Exxon or (Esso) oils, how do they rate?

[Kokaneeplan]

I am a new member to the site and have to say that the information and resources you fellows provide are outstanding. My question is this: I have seen alot of information regarding the quality of Castrol, Pennzoil etc. but nothing on the Exxon, or here in Canada (Esso) oils. I have just purchased a Mazda 6 with a 3.0 L V6 and the recommended oil is 5W-20 and would like to use the best dino 5W-20 I can buy. Are the Exxon products worth a look or should I use one of the other brands.

 

[userfriendly]

Esso is good. Try Superflow 5W20 synthetic. Very likely a PAO as Esso is not in the group III business as far as I know. Their XD-3 HDMO 0W30 and 0W40 are listed as PAO in the book with the tigger picture on it. Esso broke new ground a few years ago with their 0W40. That oil has been re-formulated since CI-4 came in. I think Esso dropped the 5W50 superflow synthetic, which is a shame. Do you have to use a 5W20 for warranty or is there an option? Esso's synthetic 5W30 looks very good. Price??You must have a bulk dealer in Nelson.

 

[G-MAN]

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Originally posted by userfriendly: Esso is good. Try Superflow 5W20 synthetic. Very likely a PAO as Esso is not in the group III business as far as I know.

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Actually, ExxonMobil is a major producer of Group III base oils. Their ExxSyn wax isomerate is comparable to Shell's XHVI.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Exxon=Mobil. Their nonsynthetic Superflow is rebadged Mobil Drive Clean. I would suspect that any synthetic they make would follow suite and be either rebadged Mobil PAO product or very similar. Here in the USA Mobil is cost leader for full PAO synthetic. We do not have any other product avaiable at the retail level that is PAO synthetic. We have alot of custom blenders that offer much more expensive PAO synthetics and Polyo Synthetics at much higher costs. Exxon and Esso products do not have good marketing or distibution in the U.S.

 

[Alan]

Are you sure?I have had read otherwise saying that Mobil DC and Exxon superflo are different oils,I belive Terry stated this info.The Exxon superflo seems to be a good oil and a good value.I've switched from Mobil 1 to Exxon Superflo in my 99 Corolla and have experienced no downfalls because of it so far.

 

[G-MAN]

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Originally posted by JohnBrowning: Exxon=Mobil. Their nonsynthetic Superflow is rebadged Mobil Drive Clean.

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I don't think that's the case at all. Of the two companies (Exxon and Mobil) prior to the merger, Exxon was the largest. Exxon's existing production facilities and oil lines have remained intact and they have not just started relableing Mobil products with Exxon (or Esso) names since the merger.

 

[Kokaneeplan]

"Userfriendly" Yes I have to use the 5W-20 according to the manufacturer requirements. In the Creston area we do have a bulk Esso dealer and he tells me that there is no 5W-20 Superflow. The 5W-20 that Esso produces is called "Protec Extra" and I am not sure whether this is a synth.blend or not.

 

[userfriendly]

Go to Imperialoil.ca then to alfa index. I'm sure I saw 5W20 superflow synthetic there. If your local Esso guy is not up on new products, then try Petro Cannuck, their 5W20 has the highest flash point I've seen so far at around 228C. Great, I have DC-6 water bombers overhead every 5 minutes.

 

[userfriendly]

GMAN-II; I knew you wold correct me on that . With all of the oil mergers of late, in the near future we may be down to a few large players in a monopoly. ChevronTexaco, ShellQPenz, MobilExxon, ect. I don't think that Imperial oil is in the group III motor oil marketing business as of yet in Canada. In their 2000 product book they did not have much positive to say about G3s. Was that because they, at the time had no domestic production capacity of G3s? What do they call that? Dog in the Manger syndrom?

 

[JohnBrowning]

Alan I belive what Terry stated was that with the addition of Oil Extreme calcium over base additive to Exxon Superflow he was able to turn a cheap low grade oil into a top notch performer. This was part of a test he was running on a Toyota Avolon with the sludge monster 3.0V6. So if you are thinking that Exxon Super Flow is good stuff by it's self guess again!! I would recomend that you do your own UOA as the OCI.

 

[Alan]

Hi John,I saw the post Terry put up about adding some stuff to the Exxon 10W30 to make it "down the stretch"of a long interval.I also read a post of a more recent date where he wrote that the Exxon Superflo 5W30 just with auto-rx gave him "fantastic"results with about a 5k interval.From what I have read AutoRx is not an additive booster but a recommended internal engine cleaner.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Alan the proof is in the pudding! Do a UOA and see what you see. I might be wrong but I do not think that Terry has ever recomended Exxon Super Flow. You might try private messageing him. He might have been useing this oil for reason other then it being the best oil for the job. I know if I was testing additives I would not use an oil loaded with addeds that might block interfere with third party additives I am trying to test. This might have been what he was doing. It could also have been his baseline. I do not know and would prefer that you talk directly to Terry on this issue. Terry is a great guy and I am pretty sure that he will give you his take on this oil in your application without any additves if you email him! At any rate I doubt that this oil is a diamond in the rough. In my opion their are much better oils for your application!!!

