List of oils by base-oil-quality index: a ranking

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
5,889
Location
Paramount, California
One of the ultimate questions asked on BITOG is the base-oil quality. Is a full synthetic any better than a conventional? What about a synthetic blend? How do major brands compare to third-party, store, and other brands? Are you always getting what you are paying for?

While there is no simple way of defining or measuring base-oil quality, there is one method that is useful and quantitative. Two of the most important quantities that depend on the base-oil quality are the dynamic viscosity at -30 °C (DV-30, cold-cranking simulator [CCS] viscosity) and the NOACK volatility. Both are inversely proportional to the base-oil quality and it's crucial that they must be used together to judge the base-oil quality, as thicker oils with higher DV-30 will have lower NOACK volatility regardless of their base-oil quality.

Therefore, I define the base-oil-quality index (BOQI) as follows:

BOQI = (2,000,000)/(DV-30)/(NOACK)

Here the unit for the DV-30 is cP and the NOACK volatility is expressed as a percentage. 2,000,000 is a number I chose so that the highest base-oil-quality indexes (BOQIs) approach 100, while it's still possible to have numbers above 100.

Note again that this is in no ways the absolute method of quantifying the base-oil quality. However, it's very quantitative. Also, the NOACK volatility usually have about +/-2% error and therefore the BOQI values will also have +/-2% error.

Another caveat is that DV-30 values are reported only for 5W-xx oils. You can also define the BOQI index for 0W-xx oils but since they report DV-35 for them, you cannot directly compare a 0W-xx (or 10W-xx, 15W-xx, etc.) oil to a 5W-30 oil using the BOQI, as you don't have the DV-30 numbers for these oils. Nevertheless, in principle if you can find them, you could.

The data was all taken from the independent PQIA. No manufacturer data was used to eliminate doubts about the authenticity of the data.

Last but not least, the base-oil quality alone doesn't dictate the overall oil quality. Detergents, additives, friction modifiers, and the viscosity-index improver are equally important.

With all this said, here is a brief summary:

(1) Shell Oil Products USA (SOPUS) excelled in the base-oil-quality index (BOQI).

(2) The discontinued Pennzoil Ultra is the all-time champion by far.

(3) Quaker State did very well.

(4) Since in 2013 Shell was using surplus GTL in Pennzoil Yellow Bottle and Quaker State Advanced Durability conventional oils, they excelled in BOQI. These oils were premium GTL full synthetics despite being sold as conventional.

(5) ACDelco Synthetic Blend made by ExxonMobil did extremely well.

(4) Mobil 1 did well but not nearly as good as Shell oil products.

(5) Formula Shell Synthetic was another surprisingly high performer.

(6) Almost all Synthetic Blends, including Ford Motorcraft, did poorly, scoring in the vicinity of lowest-quality conventional oils. I would avoid synthetic blends in general, as they seem to be a scam. They seem to be the lowest-quality conventional oils mixed with a very small amount of Group III or IV. There are a very few exceptions though.

(7) Some store brands did incredibly well.

(8) The highly popular (thanks to its bargain price) Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic 5W-40 did very poorly. Despite being sold as a full synthetic, it performed as a typical conventional oil. Don't expect high performance from it if you use it. Its BOQI in the range of conventional oils explains its bargain price.

(9) Valvoline White Bottle, Phillips, Kendall, Unocal, CITGO, and Walmart Supertech were among poor performers.

(10) Any oil that has a BOQI of about 22 or less should be avoided. Oils with the BOQI in the low 20s or less than 20 tended to fail the PQIA tests.

Here are the full results. The unit for DV-30 is cP and NOACK is a percentage. The base-oil quality-index (BOQI) is a dimensionless quantity and can in principle exceed 100. Note that the base oil may vary wildly with the manufacture date.

