Full Synthetic SuperTech vs Halvoline vs Valvoline

[gallydif]

First off, I want to introduce myself as I'm new to this forum and say hello. I have always read posts from but never signed up until today.
Now down to business. I want to bring up the "cheaper" full synthetics. The ones that don't break your bank such as the mobil 1 Extended and Pennzoil Ultra's- not to say they aren't worth it.
The three that will be introduced are all very close in price and all seem to have pretty good reviews. 10w-30:

1. SuperTech full synthetic
- 5 Quart- $17.47 at walmart
2. Halvoline Deposit Shield full synthetic
- 5 qt's- $21.99 at AAP (price includes Purolator Pure1 oil filter!)
3. Valvoline Max Life full synthetic
- 5 Quart- $18.18 at walmart.com

With an AAP 20% discount, the Purolator p1 filter comes out to $5.60 for me. So taking that into a factor for ST and Valvoline, all 3 are nearly identical in price. (I think that Purolator P1, Napa Gold, and Wix are all on the same level but Purolator P1 is the cheapest out of those for me, therefore, that's why I will choose it.)

I understand the ST FS is made by Pennzoil and bottled under walmarts brand. I personally know 2 mechanics that swear by it and one of them says the quality of the oil is better than some name brands.
Halvoline DS FS. From what I understand they are now made by Chevron. They used to be top notch decades ago and then in the 90's and early 00's dropped a bit but have recently made a comeback.
Valvoline MX FS I would say is the biggest name brand out of the 3. Under certain guidelines, Valvoline will even warranty your engine up to 300k.

Currently my car is running Valvoline MX synthetic blend oil for the first time with a Purolator classic oil filter and Lucas Oil Stabilizer for 3.5k now. I can't say much about it yet.

As we know big name brands when comparing to smaller brands or brands we've never heard of brings us comfort. But that doesn't mean the big name brand is always of better quality. An example I would like to give is Fram Extra Guard Oil filters. Complete garbage! I will never buy one again even if it's on sale (Gladly I always ran Purolator classics). If you want to see what I mean- search it on youtube.

My dd is a 2000 Lincoln town car with 128.5k on it. I have always used synthetic blends (Castrol or Valvoline) and Purolator classic filters with OCI's of 5k. After doing a lot of research on here and youtube I will be upping the filter to the P P1 and picking one of the 3 synthetics above. I will also change to 6-7k OCI unless advised otherwise.

Out of the 3 which would you pick? why? Have you had previous experience with them? All information, input, and opinions help. Thanks.

 

[Merkava_4]

The SuperTech full synthetic is a real smooth oil, but I've only tried the Citgo made version.

 

[daves87rs]

Warren makes ST here...pretty good oil!

 

[bbhero]

I am running the Havoline Pro DS right now in my Altima. I have run it before and was very pleased with it. If volatility is a concern then using the Havoline Pro DS 10w30 is better at 9 its NOACK. The 5w30 is at 13. Otherwise their stuff is good. I have not run the Supertech but I know its made by Warren oil. They do make very good oils. The additive package that one can see on a VOA does look good. Always of note is that is not the whole picture. A spectrometer test only reveals part of the whole composition of an oil. But I liked what small part I could see though

 

[HTSS_TR]

Sorry, no SuperTech fluids(oil, ATF, Gear fluid, ...) for me.

I only buy name brand oils, such as Mobil, Pennzoil, Castrol ... when they are on sale for less than $3-4/qt.

Even with regular price at WM, name brand synthetic is only $6-7 more per jug than SuperTech, and that amount is only 2 gallons of gas.

 

[ChrisD46]

What is the general feeling here regarding Havoline Deposit Shield synthetic oil ? Often this oil can be found on sale whixch makes it comparable to some WM prices for other oils (WM does not carry Havoline DS oil) .

 

[CharBaby]

Keep in mind that the Havoline DS Syn is only on special for this month at AAP. They may repeat this special sometime next year as I have seen it before! Next months special at AAP will be something else in either dino or syn, IDK! While the other oils mentioned from W*M,(STFS & ML Syn) are everyday priced!

All oils you[gallydif] mentioned are very good oils at a very good prices for sure. Don't overlook Quaker State Ultimate Durability Full Syn(QSUD) at Walmart for ~$22/5qt jug, which is another very good oil. For those who want the even better syn oil(by reputation) at an even better value, though more money, Pennzoil Platinum w/Pure Plus(PPPP) at ~ $25/5qt jug at W*M.