 

[JohnBrowning]

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Good discussion, I have found through testing over the years that a oil like Exxon Superflo will give VERY low wear #'s but is not stable enough for safe extended drains. Back to my theory of lubricity vs cleaning in a motor oil lube, one suffers for the other aspect. I have been able to take superflo and other brands to 7500 miles using Auto-RX, Lube Control, to moderate oxidation rates and limit the effect of volatiliy. Same idea when we boost M1 10w-30 using 132 and LC. None of this experimenting should be done without reference to a good analysis regime, and chemical background or reference. That means most folks should buy a well formulated oil and stick with it . Sharing data here is a good way to get a idea of what works and what flops without spending a small fortune testing and getting the results about time you need to trade in !

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The above was quote from Terry Dyson on another thread. This might give some insight on the issue.

 

[Alan]

If Exxon Superflo gives pretty low wear numbers in the engines tested(one I know is the same as mine,a Toyota "sludge" V6)with these additives to extend their usable service intervals,with a short 3K interval the wear #'s should be pretty comparible .So far in my Corolla switched from M1 SS 5W30 to Exxon Superflo 5W30 there have been no downsides thus far,as anyways this seems to be a pretty hardy engine anways.The Exxon seems to be thinner in viscosity compared to similar viscosity ranges in other dino brands kinda like they do with some synthetics brands.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Alan, Do your self a favor and do a used oil analysis with the ES. Then under the same conditions especialy season of year do it with M1 SS. Their is no way that ES is going to turn in numbers as good as SS. Terry had Oil Extreme and LC in the oil. Oil Extreme is a special ester calcium add that is AW/EP/Acid nutralizer. Lube control adds solvency and antioxidents to the oil! ExxonSuperFlow is not a good oil it is decent at best. Their are much better dino oils out their. If you want to use it I could care less but I think you could do better both in performance and cost. Chevron Supreme 10W30 is cheap $1 a quart and has a proven track record of good numbers on multiple UOA. P.S. The 1.8 in that car could live a long live on a diet of Wesson ever 3000 miles but that is not the point! Why spend good money for substandard oil!

 

[Alan]

Hello John,I've run Chevron 10W30 in the car and it ran like "sluggo".It felt some smoother overall but the gas pedal had to pushed harder to get the same acceleration as with Exxon 5W30.Chevron's 10W30 seems like a good oil though(I am going to put it in my 320i currently using Delo).I realize that that Chevron makes a 5W30 but it is still thicker than the Exxon 5W30.This Exxon gives the performance of M1 but not the long interval life of M1 but it only cost a buck a quart!BTW have you ever tried any Exxon oils?

 

[Cutehumor]

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Originally posted by Alan: Hello John,I've run Chevron 10W30 in the car and it ran like "sluggo".It felt some smoother overall but the gas pedal had to pushed harder to get the same acceleration as with Exxon 5W30.Chevron's 10W30 seems like a good oil though(I am going to put it in my 320i currently using Delo).I realize that that Chevron makes a 5W30 but it is still thicker than the Exxon 5W30.This Exxon gives the performance of M1 but not the long interval life of M1 but it only cost a buck a quart!BTW have you ever tried any Exxon oils?

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$1 a quart for superflo? I've paid about $.53 cents a quart for the stuff. six cases worth. Love those rebates. If superflo is half as good as chevron surpreme, I guess I got my moneys worth. Since I'm doing 3k drains, superflo is ideal for my situation. From the quote, terry said that superflo needed a boost for extended drains. 3k drains should be a piece of cake.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Yes, I have used Exxon and Esso oils. I did not like them I had consumption issues with them. I do not think it is phsical possable for an oil to make such a huge difference that you could detect it with your right foot. Your right foot is very subjective form of measurement. The most I have ever seen in terms of HP loss or gain from the worst conventional oil to the best synthetic ester oil is 5HP-10HP difference. I can not imagine a 10HP difference going from a 10w30conventional to another 10W30 conventional. I do not doubt that you felt a difference but I doubt it was oil related. These HP gains and losses were measured with a Dyno not butt dyno. Until you do UOA you have no idea what type of protection you are getting for your $1. Good Luck!

 

[Alan]

Hi John,I went from trying Chevron 10W30 to Exxon 5W30 and man there was a difference.Wholie not a "night and day" difference but the engine seemed more eager to rev with the 5W30.The engine ran smoother with the Chevron 10W30 than with the Exxon 5W30 though.Exxon oils do seem on the light side of their viscosity ratings.I don't think I am doing this to my corolla but I do intend to get an oil analysis done as I have requested a sample taking package from Blackstone.

 

[Cutehumor]

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Originally posted by Alan: Hi John,I went from trying Chevron 10W30 to Exxon 5W30 and man there was a difference.Wholie not a "night and day" difference but the engine seemed more eager to rev with the 5W30.The engine ran smoother with the Chevron 10W30 than with the Exxon 5W30 though.Exxon oils do seem on the light side of their viscosity ratings.I don't think I am doing this to my corolla but I do intend to get an oil analysis done as I have requested a sample taking package from Blackstone.

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I look forward to your UOA of Exxon superflo. There's only one UOA of Exxon superflo but it's 5w-20. I'm on my first interval of 10w-30 superflo, but it takes me almost 6 months to get to 3k. I've read it's best to do 2 oil changes of the stuff before a UOA to get all the previous oil out. It will take me at least a year I do have a UOA of Valvoline Maxlife posted. It's pretty decent but my Lead was high with the stuff.