Code:
Rank BOQI DV-30 NOACK Date Oil



1 79.2 3,827 6.60 2013 Pennzoil Ultra™ 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

2 70.1 4,389 6.50 2013 Pennzoil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil. (Yellow Bottle)

3 63.8 4,017 7.80 2013 Quaker State API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil. (Advanced Durability)

4 57.5 3,996 8.70 2016 Quaker State Ultimate Durability Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30 dexos1

5 54.3 4,184 8.80 2013 Quaker State Ultimate Durability™ 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

6 53.9 4,080 9.10 2014 Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil. (PurePlus)

7 51.8 4,884 7.90 2014 AC Delco API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil. (Synthetic Blend)

8 51.8 4,154 9.30 2013 Pennzoil Platinum® 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

9 51.6 3,998 9.70 2013 Formula Shell Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

10 50.4 4,271 9.30 2016 O'Reilly Full Synthetic SAE 5W-20 dexos1

11 50.3 3,937 10.10 2013 Mobil 1 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

12 47.3 4,544 9.30 2017 MILESYN SXR SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic Engine Oil

13 46.9 4,180 10.20 2016 Meijer Full Synthetic SAE 5W-20

14 44.9 3,352 13.30 2013 Havoline Synthetic, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

15 43.4 4,431 10.40 2013 Auto Extra Full Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

16 43.3 4,614 10.00 2015 LubriGold SAE 5W-30 Full Synthetic dexos1

17 42.5 4,358 10.80 2013 ENEOS Fully Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

18 41.1 4,155 11.70 2016 Castrol Edge Full Synthetic SAE 5W-20 dexos1

19 41.0 5,744 8.50 2017 Navi Guard Ultra SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic

20 40.9 4,941 9.90 2013 Schaeffer's Supreme 9000™ Full Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-30

21 39.8 4,329 11.60 2013 Valvoline SYNPOWER™ 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

22 39.6 3,881 13.00 2013 Havoline Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

23 39.4 4,924 10.30 2015 STARFIRE SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic dexos1

24 39.2 4,512 11.30 2013 LUKOIL Full Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

25 38.7 4,576 11.30 2013 Super Tech Full Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

26 38.7 3,860 13.40 2017 Chevron Havoline Pro DS SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic Motor Oil

27 38.6 4,179 12.40 2013 FRAM Full Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

28 38.6 4,892 10.60 2016 AutoQuest Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30 dexos1

29 38.3 5,019 10.40 2016 Royal Purple Synthetic Oil SAE 5W-20 High Performance Motor Oil

30 38.2 5,453 9.60 2013 LubriGold® Synthetic 5W-30 API SN, ILSAC GF-5, Dexos™

31 37.7 5,590 9.50 2017 Royal Purple Synthetic Oil SAE 5W-20 High Performance Motor Oil

32 37.2 5,599 9.60 2016 Race Pro Platinum Full Synthetic "SAE 5W20"

33 37.1 4,945 10.90 2013 Amsoil OE 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

34 36.7 5,090 10.70 2013 Kendall GT-1 Full Synthetic with Liquid Titanium 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

35 36.1 5,479 10.10 2014 Mobil 1 High Mileage Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, API SL

36 35.9 4,604 12.10 2013 Traveller Full Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

37 35.8 5,126 10.90 2014 Valvoline MAX Life High Mileage, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

38 35.0 4,612 12.40 2016 Preferred Choice Synthetic Blend SAE 5W-30 High Performance Motor Oil

39 34.7 4,611 12.50 2016 AutoZone Full Synthetic SAE 5W-20 dexos1

40 34.3 5,069 11.50 2016 AutoPride SAE 5W-30 All Season Motor Oil

41 33.3 5,411 11.10 2013 NAPA Synthetic Maximun Engine Protection 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

42 33.2 4,152 14.50 2014 National Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

43 33.0 5,562 10.90 2013 Royal Purple® Synthetic Oil 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

44 32.7 4,781 12.80 2017 Sheetz Premium Motor Oil SAE 5W-20

45 32.5 5,544 11.10 2013 Castrol Edge® 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

