Mobil 1 5w30 ESP VS Valvoline 5w30 Xl lll differences

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After some research about using HPL I realized that it would be a waste of money to dump HPL at a 4-5K OCI. So now I have turned my attention to these two candidates which are both a little more palatable. Looking for thoughts on these two oils in regards to which one would be a good choice for a new 2024 Hyundai with the 3.8 GDI. I have looked at the specs on both and the only thing that stands out is the zinc and phosphorus is higher in the ESP oil. When I searched on both sites for recommended oil the Valvoline site came up with the XL III option. Mobil did not offer the ESP as an option. I know the use of either one of these oils are much better than what the factory recommends as far as certifications. I will post pics of what the factory states which are not very stringent requirements so I would assume as long as you stay in grade it shouldn’t be a problem. I know this is BITOG so I won’t even ask for thoughts or suggestions as they occur naturally. 🤣 TIA…

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You really can't discern performance by the amount of an additive because it doesn't tell you the version. For example there are multiple versions of ZDDP, Moly, etc.

Anyways, these two oils for all intensive purposes meet the same performance specifications as they are both based on ACEA C3 and have the same associated euro automaker approvals. Now there may be differences with regards to how well each oil performed in various tests but nobody here has access to that information.

M1 ESP is probably much easier to find.
The upper tier version of QS would be Pennzoil Euro L 5w30
 
Pick one. can't tell how the car will perform until the stuff is in the sump.

Both oils have good approvals. I am not sure how the service manager at Hyundia service would react with the lubricant not being ILSAC Resource conserving (with engine concerns), but my experience has been, if the vehicle has oil in it and was serviced not far outside the required OCI interval, service managers would be o.k. with "alternative" lubricants. And, I would bet they wouldn't even know to be concerned about ACEA C3 vs ILSAC differences in a 5w30 multigrade.

It also appears in the O.M. note #3 that Hyundai allows 'better than and worse than' recommended lubricants, with under-specified oil ("lower grade") to be changed at the severe service interval, along with allowed use of "ACEA A5 or above"

Please follow up on your decision and kindly report of any noted performance differences including LTA fuel mileage - ARCO
 
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Thanks for the replies everyone. I do understand that there are no discernible differences between both oils. But like everyone else here I was just looking for real time information, opinions, suggestions from members who are more lube savvy than I. As far as the warranty concerns I do maintain my vehicles religiously at 5K OCI’S so I would hope that would be good enough at keeping the warranty denier’s at bay. As you stated if you went to a dealership today and asked anyone in the service department about ILSAC, ACEA, or API they would most likely not have a clue. I just may put that to a little test next time I go to dealership I will bring a can of the oil I started out with and ask if this is ok.🤣

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Main difference that I can see now is cost and availability. Valvoline XLIII has become a bit more difficult to find and price has almost doubled since I last used it. So for that, Mobil ESP gets the nod.
 
Both oils are very very good, no need to pay extra for HPL etc unless you want 'bragging rights'. OCI will mostly depend on what your owner's manual says, driving habits and engine type. While I used Valvoline in the past I don't use it mostly due to store availability, selection is slim and often out of stock around here.
 
Well after all the replies and searching BITOG threads exhaustively and as was stated numerous times you cannot go wrong with either one. I have decided to go with Valvoline 5w30 XL III being it is available on Valvoline’s website for a great price vs the ESP. Plus Valvoline is giving away a free hat with purchase. 🤣🤣🤣.

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Well after all the replies and searching BITOG threads exhaustively and as was stated numerous times you cannot go wrong with either one. I have decided to go with Valvoline 5w30 XL III being it is available on Valvoline’s website for a great price vs the ESP. Plus Valvoline is giving away a free hat with purchase. 🤣🤣🤣.

