My Quest For The Best Oil on the Planet

Navi said:
I have trucks with the Ford Ecoboost 3.5 Liter engine and Ford states its Motorcraft 5W30 Semi-Synth is the best for it..but through oil testing I was concerned with it. Basically the oil I put in was 5W30 and the oil I took out was 5W20...and Ford says it can last 10000 miles.

Over the years I settled on Mobil 1 Delvac ESP 5W40 and other 5W40 Euro oils. The Mobil 1 tested very well and was able to last at least 5000 miles without it falling to a 5W20.

So Ive decided to try Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30. The Ford tech on Youtube says to always use OEM parts listed in the manual except for the oil which he holds up the yellow Ultra Platinum 5W30 jug.

So I decided to give this a go in my 3.5 liter High Output Ecoboost to see how it goes. I do get about .5 mpg less using 5W40. One huge benefit in using 5W40 is it quiets down the engine and sounds very refined.

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum I understand is their answer to boutique oils like RedLine and Amsoil. Pennzoil basically decided to make the best oil possible.

I did try Amsoil 5W30 Signature Series in the past and its a great oil...problem is its expensive and hard to source. I got the Pennzoil jug at Walmart 5 quarts for $32....more expensive then other oils at Walmart but Amsoil and RedLine are way more expensive! Basically if an oil cant be sourced from Walmart it will ultimately be too much trouble to locate when you really need it.

So I will give this a go and in several weeks report back on my findings...sending virgin oil sample to Blackstone....

BTW...API SP

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Then why not buy HPL PCMO 5w30 in 5-gal buckets? This oil has been extensively tested in an incredibly difficult environment and proven capable at 15k OCI. You have several vehicles, so a 5-gal size makes sense, especially with your short OCIs. Why keep testing OTC oils that clearly aren’t capable of what you want, even at 4k OCI??
 
Navi said:
I did try Amsoil 5W30 Signature Series in the past and its a great oil...problem is its expensive and hard to source.
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How is online ordering hard?

Navi said:
I got the Pennzoil jug at Walmart 5 quarts for $32....more expensive then other oils at Walmart but Amsoil and RedLine are way more expensive! Basically if an oil cant be sourced from Walmart it will ultimately be too much trouble to locate when you really need it.
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Mods need to change the thread title to My Quest For The Best Oil on Walmart shelves.
 
If your yard stick for a good oil is the number of formal approvals it has passed (not claimed), then may I suggest Pennzoil Platinum Euro / Shell Helix Ultra 5W40

Specifications: API SP/CF; ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4; BMW LL-01; MB approval 229.5, 226.5; VW 502.00/505.00; Porsche A40; Renault RN0700, RN0710; PSA B71 2296, Ferrari. Meets the requirements of Fiat 9.55535-Z2 and Chrysler MS-10725
 
The above commenter is correct about the Walmart shelf. You could certainly go with Amsoil or Redline but the fact is its terribly inconvenient having to do business by mail-order. We have a Walmart here with a good library of oil.
An update on this thread is I got great results from Supertech Advanced oil. Suprisingly on par with PUP...
 
Navi said:
An update on this thread is I got great results from Supertech Advanced oil. Suprisingly on par with PUP...
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Not really. Compared to the VOA's:
- The Supertech had significantly more viscosity loss (percentage-wise)
- The PUP sample had fuel in it, while the Supertech didn't.

Ultimately, the Supertech suffered from mechanical shear and would have been out of grade, despite the much higher starting viscosity, had it experienced the same level of fuel dilution as the PUP sample, which exhibited almost no mechanical shear, but did suffer from a bit of visc loss due to fuel. All of this of course assuming Blackstone's numbers are accurate.
 