46 32.3 5,031 12.30 2016 Quantum X-5 Max-Blend Semi-Synthetic Motor Oil

47 32.1 4,156 15.00 2014 Marathon Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

48 32.1 5,832 10.70 2014 Valvoline NextGen API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

49 32.0 5,487 11.40 2015 Quaker State SAE 5W-30 Advanced Durability

50 31.9 5,177 12.10 2015 7-Eleven Motor Oil SAE 5W-30

51 31.7 5,436 11.60 2013 Mobil Super™ Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

52 31.4 4,856 13.10 2017 Marathon SAE 5W-20 Performance Series Motor Oil

53 31.4 5,053 12.60 2017 StarFire SAE 5W-20

54 31.3 4,293 14.90 2013 Lucas® Synthetic 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

55 31.1 5,544 11.60 2017 O'Reilly SAE 5W-20

56 31.0 5,038 12.80 2017 CarQuest SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic

57 30.9 5,782 11.20 2015 American XT Premium SAE 5W-30 High Mileage Motor Oil

58 30.8 5,553 11.70 2013 Proline® Full Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5

59 30.6 5,230 12.50 2017 Chevron Havoline SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

60 30.6 5,595 11.70 2017 Kum & Go SAE 5W-30 Full Synthetic dexos1 Motor Oil

61 30.2 5,480 12.10 2016 Mobil Super Premium Motor Oil SAE 5W-20

62 30.1 5,828 11.40 2017 Zecol-Max Synthetic, Semi-Synthetic SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

63 30.1 5,323 12.50 2017 AutoQuest by meijer SAE 5W-20 Conventional Motor Oil

64 30.0 5,643 11.80 2015 Zecol-Max Semi-Synthetic SAE 5W-30

65 29.7 5,426 12.40 2015 MAG 1 Motor Oil SAE 5W-20

66 29.6 5,815 11.60 2017 Castrol GTX SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

67 29.5 5,432 12.50 2017 Preferred Choice Synthetic Blend SAE 5W-20 High Performance Motor Oil

68 29.5 5,264 12.90 2013 SuperS Multi Flo Synthetic Blend API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

69 29.1 5,324 12.90 2016 Smart Living SAE 5W-30 Premium Motor Oil

70 29.0 5,229 13.20 2016 Certified Performance Engineered SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil

71 29.0 5,396 12.80 2016 Speedway SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

72 28.9 5,400 12.80 2014 Warren Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

73 28.8 5,463 12.70 2016 Kum & Go Synthetic Blend SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

74 28.7 5,523 12.60 2015 PROLINE SAE 5W-20 All Season Motor Oil

75 28.7 5,407 12.90 2014 Kangaroo Express Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

76 28.6 5,339 13.10 2016 Pennzoil Motor Oil SAE 5W-20

77 28.5 5,534 12.70 2016 Valvoline Max Life High Mileage Synthetic Blend SAE 5W-20, dexos1TM

78 28.1 5,237 13.60 2014 HESS Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

79 28.0 6,010 11.90 2016 RaceTrac RPMaximum SAE 5W-30 Performance Rated Motor Oil

80 27.9 4,777 15.00 2014 CAM2 SuperPRO Max Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

81 27.9 5,687 12.60 2014 Quaker State DEFY API SL SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

82 27.8 5,136 14.00 2013 Castrol GTX API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

83 27.7 6,214 11.60 2015 PENTO SUPER PERFORMANCE III SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil

84 27.7 5,973 12.10 2016 PETROMERICA SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

85 27.6 5,700 12.70 2016 Sinclair Supreme SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil

86 27.4 5,539 13.20 2014 Speedway API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

87 27.3 6,048 12.10 2016 Castrol GTX Motor Oil SAE 5W-20

88 27.1 5,761 12.80 2017 MidWest Guard SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

89 27.0 5,562 13.30 2017 CITGO SUPERGARD SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend

90 27.0 5,615 13.20 2015 Chevron Havoline SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

91 26.9 5,304 14.00 2016 LUKOIL SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