Not to make this confusing, you can't go wrong with your choices!

 

[BigD1]

Can't use AAP discount codes on oil change specials unless the website is bugged again.

Valvoline Maxlife at that price is what I would grab for sure.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Keep in mind that the Havoline DS Syn is only on special for this month at AAP. They may repeat this special sometime next year as I have seen it before! Next months special at AAP will be something else in either dino or syn, IDK! While the other oils mentioned from W*M,(STFS & ML Syn) are everyday priced!

All oils you[gallydif] mentioned are very good oils at a very good prices for sure. Don't overlook Quaker State Ultimate Durability Full Syn(QSUD) at Walmart for ~$22/5qt jug, which is another very good oil. For those who want the even better syn oil(by reputation) at an even better value, though more money, Pennzoil Platinum w/Pure Plus(PPPP) at ~ $25/5qt jug at W*M.

Not to make this confusing, you can't go wrong with your choices!

Also, don't forget to use(when available) the rebates(usually $10) on QSUD & PPPP which will indeed make these full synthetic oils an absolute steal!

 

[donnyj08]

OP- welcome. All those choices are great! Valvoline Max-life Synthetic would be my choice.

Please do your engine a favor and leave the Lucas oil stabilizer out of the mix. The only thing the Lucas is doing is making the oil thick and diluting the additive package.

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
OP- welcome. All those choices are great! Valvoline Max-life Synthetic would be my choice.

Please do your engine a favor and leave the Lucas oil stabilizer out of the mix. The only thing the Lucas is doing is making the oil thick and diluting the additive package.


This^^^^^ and

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I've run ST syn (WARREN)in the rogue and it was good - a bit thick for the winter - but the engine was new and tight. Always had real good luck with Warren STS everytime over the years.
I would say VML would be right up there. Never had good luck with Chevron oils, only the real old havoline from the 80's

 

[ExMachina]

Avoid Purolator P1s or Classics like the plague. They tear.

 

[Bgallagher]

First off welcome to BITOG! In regards to your question I would stick with Supertech, the oils you listed are all I feel similiar in terms of quality for your application. Supertech is an oil that is often talked about here and the people who use it love it from what I have read. I used to use it in my older vehicles without issues but after trying other oils settled on the ones I am using now. I would use ST with confidence.

 

[Mrsandman]

The Valvoline at that price is an excellent deal. I'd stock up on it cuz it isn't normally that cheap.
But the supertech is great oil that I have used extensively. And it's price stays about the same. If your looking to pick one of the those oils to stick with exclusively,thats the one I'd pick for consistent price and availability and capabilities.
Never any experience with havoline but I bet it's on par with the rest. I think chevron sales the best gas too.

Careful of the purolator haters around here. There's a handful of fellas that target anybody that talks positive about them. Some of them are likely employees on the fram dole so they will try to attack you and get you on the defensive in an effort to convince moderators to bann you from the forums.
I agree that p1 is awesome filter. So is the Wix you mentioned. The fram ultra is the only fram I'd touch. It's not Like the orange can of destruction or it's newer brother tough guard(which is darn near the same filter as the extended guard) I steer clear of those 2 filters.

 

[Greasymechtech]

If your engine doesn't stress oil, then the less popular synthetics are an excellent choice. Conventional oil is fine too!

Nothing wrong with using Lucas. But, you can skip it and simply use a thicker oil. Castrol Edge 0w40 is price rollback $22.97 5-quart.

Fram Extraguards are excellent filters. I could care less about youtube videos from those without filter engineering manufacturing/testing knowledge. I guess you haven't heard of that some call Purolator the Tearolator.

I also don't know where your product history is from. Havoline full synthetic oils have always been excellent. Supply just isn't always there.

Supertech is made by whoever whens the supply contract. Can vary so don't assume that it is Pennzoil made unless you verify the data on the bottle. I've only seen the Warren and Citgo versions of Supertech.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: ExMachina
Avoid Purolator P1s or Classics like the plague. They tear.
As do all engineered paper filters. Im running one just for giggles so I don't have to caution fellow Subarunistas to avoid a nicely priced, apparently well made filter for NO REASON with NO STATISTICALLY VALID DATA.
BTW: I used to call them Pur-O-Leakers then my wix and delco leaked too so I went to P-base gasket: factory Japanese style. No more gasket weeping.

