I’m almost done with a cycle of AutoRX and debating between sticking with PYB or Castrol GTX for the remainder of the time I own my cars. Both of these are the same price at 15.XX per/5qt jug at Walmart in my area. In fact, I’d rather price not be discussed in regard to my question. Between these two, is Pennzoil pretty much and always the hands-down choice?
New Choice between GTX or PYB?
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Pyb
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Between the two I would choose GTX, but either will be fine. I don't believe anyone can accurately gauge the performance of an oil or it's additive pack by looking at data from a simple VOA.
Everybody use GTX up here in NYC. Pennzoil is my choice
Well if it holds up for NYC driving, it must be good stuff!
Originally Posted By: skyship
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Problem is GTX is usually not cheap here in the states, costing more than most other conventionals. He wasn't asking about grades, he was asking how they compare to each other. Here the most common grades are 5w30 and 5w-20 now. 10w-40 and thicker is "old school".
VOA/UOA only pick up metallic additive which is the only part of the picture we can see. There are newer organic additives that we can not see with a voa/uoa.
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Problem is GTX is usually not cheap here in the states, costing more than most other conventionals. He wasn't asking about grades, he was asking how they compare to each other. Here the most common grades are 5w30 and 5w-20 now. 10w-40 and thicker is "old school".
VOA/UOA only pick up metallic additive which is the only part of the picture we can see. There are newer organic additives that we can not see with a voa/uoa.
Last edited:
10/40 is not old school it is cheap school (Or cheapish if not on special offer). A 5w30 or 40 is a better idea, but they tend to be more expensive.
I regard 15w40 as a truck oil that is tough on the cold start wear factors and even tougher on starters, alternators and batteries.
In the end you often get what you pay for and supermarket 15w40's are less than the price of cooking oil.
Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: skyship
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Problem is GTX is usually not cheap here in the states, costing more than most other conventionals. He wasn't asking about grades, he was asking how they compare to each other. Here the most common grades are 5w30 and 5w-20 now. 10w-40 and thicker is "old school".
VOA/UOA only pick up metallic additive which is the only part of the picture we can see. There are newer organic additives that we can not see with a voa/uoa.
I regard 15w40 as a truck oil that is tough on the cold start wear factors and even tougher on starters, alternators and batteries.
In the end you often get what you pay for and supermarket 15w40's are less than the price of cooking oil.
Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: skyship
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Problem is GTX is usually not cheap here in the states, costing more than most other conventionals. He wasn't asking about grades, he was asking how they compare to each other. Here the most common grades are 5w30 and 5w-20 now. 10w-40 and thicker is "old school".
VOA/UOA only pick up metallic additive which is the only part of the picture we can see. There are newer organic additives that we can not see with a voa/uoa.
Originally Posted By: Mark72
Between these two, is Pennzoil pretty much and always the hands-down choice?
Only on the boards, most adverts on tv and autoshop fronts are Castrol. Can only assume the general public and woo'd by that.
Between these two, is Pennzoil pretty much and always the hands-down choice?
Only on the boards, most adverts on tv and autoshop fronts are Castrol. Can only assume the general public and woo'd by that.
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
PYB over GTX on the strength of its additive package. Also you could consider VWB, as its adpak is nearly identical to GTX.
This is a DP used with primal basestocks - used in all bottom of the market stuff like PYB, HAV DS, QSGB, kendal GT1. MC5k and eXxon superflo 3K had the best basestocks but so so DI. I am Currently liking (against my recommendations)an October Halloween FrankenBlend of 1qt MCSS 5w20, 1qt QSGB 5w20, 1qt SM Syntec 5w20, and a pint of PP5w20 and a cup of Idemitsu 0w20.
PYB over GTX on the strength of its additive package. Also you could consider VWB, as its adpak is nearly identical to GTX.
This is a DP used with primal basestocks - used in all bottom of the market stuff like PYB, HAV DS, QSGB, kendal GT1. MC5k and eXxon superflo 3K had the best basestocks but so so DI. I am Currently liking (against my recommendations)an October Halloween FrankenBlend of 1qt MCSS 5w20, 1qt QSGB 5w20, 1qt SM Syntec 5w20, and a pint of PP5w20 and a cup of Idemitsu 0w20.
In these parts a 10W40 HDEO is rare to impossible to find. In the old days GTX had a CF rating, but it's never been updated to newer diesel specs in the U.S.
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
PYB over GTX on the strength of its additive package. Also you could consider VWB, as its adpak is nearly identical to GTX.
This is a DP used with primal basestocks - used in all bottom of the market stuff like PYB, HAV DS, QSGB, kendal GT1. MC5k and eXxon superflo 3K had the best basestocks but so so DI. I am Currently liking (against my recommendations)an October Halloween FrankenBlend of 1qt MCSS 5w20, 1qt QSGB 5w20, 1qt SM Syntec 5w20, and a pint of PP5w20 and a cup of Idemitsu 0w20.
Thats just too much work for an oil change for me.
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
PYB over GTX on the strength of its additive package. Also you could consider VWB, as its adpak is nearly identical to GTX.