Navi said:
The above commenter is correct about the Walmart shelf. You could certainly go with Amsoil or Redline but the fact is its terribly inconvenient having to do business by mail-order. We have a Walmart here with a good library of oil.
An update on this thread is I got great results from Supertech Advanced oil. Suprisingly on par with PUP...
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Other than the space to store it, what’s inconvenient with ordering a 5-gal bucket or 55-gal drum? Seems to me with the quantity of vehicles your business has and the frequency you do oil changes, it would be fairly simple to plan ahead and know when you’d have to order the next replenishment?

As a side/serious note, with the rate you do oil changes have you ever considered doing a bypass filter setup with a sampling port? This would add several quarts of capacity & make the effects of dilution much less by volume, then you could sample & test without draining. It would also positively impact the filtration & therefore timing chain/phaser concerns, making a much longer OCI less concerning outside of just viscosity staying in grade. Your “wear” metals have never been concerning for a 3.5, so even though there’s some initial cost to adding the bypass filter, halving the frequency of your OCIs would have a significant, measurable financial and operational benefit. Just a thought.
 
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Navi said:
The above commenter is correct about the Walmart shelf. You could certainly go with Amsoil or Redline but the fact is its terribly inconvenient having to do business by mail-order. We have a Walmart here with a good library of oil.
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Doesn't it take more time to visit a Walmart in-person than it does to retrieve a package from your front door? Heck, I don't even pickup my Walmart oil in-person anymore, it gets delivered.
 
Having a 55 gallon drum or a 5 gallon pail may seem like a great buy, but when the oil leaks everywhere its not a great idea afterall. In order to get the oil out of the drum or pail it must be pumped out and most often into a large 6 quart size pitcher. It sounds great in theory, but after you keep doing this watch as you have oil all over the place and an industrial sized mess.

What is more in fashion nowadays is the "Bay Box" and there are racks which can hold multiple boxes. The boxes are easily stacked and stored and they contain 5 to 6 gallons of oil.

You have to look at your situation to see what makes the most sense for you. Sometimes good old bottles...the kind you find at Walmart...are the best solution versus boxes, pails or drums...
 
Navi said:
Having a 55 gallon drum or a 5 gallon pail may seem like a great buy, but when the oil leaks everywhere its not a great idea afterall. In order to get the oil out of the drum or pail it must be pumped out and most often into a large 6 quart size pitcher. It sounds great in theory, but after you keep doing this watch as you have oil all over the place and an industrial sized mess.

What is more in fashion nowadays is the "Bay Box" and there are racks which can hold multiple boxes. The boxes are easily stacked and stored and they contain 5 to 6 gallons of oil.

You have to look at your situation to see what makes the most sense for you. Sometimes good old bottles...the kind you find at Walmart...are the best solution versus boxes, pails or drums...
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There are racks that lay the bucket or barrel on its side, and have a regular spigot. I get the fact that it may take some getting used to or minor layout changes, but overall those reasons are excuses. And that’s fine if you choose not to use it; not arguing that, was just saying it seems like you tend to run a fairly tight PM plan and quantity purchases would help reduce some of your operating costs. There are many proven methods to handle bulk oil in safe and environmentally friendly methods. The fact that you’d also be able to ratchet up your engine protection at the same time would be a benefit as well✌️

BTW HPL does sell quarts and gallons as well 😜
 
I am looking at the box to be honest, but Ive had bad experiences with the pail. The drum is too large and cumbersome for my operation. I was going to contact Warren and see if the Mag 1 5W30 full synthetic box is the same as Supertech 5W30 Advanced. The pail mind you simply isnt as practically stored as the very stackable boxes.

I want to say my choice isnt for everyone. I enjoyed Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30, but found Warrens Advanced synthetic to be just as good and cheaper. For someone like yourself...and I take it you have a modified Subaru turbo...I think you are best served with a 5W40 HDEO. Any of them would do just fine. Also keep in mind I plan on 3k changes as suggested by the "Ford Tech Makuloco". I found a lot of the time that guy hits it right on the spot with Fords.

Someone who tows a lot, has a modified vehicle used for track or is in a very hot place like Arizona should look towards one of the HDEOs. Its all relative to your situation.
 
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