Confused over Castrol's fragmented branding (GC)

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I almost bought what appeared to be true Castrol Edge 0w30 ("Made in Belgium") today at Canadian Tire. What stopped me is the confusion over what this "Titanium" branding is all about. I'm having a hard time discerning whether this is just GC with an additive or something different altogether.

Then I ran into this scary thread where some guy bought the "Titanium" stuff, which was all watery and frothy (????), burned through it in 30 miles or something ridiculous, then switched back to something else with no problems. But there must be something else going on there, that seems pretty absurd.

I just want the tried-and-true GC, which is now Castrol Edge SPT, if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to see if I can source it (semi-)locally in Canada, but I'll just buy the 6-pack on Amazon if I have to.
 
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Frankly, the green "German Castrol" that everyone raved about has not been available for a very long time. Even if someone did have it, the formula is quite old.

The new Edge 0w30 (branding varies by country) is certainly nothing special, but I would happily use it in a car that specifies a heavy-30/light-40.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Frankly, the green "German Castrol" that everyone raved about has not been available for a very long time. Even if someone did have it, the formula is quite old. The new Edge 0w30 (branding varies by country) is certainly nothing special


I was under the impression that the Castrol Edge 0w30 SPT (A3/B4 "European Formula") was the closest thing you could get.

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I would happily use it in a car that specifies a heavy-30/light-40.


The OEM manual for my G35 says it takes a 30 or a 40, so that seems right on the mark.
 
The Castro oil someone supposedly had an issue with may have been returned oil. It can done without breaking the cap ring. Or the person who reported it lied or is really miss informed.. ?
 
Hi,

Originally Posted By: dparm
Frankly, the green "German Castrol" that everyone raved about has not been available for a very long time. Even if someone did have it, the formula is quite old.

The new Edge 0w30 (branding varies by country) is certainly nothing special, but I would happily use it in a car that specifies a heavy-30/light-40.


Correct, the original ester based "GC" - actually Castrol Formula SLX 0W-30 (SH/CF A3-96,B3-96 VW500.00 & VW505 (11/92)), was introduced around 1996 and withdrawn from sale(at least in OZ) well before the SL reformulated version was released - around 1990 IIRC. Castrol's Formula SLX 0W-30 was indeed made in Germany
 
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
I just want the tried-and-true GC, which is now Castrol Edge SPT, if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to see if I can source it (semi-)locally in Canada, but I'll just buy the 6-pack on Amazon if I have to.

You have the correct stuff, at least with respect to it being the current 0w-30 A3/B4 product, and Canadian Tire is [unfortunately] one of the better sources. As was already mentioned, the thread you linked sounds like it was used oil, or an insane rant. I'm not sure which.
wink.gif


Other options are Castrol Edge 5w-30 A3/B4, 5w-40 A3/B4, and 0w-40 A3/B4. The latter two are probably the best options for pricing, given that they can be had in jugs, with the 0w-40 perhaps being the best bang for your buck of all four products.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
I just want the tried-and-true GC, which is now Castrol Edge SPT, if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to see if I can source it (semi-)locally in Canada, but I'll just buy the 6-pack on Amazon if I have to.

You have the correct stuff, at least with respect to it being the current 0w-30 A3/B4 product, and Canadian Tire is [unfortunately] one of the better sources.


Are you referring specifically to the SPT or Titanium?

I have yet to find a good answer on whether the Titanium is the generally the same, better, worse or just a marketing thing.

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Other options are Castrol Edge 5w-30 A3/B4, 5w-40 A3/B4, and 0w-40 A3/B4. The latter two are probably the best options for pricing, given that they can be had in jugs, with the 0w-40 perhaps being the best bang for your buck of all four products.


I'm not so concerned with more bang for the buck as I am with less bang for the engine
wink.gif


I'm currently running Mobil1 5w30 synthetic and having some consumption issues, so a reportedly "heavier" GC 30 (or as close as I can get to it) seems like a good thing to try.
 
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
I just want the tried-and-true GC, which is now Castrol Edge SPT, if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to see if I can source it (semi-)locally in Canada, but I'll just buy the 6-pack on Amazon if I have to.

You have the correct stuff, at least with respect to it being the current 0w-30 A3/B4 product, and Canadian Tire is [unfortunately] one of the better sources.


Are you referring specifically to the SPT or Titanium?

I have yet to find a good answer on whether the Titanium is the generally the same, better, worse or just a marketing thing.

Quote:
Other options are Castrol Edge 5w-30 A3/B4, 5w-40 A3/B4, and 0w-40 A3/B4. The latter two are probably the best options for pricing, given that they can be had in jugs, with the 0w-40 perhaps being the best bang for your buck of all four products.


I'm not so concerned with more bang for the buck as I am with less bang for the engine
wink.gif


I'm currently running Mobil1 5w30 synthetic and having some consumption issues, so a reportedly "heavier" GC 30 (or as close as I can get to it) seems like a good thing to try.



