How to pick a motor oil....

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This shows there is a lot you don’t understand about oil. Given that, your attempt to pick the “best” through $30 spectrographic analyses, typical values on a PDS, reading the tea leaves of an SDS or goofy YouTube videos is especially meaningless. None of these is how you pick an oil and especially not how you determine if one has demonstrated superior performance.
I never said best, I said better.. and I agree there is a whole lot, I need to learn about motor oil.
 
@Scott S - the crux of the issue is this - you’re trying to pick “best“ or “better” without knowing:

1. what makes an oil better
2. what’s in the oils you are considering

So, you cannot possibly achieve what you’re after.

Oil performance is more than just the components, though the components matter, it’s how well the blend works together to provide that performance. Additive chemistry, and interaction, is complex.

There are a few members here who are knowledgable enough to judge those things. You and I aren’t in that group.

Frankly, neither is Project Farm.

The guys who say price aren’t wrong. You know an oil is good enough by the specifications that it meets.

Here‘s an example of an engine run on “good enough“ oil. Oil that met specification. The previous owner had so buggered the drain plug that I replaced the oil pan. This is a view of the oil pickup and bottom of the crankcase with the old pan off.
The MB 229.5 specification was good enough.

C47D0F15-6C44-4B88-AC26-D06343744383.jpeg
 
@Scott S - the crux of the issue is this - you’re trying to pick “best“ or “better” without knowing:

1. what makes an oil better
2. what’s in the oils you are considering

So, you cannot possibly achieve what you’re after.

Oil performance is more than just the components, though the components matter, it’s how well the blend works together to provide that performance. Additive chemistry, and interaction, is complex.

There are a few members here who are knowledgable enough to judge those things. You and I aren’t in that group.

Frankly, neither is Project Farm.

The guys who say price aren’t wrong. You know an oil is good enough by the specifications that it meets.

Here‘s an example of an engine run on “good enough“ oil. Oil that met specification. The previous owner had so buggered the drain plug that I replaced the oil pan. This is a view of the oil pickup and bottom of the crankcase with the old pan off.
The MB 229.5 specification was good enough.

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Euro oil what I understand it's way above our standards. But I do understand what you are saying. And if I'm not mistaken doesn't MB used Mobil 1? Thank you so much...
 
Euro oil what I understand it's way above our standards. But I do understand what you are saying. And if I'm not mistaken doesn't MB used Mobil 1? Thank you so much...
This engine was run on Mobil 1 0W40. MB 229.5 specification. It’s a good oil.

What‘s it got for base stock? Additives? No idea.

But that specification is fairly demanding, and includes long drain intervals, as well as good HTHS.

So, I impute from that specification that the base stock has some PAO, and that the additive package is good. But that’s not verified, it’s imputed. Basically, an informed guess.

What matters in the end is that the Mobil has performed well in this engine.

I think that any 229.5 oil would perform well in that engine.

The fact that a sticker under the hood says “Mercedes recommends Mobil 1” is a marketing agreement, as @kschachn says.
 
This shows there is a lot you don’t understand about oil. Given that, your attempt to pick the “best” through $30 spectrographic analyses, typical values on a PDS, reading the tea leaves of an SDS or goofy YouTube videos is especially meaningless. None of these is how you pick an oil and especially not how you determine if one has demonstrated superior performance.
Fair point. Then lead him into knowing how to understand oil with other threads or info you can share.
 


This video, combined with what has been said on BITOG, combined with availability and price and how long I want my vehicle to last, all added up to me choosing Penzoil Ultra Platinum that I buy in five-quart jugs from Walmart online at 2 or more at a time to get free shipping. Sure, Amsoil is a little better in the La-Briskey test, but not by much at all, and Amsoil is about twice the price of PUP, and difficult to get. PUP is, to me a better choice. PUP is so close to Amsoil in the La-Briskey test, and it has a very low NOAC, lower than Amsoil, which is a big deal with today's direct injection engines to help keep the intake valves clean. Also, PUP is known for keeping the insides of an engine clean, and clean passageways are a big deal to keep the variable cam system working because it uses the oil as a hydraulic fluid, and it has small filters built into it that require a lot of labor and some not so cheap parts to fix it if they get clogged.

