Supertech may be changing

[Navi]

Looks like we have gone off-track with this thread. I didnt read all the various replies. Lets just say SuperTech and other products made by Warren are actually pretty good. No complaints. It appears they competing against the Ultra Platinum. $26 for 5 quarts for the "advanced" version might seem expensive when Quaker State is at $21, but from my viewpoint they are trying to compete against Ultra Platinum which is now a $36 bottle. There is now 4 different versions of ST...with the cheapest being "all coverage" for $18 for 5 quarts. Maybe the Quaker State is more comparable to lesser versions of ST.

SuperTech 5W30 Full Synthetic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Full-Synthetic-SAE-5W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quarts/17133942 $20.38

Quaker State 5W30 Full Synthetic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Quaker-S...W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quart/177257743?athbdg=L1200 $22.97

So the price of SuperTech has not actually risen. They came out with 4 different lines of oil In each case when you compare the different lines to the product they are competing against the SuperTech comes out cheaper.

My lab test suggested that SuperTech "Advanced" does as good of a job as Ultra Platinum. So it is a great product. Furthermore, I like that I can grab a 5-quart can and a 1-quart can. Most oils only come in the 5 quart can now and so I have a lot of partially filled 5-quart containers hanging around. The goal is to have nothing left from the oil change and not a partially filled 5-quart can of oil.

 

[Shel_B]

The Mag1 site has according to the site updated their PDS as of this month. While ST may not change it is quite possible the batch tested may not be the most up to date product. I am just wondering if it is being cheapened after the forced takeover of Warren Distribution.

So, let's say that the final product now uses less expensive components but it still meets the same API certs, is there a problem with that? Do you have a problem with that?

 

[ron17571]

I just find more options online with Walmart. any major brand on sale will usually pass muster. ST did go up but switching from full synthetic to a blend brings the price down also.

 

[MParr]

Looks like we have gone off-track with this thread. I didnt read all the various replies. Lets just say SuperTech and other products made by Warren are actually pretty good. No complaints. It appears they competing against the Ultra Platinum. $26 for 5 quarts for the "advanced" version might seem expensive when Quaker State is at $21, but from my viewpoint they are trying to compete against Ultra Platinum which is now a $36 bottle. There is now 4 different versions of ST...with the cheapest being "all coverage" for $18 for 5 quarts. Maybe the Quaker State is more comparable to lesser versions of ST.

SuperTech 5W30 Full Synthetic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Full-Synthetic-SAE-5W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quarts/17133942 $20.38

Quaker State 5W30 Full Synthetic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Quaker-S...W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quart/177257743?athbdg=L1200 $22.97

So the price of SuperTech has not actually risen. They came out with 4 different lines of oil In each case when you compare the different lines to the product they are competing against the SuperTech comes out cheaper.

My lab test suggested that SuperTech "Advanced" does as good of a job as Ultra Platinum. So it is a great product. Furthermore, I like that I can grab a 5-quart can and a 1-quart can. Most oils only come in the 5 quart can now and so I have a lot of partially filled 5-quart containers hanging around. The goal is to have nothing left from the oil change and not a partially filled 5-quart can of oil.

You may have a point. I can see one of those four Super Tech oils being discontinued.
Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is a very rare bird in most Walmart stores. It can be ordered online from Walmart.
My local Walmart has the QS 5W40 Euro for the same $21.48 price as Quaker State Full Synthetic. I do think that the QS 5W40 Euro is a better oil than the Super Tech Advanced Full Synthetic.
Then, there is the Pennzoil Euro L 5W30 at $26.44.

 

[grampi]

There are times when a search doesn't tell you that much

I see this a lot. If I'm posting a question, I've usually already tried doing a search and wasn't able to find what I was looking for...

 

[PimTac]

Looks like we have gone off-track with this thread. I didnt read all the various replies. Lets just say SuperTech and other products made by Warren are actually pretty good. No complaints. It appears they competing against the Ultra Platinum. $26 for 5 quarts for the "advanced" version might seem expensive when Quaker State is at $21, but from my viewpoint they are trying to compete against Ultra Platinum which is now a $36 bottle. There is now 4 different versions of ST...with the cheapest being "all coverage" for $18 for 5 quarts. Maybe the Quaker State is more comparable to lesser versions of ST.