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Price is similar. ESP goes $37+filter in AZ or AAP.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I do understand that there are no discernible differences between both oils. But like everyone else here I was just looking for real time information, opinions, suggestions from members who are more lube savvy than I. As far as the warranty concerns I do maintain my vehicles religiously at 5K OCI’S so I would hope that would be good enough at keeping the warranty denier’s at bay. As you stated if you went to a dealership today and asked anyone in the service department about ILSAC, ACEA, or API they would most likely not have a clue. I just may put that to a little test next time I go to dealership I will bring a can of the oil I started out with and ask if this is ok.🤣

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Dad used that oil religiously. Lol
 
Not directly answering your question here, but I decided on the Valvoline Euro 5W-30 XL-III for my new Mazda CX-9 (2.5L turbo) after some research. I was considering the same Mobil 1 you are and one of the Pennzoil Euro 5W-30 (I forget the difference between the L and LX). At a little less than 15K miles, I've only had 2 oil changes (5K OCI), but all indications are that is working fine.

Full disclosure, I think there was a BOGO or similar on the Valvoline website at the time, so that may have swayed my decision making a bit, and I bought a few 5qt jugs for my CX-9 and my college son's GDI Hyundai Sonata.
 
Not directly answering your question here, but I decided on the Valvoline Euro 5W-30 XL-III for my new Mazda CX-9 (2.5L turbo) after some research. I was considering the same Mobil 1 you are and one of the Pennzoil Euro 5W-30 (I forget the difference between the L and LX). At a little less than 15K miles, I've only had 2 oil changes (5K OCI), but all indications are that is working fine.

Full disclosure, I think there was a BOGO or similar on the Valvoline website at the time, so that may have swayed my decision making a bit, and I bought a few 5qt jugs for my CX-9 and my college son's GDI Hyundai Sonata.
Glad to here that the Valvoline is working out for you. But I actually ran down to the AZ store yesterday before ordering the Valvoline. Well they were loaded up with 5w30 ESP so I decided to take a few jugs home with me. Figured I would try this out first seeing that is readily available right close to home.
 
At my AZ they've got the XLIII as well as two flavors of M1 ESP, the 5w30 and the 0w30. For the same price as the XLIII for a 5qt jug, I think I'll go with the 0w30 ESP for my next OCI on the Benz.

It has had a strict diet of M1 ESP 5w30 for the last 40k-ish miles and it's performing great, but I do like the slight improvement in the cold start flow of the 0w30 especially for the upcoming winter in the Midwest.
 
At my AZ they've got the XLIII as well as two flavors of M1 ESP, the 5w30 and the 0w30. For the same price as the XLIII for a 5qt jug, I think I'll go with the 0w30 ESP for my next OCI on the Benz.

It has had a strict diet of M1 ESP 5w30 for the last 40k-ish miles and it's performing great, but I do like the slight improvement in the cold start flow of the 0w30 especially for the upcoming winter in the Midwest.
Walmart is now the place to get ESP in the 0W-30 flavor...about $10 cheaper per 5 quart jug near me compared to AZ or O'Reilly.
 
ESP 0w-30 is API SL whereas 5w-30 is API SP if that makes a difference. I read somewhere that it was a matter of having a little too much phosphorous content which wouldn’t not make a practical difference. I’m seriously thinking about running either the Valvoline XL-III or the Mobil1 5w-30 ESP in my Toyota. Likely the Valvoline XL-III because the website says that it also exceeds ILSAC GF-6A requirements so it meets all specs for Toyota.
 
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ESP 0w-30 is API SL whereas 5w-30 is API SP if that makes a difference. I’m seriously thinking about running either the Valvoline XL-III or the Mobil1 5w-30 ESP in my Toyota. Likely the Valvoline XL-III because the website says that it also exceeds ILSAC GF-6A requirements so it meets all specs for Toyota.
Plus the API SP engine test requirements. The fact that it doesn’t qualify for the bench test requirements is typically regarded as a benefit, not a detriment.

But that’s probably just me. With VW 504 00 approval I don’t care about an API license.
 
ESP 0w-30 is API SL whereas 5w-30 is API SP if that makes a difference. I read somewhere that it was a matter of having a little too much phosphorous content which wouldn’t not make a practical difference. I’m seriously thinking about running either the Valvoline XL-III or the Mobil1 5w-30 ESP in my Toyota. Likely the Valvoline XL-III because the website says that it also exceeds ILSAC GF-6A requirements so it meets all specs for Toyota.
It does. ESP 0W30 has better additive package. Higher ZDDP.
 
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