store brand motor oil

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also, kroger is having a Pennzoil conventional sale for 3.50 a quart, that's a pretty good price, right? at walmart, it's 4.24 and usually at kroger and o'reilly's, it's 5 something a quart, so should I stock up on Pennzoil conventional?
 
speaking of kroger, they have a "mototech" oil at kroger
that's cheaper than the other oils

is mototech reputable and who makes it?
 
Follow Bud_One's advice and visit PQIA's website. Any major brand conventional/synthetic/synthetic blend API SM/SN, ILSAC GF-4 presenting the doughnut and starburst certification ( and dexos if req'd) stamps will do just fine. It all depends what additives you like (if it matters at all), Moly, Boron, Sodium and Titanium being the main ones discussed here. Most important though, are those certifications.
 
You should probably make an appearance in the oil filters forum.
You'll there find threads of what appear to be some store brand filters cut open.
They do appear to be of generally solid construction.
It appears that there are many quality private label filters out there, although you appear not to have notice this.
It appears to me that a filter disection is an entirely empirical method of determining construction quality, although it appears that you may differ with me in that regard.
 
Well as why I use Pennzoil Conventional over Formula Shell is Pennzoil Conventional has a lot higher market presence. Pennzoil Conventional is the number one selling PCMO in North America. The last time I checked Pennzoil Conventional sells more quarts of oil than rest of the top 5 selling PCMO's combined. Often I can find Pennzoil Conventional on special for less than 2.99 a quart which is the price I normally find Formula Shell for. When it is time for a oil change and I can not find Pennzoil Conventional on sale then FS is up to bat.
 
so formula shell is a very good oil, yet it's cheap, so I should use that instead of meijer brand or supertech oil? but if I want a cheap synthetic, I shoudl use supertech synthetic since they don't have formula shell in synthetic?

how is gulf motor oil? is is liek formula shell or is it bad quality? I heard peak was bad quality, they make good coolant but bad motor oil.

how's chevron supreme? is it like havoline or a downgrade from havoline? I've also heard good things about chevron supreme, and though it's wxpensive at o'reilly's, it's very cheap at costco
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
so formula shell is a very good oil, yet it's cheap, so I should use that instead of meijer brand or supertech oil? but if I want a cheap synthetic, I shoudl use supertech synthetic since they don't have formula shell in synthetic?

how is gulf motor oil? is is liek formula shell or is it bad quality? I heard peak was bad quality, they make good coolant but bad motor oil.

how's chevron supreme? is it like havoline or a downgrade from havoline? I've also heard good things about chevron supreme, and though it's wxpensive at o'reilly's, it's very cheap at costco
all the oils you just listed will just fine in your vehicle as long as you follow the appropriate mileage for the oil. I like Formula Shell and Quaker State the best. Pennzoil Conventional is loved by many. Choose the one with the best price and beat colored packaging.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
so formula shell is a very good oil, yet it's cheap, so I should use that instead of meijer brand or supertech oil? but if I want a cheap synthetic, I shoudl use supertech synthetic since they don't have formula shell in synthetic?

how is gulf motor oil? is is liek formula shell or is it bad quality? I heard peak was bad quality, they make good coolant but bad motor oil.

how's chevron supreme? is it like havoline or a downgrade from havoline? I've also heard good things about chevron supreme, and though it's wxpensive at o'reilly's, it's very cheap at costco


Formula Shell synthetic is good if you can find it. Menards has it. If not the closet product to FSS is Quaker State Ultimate Durability. Super Tech and Mejier brands are a good value.

Chevron is close enough to identical to Havoline for me. Both are very good. I used a lot of Chevron in the past when I could buy it for 49 or 59 cents a quart about 7 years ago.
 
I honestly believe that at regular prices (not sales or clearance--which most "sales" aren't even that good) Walmart is hard to beat. Mobil 1, Mobil 1 Extended Performance, Pennzoil Ultra, Pennzoil Platinum are all the same price ($25) and the Super Tech oils are good. I have used Super Tech oils a lot in the accord without any trouble and am over 471k miles. at $13 for 5qt jug for Super Tech or Mobil Super 5000 is hard to beat
 
i've heard purolator's been having high rates of media failure recently. is that true? the classics are available for cheap at walmart and meijer has classics pretty cheap, though 2 cents more than at Walmart, just like Mobil 1 is 2 cents more expensive at meijer (nothing beats walmart, but i sometimes go to meijer as well, i mean, c'mon, it's 2 cents, plus meijer supports the midwestern economy since it's a regional store), but wally doens't have the purolator pureones, whereas meijer has the pureones for 5 something each. i was seriously considering getting lots of purolators for their good price and good repuation, but after hearing about their high rates of media failure, i'm not sure

it can't be worse than a fram orange can, can it?

and the high mileage fram filters are decent, right? They say they disperse additives, do the filters really? are the high mileage fram the best frams and the only fram worth buying, since the other frams are apprently bad?
 
it's like this guy is a walking BITOG parody

There's nothing wrong with the orange can, it works perfectly fine for its intended intervals (3-5k) and there is little more than anecdotal evidence about the puro classic failures being bad.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
What about cheap formula shell? How does that compare to Pennzoil? Formula shell is store brand cheap.