92 26.7 5,582 13.40 2017 Signature Home SAE 5W-30 Premium Motor Oil

93 26.7 5,586 13.40 2017 Prime Guard SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

94 26.7 5,950 12.60 2017 Chevron Supreme SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

95 26.5 5,664 13.30 2013 Auto Exra API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

96 26.5 5,316 14.20 2013 CAM2 Super Pro MAX API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

97 26.4 5,482 13.80 2015 Wolf's Head SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil Super-Duty Semi-Synthetic

98 26.4 5,650 13.40 2016 CITGO SUPERGARD SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend

99 26.4 5,737 13.20 2015 DuraMAX Liquid Armor SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend

100 26.4 5,662 13.40 2013 Traveller Premium API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

101 26.3 5,471 13.90 2014 Super S Multi Flo High Mileage Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30

102 26.3 5,471 13.90 2014 Super S Multi Flo High Mileage Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30

103 26.2 5,332 14.30 2016 PROLINE SAE 5W-20 All Season Motor Oil

104 26.0 6,008 12.80 2015 Shell Rotella T6 Synthetic SAE 5W-40, API CJ-4, CI-4, CI-4 Plus, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4/SM

105 26.0 5,538 13.90 2013 Mobil 5000 API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

106 25.9 5,281 14.60 2013 Atlas Team Clear Blend API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

107 25.9 5,772 13.40 2014 NAPA High Mileage, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 10W-30 motor oil.

108 25.8 5,283 14.70 2013 Proline API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

109 25.7 5,284 14.70 2015 Quaker State Advanced Durability SAE 5W-30

110 25.7 5,646 13.80 2013 Sheetz Premium API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

111 25.7 5,860 13.30 2014 Service Pro API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

112 25.6 6,154 12.70 2015 Safeway SAE 5W-30 Premium Motor Oil

113 25.6 5,790 13.50 2014 Ace Motor Oil, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W20 motor oil.

114 25.6 5,790 13.50 2014 Ace Motor Oil, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W20 motor oil.

115 25.4 5,668 13.90 2016 LMX SAE 5W-20 Premium Motor Oil

116 25.4 5,472 14.40 2015 Peak SAE 5W-30 Conventional Motor Oil

117 25.4 5,594 14.10 2014 Mobil Super High Mileage Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

118 25.2 6,049 13.10 2015 Star Fire SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

119 25.0 5,875 13.60 2014 Pennzoil High Higher Mileage, API SN, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

120 25.0 5,566 14.40 2017 Sunoco Ultra SAE 5W-20 Premium Motor Oil

121 24.9 6,028 13.30 2015 RK SAE 5W-30

122 24.9 5,624 14.30 2013 CAM2® SYNAVEX™ 5W-30 API SN, ILSAC GF-5 (Full Synthetic)

123 24.7 5,360 15.10 2013 Formula Shell API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

124 24.6 6,266 13.00 2015 Casey's General Store SAE 5W-30

125 24.5 5,590 14.60 2015 Essential Everyday SAE 5W-30

126 24.5 5,555 14.70 2013 Autozone API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

127 24.5 6,141 13.30 2014 Castrol GTX High Mileage Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

128 24.4 5,975 13.70 2014 RacePro Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

129 24.1 5,489 15.10 2014 O'Reilly High Mileage Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

130 24.0 6,208 13.40 2014 Duplex Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

131 24.0 5,595 14.90 2013 Advance Auto Parts API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

132 24.0 6,225 13.40 2017 Premier SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil

133 23.9 6,528 12.80 2017 Vantage 5W-30 SAE Synthetic Blend Oil

134 23.9 5,617 14.90 2013 O'Reilly API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

135 23.9 5,936 14.10 2014 Murphy USA Premium Motor Oil SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

136 23.8 5,641 14.90 2015 ACCEL Motor Oil SAE 5W-30

137 23.8 5,764 14.60 2017 Ford Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

138 23.8 5,766 14.60 2017 Phillips 66 Shield Choice SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

139 23.7 5,746 14.70 2016 Valvoline Premium Conventional SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil

140 23.4 6,021 14.20 2013 Pronto Supreme API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

141 23.3 6,164 13.90 2017 Navi Guard Elite SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend

142 23.3 6,082 14.10 2015 SuperTech Conventional SAE 5W-30

143 23.3 5,618 15.30 2013 Peak API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20

144 23.2 5,790 14.90 2014 Advance Auto Parts API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

145 23.2 5,911 14.60 2014 Advance Auto Parts High Mileage, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 10W-30 motor oil.

