I compared Chevron dino SM 10w-30 Vs. 10w-30 Trop Artc Syn Blend. The winner, the Trop Artc! I've tried Mobil 1 10w-30 before and it was about on par with the other dinos I've tried; the Trop Artic was the clear winner. I remember trying Castrol GTX SM 5w-30 and I'd have to give the nod to the 10w-30 Trop Artic vs. the GTX 5w-30! Trop Artic was by far the best 10w-30 I've tried.
Freezer test!
- Thread starter Drew99GT
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OK. Now run each brand/grade for 5K miles and repeat freezer test.
How cold is your freezer? What is the temperature.
It's right at 0 degrees F.
Wal-Mart in Indy has bumped the Trop-Artic price from 1.12 to 1.33
They must have read Drew's report!
Done the freezer tests also. Mine is set at -25 degrees. You would be surprised how some of the conventionals whipped the synthetics. Left them in over 24 hours and still got the same results. Some will never believe your tests no matter what. So don't be surprised when you get the feedback you get. Not all are claimed to be what they are.
Try me. Name names.
Did the test over year or two ago. Can't remember which ones right off the bat. But I'll go one better. Name the brands you would like to see tested and I will get out and get them. I will leave the freezer where it is set. I would like to see the improvements with these new oils myself. If I recall, the Trop Artic did very well last time.
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Does this mean: "M1 did no better or not distinctly better then dinos that I tested in this manner." or: "This isn't M1 since it was on par with "other dinos" (as though to say "M1 was on par with other synths")."
Is there a protocal for a freezer test? Special test containers with synronised valves at the bottom of the vessel? Or are we filling up Camp Snoopy glasses with oil, setting them in the freezer overnight and seeing how fast they empty into a Fred Flinstone glass. Everything I test in the petroleum industry as a mechanic has a protocal to follow. If I don't follow the protocal, it's not a valid test. Sometimes my state DEP officer will request a copy of the protocal along with the test results to make sure I'm not trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
Freezer tests are always a fun thing & Drew's setup is probably typical of what we commonly see here!
The Chevron 10W-30 data is 10.8 cSt, 135 VI, -35C pour point, and CCV of 5800 cP @ -25C.
Trop Artic 10W-30 is 10.9 cSt, 157 VI, -31C pour point, and CCV of 3500cP @ -25C.
So Drew's observation falls right inline with the numbers on the data sheets.
I think the Trop Artic Grp III/II formulation has a very effective combo of Grp III & pour point depressants.
The VI index & CCV rating at -25C of 3500 is very good for a 10W-30 dino, but since this is only 6C degrees away from the pour point, I'm assuming it hits a brick wall very quickly at the -31C temperature.
No fancy way to do it when you don't have a lab. I can't fit an engine full of oil in my freezer. I do it two ways. First one is to just leave the oil in it's original plastic bottle without ever being opened. I then leave it there 24 plus hours then opened and do the pour test. Second is to take and pour virgin oil from it's container into a ziplock bowl, reseal container with the lid and let it sit int the freezer 24 plus hours and then open and do the pour test. Accurate, maybe. Is the oil at real world temps, yes. Does prove a point to some extent.
The Castrol 5/30 should have a lower pour pt and vis than the Trop Artic 10/30 at a given low temp unless the trop artic 10/30 is in fact a 5/30 no other way can a 10/30 beat a 5/30 on a cold test.
And the frezer test is acurate enough to tell real bad from real good as long as soak time and temp is the same each test.
You will find that the synthetics will not thicken over time as in weeks compared to the Dino oils with PPD. Over time and if mismatched with the base stock PPD's will "lose" efficacy.
bruce
The PAO oil will also stay the same in the freezer, over several days, while the mineral based ones will slowly thicken as wax crystals form. I haven't tried this with a GPIII oil yet, though.
Nope; castrol is lame and doesn't give any VI or kinematic viscosity at 40 C. But for many oils, such as Chevron or Pennzoil, if you plug in all the numbers into a viscosity calculator, you will find that the Phillips Trop Artic 10w-30 synthetic blend has a LOWER kinematic viscosity at 0 degrees F than the other brands 5w-30s
I just checked it out again; Chevron 5w-30 is 2438 Cst at 0 F, Pennzoil 5w-30 is 2558 Cst at 0 F and Phillips 10w-30 is 2544 Cst at 0 F. I was wrong on the Chevron, but the last time I tried that was when Pennzoils data sheets were still GF-3 and it was even worse! So the Trop Artc 10w-30 has a higher viscosity index then pennzoil 5w-30. Does that mean it will pump easier and crank easier at the limits of where CCS and MRV is tested? No, but I'd have no fear running the Trop Artic to a few degrees below 0. In fact, sine I now have 59 quarts of the stuff, it's all I got! So I hope I'm right about all this. I'll be up a creek with no paddle if it drops to like 15 or 20 below though. I'm one of those wackaloons that's still afraid of 5w-30.
For another comparison, Chevron 10w-30 is 4144 Cst at 0 F. What does all this mean? I need to get a life.
Mobil 1 10w-30 is around 2700 Cst at 0 F; Mobil 1 10w-30 EP is 2931 Cst at 0 F. I've heard many on the boards say they've successfully used Mobil 1 10w-30 in some insanly cold temps and the Trop Artic looks to be even better in the cold, so we shall see.
Mobil 1 10w-30 is around 2700 Cst at 0 F; Mobil 1 10w-30 EP is 2931 Cst at 0 F. I've heard many on the boards say they've successfully used Mobil 1 10w-30 in some insanly cold temps and the Trop Artic looks to be even better in the cold, so we shall see.
You did not understand my reply a 5/30 will pour at a lower temp than a 10/30 if both are on grade per API/SAE standards.quote:
Originally posted by Drew99GT:
Nope; castrol is lame and doesn't give any VI or kinematic viscosity at 40 C. But for many oils, such as Chevron or Pennzoil, if you plug in all the numbers into a viscosity calculator, you will find that the Phillips Trop Artic 10w-30 synthetic blend has a LOWER kinematic viscosity at 0 degrees F than the other brands 5w-30sShokcing and hard to believe, but give it a try, you'll be surprised.
This is counter to what you test showed and the only way that this can be is that you did not test at same temp for the same time or the 10/30 trop artic was in fact a true 5/30 and mislabeled.
Bye the way you CAN NOT exstrapolate low temp pour or CCS numbers with VI. Not accurate at all.
bruce
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