Thoughts On Pennzoil Ultra

[HyundaiGuy]

Hi All,

I read the most recent questions from members and also the answers from Pennzoil concerning Ultra- impressive.

Then I realized that it is supposed to be impressive. It is not like Pennzoil was going to introduce their new oil and say it was average, or even competitive. No, they were going to say it is the "ultra."

So after looking at the data and seeing the answers, is this stuff really "da bomb" or it is marketing hype? I am currently running Castrol Syntec 5W20 in both of our 2009 Accents (at 3750 mile/3 month OCIs due to warranty.) If I change to Ultra, we are protected under an additional (although less comprehensive) warranty from Pennzoil. Is it really that good? Is it worth the hassle?

By hassle, I mean that none of the auto parts stores near me carry it, and it seems like they move it from one Wal Mart to another. A couple of weeks ago it was available at a Wal Mart on the west side of town. Now, according to Pennzoil's website, it is only available at a Wal Mart down in "tourist town"- near Disney. I wonder if BITOG members have made the Ultra display a tourist attraction? All kidding aside, it is a pain to get hold of Ultra, unless I want to take the cars to Jiffy Lube (not happening in this lifetime.)

Maybe it worth it for piece of mind- I know I've done the "best" I can to care for the cars, oil wise. The next thing to obsess over? Synthetic transmission fluid......

What do y'all think?

 

[gfh77665]

Well, its easy to get in SETX. The Walmart shelves are full of it. Incidentally, I bought it yesterday for the first time. Will put it in my '06 Honda Odyssey. I applaud their Q & A, but some of the answers didn't directly answer the questions. I still wonder what the max drain interval is for PU...

 

[wallyuwl]

From the posts and used oil analysis it seems Ultra is a good choice if your engine beats up on oil. If it doesn't, for any benefit it might provide over PP it probably isn't worth the cost difference. Especially if you are using 4K OCI to adhere to Pennzoil's engine warranty.

 

[Johnny]

First off, if you're going to do 3750 mile oil changes I would not spend my money on anyones synthetic oil. As for as the Ultra, only time will tell. I have it in all three of my cars now and so for, so good.

 

[gfh77665]

Wouldn't SOPUS have a very, very good idea what the max interval is? I would sure hope so!

 

[HyundaiGuy]

Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Wouldn't SOPUS have a very, very good idea what the max interval is? I would sure hope so!


Wouldn't the max interval vary by application? I would think that a small engine like that in a Smart car would be much harder on oil than say a V8 in a Crown Vic. Just a guess, and I could be way off base here.

And then there are the "sludge monsters." I wouldn't run extended OCI in a VW 1.8 Turbo regardless of the drain interval on the bottle.

 

[gfh77665]

No doubt it would vary somewhat, but for example, Mobil 1 Extended Performance indicates 15,000 max for overall applications. I would be satisfied with a number for general driving conditions, then the consumer could use personal discretion accordingly.

 

[Mustang Man]

I am still amazed about all the hype. It's cool an oil company did Q&A here. Yes it is probably a good oil, but it is mostly Group III. Yet it sells for more than synthetic Mobil 1 or Valvoline both of which have been shown to work well?

The only way to keep an engine factory clean is to never run it.

 

[NightRiderQ45]

Originally Posted By: Mustang Man
I am still amazed about all the hype. It's cool an oil company did Q&A here. Yes it is probably a good oil, but it is mostly Group III. Yet it sells for more than synthetic Mobil 1 or Valvoline both of which have been shown to work well?

The only way to keep an engine factory clean is to never run it.

lol...don't say this. you will probably be banned hehe

 

[gfh77665]

 

[Mustang Man]

I hope not, lol.

The other thing is Pennzoil will still make Platinum which has been shown to work.

I think there are better oils than Platinum/Ultra that sell for less like what I am running now in my signature.

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: Mustang Man
I hope not, lol.

The other thing is Pennzoil will still make Platinum which has been shown to work.