146 23.1 6,356 13.60 2016 Circle K SAE 5W-30 Premium Motor Oil

147 23.1 5,692 15.20 2014 Valvoline API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil. (White Bottle)

148 23.0 5,828 14.90 2017 Phillips 66 Trop Artic SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

149 23.0 5,720 15.20 2013 Federated Auto Parts API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

150 22.9 6,055 14.40 2015 Valvoline SAE 5W-20 Premium Conventional Motor Oil

151 22.9 5,745 15.20 2013 Motorcraft API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil. (Synthetic Blend)

152 22.9 5,984 14.60 2014 Chevron Supreme API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

153 22.9 5,825 15.00 2014 SurgeGuardAPI SM, ILSAC GF-4, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

154 22.8 5,955 14.70 2015 SynGard Synthetic Blend SAE 5W-30

155 22.7 6,034 14.60 2013 Wolf's Head API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

156 22.7 5,877 15.00 2015 STP Pro Formula 5W-30

157 22.7 6,174 14.30 2014 MAG1 Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

158 22.5 5,846 15.20 2013 CERTIFIED Performance Engineered, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

159 22.3 6,008 14.90 2015 Phillips 66 Trop Artic SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

160 22.3 6,220 14.40 2013 RacePRO Semi Synthetic, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

161 22.3 5,987 15.00 2013 Parts Master API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

162 22.2 5,854 15.40 2014 Delfin Ultimate API SM, ILSAC GF-4, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

163 22.2 5,858 15.40 2014 Havoline Motor Oil with Deposit Shield SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

164 22.1 5,739 15.75 2013 76 Super Synthetic Blend, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

165 22.1 5,960 15.20 2014 Brad Penn Synthetic Blend API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

166 22.1 6,292 14.40 2015 Mobil Special SAE 5W-30 Quality Motor Oil

167 21.9 6,373 14.30 2014 Mototech Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

168 21.9 6,004 15.20 2015 Ford Motorcraft SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend

169 21.6 6,165 15.00 2016 Phillips 66 Trop Artic SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

170 21.5 6,124 15.20 2014 SuperTECH High Mileage, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

171 21.4 6,199 15.10 2014 Kendall with Liquid Titanium API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

172 21.3 6,144 15.30 2015 Agip SUPER XL SAE 5W-30, API SN, ILSAC GF-5

173 21.2 6,334 14.90 2014 7-Eleven Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil

174 20.8 5,988 16.05 2014 PEAK High Mileage Motor Oil API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

175 20.7 6,262 15.40 2014 O'Reilly High Mileage API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

176 20.6 2,474 39.20 2017 MORGAS SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend (failed tests)

177 20.6 5,288 18.35 2013 Valvoline NextGen API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

178 20.4 6,326 15.50 2014 MileMaster API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

179 20.3 6,227 15.80 2016 Service Pro Premium Lubricants SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil

180 20.2 6,335 15.65 2014 Evolve API SN/ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-30 motor oil.

181 19.9 6,355 15.80 2013 CITGO SUPERGARD Synthetic Blend, API SN, ILSAC GF-5, SAE 5W-20 motor oil.

182 19.1 6,833 15.30 2017 SuperS Custom Plus SAE 5W-20 Synthetic Blend (failed tests)

183 11.7 3,197 53.40 2016 Super XXX Platinum 5W30 Premium Motor Oil (failed tests)
 
I am going to defer to Molakule for a more detailed explanation, but I do not see how inverse cP divided by % NOACK (the units of the equation) can be an indicator of base oil quality.

