Could Castrol Edge Extended-Performance (EP) 0W-20 SP be the best 0W-20 out there?

The extent of my motor oil knowledge is basically from what I have read and learned on this site. That said, it amazes me that there are any significant differences in oils of the same grade to even be concerned about. Castrol, Pennzoil, Mobil, Valvoline have all been around for over 100 years. After all that time, it would seem that they all know exactly what properties an oil has to have to provide protection, fuel economy, extreme temp performance, cleanliness, long engine life, etc. From what I gather, it seems like they all can, and do, buy a pre-mixed, if you will, additive pack from Afton or Infineum and add it to their base oil and have a finished product. I'm sure this is an over simplification but is it somewhat accurate? Does cost and cost alone drive the decision to have differences from their oil as compared to what a competitor is blending?
I think you're mostly correct here. The majors can/do work with the additive suppliers on custom tweaks for what they're going after. But the vast majority of oils that meet similar specifications, take the Porsche spec for example, are going to perform very similarly.

The reason why the top tier oils within a product line (ex - M1 EP/Castrol EP/Vavoline EP/PUP) cost more than their mid and lower tier is because they are in a sense boosted with higher levels of certain additives to exceed standardized tests and to be able to go longer drain intervals which require more AO's. In some sense you get what you pay for.

You'll see on most websites now: "20x more resistant to thermal breakdown" etc. ** Based on ASTM IIIH/IVA etc.
 
I was looking at that before the SP update - however, the two candidate vehicles I’m considering for this will be running 5W-30 API SN+/SP(Lexus RX450h due to Uber use) and ACEA C3(Subaru Ascent due to it being hard on oil as a TGDI engine, FA24Fs are shearing down 0W-20 down to 0W-16) for good reason.

However, when I’m out of my 0W-20 PP stash, I’m gonna use that in a RAV4 I maintain.
 
Castrol Edge Professional LL IV FE 0W-20
Mobil 1 ESP X2 0W-20

I wonder how the SP 0w20's would compare to the above Euro 0w20's
 
Castrol Edge Professional LL IV FE 0W-20
Mobil 1 ESP X2 0W-20

I wonder how the SP 0w20's would compare to the above Euro 0w20's
I'm not convinced just because the European oils have different approvals, they are therefore better than the EP oils within their respective brand lines.

You'd have to test the EP oils against Porsche C30 etc. It appears though that all of the formulations are converging in terms of detergents (Mg/Ca).

The EP oils from Mobil/Castrol etc. are really good. They've been thoroughly tested for longer drain intervals.
 
I'm looking at using this oil and ran across this thread. I'm not sure where the OP found these data sheets below?


As the one I found on their US website are not the same and don't list ACEA C6 certification (among others) and is from 2015!!

This is what is found on their website for Edge EP 0w20:

Edit, I found it.


Wonder if the bottles have been updated to show C6 certification?
 
Looks like they are showing ACEA C6 certification on the new bottles.

1678554963270.png


I just picked up a 5qt jug of the D1G2 stuff on clearance at Wal-Mart for $7.

1678555077190.jpg
 
FWIW Nate’s Interactive Auto on YouTube has several tests of Castrol Edge EP which show it performing very well relative to some other oils. How valid they are is debatable, but they do align with the evidence that it’s a quality product.
 
FWIW Nate’s Interactive Auto on YouTube has several tests of Castrol Edge EP which show it performing very well relative to some other oils. How valid they are is debatable, but they do align with the evidence that it’s a quality product.
Can you post a link? I’d be interested to see what kind of tests those are, and if they provide any additional information past with the approvals and licenses already demonstrate.
 
I am now thinking that the main difference between stricter OEM approvals and less strict OEM and/or industry approvals is the antioxidant (AO) content. More antioxidant (AO) results in a longer oil-change interval (OCI) and a cleaner engine among other things.
This a huge part of keeping the engine clean.

You can get some idea of what oils prevent oxidation very well based on the Seq IIIH test.
 
How would this Castrol EP 0w20 SP perform in a VW which called for VW 508/509?
I know it doesn't have the VW approval but the OP asked if it "could be the best 0w20 out there"? ...so I'm wondering.
 
I kinda try to avoid using Castrol especially in their thinner weights where they have barely the minimum hths and ever since I can remember, the only product they made worth it was the GC 0w30.
 
Back
Top