synthetics, rather than pay more money for botique oil and drive longer ...
 
ghost31711 said:
Castrol Edge.

I noticed one of my car's engine becoming smoother and quieter when i switched from Mobil1 (not EP) to Castrol Edge, (2GR-FKS engine, on 7500mi OCI, made the switch at around 35k). This engine uses the 0w-20. I have a 5qt jug of Pennzoil platinum I'm waiting to put in after summer next year (got it because the $22 rebate), so I'll see if it's good or not.

My other car which I also made a switch from Mobil1 Euro to Castrol Euro because of BMW LL-01 certification did not have noticeable improvements, but the engine is still smooth with Castrol,

I would still put mobil1 in my car if the price is right. Heck, I just got a 6 pack from costrol today because it was 22.99 and I need something to blend with the left over castrol form my last OC.

The idea filling my garage shelf with just one brand of oil would do wonders for my OCD though...
Click to expand...

I need to correct myself after looking at my notes( yes, I keep track of everything)

The instance I noticed my engine being quieter and smoother with Castrol Edge was when I switched over from Pennzoil Platinum. It was on Mobil1 for 2 OCIs before Pennzoil Platinum and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary throughout all of those time/OCs.

Probably why I didn't feel a difference going from M1 to Castrol on my other car.

Oil filter was consistent, new K&N PS filter each change which I bought bulk when amazon sold it for $4.xx. (my next batch are Denso filters, switched because rockauto prices and OEM quality. K&N is around $8 now)

I also want to mention something specific to my 2GR-FKS engine. This engine has what is called an Atkinson cycle that can kick in at idle which can emit a noise at , but it's not on all the time, so the noise could be one of those time that the cycle didn't turn on when I started the car.

BUT!!!!! I also notice my car driving smoother when switched to Castrol Edge.

Anyways, I'll see what happens when I put PP back in next year, I just wanted to be clear about my experience and not spread misinformation/disinformation. (Man, I take this $h^t too seriously...)

I have no problem switching between the 3 major brands to save $10 since I get satisfaction from getting a good deal. I might give Valvoline a try if the price is right.
 
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