Perhaps you are on to something here.

Based upon my knowledge, an excellent base oil with a horrible additive package can result in a less than spectacular final product, and a poor base oil with an excellent additive package can result in a fairly good final product. This demonstrates how important the additive package in its totality is and how the chemistries involved (between the base oil and the different components themselves of the additive package) effects the various measured physical properties of the final product.

I've always believed that there is more than just a little bit of "black magic" and alchemy involved in the formulation of a quality motor oil, and the more I learn about lubricants, the more this belief is strengthened. Just as an FYI, I do have a Ph.D. in Chemistry and worked with the leftovers from various coal-liquefaction streams in graduate school.
 
Last edited:
I pour in the conventional oil with my left hand and the syn oil with my right hand 50 years of owning vehicles I only once had an engine failure and that was running Amsoil! Looking back I think I poured the Amsoil into the engine with my left hand.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Do you divide or multiply by colour ???

lol.gif
 
Think I have used at least half of the oils on that list. But this does not convince me that PUP (noisy for me) will make my 5.3L last longer than on the Delvac 1300 (Dino) in the sump now.
Might be good info for my ecoboost to keep CBU at bay. Surprised where Castrol is - been getting good tests here.
 
Originally Posted By: chemman
I am going to defer to Molakule for a more detailed explanation, but I do not see how inverse cP divided by % NOACK (the units of the equation) can be an indicator of base oil quality.

This is a very good question! I didn't put the answer to it in the original post because I wanted to keep it brief.

My base-oil quality index (BOQI) was inspired by the following presentation:

Global perspective on lubricant specifications and how it affects base-oil quality (link)
John Rosenbaum, Chevron Global Base Oils


If you look at the two key figures of the presentation, the curves for the NOACK vs. CCS viscosity of a given base oil are approximately in the form:

(NOACK) x (CCS viscosity) = constant

In other words, they are inversely related to each other for a given base oil.

Moreover, the "constant" here is inversely proportional to the base-oil quality given by the API Group numbers (I, II, III, IV, GTL, etc.). Smaller the constant is, higher the API Group or higher the quality of the base oil is. Therefore, the inverse of the constant directly gives the base-oil quality. Therefore, I define the base-oil-quality index (BOQI) as follows:

BOQI = 2,000,000/(NOACK x CCS viscosity)

Here 2,000,000 cP was chosen to make the BOQI approximately between 10 and 100.

As I mentioned in the original post, it's crucial to compare the BOQI using the CCS viscosity at the same temperature for all oils, 5W-xx oils being reported at -30 °C for example. This makes it hard to compare a 5W-xx oil to, say, a 0W-30 oil because chances are very high that you won't find the CCS viscosity for them reported at the same temperature.

nBSHghmqKUCxNrh16ro0dlQp7G_0mSlinGjPWLRvDRsJOTZSE_crtmhS12gHm1lMTr8cH8kn1pHSavGPUFIPGHL8X32JpFRy-ABOPjn5fD6f4DoVaussdMBTxAsCC83l4zlMLwWqUYPvTVcWwnKOHj91VhQhs1tMJX3Ns-fRNH42IkXWXjwEIfuRerMAEcK2vkxZ3iZ2I6maUFvfYoMno3NVya-qdbbMhwOxVAxjl0P9ubyG09Mg93EJg8gQfVrwsSLy9ni7IVEBHDkGy533TN_OoA1bNuAPm1cV4gjyFukQ-JX4JT_dmSBLmq3Tji6n6HGIgNnNjM5YyMDvCIAgXYLhsfeGvwipsRIk-MS6aFxo0XIwfUnP0X3do5IicLKoLPvM19ZpKT3Kd9jBVkP8YGIBo6tqZY8P5Hf_RIxV1FoBkjy1te3sA7M640J6kJ-UwJDKalv0LBn-VnCrhaKdL-KQ87E1SmJsfKK3XE3f-_cmfdJCOfRN6qkCqXVgY8qrbp3JQu8hvLDpd2bMk7hRaxqfxIYFm28Uz6eG2TaeoxCT2IPfqeCakjQoTgDK0Ch-DXN5Zl2-Y6vyQVs3RbGwNZuvdEQI-DD0EfDQvM1ws5Ttb6Ei5pBHNPOr_Q=w1600-h1200-no

