Pennzoil Lineup Showdown on Project Farm

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No, I clearly said I wasn't going to watch.

Humour me, tell me what the "interesting results" are and what the parameters of the tests being performed are.

If you saw the recent thread from Engineering Explained where they were with Mobil in their engine testing lab, there were some important statements made by Mobil regarding how they set their own performance targets for their tiers of products. These are performance targets captured under the existing testing protocols, but Mobil imposes their own limits, much stricter than what the API mandates.

So, Mobil 1 EP is held to a higher standard in these tests than Mobil 1 for example. So yes, both products have the same approvals on the bottle, but one, via internal testing, has to do significantly better than not only the test limits, but than its sibling product in the "lesser" product line.

The allusion being made in this thread is that PF has provided "proof" that Pennzoil, who is essentially marketing what Mobil has stated unequivocally that they DO with their products, is in fact selling an inferior product as the superior product. Does that pass the smell tt
I refuse to type an entire page of text, you didn't watch the video, so before you keep downing it maybe understand you missed the entire point. Its simply comparing Pennzoil products in a simple but some what useful way.
 
I refuse to type an entire page of text, you didn't watch the video, so before you keep downing it maybe understand you missed the entire point. Its simply comparing Pennzoil products in a simple but some what useful way.

Here's the thread on the Engineering Explained video that tours the Mobil engine testing lab. I've linked my own post so you can see my personal comments on it, but, I suggest watching the video and reading the rest of the thread as well:


Listen, I understand the desire to infer something meaningful from these videos, but unless there were engines run under controlled conditions and then torn down and analyzed, the odds of the video providing anything of value beyond entertainment are incredibly low. Since I know PF doesn't have the budget to perform controlled engine tear-down analysis, I can safely conclude that those commenting on the perceived value here are doing so because it scratches that nice itch that they learned something meaningful rather than just wasting their time.
 
The TL;DW boils down to this chart at the end:

PF-Pennzoil.jpg

Seems the solid choices based on the tests performed would be Ultra Platinum or Synthetic. Platinum doesn't seem to be worth the premium compared to Synthetic.

For most, any of these would probably do fine if changed on a timely basis.
 
The TL;DW boils down to this chart at the end:

View attachment 104544
Seems the solid choices based on the tests performed would be Ultra Platinum or Synthetic. Platinum doesn't seem to be worth the premium compared to Synthetic.

For most, any of these would probably do fine if changed on a timely basis.
So a 1-armed bandit, some sort of oil "cooker", inference that PPM on a VOA/UOA is meaningful, that TBN depletion is linear and what, a freezer test? Good grief.
 
Here's the thread on the Engineering Explained video that tours the Mobil engine testing lab. I've linked my own post so you can see my personal comments on it, but, I suggest watching the video and reading the rest of the thread as well:


Listen, I understand the desire to infer something meaningful from these videos, but unless there were engines run under controlled conditions and then torn down and analyzed, the odds of the video providing anything of value beyond entertainment are incredibly low. Since I know PF doesn't have the budget to perform controlled engine tear-down analysis, I can safely conclude that those commenting on the perceived value here are doing so because it scratches that nice itch that they learned something meaningful rather than just wasting their time.
No thanks not going to watch a video paid for by mobil about mobil products 😊
 
So a 1-armed bandit, some sort of oil "cooker", inference that PPM on a VOA/UOA is meaningful, that TBN depletion is linear and what, a freezer test? Good grief.
Hmm… a repeatable test with similar results. It does not matter to you. But why are you so concerned that others choose to use that info for their choice. Are you saying that Pennzoil is a bad oil?
 
How about one from Valvoline?



I think he's made it abundantly clear that he has an intense aversion to anything produced by the oil manufacturers and considers all of it suspect at best, and downright malicious lies as the more likely characterization. Quite unfortunate as the Engineering Explained video is pretty good for something sponsored by an oil company, and Mobil's discussion of their own testing limits relative to the industry standards is quite valuable, dare I say revealing.
 
I think he's made it abundantly clear that he has an intense aversion to anything produced by the oil manufacturers and considers all of it suspect at best, and downright malicious lies as the more likely characterization. Quite unfortunate as the Engineering Explained video is pretty good for something sponsored by an oil company, and Mobil's discussion of their own testing limits relative to the industry standards is quite valuable, dare I say revealing.
Wow amazing assumptions you have made because I didn't watch your video.. Before making such accusations you should remove your personal emotions from conversation.
 
