Interesting comparo - Valvoline Maxlife v. VR1

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addyguy

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This isn't meant to prove anything, its just interesting to see the similarities between these two, BOTH 10W-30:

Maxlife: VR1:

100C cst - 11.5 100cst - 11.5
40C cst - 75.0 40C cst - 77.0
TBN - 8.3 TBN - 8
Zinc/Phos. - 830/760 ppm Zinc/Phos - 1400/1300 ppm
Calcium/Moly - 1910/300 ppm Calcium/Moly - 1910/0 ppm
Sodium - 490 ppm Sodium - 490 ppm
CCS @ -25C - 6200 CCS @ -25C - 6200

The specs for both are almost the exact same, except they use two different forms of anti-wear - ML relies on SM-level ZN/P, and 300 ppm of moly; while VR-1 uses much, much more ZN/P, and no moly.

Lets assume that Catalytic converter poisoning was NOT and issue, ie, you car doesn'tconsume oil at all, or has no cat. - would anyone run the VR1 over the Maxlife?

In other words, which add-pack is truely beeter for anti-wear?
 
With the press about the cam failures from the hotrod crowd. Though I wonder if it is the made in pick your lower qualtiy imported country. And or maybe by lower quality to increase profits. The higher zinc phos seems to be the way to go for certain engines that would benefit from that part of the add package
 
I don't think you can decipher which one is better for wear just by looking at the additive package on a data sheet. It would depend on a lot of variables.

No doubt for a high performance engine with a high revving solid lifter valvetrain though, VR-1 would win hands down.

But I'd probably use Maxlife over VR-1 for you garden variety street car. I'd bet it has better TBN retention and deposit control because it has better basestocks.
 
Good point, Drew. I just wondered if b/c they share the same specs, maybe they use 'close' to the same basestocks - ie., VR1 is actually a syn-blend oil?
 
I wonder how close DuraBlend comes to VR1 and MaxLife??? By the way, how long would it take to "poison" a catalytic converter using VR1?? I can't imagine it would hurt any gas engine to run that kind of add pack.
 
Last edited:
Durablend 10W-30 is a LOT thinner than both of these oils...off the top of my head, its 100C visc. is 10.3.
 
Maybe maxlife is VR-1 with less z and p.

I'd run the VR-1 if the price is right. But actually too much zddp for most boosters. I like about 1000 ppm which is good old SJ, SL levels.
 
The base stock are closer than you think. The difference is the small percentage of Group III in the Max Life that makes it a blend. The VR-1 is all Group II.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
The base stock are closer than you think. The difference is the small percentage of Group III in the Max Life that makes it a blend. The VR-1 is all Group II.


So there is no PAO in MaxLife at all?
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
The base stock are closer than you think. The difference is the small percentage of Group III in the Max Life that makes it a blend. The VR-1 is all Group II.


I think the VR-1 base oil is a Group II/Group III blend.
 
Originally Posted By: Max_Wander
Originally Posted By: Johnny
The base stock are closer than you think. The difference is the small percentage of Group III in the Max Life that makes it a blend. The VR-1 is all Group II.


So there is no PAO in MaxLife at all?



According to the MSDS's I just pulled up on the Maxlife Syn 5w30 and 10w30 revision dated 11/13/2008 both are
Code:


3. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

Components CAS-No. Concentration

DISTILLATES (PETROLEUM),

HYDROTREATED HEAVY PARAF 64742-54-7 >=80-


datasheets for Synpower, depending on which product code you look at, list the same thing in concentration from 60-70% to exactly the same as above.
I didn't call Valveman on it before because I just didn't feel like looking it up, but I did think he just another spreading false information on this site.
 
Originally Posted By: jmac
Originally Posted By: Max_Wander
Originally Posted By: Johnny
The base stock are closer than you think. The difference is the small percentage of Group III in the Max Life that makes it a blend. The VR-1 is all Group II.


So there is no PAO in MaxLife at all?