1hH7TRIl8kc_HglKQDvx_GWv_fob-sqLwRx-vAi8p9Uth0AXv9JZCiMM32znwFR8XqVAGOrQhwATizJcJNBHagv7UYdXdLc6nr5bURdGBx5VJn6SDq9V9E3QikQm6-tvI-ov6y5li7uX1XAa7jykUGXn0feV_tN4fwubWE-RdrnAJzZ4ede8ytmEzgL1v4PK-ceECr3ntw0V3jcb8n0kypINf5hUfItwBHvXIliH5z3Fe0076N1jB2AXaS6BvD5w_0LzVAi7kT4kZN9FL8zMCJ0VMzEhJ3Kp6YaAiHK_5yYoWRD5Je_g6Ru48QQO-p2V51YBzims--os2unfDV4YDqwFJPX-yvqUsC-wiyAoi7x3ig6QNloA4kgOEeI4wBnRXacMgDAvds-yw4wtVHqjX1yBBNbtYJ0ZVRpLmb4zMg2pT_E4Dhko5a-UN81FoXtYa7SeBErGxqE0aDU8EhJ6zuVsjmbf5uThhsRo5g7lNqjtOlslZ24D-_RjNUenCErZvcTh6I7NaNnbGixgqbx_jRDUdXka4tdkrpXyPJPQb3XmK7R7dtCtEPHEIKZNPudBck_-IxDkXgebvmb8rhexDT1NQJfx3rLKIYXoEMzd6eqadZHKP5XGm_vyNg=w1600-h1200-no


One caveat that I didn't mention in my original post: Viscosity-index improvers (VIIs) in the finished oil may somewhat alter the CCS-viscosity numbers for a base oil but for comparison purposes this doesn't seem to be an issue.
 
I, for one, like to buy whatever oil is the most expensive. Can't have have people thinking I'm poor or something. I'm from Florida and drive a 2019 GMC Yukon XXL with 6WD; I need it for me and my wife who live in our home in the mountains 1 week out of the year.
 
Originally Posted By: Wurlitzer
I, for one, like to buy whatever oil is the most expensive. Can't have have people thinking I'm poor or something. I'm from Florida and drive a 2019 GMC Yukon XXL with 6WD; I need it for me and my wife who live in our home in the mountains 1 week out of the year.


Another satisfied Amsoil customer!!
 
Thanks for that listing. It certainly has some merit. Like other rankings we've seen that have invoked much discussion, there's nothing wrong with using oils near the top of the lists....rather those those in the bottom half.
 
I would love to see some data on where the Pennzoil PurePlus oils fall.
It doesn't look like they have any PQIA data on 5wXX oils to compare.
That seems like an interesting hole in the data.
 
Originally Posted By: cb_13
Originally Posted By: Wurlitzer
I, for one, like to buy whatever oil is the most expensive. Can't have have people thinking I'm poor or something. I'm from Florida and drive a 2019 GMC Yukon XXL with 6WD; I need it for me and my wife who live in our home in the mountains 1 week out of the year.


Another satisfied Amsoil customer!!


Naw...Redline
eek.gif
 
Originally Posted By: svhanc
I would love to see some data on where the Pennzoil PurePlus oils fall.
It doesn't look like they have any PQIA data on 5wXX oils to compare.
That seems like an interesting hole in the data.

There is a PurePlus oil in the list, with BOQI = 53.9.
 
On the serious side - I was looking at my BMI numbers -
Man, it's been too hard to shed pounds/kg - so I'm going to try to grow taller ...
blush.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top