Dumb Question? M1 5W-30 AP vs M1 5W-30 EP - Why chose one over the other?
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4WD
$50 site donor 2024
When AP came out … the SDS was posted over and over. There is an endless trail of dead horse AP threads … this one is dead and buried … The OP does not need an extended range oil …
It was never about the need. GM says I can run ANY Dexos 1, generation 1 or 2 oil, in my use case, for 2 years (I don't use the engine in the Volt much at all).
As an engineer, it seems strange to me to see separate oils with identical specifications. I've asked Mobil essentially the same question - I'll post their response.
Probably more accurate to say that M1 EP claims 20k mile life because Castrol Edge EP does and they know that 99% of their customers will change way before that anyway.
D
Deleted member 89374
What you need to realize is that not-engineers work in the marketing departments of these large corporations
What you need to realize is that not-engineers work in the marketing departments of these large corporations
LOL!
But, really there is something to be said for that. If providing multiple identical (or virtually identical) products packaged differently permits you to get more shelf space in a large store (like, say, Walmart) then even a counter-intuitive packaging decision like that can lead to increased sales.
What I suspect is happening is we're in the middle of a consolidation phase - AP is being discontinued but still available out there (the date code on the Pep Boys AP was from 2019). For the moment there's overlap in the retail market. (Mobil 1's website still has M1AP, but towards the bottom of their list of motor oils.)
Their oil selector though comes up with AP first, then EP for my car. (Then Truck and SUV, Advanced Fuel Economy, M1 Vanilla, and finally Super Synthetic).
My suspicion is that M1 AP will fall off their offerings once they have transitioned their marketplace to EP as being (once again) their best oil.
As I've said, I've asked Mobil the question - I'll post the response (even if it just ends up being corporate double-speak).
Judging from their little 15k oil can, they haven't yet updated ALL of their marketing literature.
The SP version is the one that succeeded the SN+ version....I'm not sure exactly what has changed if anything.
To answer the OP's question of "why choose one over the other"....I'd probably say ...PRICE....since they appear to be very
similar in every other respect....
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
First, nobody on this site is going to know what add packs any oil has. They can see some generic description with little specificity on various chemical “families“. And the SDS is a safety tool, BTW. Even more entertaining is the VOA, uh, analysts we have here. We can site an SDS with a 60-70% range and I once read AP had 5% more PAO … now say no big deal when you will never be part of the testing to understand why they bothered.
The add pack is not the same, additives are expensive and sometimes are purchased outside an oil company.
As for marketing … in the lube business its called “claims”. This started in earnest with Amsoil and Mobil … more recently Castrol. You make a claim and I’ll bet the first jugs on the shelf are bought and carried to a competitors lab to see if anything got overstated. I actually admire companies willing to put an estimated life on a product and glad to see the oil filter companies join in. But what us and the environment need is for car builders to stop building sloppy engineered ICE that cause pollution to premium oil so that one day 10k, 15k, and even 20k could become mainstream.
The add pack is not the same, additives are expensive and sometimes are purchased outside an oil company.
As for marketing … in the lube business its called “claims”. This started in earnest with Amsoil and Mobil … more recently Castrol. You make a claim and I’ll bet the first jugs on the shelf are bought and carried to a competitors lab to see if anything got overstated. I actually admire companies willing to put an estimated life on a product and glad to see the oil filter companies join in. But what us and the environment need is for car builders to stop building sloppy engineered ICE that cause pollution to premium oil so that one day 10k, 15k, and even 20k could become mainstream.
Good luck on finding it now. Between the clearance price at Walmart and the Mobil rebate, AP was $1per qt. Bought all I could find.
Yeah, they didn't have it. Walked out before they started trying to sell me things.
My next oil will probably be STP Synthetic at $21.99 for their jug.
A safety data sheet is not a recipe nor is it even an ingredients list. It is so the fire department or poison control center can respond to an accident involving a product. It also lists safe handling guidelines. It is also so they can grade the various classes of industrial gloves, yes gloves, so they have the proper chemical resistance rating to handle that substance. It’s called don’t poison your employees. That has nothing whatsoever to do with how motor oil works in your engine or what’s in the motor oil.
Do you honestly think an oil company is going to reveal anything of material value about their premium motor oil? If you find out what’s in the stuff it means you signed a non-disclosure agreement. An SDS they are as vague as the law allows, consistent with product safety. Some of you guys really crack me up.
The inane stuff that people fixate on, on this site is just hilarious. Me, I’m iust here for the laughs.
Do you honestly think an oil company is going to reveal anything of material value about their premium motor oil? If you find out what’s in the stuff it means you signed a non-disclosure agreement. An SDS they are as vague as the law allows, consistent with product safety. Some of you guys really crack me up.
The inane stuff that people fixate on, on this site is just hilarious. Me, I’m iust here for the laughs.
Well, perhaps, but I'm not buying it from the AutoZone I went into. I can get it for cheaper at another store. (Walmart probably has the EP you mention for the price of that jug I saw, which is roundabout why I selected that one at that store, quarter mile from me.)
Maybe I will put the EP in and become a believer. I am willing to give it a shot.
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