This is a DP used with primal basestocks - used in all bottom of the market stuff like PYB, HAV DS, QSGB, kendal GT1. MC5k and eXxon superflo 3K had the best basestocks but so so DI. I am Currently liking (against my recommendations)an October Halloween FrankenBlend of 1qt MCSS 5w20, 1qt QSGB 5w20, 1qt SM Syntec 5w20, and a pint of PP5w20 and a cup of Idemitsu 0w20.
Thats just too much work for an oil change for me.
Also , PYB is one of the best, if not THE best, conventional PCMOs on the market, unless GTX is free or close to it, no contest!
PYB looks better in VOA's but GTX produces excellent UOA's use either with confidence. What do you like better? That's what you should choose.
PYB is the one I would use. In my mind it is not even close...
Point being there are no common everday cars in the US that spec a 10w-40 in a petrol engine, hence why I called it old school. 10w-40 is not any cheaper here, most grades of the same oil are the same price.
Cooking oil is cheap here, $5 can have you a gallon jug and it doesnt have the API doughnut for certification. As long as a motor oil has the API doughnut with the correct specification for your application, you'll be ok regardless of price.
Originally Posted By: skyship
10/40 is not old school it is cheap school (Or cheapish if not on special offer). A 5w30 or 40 is a better idea, but they tend to be more expensive.
I regard 15w40 as a truck oil that is tough on the cold start wear factors and even tougher on starters, alternators and batteries.
In the end you often get what you pay for and supermarket 15w40's are less than the price of cooking oil.
Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: skyship
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Problem is GTX is usually not cheap here in the states, costing more than most other conventionals. He wasn't asking about grades, he was asking how they compare to each other. Here the most common grades are 5w30 and 5w-20 now. 10w-40 and thicker is "old school".
VOA/UOA only pick up metallic additive which is the only part of the picture we can see. There are newer organic additives that we can not see with a voa/uoa.
Cooking oil is cheap here, $5 can have you a gallon jug and it doesnt have the API doughnut for certification. As long as a motor oil has the API doughnut with the correct specification for your application, you'll be ok regardless of price.
Originally Posted By: skyship
10/40 is not old school it is cheap school (Or cheapish if not on special offer). A 5w30 or 40 is a better idea, but they tend to be more expensive.
I regard 15w40 as a truck oil that is tough on the cold start wear factors and even tougher on starters, alternators and batteries.
In the end you often get what you pay for and supermarket 15w40's are less than the price of cooking oil.
Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: skyship
Which Castrol GTX and which Penn oil are you looking at?? The viscosity range choice is very important and if it is OK for your car, the Castrol 5w30 GTX is one of best cheap oils around and in UOA results in Germany and the US that were average out for older BMW's it beat Mobil 1 synthetic and was nearly as good as Castrol Edge, although it does not last as long as an HC or full synthetic.
The most expensive fully synthetic oils from Liqui Moly do not use actual Moly anymore as there are better additives in use.
If I was in the US I would use GTX for a petrol car (5/30 or 10/40) or Magnetec 10/40 for a diesel if I did not want to spend money on an expensive oil, BUT check the Castrol oil finder guide for more info on recommended oils.
Originally Posted By: volk06
PYB has one of the best additive packages out there for a conventional. 2400ppm of CA, 250ppm of Moly, and 100ppm of Boron and a TBN of 8.3. GTX uses a "weaker" additive package of 1700 of CA, 425 ppm of sodium, tbn of 6.2 and no moly.
Problem is GTX is usually not cheap here in the states, costing more than most other conventionals. He wasn't asking about grades, he was asking how they compare to each other. Here the most common grades are 5w30 and 5w-20 now. 10w-40 and thicker is "old school".
VOA/UOA only pick up metallic additive which is the only part of the picture we can see. There are newer organic additives that we can not see with a voa/uoa.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Mark72
In fact, I’d rather price not be discussed in regard to my question. Between these two, is Pennzoil pretty much and always the hands-down choice?
For me, I'm a bit on the fence. I do prefer how PYB looks on paper, and many of us do. If Castrol would actually publish proper data sheets and not rely on the PQIA to provide the information, the prevailing opinion might differ.
Taking into consideration the weird Canadian marketplace, if I were in such a position and both oils were the same price, if I were driving something newer using normal grades (i.e. 5w-20, 5w30), I'd stick to PYB. If I needed a more obscure grade (i.e. 10w-40 or 20w-50), I'd stick to GTX, since they have many more grades more widely available up here. Heck, Castrol has no less than three distinct 15w40 options on our shelves.
In fact, I’d rather price not be discussed in regard to my question. Between these two, is Pennzoil pretty much and always the hands-down choice?
For me, I'm a bit on the fence. I do prefer how PYB looks on paper, and many of us do. If Castrol would actually publish proper data sheets and not rely on the PQIA to provide the information, the prevailing opinion might differ.
Taking into consideration the weird Canadian marketplace, if I were in such a position and both oils were the same price, if I were driving something newer using normal grades (i.e. 5w-20, 5w30), I'd stick to PYB. If I needed a more obscure grade (i.e. 10w-40 or 20w-50), I'd stick to GTX, since they have many more grades more widely available up here. Heck, Castrol has no less than three distinct 15w40 options on our shelves.
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