Pennzoil High Mileage Question (also VML)

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I tried searching the site, but didn't quite find what I was looking for? Is Pennzoil High Mileage a conventional oil or a synthetic blend? I know they now offer a synthetic version, but I'm talking about the traditional brown bottle.

The Pennzoil site says "Pennzoil® High Mileage Vehicle® is a Pennzoil® conventional motor oil that has been enhanced with a unique combination of special conditioning agents and additives to help stop leaks from seals and reduce the oil consumption that is typical of older, worn engines. It’s a motor oil that is specifically designed for new or late model vehicles with over 75,000 miles, to help keep the engines running clean and going strong a long time, month after month and year after year."

Which sounds a lot like Valvoline's Max Life which is described as

"Valvoline MaxLife™ is specially designed to fight the four major causes of engine breakdown: leaks, deposits, friction and sludge. Through its advanced synthetic blend formulation, it supplies boosted wear protection, special seal conditioners, added detergents and anti-oxidant additives that help to maximize the life of an engine. Specially formulated to meet the needs of cars as they age past 75,000 miles, and its advanced formula can also be utilized in newer cars to help prevent the causes of engine breakdown before they ever begin"

So even though Pennzoil is conventional with added engine supplements it is still considered conventional. Is this because of the base oil it's built on? And that would mean what as far as Max Life goes? From what This Website shows, it looks like the main difference in the addpacks is, the maxlife has Sodium and the pennzoil basically doesn't, but the penzzoil has moly and boron and the maxlife pretty much doesn't. And the rest of the stuff is fairly similar and just varies in amounts.

I know these have been compared before, but what's the big difference after all is said and done?

Thanks for any reply's, I'm not trying to start a war here, just curious as usual.
-Ga129
 
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I asked the question(blend or conventional) about Pennzoil High Mileage during the Q&A, and Pennzoil said it was a conventional.
 
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I am using the Pennzoil HM now, but I got the $20 rebate on Valvoline MaxLife, so it's going in this week because I got it for free. Otherwise, I would have bought Pennzoil HM again. I can say the Pennzoil was quieter running than Mobil Super 5000 high mileage, and the Pennzoil stopped an oil weep from the oil pan gasket. It's very good oil I think.
 
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I'm running Pennzoil HM as well and It's been good. I recently bought some Maxlife to have as top-off oil because I got it on close out. I've used Maxlife in the past and I can't really tell a difference, but I think I'm going to keep using the Pennzoil.
 
i always favored PHM but only in the summer it seems it is blended on the thick side and maybe a little to thick for the winter.
 
Pennzoil High Mileage is conventional, as it is advertised.

Valvoline MaxLife is synthetic blend, as it is also advertised.

Simple enough, right?
 
All I do know is that MaxLife has an add pack that most of it does not show up on an oil analysis, and it is a Dexos rated oil too. On the other hand, a lot of the add pack for Pennzoil HM does show up on an oil analysis, and it is just SN rated and not resource conserving either.

If the rain will ever stop, I will get the MaxLife blend in this week, and I plan on using it for 5,000 miles which is the longest I have ever gone between OCI's.
 
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Because Valvoline takes some conventional oil and then they take some synthetic oil and mix it together and then add some high mileage additives. Pennzoil only uses conventional oil and then adds high mileage additives. The additives used by each company are different and so are the base oils which is why Pennzoil may perform equal to and possibly better than the Valvoline oil that has some synthetic in it.

...I think...
 
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Originally Posted By: Fordai
Because Valvoline takes some conventional oil and then they take some synthetic oil and mix it together and then add some high mileage additives. Pennzoil only uses conventional oil and then adds high mileage additives.


Yeah, pretty much explains it.

+1
 
Originally Posted By: BigD1
I am using the Pennzoil HM now, but I got the $20 rebate on Valvoline MaxLife, so it's going in this week because I got it for free. Otherwise, I would have bought Pennzoil HM again. I can say the Pennzoil was quieter running than Mobil Super 5000 high mileage, and the Pennzoil stopped an oil weep from the oil pan gasket. It's very good oil I think.


I agree. I just put PHM in the truck with a wix filter and it runs better than the Havoline 5w-30 I had put in there previously because it was 1.99qt
 
I looked at the PQIA website. IMO the synthetic in Maxlife shows in physical tests. Viscosity @ -30C and NOACK numbers are a little better than Pennzoil's numbers.
 
Originally Posted By: BigD1
All I do know is that MaxLife has an add pack that most of it does not show up on an oil analysis, and it is a Dexos rated oil too. On the other hand, a lot of the add pack for Pennzoil HM does show up on an oil analysis, and it is just SN rated and not resource conserving either.

If the rain will ever stop, I will get the MaxLife blend in this week, and I plan on using it for 5,000 miles which is the longest I have ever gone between OCI's.


That is interesting. It will keep a louder engine quieter for the full OCI because in theory it won't thin out like resource conserving oil does.

I might try it in my 12 Jeep Patriot.
 
Originally Posted By: jorton
I looked at the PQIA website. IMO the synthetic in Maxlife shows in physical tests. Viscosity @ -30C and NOACK numbers are a little better than Pennzoil's numbers.


Seems strange that the the Viscosity @ -30C tested at 5,126 but on the Valvoline website, the value is listed at 5,900.
 
I always thought Penzoil Yellow Bottle had some synthetic in it? So I assume the PHM would be a semi?? Regardless, its a great oil that seems to be very quiet.
 
If quiet is your interest I would try the Pennzoil first. Loaded with moly and thicker than Maxlife. Both are top quality oils though have used both a lot and no complaints with either.
 
I love PHM, conventional or not.
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