Maybe somebody can educate me here, what is the difference in base stocks between Amsoil, Mobil 1, Quaker State, Pennzoil and Supertech let's say..
Just curious. I guess it's the additive package that extends the life of the oil?
Just looking to learn.
Thank you.
Yes, the additive package is what determines the OCI length suitability, though base oil selection will also play a role. PAO has more oxidation resistance than Group III and lower baes for example.
Assuming we are just talking about synthetic lubes:
- AMSOIL uses a blend of bases. I don't know the specifics on what AMSOIL uses, but likely PAO, POE and some Group III in the SS series. The lower series (OE/XL) are Group III.
- The Mobil 1 product family varies significantly depending on the product. M1 EP 0w-20 is basically straight PAO, while some of the oils have next to none. They also use Shell's Group III GTL bases in varying quantities as well along with POE and AN's.
- Pennzoil/Quaker State use both the Shell GTL base oils and the XHVI Group III bases. They also use some of Mobil's EHC bases, but not sure if that's in their synthetics or not, I suspect it's reserved for their blend oils.
- Supertech is a Warren product that uses Group III in their synthetic lubricants, though we've seen MSDS sheets that seemed to imply they were using Mobil's EHC Group II+ bases as well.
Mobil has a clear advantage in base oil selection because they produce so many of them, while other companies buy them.