SuperTech 5W30 Full Synthetic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Full-Synthetic-SAE-5W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quarts/17133942 $20.38

Quaker State 5W30 Full Synthetic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Quaker-S...W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quart/177257743?athbdg=L1200 $22.97

So the price of SuperTech has not actually risen. They came out with 4 different lines of oil In each case when you compare the different lines to the product they are competing against the SuperTech comes out cheaper.

My lab test suggested that SuperTech "Advanced" does as good of a job as Ultra Platinum. So it is a great product. Furthermore, I like that I can grab a 5-quart can and a 1-quart can. Most oils only come in the 5 quart can now and so I have a lot of partially filled 5-quart containers hanging around. The goal is to have nothing left from the oil change and not a partially filled 5-quart can of oil.

Do you think HW is buying GTL base from Shell?

 

[grampi]

I think it's time to make Providence (Rual King's store brand) my new go to oil. It meets the necessary specs, and is now the least expensive oil that I've found...I also found out Providence is bottled by Warren Oil...

 

[grampi]

I'll add to this, Supertech is still the best deal if your definition of a deal is the cheapest product that meets the basic requirements. And that, for many people, is the whole sense of value. Many people don't care about comparing VOAs and such to get the "best" oil for the money, they just want oil. And there's no way that Walmart ever allows Supertech to become anything other than the cheapest oil they sell to maintain that crown.

I think their crown has been passed on. Like others have said, I too have found some of the name brand oils cheaper than ST at WM...

 

[TiGeo]

I see this a lot. If I'm posting a question, I've usually already tried doing a search and wasn't able to find what I was looking for...

If "search" is the only allowable thing here then close it down and leave it in-tact for eternity as a research source. Folks forget that forums are also a form of social media...even if it's not quite like FB etc. I get it....I also get annoyed when folks jump on forums/FB groups and ask simple questions where the answer could easily be found with 5 min of reading.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I see this a lot. If I'm posting a question, I've usually already tried doing a search and wasn't able to find what I was looking for...

I found the best way to search this site is to use a 3rd party search engine ( Google, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo! )
Many motor oil subjects of interest point back to here

 

[TiGeo]

I found the best way to search this site is to use a 3rd party search engine ( Google, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo! )
Many motor oil subjects of interest point back to here

Agreed - but I think the search engine here works fine. Being a crumudgeon and always responding with "search dumb@ass" though is a jerky move.

 

[motorguy222]

ShelB.In a sense,yes. ST has seemed to be as good as the majors and until now at a cheaper price. If they have cheapened the product and raised the price then it is no longer in my opinion the respected oil it once was.

 

[The Critic]

I have kind of respected you comments until now I see why others have blocked you. I am only stating what others have wondered when Warren was taken over by the Pritzker family if it would stay the say quality it once was. I don't know but unless the majors lower their additives to the low levels it seems as HW is making ST to the bare minimum.As I stated, I am using ST and In have used it off and on over many years.No, I am not a victim but I am the kind of person that expects decency from others as many people do. If you want to call people victims for expecting to be treated with respect then that just in my opinion shows your lack of respect for not only others but for yourself as well.

To sum up:

Yes, it is possible that Highline Warren switched from Additive Supplier A to Additive Supplier B for cost and/or availability reasons.

But reducing the elemental values of a few select elemental values does NOT automatically equate to a "lower-performing" product since there could be other non-metallic additives being used.

 

[PimTac]

This was just posted in another thread that has just been locked. The answer is relevant to this discussion.


“Questions about source blenders have been asked and responses supplied.

It has also been well established that ST is Supertech - Supertech is blended by Warren Distribution/Highline Warren of Omaha, Neb.

Warren Oil/Trail Creek Investments, has the Coastal and Lubriguard brands, and numerous other house brands. Warren Oil was originally headquarterd in Dunn, NC.”