According to the MSDS's I just pulled up on the Maxlife Syn 5w30 and 10w30 revision dated 11/13/2008 both are
Code:


3. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

Components CAS-No. Concentration

DISTILLATES (PETROLEUM),

HYDROTREATED HEAVY PARAF 64742-54-7 >=80-


datasheets for Synpower, depending on which product code you look at, list the same thing in concentration from 60-70% to exactly the same as above.
I didn't call Valveman on it before because I just didn't feel like looking it up, but I did think he just another spreading false information on this site.


You're assuming the current MSDS gives an exhaustive list of the oil's ingredients, which it clearly does not. There is certainly more in the oil than that single entry. And the MSDS for Maxlife used to list the CAS# for PAO as being one of the ingredients. Now it looks like all Valvoline is listing on the MSDS is the primary ingredient. No mention of additives, or possibly other base oils.
 
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
[

You're assuming the current MSDS gives an exhaustive list of the oil's ingredients, which it clearly does not. There is certainly more in the oil than that single entry. And the MSDS for Maxlife used to list the CAS# for PAO as being one of the ingredients. Now it looks like all Valvoline is listing on the MSDS is the primary ingredient. No mention of additives, or possibly other base oils.


Actually I am assuming no such thing, I am perfectly aware of the limitations of MSDS's, and I'm not sure one of the MSDS's ever had PAO as a majority ingredient, but I always took others word for it here. But if I remember correctly it was the aforementioned poster that claimed that both Synpower and Maxlife synthetic was majority based PAO, and most here just blindly accepted that without any verification whatsoever while for years before that it was widely accepted that Synpower was majority based GIII and there was speculation that Maxlife synthetic might have some PAO in it. Your right you can't tell now if some of the products do have a percentage of PAO, but you can sure tell that it doesn't make up anything near a majority of basestock in some products, and you can sure tell it makes up none in some other products.
And this is all funny because other than price, I don't really care! What I do care about is overpaying if I were to buy it, if they want me to spend over 5.00 a qt for a product I want to know what is in it that makes the price so high, other wise I can find 2.00 and 3.00 a quart stuff that performance wise works just as good all day long.
 
Originally Posted By: jmac
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
[

You're assuming the current MSDS gives an exhaustive list of the oil's ingredients, which it clearly does not. There is certainly more in the oil than that single entry. And the MSDS for Maxlife used to list the CAS# for PAO as being one of the ingredients. Now it looks like all Valvoline is listing on the MSDS is the primary ingredient. No mention of additives, or possibly other base oils.


Actually I am assuming no such thing, I am perfectly aware of the limitations of MSDS's, and I'm not sure one of the MSDS's ever had PAO as a majority ingredient,


I didn't say it had PAO listed as the majority ingredient. It used to have ALL the ingredients listed, and one of them was PAO.
 
Given that on most MSDSs, the additive package is listed as 10%, and the fact that the Maxlife lists up to 90% DISTILLATES (PETROLEUM), HYDROTREATED HEAVY PARAF, I'd say they've taken the PAO out and it's group II/groupIII.

OTOH, the pour point has dropped from -39C to -42C for the 5w30, 5w-20, and 10w-30, so that may indicate a good quality group III or still some PAO.
 
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: jmac
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
[

You're assuming the current MSDS gives an exhaustive list of the oil's ingredients, which it clearly does not. There is certainly more in the oil than that single entry. And the MSDS for Maxlife used to list the CAS# for PAO as being one of the ingredients. Now it looks like all Valvoline is listing on the MSDS is the primary ingredient. No mention of additives, or possibly other base oils.


Actually I am assuming no such thing, I am perfectly aware of the limitations of MSDS's, and I'm not sure one of the MSDS's ever had PAO as a majority ingredient,


I didn't say it had PAO listed as the majority ingredient. It used to have ALL the ingredients listed, and one of them was PAO.


You may not have said it, but in thread after thread my impression was that many actually thought this and repeated it ad nauseum.
Even when they listed more in the past, I don't think I've ever seen an MSDS for a finished motor oil that listed ALL the ingredients. I could be wrong though.
 
thanks, i'm interested too. running MaxLife 10W-30 the last 2 intervals

i'm thinking of spiking it w/ a little Redline engine break-in additive, but haven't seen it here, even where they sell all the other redline oils. i'm thinking that would be a super VR-1 spec oil
 
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