New member need some oil opinions

[Greenz]

Hello all,

I'm new here obviously. I have an '02 Mazda Protege 2.0 5spd manual with 85,500 miles. I just bought it in April and did two oil changes of conventional 10w30 for the spring and summer months. Winter is here and I want to switch to 5w30. I've been reading on here for a while and have been considering QS ultimate durability, and Pennzoil Conventional. QS is $19, and Pennzoil Conventional is $14.50 for the 5qt jug. I fall under severe driving due to frequent stop and go, and I want to know is there much of a difference between the two. Both are GF5, and SN approved.

As good as Pennzoil Conventional is, does it compare to a full synthetic like QS? My goal is to upgrade to pp after this oil change, but I didn't want to jump too soon w/o seeing if there were improved benefits from Pennzoil Conventional or Quaker State first. SOrry for the long post, but I've been trying to find the answer for this.

Thanks all.

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Greenz
As good as Pennzoil Conventional is, does it compare to a full synthetic like QS?


No. Go with the Quaker State Ultimate Durability. It comes to $14 for 5 quarts after MIR (see link below).

PP is a good oil. But if SOPUS (Shell - who makes Pennzoil and QS) keeps having rebates onQuaker State Ultimate Durability, just keep getting that. Both are good. QS might give you a little bit better oil life, PP a bit better cleaning. But not enough to make up for one having a rebate and the other not, IMO. I just switched out Vibe toQuaker State Ultimate Durability and it really likes it.

Link to rebate on QS:

http://www.quakerstate.com/#/promotions

 

[powayroger]

You can argue forever what synthetic is the best; you also have a price issue too. If you’re going with any synthetic, you can’t go bad. Now, depending on your drain mileage, you might want to look at the long haul synthetic. I use Mobil 1 and rarely go over 6000 miles between changes. I’ve been using Mobil 1 for decades and I’m happy with it.

 

[beast3300]

There isn't enough of a difference between synthetic and conventional as their used to be.

This next statement is generalized: The largest improvement or feature of synthetic oil would be longer oil change intervals and boosted cleaning.

I have using Pennzoil Conventional in my GF's protege for 80k miles now. If your doing 5k oil changes, then yellow bottle is really all you need in a non-turbo engine. I am quite happy with Pennzoil Conventional in her car. It gets 32mpg or so on the highway and that is all she drives it in.

Now seeing the mail in rebate for Quaker State Ultimate Durability then I would likely use it. That is a great price vs performance ratio there.

 

[Steve S]

The real syn oil advantage is if the oil temps run really high or you extend the oil change intervals or live in below 0*f climates or is required by the mfg. So you car doesn't seem to need syn. But if you feel better spending more $$$ than you have to go for it . I waste my $$$ in other ways.

 

[fdcg27]

First off, welcome to BITOG.
This is a fun site, and the best place on the 'net to learn about automotive fluids, not just engine oil.
To answer your original question, any 5w30 will work well in your car on 5K drain intervals.
You live where it gets fairly cold, so you might consider Mobil 1 0w30 for winter.
Castrol Edge 5w30 might also be a good winter oil, since it is fairly thin.
Any 5w30 should be fine for your car.
As to which one is best, read the forums, and I think you'll find that there is no real answer.

 

[Greenz]

Thanks for all the responses. My local AAP has Quaker State Ultimate Durability for $3.99/qt. I was on the fence about Quaker State Ultimate Durability, but I figure I would use Pennzoil Conventional and call it a day. I don't necessarily want longer change intervals, I'm more concerned about engine cleaning and performance. I'm trying not to fall into the hype, so if Pennzoil Conventional can give me what I need I'll just stick with that.

 

[Greenz]

Just to add, my car doesn't burn any oil and the dipstick always shows full even after 3k miles.