Going from Amsoil/Redline to cheaper Castrol oil?
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Originally Posted By: Brad_C
Originally Posted By: SR5
Originally Posted By: Brad_C
I find it funny that Amsoil is cheaper here than Mobil 1.
I know !!!
How super expensive is M1, it's like $20 per L.
Supercheap has 5W30 on sale at about $68 until Friday. I just need to find a store that has it in stock.
That's not on sale its almost regular price at $69.99 for 5L.
Wait until its on sale like 30% or regular price if you can.
Originally Posted By: SR5
Originally Posted By: Brad_C
I find it funny that Amsoil is cheaper here than Mobil 1.
I know !!!
How super expensive is M1, it's like $20 per L.
Supercheap has 5W30 on sale at about $68 until Friday. I just need to find a store that has it in stock.
That's not on sale its almost regular price at $69.99 for 5L.
Wait until its on sale like 30% or regular price if you can.
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Originally Posted By: antik
Well I've always liked using the best of the best however for the price of an oil change using Redline, I could buy enough Castrol oil for 5 changes!
Redline is only the best of best in terms of highest price, its marketing hype and without OEM approvals.
Don't get sucked in like I did when it first came to WA around 1999 it was around $13 / L trade.
Overrated for street use.
Cheapest for 3.78L is $115 AUD at AutoBarn.
Well I've always liked using the best of the best however for the price of an oil change using Redline, I could buy enough Castrol oil for 5 changes!
Redline is only the best of best in terms of highest price, its marketing hype and without OEM approvals.
Don't get sucked in like I did when it first came to WA around 1999 it was around $13 / L trade.
Overrated for street use.
Cheapest for 3.78L is $115 AUD at AutoBarn.
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4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Only buy Redline for 4WD/AWD transfer case ... prolly worth the cost there ...
Any of their products are "worth it" where they are needed. Diff fluids, MTL in gear boxes, oil in race motors, etc.
But this is not a case where it is needed ...
But this is not a case where it is needed ...
Originally Posted By: antik
Originally Posted By: SR5
the full synthetic Castrol Magnatec 5W30 "Stop-Start" can often be found for $50 or less.
This is currently on sale at Supercheap Auto for $28.59 for 5L which is why I started this thread because it's so cheap. I decided to go back today and get myself 8 bottles of the stuff after the advice here. I'll probably just drop my oil every 10,000kms now instead of the 15,000kms I was previously doing with the more expensive oil purely for piece of mind haha
Mate, that is a smoking hot price on a high quality, full synthetic, name brand oil.
It's Euro A3/B4 rated which means it has to pass a "stay in grade" shear stability test, plus have a Noack volatility of 13% or less (lower is better), a TBN (total base number - to fight acid build up) of 10 or more, and a HTHS (high temp high shear - oil film strength) of 3.5 cP or more.
Compare this to API SN, it has no shear stability test, 15% Noack limit, no TBN minimum, no HTHS minimum (except J300).
A typical American SN/ GF-5 5W30 oil would have a TBN ~ 8 and a HTHS ~ 3.0 cP.
Nothing wrong with a SN/GF-5 oil, it's what most people in North America run everyday without problem. Including 1000's of Lexus cars I'm sure.
However I consider a Euro A3/B4 oil to be stouter (more HTHS for protection, more TBN for longer oil change interval ) and a great long life, street performance oil. It will look after you fine.
Originally Posted By: SR5
the full synthetic Castrol Magnatec 5W30 "Stop-Start" can often be found for $50 or less.
This is currently on sale at Supercheap Auto for $28.59 for 5L which is why I started this thread because it's so cheap. I decided to go back today and get myself 8 bottles of the stuff after the advice here. I'll probably just drop my oil every 10,000kms now instead of the 15,000kms I was previously doing with the more expensive oil purely for piece of mind haha
Mate, that is a smoking hot price on a high quality, full synthetic, name brand oil.
It's Euro A3/B4 rated which means it has to pass a "stay in grade" shear stability test, plus have a Noack volatility of 13% or less (lower is better), a TBN (total base number - to fight acid build up) of 10 or more, and a HTHS (high temp high shear - oil film strength) of 3.5 cP or more.
Compare this to API SN, it has no shear stability test, 15% Noack limit, no TBN minimum, no HTHS minimum (except J300).
A typical American SN/ GF-5 5W30 oil would have a TBN ~ 8 and a HTHS ~ 3.0 cP.
Nothing wrong with a SN/GF-5 oil, it's what most people in North America run everyday without problem. Including 1000's of Lexus cars I'm sure.
However I consider a Euro A3/B4 oil to be stouter (more HTHS for protection, more TBN for longer oil change interval ) and a great long life, street performance oil. It will look after you fine.
Originally Posted By: SR5
Mate, that is a smoking hot price on a high quality, full synthetic, name brand oil.
Thanks for the great info mate.
Quite shattered I didn't know about specifications a few weeks back otherwise I would have jumped all over the 10L bottles of Edge that Supercheap were doing for $49
Mate, that is a smoking hot price on a high quality, full synthetic, name brand oil.
Thanks for the great info mate.