Do not worry about 0W40. It is pretty much same formulation as 0W30 except some small details.
Actually, 0W40 is Made in Germany now!
 
Don't think I asked about any 0w40
smile.gif


Mainly what I'm after is: is Castrol Edge Titanium 0w30 just Castrol Edge SPT 0w30 + Titanium or is a totally different formulation?
 
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Originally Posted By: OCDriver
Don't think I asked about any 0w40
smile.gif


Mainly what I'm after is: is Castrol Edge Titanium 0w30 just Castrol Edge SPT 0w30 + Titanium or is a totally different formulation?

I know you did not ask about 0W40. It was mentioned by someone else.
But hey, since you know best, sorry for trying to help!
 
Whoops! That may have come across the wrong way, sorry about that. I've been toiling about oiling all day, so I must've misread something there.
 
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
Whoops! That may have come across the wrong way, sorry about that. I've been toiling about oiling all day, so I must've misread something there.

You said best bang for the engine. Not sure 0W30 is any more bang for engine then 0W40. 0W40 has excellent cold performance.
I ran 0W30 and 0W30 SPT, and then 0W40. Honestly, no difference in any parameters. Probably 0W30 will reach operating temperature bit faster, but not something to lose sleep over.
Now, considering price difference between those two oils and availability, I would go whichever you can find easier and cheaper.
I swore by 0W30, people around here know that. But in the end of the day, both are coming from same family of oils.
 
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
Are you referring specifically to the SPT or Titanium?

I have yet to find a good answer on whether the Titanium is the generally the same, better, worse or just a marketing thing.

It's a bit of both. There's reformulation and repositioning. However, there is one Castrol 0w-30 A3/B4 for sale in North America. You'll either have old stock or new stock, not a choice between two different products.

Edyvw makes a very good point about the 0w-40 that you should not easily dismiss. Edge 0w-30 A3/B4 and Edge 0w-40 A3/B4 are essentially interchangeable in almost every way. The viscosity differences are minute, and the formulations are much the same.

I swear that the only reason Castrol markets four different A3/B4 lubricants (with essentially the same Euro specs) is because different manuals mention certain viscosities as a preference, when in reality, the formal approval is all that is generally needed (except maybe for at least one of the Porsche specs).
 
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Probably 0W30 will reach operating temperature bit faster

Right, that's one of the reasons I'm leaning towards a 30.

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It's a bit of both. There's reformulation and repositioning. However, there is one Castrol 0w-30 A3/B4 for sale in North America. You'll either have old stock or new stock, not a choice between two different products.


Interesting, I've seen Castrol Edge 0w30 STP A3/B4 on Amazon US and only Castrol Edge 0w30 with Titanium A3/B4 (also at Walmart) in Canada.

Ignore the pictures, CT's and WM's websites are [censored] for details. I saw the bottles with my own eyes, they're both A3/B4 and look different than what's displayed online. They actually look like this:




(click for bigger)

I guess I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Amazon could have old stock, but then again, I have yet to find the "Titanium" stuff from a US source (only Canada).
 
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Originally Posted By: OCDriver


I guess I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Amazon could have old stock, but then again, I have yet to find the "Titanium" stuff from a US source (only Canada).


I posted in another thread but if you order from Amazon (U.S.) you get these (I purchased my oil last week.)
IMG_20160417_190011374.jpg

IMG_20160417_190032478.jpg
 
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Originally Posted By: bobbydavro
Why will a 0W-30 warm up faster. If anything it will be the opposite due to more friction within a 0W-40. (Generically speaking here )


More friction = more heat? Probably a gross oversimplification and I'm no expert, but I figure it makes sense that thinner fluids heat more quickly.

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See titanium as a boost too


Well, that's what I've had a hard time discerning. I've read though all of the Castrol Q&A and can't seem to see a clear answer. "Both are made from high quality synthetics", which I have no reason not to believe, but whether the Titanium is just SPT with an additive is still unclear. I'm inclined to say they're possibly similar but not identical base, based on their indirect responsiveness.

At this point, I'm going to order the 6-pack of 1qt 0w30 SPT on Amazon tomorrow morning.
 
Originally Posted By: OCDriver
I guess I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Amazon could have old stock, but then again, I have yet to find the "Titanium" stuff from a US source (only Canada).

The pictures you show are the newest stuff. Ignore the pictures you see online of the older stuff, or at least take them with a grain of salt. Maybe a U.S. poster can show us on shelf pictures of what's actually in a store where the product moves.

Usually, the U.S. gets the stuff before we do, except PCMO. Our Canadian Tires had the old stuff until recently, and I can still find the old bottles in a few retail spots.
 
BeerCan, thanks for posting that here! I didn't come across the other thread.

That's actually kind of a relief, now I can just go down to CT and grab the same stuff.
 
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