Hmm… a repeatable test with similar results. It does not matter to you. But why are you so concerned that others choose to use that info for their choice. Are you saying that Pennzoil is a bad oil?
Which is a repeatable test with similar results?

Bill, I'm going to stop you right here. You and I have had many run-ins in the last few months. Is this really how you want to present my criticism of the testing methodology employed by somebody with absolutely no affiliation with Pennzoil? That Pennzoil is "bad"? Stop and think for a minute and then perhaps revisit.

To answer your question though, no, I don't think Pennzoil is bad at all. I think this video doesn't provide anything of value with regards to how Pennzoil ranks and prices their own products and I do believe that they spend more on Platinum than they do on the products that fall below it on their ranking. That this can't be determined by some backyard rigged up contraptions shouldn't surprise anyone, these tests are performed for entertainment only, the issue is that despite that disclaimer, people are steadfast in their ascription of value that isn't there to them.
 
Wow amazing assumptions you have made because I didn't watch your video.. Before making such accusations you should remove your personal emotions from conversation.
Just calling it as I see it. There's no other logical reason to avoid the Engineering Explained video unless you consider it pure propaganda and of no value because of the source of its funding. Yes, I was having a little fun with hyperbole there, but it seemed appropriate given the nature of this thread.
 
Good grief.

Heck, I still buy $15 5 quart jugs of a 0W20 Dexos2 oil from Rural King for my 2012 Mazda and 2017 Rav4 and they've not self-destructed yet.
Any oil that meets modern specifications is going to work for run of the mill cars. As I mentioned before, it seems the Synthetic is the winner of the tests performed.
Does that mean the tests should inform your choice? Uh, maybe the cold flow, but that's probably about it. If I lived somewhere that regularly got to -40, I'd probably want the oil that did the best in the freezer race.
If I lived somewhere especially hot, I might want the one with the least evaporation.

I don't seem to lose oil in either of my vehicles over 7.5k-10k OCIs, so it's likely not evaporating.

Neither of my rides are direct injection and both get mostly highway driving, so chances are any fuel dilution is short lived.
Unless one is trying to combat a specific climate or weakness in their vehicle, any of these would probably work for you.
If I were choosing, I'd probably just go with the synthetic and call it a day.
 
Just calling it as I see it. There's no other logical reason to avoid the Engineering Explained video unless you consider it pure propaganda and of no value because of the source of its funding. Yes, I was having a little fun with hyperbole there, but it seemed appropriate given the nature of this thread.
Hey its ok to feel and believe what you like, personal emotions and belief aside, the project farm video is decent and does in fact have value.
 
Good grief.

Heck, I still buy $15 5 quart jugs of a 0W20 Dexos2 oil from Rural King for my 2012 Mazda and 2017 Rav4 and they've not self-destructed yet.
Any oil that meets modern specifications is going to work for run of the mill cars. As I mentioned before, it seems the Synthetic is the winner of the tests performed.
Does that mean the tests should inform your choice? Uh, maybe the cold flow, but that's probably about it. If I lived somewhere that regularly got to -40, I'd probably want the oil that did the best in the freezer race.
If I lived somewhere especially hot, I might want the one with the least evaporation.

I don't seem to lose oil in either of my vehicles over 7.5k-10k OCIs, so it's likely not evaporating.

Neither of my rides are direct injection and both get mostly highway driving, so chances are any fuel dilution is short lived.
Unless one is trying to combat a specific climate or weakness in their vehicle, any of these would probably work for you.
If I were choosing, I'd probably just go with the synthetic and call it a day.
That's the beauty of having the approvals system in place. One can confidently choose an approved product and expect, generally, to get acceptable service out of any of them, regardless of the price point.

Are there differences between these and the more "premium" offerings in a manufacturer's portfolio? Absolutely. But depending on your application, that may be of little to no value. Mobil's in-house limits on oxidation for example, is that going to matter if you aren't trying to run longer intervals or have an engine that's really hard on oil? Unlikely.

We do tend to obsess over the minutiae on here, but there is a pretty large group that just run whatever is on sale, and I have no problem with that, despite not being in that camp myself.
 
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