Also, a new Fram Ultra filter every OC.

At least for my application PUP is a great choice.

Wow, if I would've posted this, I would've been lambasted. But someone with 5500 posts here gets a pass. Nothing personal, @JimPghPA, but I've seen a lot of the oil experts on here bash Project Farm's oil videos as not representing actual oil performance and anyone who's not a longtime BITOG vet who claims otherwise quickly gets put in their place. Edit: just to be clear I enjoy Project Farm and got a lot of value from his oil videos.

OP - Just my opinion, but once you get into API SP certified oils, you're not going to see a significant difference. Go with the grade you want (in most cases, what the manufacturer calls out, but in fuel diluters, maybe a grade up), pick a brand you're most comfortable with, and you're good to go. Splitting hairs over better/best might make you feel better, but the car won't know the difference so long as the grade and certifications are there.
 
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Good enough, I got it... This is what I been using.. since I couldn't get this anymore I figured I go to something better..
 

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Kschachn and others have already done this many times on multiple threads including this one.
Yeah that's why I said to give links to threads on here as it's easier and faster to just let someone read or give them they key words to search it themselves. It's just pointing someone to that direction.
 
Curious how come ultra Platinum would not be dexos approved.. ?? But yet Platinum would.. sort of odd...
I read on another site.. that with the natural gas.. that Pennzoil Platinum is more susceptible to oil usage.. I don't know how true that is.. just something I read.. . Internet could be a dangerous thing.. sometimes.. LOL. I'M interested in the 5W20
I am one of those that question why and resolve to question the rest of the field that did pass. Are they changing the formula to meet that standard? What line would Ultra cross? Naturally aspirated engine, does it need the requirements. Is it the low SAPS requirements, cause removing the metal polar detergent to meet Dexos or European standards would be a step back for my car. Truthfully questions like you have, I need answers. And truthfully do not care to follow the crowd. But you are right to question the difference between Ultra and regular Platinum. That just puts Ultra apart from the other that also has 0w-16. (Ultra does not)

There is a plus and minus for everything and a short OCI with a quality oil is all I need. If I had a turbo, I would need something else.
 
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You want my final answer:
It's all about OCI. Keep it reasonable and the engine will do fine.

I've had dino running in cars with over 200K, 300K and 400K miles with no engine or oil related issues ... I still own 2 of the cars but now using syn-blend or syn in them due to the low syn prices.

I only have one car that I'm a little picky about oil. It's like a favorite child or something but I'm sure I'll get over it someday :)

If you want a very good price, Kirkland 5W-30 or Chevron Havoline PRO-DS Full Syn 5W-30 dexos 2 (6qt for $19.x) ain't bad. I've recently purchased both. Few dollars more you can M1 EP, FS Euro or PP or QS or Valvoline all with reasonable prices. ST prices moving up now that they claim 10K miles ...

regarding oci, for example I use M1 EP 10W-30 which is a "20,000 miles oil" ... but I dump it at 7500 miles max. Wal-Mart recently had it for $22.x or $24.x for 5qt.
 
The "big 3" that I look at are...

- Noack (or PDSC / TGA when available)
- HTHS / HTFS
- CCS / MRV

This will tell you a lot about the quality of the base oil. A low Noack shows higher quality base oils and/or higher initial viscosity base oils. It means a lower risk of oil coking around the rings, reduced oil vapor and deposits in the PCV and intake, and potentially decreased oil consumption. The HTHS, relative to the KV100, also shows the quality of the base oil in terms of shear stability. Same for the CCS / MRV. You can also throw specific gravity / density into the mix as well as group IV PAOs tend to be lighter (0.790-0.830) compared to group II/III (0.840-0.870).