Warren Oil Company

From the makers of SuperTech, Kirkland, Amazon Basics and others, there are Warren's Corporate products we normally don't see in stores. I myself had never seen or heard any of their products until I read this catalog/article below. Their products looks like they're sold in Dollar Stores...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[OVERKILL]

My lab test suggested that SuperTech "Advanced" does as good of a job as Ultra Platinum.

Besides the fact that this conclusion can't be ascertained from a UOA, the SuperTech experienced significantly more viscosity loss (~14%) in service, despite a lack of fuel shown in the sample. I wouldn't consider that doing "as good a job".

Let's, for a moment, assume that the numbers from Blackstone are all spot-on for viscosity:

1. SuperTech went from 11.1cSt to 9.62cSt. With a flashpoint of 440F, there's no fuel in that sample, so the 13.3% viscosity loss is all from mechanical shear
2. Pennzoil U went from 9.48cSt to 8.87cSt. With a flashpoint of 395F, there's absolutely fuel in that sample, so the 6.4% viscosity loss is at least in part, from dilution

So, despite the fuel dilution, the Pennzoil product experienced 50% less viscosity loss, percentage-wise, than the SuperTech, assuming again that the Blackstone numbers are accurate.

 

[alarmguy]

I always thought oil was the best lubricant and properly designed engines last the longest
Got to agree tough the price advantage has narrowed greatly where even some Chevron products beat.

 

[kschachn]

Warren Distribution/APP was started in Nebraska by the Schlotz(SP?) family and Warren Oil was started by Irvin Warren in I North Carolina..As far as the information I can find they are not not not ever have been associated in any way.

I have kind of respected your comments until no. I see why others have blocked you. I am only stating what others have wondered when Warren was taken over by the Pritzker family,if it would stay the same quality it once was. I don't know but unless the majors lower their additives to the low levels it seems as HW is making ST to the bare minimum.As I stated, I am using ST and I have used it off and on over many years.No, I am not a victim but I am the kind of person that expects decency from others as many people do. If you want to call people victims for expecting to be treated with respect then that just in my opinion shows your lack of respect for not only others but for yourself as well.

Hmm, never called you a victim in any sense. But I have pointed out that a spectrographic analysis does not measure additives. Others have pointed this out besides me, The Critic most recently. The lack of respect here may be more that you aren’t listening to people who are attempting to have a substantive and somewhat technical discussion rather than one based on personality and nonspecific terms such as “cheapen”.

Do you understand why an inexpensive VOA or UOA does not measure additives nor give a specific prediction of performance?

 

[Oliveoil2]

Hmm, never called you a victim in any sense. But I have pointed out that a spectrographic analysis does not measure additives. Others have pointed this out besides me, The Critic most recently. The lack of respect here may be more that you aren’t listening to people who are attempting to have a substantive and somewhat technical discussion rather than one based on personality and nonspecific terms such as “cheapen”.

Do you understand why an inexpensive VOA or UOA does not measure additives nor give a specific prediction of performance?

It’s “how you say it” that matters as much as what you are saying.

 

[TiGeo]

It’s “how you say it” that matters as much as what you are saying.

Tough for some and add online/not in person and even worse for those that may already struggle with it.

 

[motorguy222]

Hmm, never called you a victim in any sense. But I have pointed out that a spectrographic analysis does not measure additives. Others have pointed this out besides me, The Critic most recently. The lack of respect here may be more that you aren’t listening to people who are attempting to have a substantive and somewhat technical discussion rather than one based on personality and nonspecific terms such as “cheapen”.

Do you understand why an inexpensive VOA or UOA does not measure additives nor give a specific prediction of performance?

Yes I DO. I am only stating that since the takeover it seems that ST has been cheapened. Others have wondered the same thing.The additives I posted are not from a uoa but from the Mag1 PDS. Just as a uoa doesn't show all additives the basic info that is shown gives an indication of how an oil performed. Again, I posted the info from Mag1 not from an oil test.I am listening and I do understand. It in my opinion seems that ST has begun to be made to meet standards and nothing else. As I stated before,if the same thing starts happening to the majors then we will know that it is the new industry standard and if not it seems even more likely that as some have feared,ST has been reduced to a "meets the standard" only oil.