castrol gtx hm vs valvoline maxlife

[theduck]

Using in a 2004 pontiac gran prix 110 k miles 3.8 litre v-6 now that both of these
oils are resource conserving, I would consider using. MY question is does anyone
know which has proven lab data as to which is a better motor oil. I work at a
facility where there are 3 ase certified mechanics who swear by castrol (dino) and
m1 synthetic. However I want to try either castrol hm or valvoline maxlife.
Corvette forum states that castrol gtx is one of the best (dino) oils for reducing
engine wear (based on 46 oils tested)

 

[ClutchDisc]

Valvoline Maxlife is a very good oil.

 

[WiskyBadger]

Maxlife is sounding better and better every thread I read about it.

 

[randomhero439]

MaxLife or Pennzoil HM

 

[electrolover]

Tough call. Both are very good oils. The gtx hm has a higher level of detergents than ML if thats what your after. Gtx hm is also thicker.
But like I said they are both top quality products

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: electrolover
The gtx hm has a higher level of detergents than ML if thats what your after.


It does?

 

[aquariuscsm]

Regular dino,I`d pick GTX. High mileage,I`d pick Maxlife.

 

[electrolover]

Originally Posted By: buster
Originally Posted By: electrolover
The gtx hm has a higher level of detergents than ML if thats what your after.


It does?


Yes. They both have about the same sodium but gtx has higher calcium levels.
But dont take my word for it. Check it out.

 

[BillyTheKid]

Maxlife is my choice.

 

[crazyoildude]

max life or pennzoil high mileage

 

[MinamiKotaro]

Pennzoil high mileage. It's the only HM oil I've tried that actually did anything. (It stopped my girlfriend's car from leaking oil.)

 

[KCJeep]

Probably my two favorite oils right there. The Castrol version cleans better than Maxlife IMO, having used both in old grimy engines, and is thicker also if you like that. It is not resource conserving either, it's way too thick.

Maxlife is thinner, has a higher VI and can do wonders for consumption if you have that issue.

Having owned GM v-6's for decades, I'd suggest the Maxlife in 5w30 to start and see how you like it.

 

[electrolover]

Mix half and half ML and GTX HM!!!!

 

[CharBaby]

I have never tried the Castrol HM but, MaxLife has certainly gathered a following! I have even used it for about 3 years in an old(er) engine that has some drips of oil. It's slowed the drips down somewhat and the engine ran a bit smoother/quieter with the ML compared to some other dinos.

I'm currently using QS DEFY in this engine...Talk about smooth/quiet!

 

[zerosoma]

I've tried all three oils mentioned in this thread. GTX High Mileage I didn't really notice a difference with. Pennzoil High Mileage was gravy in a bottle (good) and Max Life has been my oil of choice for awhile.

If I didn't have Max Life I'd run PBB (Pennzoil Bronze Bottle).

 

[Darris]

Last time I went to Castrol's website (about 6 months ago) the Data Sheet for GTX HM still had alot of omissions - very rare not post the average flashpoint these days - given the appetite for such information in communities like this one, to post such incomplete specs seems to concede that the numbers would be embarassing by todays standars ... or that the formula and/or prduction process is so inconsistent from batch to batch that it is pointless to state certain properties which would often be at odds with independent test results ??

 

[Darris]

I decided to go with MaxLife 5W30 as my winter oil this season after years of using Syntec in the cold months. I was enocuraged by the how well it did last March in cold starts in the 5C to -3C range.

FAIL. Zero-ish one thing, -13 or colder is another. Thuersday night I got out of work at 9:30PM, it sounded like a tractor, I felt like shutting the engine off and spending the night there instead of driving away, out of guilt.

I used regular GTX during my first winter with the old Saturn in 2005-06 and I remember it as better in the cold than MaxLife, never mind the specs.

GTX HM on paper at least looks kind of thick for winter use.

 

[skyship]

Castrol are the worlds leading engine oil company in technical terms and if they don't publish full technical details it's more likely to be case of not wanting other companies to copy their specs. Very few members of the public ask for full technical details, so it would not be a high priority in web site editing terms.
I doubt very much that you will find a better HM oil, although Mobil probably make one that will be just as good, as both Castrol and Mobil spend a lot more on engine oil R&D than the other companies.

 

[Merkava_4]

MaxLife 10W-30 is the best oil for that 3800.

 

[Finklejag]

My brother has used both in his VW 2.0 oil burner. The Maxlife 10W-40 burned the same amount as any other 40 weight oil in the engine. He's on his second OCI with Castrol HM 10W-40, and the oil consumption has dropped by more then 70%. The Castrol HM is thicker then most HM oils.