Take two 5W-30 oils with a low Noack ( HTFS relative to KV100 (11.2 cSt / 3.5 cP). One has an SpG of 0.845 and the other 0.872. The oil with the lower SpG is typically indicative of higher PAO content while the higher SpG reflects higher group I-III content. This is not always the case and thus should be taken as a general observation combined with other specifications to get an idea of the oil's composition. The addition of esters, naphthalenes, and other group V base oils, which usually have a SpG of 0.880-1.100, can skew this a bit.

After those specs, I then look at the following factors....

- Is the P and S concentration meeting the standard I'm looking for?
- Does it have a strong TBN relative to detergent content?
- Does it have high initial oxidation (>30 abs/cm) indicating ester content?
- Starting Si and "wear metal" content? (to compare to UOAs)
- The friction modifier content?
- Company reputation and consistency?
 
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The "big 3" that I look at are...

- Noack (or PDSC / TGA when available)
- HTHS / HTFS
- CCS / MRV

This will tell you a lot about the quality of the base oil. A low Noack shows higher quality base oils and/or higher initial viscosity base oils. It means a lower risk of oil coking around the rings, reduced oil vapor and deposits in the PCV and intake, and potentially decreased oil consumption. The HTHS, relative to the KV100, also shows the quality of the base oil in terms of shear stability. Same for the CCS / MRV. You can also throw specific gravity / density into the mix as well as group IV PAOs tend to be lighter (0.790-0.830) compared to group II/III (0.840-0.870).

Take two 5W-30 oils with a low Noack ( HTFS relative to KV100 (11.2 cSt / 3.5 cP). One has an SpG of 0.845 and the other 0.872. The oil with the lower SpG is typically indicative of higher PAO content while the higher SpG reflects higher group I-III content. This is not always the case and thus should be taken as a general observation combined with other specifications to get an idea of the oil's composition. The addition of esters, naphthalenes, and other group V base oils, which usually have a SpG of 0.880-1.100, can skew this a bit.

After those specs, I then look at the following factors....

- Is the P and S concentration meeting the standard I'm looking for?
- Does it have a strong TBN relative to detergent content?
- Does it have high initial oxidation (>30 abs/cm) indicating ester content?
- Starting Si and "wear metal" content? (to compare to UOAs)
- The friction modifier content?
- Company reputation and consistency

The "big 3" that I look at are...

- Noack (or PDSC / TGA when available)
- HTHS / HTFS
- CCS / MRV

This will tell you a lot about the quality of the base oil. A low Noack shows higher quality base oils and/or higher initial viscosity base oils. It means a lower risk of oil coking around the rings, reduced oil vapor and deposits in the PCV and intake, and potentially decreased oil consumption. The HTHS, relative to the KV100, also shows the quality of the base oil in terms of shear stability. Same for the CCS / MRV. You can also throw specific gravity / density into the mix as well as group IV PAOs tend to be lighter (0.790-0.830) compared to group II/III (0.840-0.870).

Take two 5W-30 oils with a low Noack ( HTFS relative to KV100 (11.2 cSt / 3.5 cP). One has an SpG of 0.845 and the other 0.872. The oil with the lower SpG is typically indicative of higher PAO content while the higher SpG reflects higher group I-III content. This is not always the case and thus should be taken as a general observation combined with other specifications to get an idea of the oil's composition. The addition of esters, naphthalenes, and other group V base oils, which usually have a SpG of 0.880-1.100, can skew this a bit.

After those specs, I then look at the following factors....

- Is the P and S concentration meeting the standard I'm looking for?
- Does it have a strong TBN relative to detergent content?
- Does it have high initial oxidation (>30 abs/cm) indicating ester content?
- Starting Si and "wear metal" content? (to compare to UOAs)
- The friction modifier content?
- Company reputation and consistency?
If I'm running 5W-20 then once I look for?
 
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