Quite shattered I didn't know about specifications a few weeks back otherwise I would have jumped all over the 10L bottles of Edge that Supercheap were doing for $49
Originally Posted By: Kuato
Originally Posted By: jongies3
Amsoil's a waste of money IMHO, M1, Pennzoil, and Castrol all do the job just as good if not better. Make the switch to one of them, you'll be glad you did! Oil technology has evolved so much that there's nothing really special about Amsoil anymore. It's overkill for most engines and a huge hassle to get. Why bother when you can get the others at any auto parts store?
Hater.
I don't hate Amsoil, I just don't think it's worth the hassle to get when you can already buy exceptionally high performance oils at your local parts store. I'd use the heck out of Amsoil if I could walk into O'Reilly's and buy it off the shelf, but I can't. I've ran it in my ATV and truck a few times and it never stood out from the oils I'd been using so I went back to them out of convenience and availability.
I'm sure it's great oil, but they would make a lot more money if they'd distribute it to the big retailers and make it easier to get for the general public so more people would buy it.
Originally Posted By: jongies3
Amsoil's a waste of money IMHO, M1, Pennzoil, and Castrol all do the job just as good if not better. Make the switch to one of them, you'll be glad you did! Oil technology has evolved so much that there's nothing really special about Amsoil anymore. It's overkill for most engines and a huge hassle to get. Why bother when you can get the others at any auto parts store?
Hater.
I don't hate Amsoil, I just don't think it's worth the hassle to get when you can already buy exceptionally high performance oils at your local parts store. I'd use the heck out of Amsoil if I could walk into O'Reilly's and buy it off the shelf, but I can't. I've ran it in my ATV and truck a few times and it never stood out from the oils I'd been using so I went back to them out of convenience and availability.
I'm sure it's great oil, but they would make a lot more money if they'd distribute it to the big retailers and make it easier to get for the general public so more people would buy it.
As was hinted at in this thread already, sometimes it depends where you are, and how good you are at chasing sales. The few places where Amsoil is available at retail here, it's not priced out of line any more than the other synthetics are in this country. Now, you'll do much better if you go to an oil company distributor like I prefer to do or wait for a major Walmart or Canadian Tire sale.
But, there are a lot of people who don't want to do either of those things. Amsoil's business model obviously hasn't had them overthrow Shell or Mobil, but that wasn't their intent in the first place. There's nothing wrong with marketing to a niche.
But, there are a lot of people who don't want to do either of those things. Amsoil's business model obviously hasn't had them overthrow Shell or Mobil, but that wasn't their intent in the first place. There's nothing wrong with marketing to a niche.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
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Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
Wow, you have that completely backwards. It means everything. One carries the specification and one does not - for whatever reason.
Where's the proof that Redline does meet the automaker's specs? That's the question, not the other way around.
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
Wow, you have that completely backwards. It means everything. One carries the specification and one does not - for whatever reason.
Where's the proof that Redline does meet the automaker's specs? That's the question, not the other way around.
Originally Posted By: vronline
Originally Posted By: antik
Hi guys, would I notice any difference in using Edge SL/A3 B4 5w30 vs Magnatec SN 5w30 in my IS 250? Cheers
No
So I'm assuming Edge would only be more beneficial in a high performance engine? The Magnatec is also A3/B4 rated which I forgot to add
Originally Posted By: antik
Hi guys, would I notice any difference in using Edge SL/A3 B4 5w30 vs Magnatec SN 5w30 in my IS 250? Cheers
No
So I'm assuming Edge would only be more beneficial in a high performance engine? The Magnatec is also A3/B4 rated which I forgot to add
Originally Posted By: SR5
If you want something super exotic then look at Penrite 10-Tenths Racing, it's 100% PAO and Ester, high zinc and completely shear stable.
Which would be the better oil out of this and the Edge? Are these two oils about the best you can get off the shelf in Aus?
If you want something super exotic then look at Penrite 10-Tenths Racing, it's 100% PAO and Ester, high zinc and completely shear stable.
Which would be the better oil out of this and the Edge? Are these two oils about the best you can get off the shelf in Aus?
Just because SN is the latest API spec doesn't mean it's necessarily superior to SL.
To put it into perspective, It's only an API "spec" and only a starting point.
It's not like it's actually a "standard", and certainly not the be all and end all.
The Amsoil stuff is great (I personally use it) and as you have noted it's much more cost affective than Redline in this country.
In some instances it's cheaper than Mobil 1 unless you are able to do a "Boxing Day sale" raid on the local Supercheaps like I did this year.
Besides the Amsoil stuff is going to get impossible to come by in OZ as the new Business Development Manager who is newly appointed in the US since Don has stepped down, has made it difficult for the current crop of distributors here to carry on and they are getting out of it all together.
Besides, it's not like oil technology hasn't largely caught up to Amsoil anyway, and their advantage has been seriously eroded.
After my stash of Amsoil ATM is gone, I will be using the current Mobil 1 5w-30(NewerVehicle Formula) in my new HSV.
To answer your question.
I honestly don't think one could tell any difference between the Edge or Magnatec in terms of actual operation, unless the engine seemed a little noisier on one oil over the other.