It's fine. Go look at the PQIA site on the 5w30 comparison VOAS.

Some people claim that Pennzoil Conventional, Quaker State Conventional, and Formula Shell are the same oil in different bottles. I don't believe that. However, I wouldn't use the VOAs from the PQIA site as evidence of my position, since they show things to be the same within expected laboratory error.
 
The Fram extra guard is identical to the high mileage except for the high mileage additive basket. Both are superior to the Purolator's classic in my opinion with the glass blended media while the classic is all cellulose.

The best Fram filter is the Ultra which is rated for 15,000 miles and has the only dual layer synthetic media on the market. IIt's also 99%+ efficient at 20 microns.

The tough guard is similar to the extra guard but use more robust media and has the superior Silicone anti drain back valve for 10k mile oil change intervals it's rated at. The paint job is also a little stronger on the TG for 10k changes. The media uses more synthetic material and is 99% efficient at 20 microns.

The extra guard is 95% @20 microns.

I suggest you look at their website for more data.

http://www.fram.com/

If you click on the picture of each filter it shows cutaways.
 
is the ultra, "silver can" really that great? how does it compare to a similarly priced purolator pureone?

what about that compared to a motorcraft?
Why do peopel knock on fram so much on this site if it's "not that bad, and possibly high quality?"
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
is the ultra, "silver can" really that great? how does it compare to a similarly priced Purolator Pureone?

What about that compared to a Motorcraft?
Why do people knock on Fram so much on this site if it's "not that bad, and possibly high quality?"


ANY FILTER by a reputable manufacturer will last the 3-5k miles you say your OCIs have been. People here are running filters 10k miles and more, so getting a premium filter is a requirement for them.

Your car...and the short term miles of your OCI...does not require any "premium" filter, anymore than it requires a premium oil.

However, using an OVERSIZE filter (Pure1 for the Camry V6, or the Motorcraft) with an ADDITIONAL 1/2 quart oil to fill it may have the advantage of quieting the engine...THIS WOULD NOT CHANGE THE LEVEL ON THE DIPSTICK since the extra oil is in the filter and not measured by the dipstick.

A full crankcase of oil does quiet my engine a bit (more oil = more sound "deadening material" in the engine)...something I have noticed after an oil change when replacing 3 quarts of oil (when the oil level is at "L" on the dipstick) with 4 quarts to bring the oil to "F" on the dipstick...I don't believe that that sound reduction is due to "NEW" oil since I change the synthetic oil at no more than 7k miles...but the engine is definitely quieter....

From now on I will "top-off" the oil, adding 1/2 quart @ 4k miles, and changing the oil @ 8k miles...

...but again, since you change oil @ 3-5k miles this is not a practice that would be of any use for you, UNLESS your car consumes more than 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles (dipstick level dropping below "L" in 1000 miles)...something you've not suggested is an issue with your engine...and your engine, running the specified 5w30 oil will be properly lubricated so long as the dipstick level is between "L" and "F"...something you definitely should keep an eye on regularly...the one practice, given your not-out-of-the-ordinary concern with oil, you should do every week.
 
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sounds good.

Any thoughts on gulf brand motor oil? what about gulf synthetic? i can get a gulf synthetic OC for 49 at a quick lube with a mighty filter, is gulf any good (conventional or synthetic) and how does this compare to formula shell?
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
sounds good.

Any thoughts on gulf brand motor oil? what about gulf synthetic? i can get a gulf synthetic OC for 49 at a quick lube with a mighty filter, is gulf any good (conventional or synthetic) and how does this compare to formula shell?


Why?...it doesn't matter to your engine....

You could name every name brand of oil from A to Z and not get a better answer than you've already gotten...

ANY BRAND NAME SN-RATED 5w30 oil will SATISFY your ENGINE'S needs for 5k miles...ANY conventional, blend or synthetic oil will do...as I have already said, as others have already said, here and on ToyotaNation...

You could list EVERY brand and the answer would be the same. Really.
 
But i want "good oil"
Not just "any oil" like getting good gas instead of cheap gas with less additives.

Why are u, kitacam, being so belligerent?
 
Any store brand oil with a API license is a good oil. Buy one use and follow the recommendation for OCI's in your owners manual then you have nothing to worry about.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
But i want "good oil"
Not just "any oil" like getting good gas instead of cheap gas with less additives.

Why are u, kitacam, being so belligerent?


I'm not being belligerent at all...PERSISTENT yes...that just as EVERYONE here who has tried to explain to no avail, that for your car, for your use, THE FACT IS, all brand name SN oils are GOOD...you don't wish to accept the advice offered here and on other forums in over hundreds of posts, okay...that's your choice...but that doesn't change the facts.

Just as recommended here:
Originally Posted By: dave1251
Any store brand oil with a API license is a good oil. Buy one use and follow the recommendation for OCI's in your owners manual then you have nothing to worry about.
 
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