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: gallydif
First off, I want to introduce myself as I'm new to this forum and say hello. I have always read posts from but never signed up until today.
Now down to business. I want to bring up the "cheaper" full synthetics. The ones that don't break your bank such as the mobil 1 Extended and Pennzoil Ultra's- not to say they aren't worth it.
The three that will be introduced are all very close in price and all seem to have pretty good reviews. 10w-30:

1. SuperTech full synthetic
- 5 Quart- $17.47 at walmart
2. Halvoline Deposit Shield full synthetic
- 5 qt's- $21.99 at AAP (price includes Purolator Pure1 oil filter!)
3. Valvoline Max Life full synthetic
- 5 Quart- $18.18 at walmart.com

With an AAP 20% discount, the Purolator p1 filter comes out to $5.60 for me. So taking that into a factor for ST and Valvoline, all 3 are nearly identical in price. (I think that Purolator P1, Napa Gold, and Wix are all on the same level but Purolator P1 is the cheapest out of those for me, therefore, that's why I will choose it.)

I understand the ST FS is made by Pennzoil and bottled under walmarts brand. I personally know 2 mechanics that swear by it and one of them says the quality of the oil is better than some name brands.
Halvoline DS FS. From what I understand they are now made by Chevron. They used to be top notch decades ago and then in the 90's and early 00's dropped a bit but have recently made a comeback.
Valvoline MX FS I would say is the biggest name brand out of the 3. Under certain guidelines, Valvoline will even warranty your engine up to 300k.

Currently my car is running Valvoline MX synthetic blend oil for the first time with a Purolator classic oil filter and Lucas Oil Stabilizer for 3.5k now. I can't say much about it yet.

As we know big name brands when comparing to smaller brands or brands we've never heard of brings us comfort. But that doesn't mean the big name brand is always of better quality. An example I would like to give is Fram Extra Guard Oil filters. Complete garbage! I will never buy one again even if it's on sale (Gladly I always ran Purolator classics). If you want to see what I mean- search it on youtube.

My dd is a 2000 Lincoln town car with 128.5k on it. I have always used synthetic blends (Castrol or Valvoline) and Purolator classic filters with OCI's of 5k. After doing a lot of research on here and youtube I will be upping the filter to the P P1 and picking one of the 3 synthetics above. I will also change to 6-7k OCI unless advised otherwise.

Out of the 3 which would you pick? why? Have you had previous experience with them? All information, input, and opinions help. Thanks.


My pick would be Havoline of course

But I would run't run a Purolator... but Ford applications have fewer reported failure than compared to other makes but they are not tear-free. I pulled off two torn Purolator filters and will not be going back. Purolator is not what it once was...

The Havoline 10w30 is perhaps the best Havoline option with low NOACK, but other weights tends to be good (many are DEXOS too), they also have a high-ish TBN (and strong UOA) given the pricepoint.

Back in the day (the Texaco days), Havoline was LOADED with moly. It has decreased since then but is still a superb oil. It is still on the higher side of average with moly but the moly fans are now on Pennzoil. Havoline never went away, but rather with Shell and others injecting new life into some brands, the Chevron merger kinda hid Havoline for a while.

Now, if you like to run thinner oils (but still in the proper weight), Havoline's real advantage is that it is the thinner oil in the weight classes. For me, I like that better. I do not think Havoline is any "less" of a product compared to other upper end, non-extended performance oils. For the price-point, it is the best sleeper oil (the other being Formula Shell). OReilly and a few others will have $20-ish sales with $5 or $10 rebates and I can get it close to $3 per qt and a filter. Supertech's best item is that you don't have to hunt for sales.

I am not a fan of Valvoline Syn... not because it is a bad product (it is a good product) but rather that NAPA SYN is basically the same thing and NAPA will run $3-$3.50 specials frequently so I have a hard time justifying the premium cost. Maxlife is kinda in the same boat but is a good oil. However, I will buy out a store for a good deal on their tranny fluid.

Ditch Lucas. It is doing more harm than good. Snake oil in the worst way.

 

[BrewCityR]

Running that Valvoline MaxLife synthetic 10w30 in my TSX now. Quite the deal for $18.18 for 5 qts. It should be just fine for 7500 miles as my TSX eats one quart per 3000 miles, so 2.5 qts. of make up oil in that time will help the OCI. Anything will be fine in Honda K24s anyway. Best of luck to you!

 

[Justin251]

Yeah, the only drawback to supertech for me is the deals I keep finding on the big names.

Like $1-$3 a quart for mobile 1, pp, or castrol.

If not for that I'd definitely run any supertech oil.

I still buy the hd30 st for my lawnmower.