However I would personally easily choose the current offering of Edge over the Magnatec as I believe the long term benefits will be equivalent to Amsoil in terms of internal engine cleanliness.
Like yourself I also choose to use better quality products.
After all we get what we pay for.
Whether it's better value for money is another matter.
Another alternative is the Shell Helix Ultra.
The Edge is cheap enough not to worry about, especially when it's on special from time to time.
To put it into perspective, It's only an API "spec" and only a starting point.
It's not like it's actually a "standard", and certainly not the be all and end all.
The Amsoil stuff is great (I personally use it) and as you have noted it's much more cost affective than Redline in this country.
In some instances it's cheaper than Mobil 1 unless you are able to do a "Boxing Day sale" raid on the local Supercheaps like I did this year.
Besides the Amsoil stuff is going to get impossible to come by in OZ as the new Business Development Manager who is newly appointed in the US since Don has stepped down, has made it difficult for the current crop of distributors here to carry on and they are getting out of it all together.
Besides, it's not like oil technology hasn't largely caught up to Amsoil anyway, and their advantage has been seriously eroded.
After my stash of Amsoil ATM is gone, I will be using the current Mobil 1 5w-30(NewerVehicle Formula) in my new HSV.
To answer your question.
I honestly don't think one could tell any difference between the Edge or Magnatec in terms of actual operation, unless the engine seemed a little noisier on one oil over the other.
However I would personally easily choose the current offering of Edge over the Magnatec as I believe the long term benefits will be equivalent to Amsoil in terms of internal engine cleanliness.
Like yourself I also choose to use better quality products.
After all we get what we pay for.
Whether it's better value for money is another matter.
Another alternative is the Shell Helix Ultra.
The Edge is cheap enough not to worry about, especially when it's on special from time to time.
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Originally Posted By: Ducman
Just because SN is the latest API spec doesn't mean it's necessarily superior to SL.
...
To answer your question.
I honestly don't think one could tell any difference between the Edge or Magnatec in terms of actual operation, unless the engine seemed a little noisier on one oil over the other.
However I would personally easily choose the current offering of Edge over the Magnatec.
What Ducman said.
Both are great, both will do the job, my preference goes to the Edge. But I honestly can't see there being any significant difference in operation. Any of the them: Magnatec, Edge, 10-Tenths or Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 will serve you well. I would buy what is on sale and use that.
Just because SN is the latest API spec doesn't mean it's necessarily superior to SL.
...
To answer your question.
I honestly don't think one could tell any difference between the Edge or Magnatec in terms of actual operation, unless the engine seemed a little noisier on one oil over the other.
However I would personally easily choose the current offering of Edge over the Magnatec.
What Ducman said.
Both are great, both will do the job, my preference goes to the Edge. But I honestly can't see there being any significant difference in operation. Any of the them: Magnatec, Edge, 10-Tenths or Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 will serve you well. I would buy what is on sale and use that.
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
RedLine could use the ACEA specs like A3/B3 or A5/B5 as all ACEA specs are self certified and I don't believe require you to pay money to anybody. It's a standard published, so consumers know the quality of your product.
Even the uber exotic Penrite 10-Tenths Racing 10W40 that is 100% PAO & Ester claims ACEA A3/B3, which means I would use it in my family car without concern (it specs a A3 oil in the OM). I don't use it simply because it's too big an oil for my small car. But if I got some for free when my car was new, I would use it and it would keep my warranty valid.
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
RedLine could use the ACEA specs like A3/B3 or A5/B5 as all ACEA specs are self certified and I don't believe require you to pay money to anybody. It's a standard published, so consumers know the quality of your product.
Even the uber exotic Penrite 10-Tenths Racing 10W40 that is 100% PAO & Ester claims ACEA A3/B3, which means I would use it in my family car without concern (it specs a A3 oil in the OM). I don't use it simply because it's too big an oil for my small car. But if I got some for free when my car was new, I would use it and it would keep my warranty valid.
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Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
So they are charging a lot fo an oil which they cant be bothered to:
A) pay the fee (small) to get OEM approvals
B) Run the tests to prove the performance of their oils (very expensive)
Development costs for OEM approvals are huge, don't underestimate an oil just cause its cheaper than some boutique brand despite a full suit of proper OEM claims with OEM approvals.
Id more inclined to look for oils that have the proof. Not assume oils have the data but are too tight to pay €1000 for an approval.
Originally Posted By: edyvw
And that cheaper Castrol has manufacturers approvals while Redline does not.
That means absolutely nothing, other than Redline wouldn't give the automakers any money for the certification. Where's the proof Redline can't meet the automaker's specs?
So they are charging a lot fo an oil which they cant be bothered to:
A) pay the fee (small) to get OEM approvals
B) Run the tests to prove the performance of their oils (very expensive)
Development costs for OEM approvals are huge, don't underestimate an oil just cause its cheaper than some boutique brand despite a full suit of proper OEM claims with OEM approvals.
Id more inclined to look for oils that have the proof. Not assume oils have the data but are too tight to pay €1000 for an approval.
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