I think there are better oils than Platinum/Ultra that sell for less like what I am running now in my signature.


Where do you find Mobil 1 0w30 for less than Ultra? Why do you think the Mobil 1 line is better than Platinum?

 

[tenderloin]

Hyundai calls for 3750 OCI to keep the warranty????

You are using Syntec at 3750 OCI and worried about a few bucks?

Syntec at Walmart is what..$24 for a 5 qt jug? $4 a jug less than Ultra OR if you use the Ultra $5 off coupon at Walmart the Ultra is actually less expensive then Syntec.

 

[Mustang Man]

Mobil 1 0w30 5 qt. jug at Wal-Mart is $21.

PU is $28.00.

Mobil 1 has been around for 30+ years. PU has been around for like 5 months. It's been said on here Mobil 1 is Group IV/V.

It just seems like Pennzoil is pulling the same [censored] Castrol did by going mainly Group III and still calling itself fully synthetic.

 

[Boomer]

Just at Wal Mart in central PA this AM and the oil manager said they had not yet sold a single container of Ultra. They had placed a $5 off at the register coupon on each bottle of Ultra but that still makes it, like Mustang Man points out, non-competitive with the Mobil 1 oils now at $21.

 

[demarpaint]

Ultra might actually be increasing M1 sales, because at my Walmart it isn't moving either.

As far as M1 being better, I doubt it

. I'll take a Pennzoil product [PU or PP] over it any day!

Come to think of it I'll take Pennzoil conventional over Mobil conventional oil too.

 

[gfh77665]

Sooner or later, SOPUS will have adjust the PU price down. The market will eventually demand it.

 

[HyundaiGuy]

Originally Posted By: tenderloin
Hyundai calls for 3750 OCI to keep the warranty????

You are using Syntec at 3750 OCI and worried about a few bucks?

Syntec at Walmart is what..$24 for a 5 qt jug? $4 a jug less than Ultra OR if you use the Ultra $5 off coupon at Walmart the Ultra is actually less expensive then Syntec.



Hyundai calls for 3750 mi/ 3 months for severe service. Normal service is 6 months 7500 miles. My wife's car definitely qualifies for severe service- little highway use, lots of short trips in town stop and go. My car sees 90% highway up to 85 or so daily, so I am not sure it qualifies as severe, even in the Florida heat.

Here's the rub- there are lots of consumer complaints against Hyundai for wiggling out of their 10 yr/100,000 powertrain warranty, so I am following the severe recommendation on both cars so they can't say we didn't care for the cars properly if an issue arises.

The big picture- my car was purchased used on 3-1-2010 with 1600 miles on it. It now has 9225 miles in it. Her car was purchased 2-20-10 with 4500 miles on it, now has 8500 miles. Both cars were Hyundai Certified. The idea is when mine has 250,000 or so I will sell it and take her car- she will get a new nicer car. So, both cars need to hold up extremely well.

I'm not worried about a few bucks- I work 60-80 hours a week in a very stressful industry, and don't want the hassle of running all over God's green earth just to buy oil...that is unless it is truly that good.

 

[CaspianM]

For 3750 OCI I would use GTX, Pennzoil conventional, or Mobil Clean 5000.
Step up are Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1 5W-20 or 0W30, or PP.
PU is designed for Ferrari..kidding

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: HyundaiGuy
I'm not worried about a few bucks- I work 60-80 hours a week in a very stressful industry, and don't want the hassle of running all over God's green earth just to buy oil...that is unless it is truly that good.


Since you're following the severe service schedule on both vehicles then there is absolutely no reason to shell out a lot more money for a product from which you won't see a benefit.

I'm sure Ultra is a good product, and I appreciate the information that Pennzoil provided. I just don't see the added cost being justified for 90+ percent of vehicles on the road today. It's more a niche (marketing) market than a real need market.

If you plan to change the oil out every 3750 miles use a decent conventional oil, and then bank the balance toward that new car in a few years.