Valvoline launches "hybrid specific motor oil"

Status
Not open for further replies.
Geez ...

How much shelf space do they think there is ? If retailers don't stock it, it won't sell. Too many flavours of basically the same oil.
 
Originally Posted by simple_gifts
Why brand it a failure before even seeing it? Years ago Dexos was labelled as a licensing grab by GM by a lot of BITOG'rs and now it appears to be the go to recommendation for many engines.

Best to look @ it before condemning it as a marketing only derived product. JMO




Hybrids have been running on 0w20 for years. One wonders if this isn't just the same oil rebranded?

Valvoline also has a 0w16. Now maybe this is that oil but renamed, similar to what M1 did with certain grades, branding them as AFE.
 
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by PimTac
I don't understand the oil companies marketing strategies of multiple product lines.

Hybrids have been in use for many years now and suddenly we need a hybrid oil? I wonder what is really different?


I agree, quite silly. Just trying to grab more market share.


Growing market share is the number one job of nearly every marketing department. Why would this be silly?
 
Pretty sorry front label.

No weight.
No certifications.
Just says hybrid vehicle motor oil.

I'm assuming there are no API criteria for this stuff?

[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by sohccammer427
Pretty sorry front label.

No weight.
No certifications.
Just says hybrid vehicle motor oil.

I'm assuming there are no API criteria for this stuff?

[Linked Image]




This is a promo pic...weight and certs will show on sailable skus
 
The link indicates it will be 0w-20 and 5w-30; I do not see any mention of 0w-16 except in the suppositions posted

Quote

Valvoline Hybrid Vehicle Full Synthetic motor oil will meet the latest industry standards and will be sold in 5W-30 and 0W-20 grades, covering most hybrid models currently in use, including all common hybrid vehicles manufactured by Toyota, Honda and other auto manufacturers.


"will meet industry standards"
 
Last edited:
If it 0w16 I am going for a boutique oil like Ravenol. I think Pennzoil has a "hybrid" 0w16 too. Cant blame Redline or Amsoil for not making this weight in their premium lines of oil. Thinnest I would go on a 0w16 spec is PUP 0w20. Seems there is almost too many choices for 16w and only like 4 cars use it.
 
Originally Posted by simple_gifts
The link indicates it will be 0w-20 and 5w-30; I do not see any mention of 0w-16 except in the suppositions posted

Quote

Valvoline Hybrid Vehicle Full Synthetic motor oil will meet the latest industry standards and will be sold in 5W-30 and 0W-20 grades, covering most hybrid models currently in use, including all common hybrid vehicles manufactured by Toyota, Honda and other auto manufacturers.


"will meet industry standards"

thank you, i was just going to post exactly this...
 
Originally Posted by Imp4
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by PimTac
I don't understand the oil companies marketing strategies of multiple product lines.

Hybrids have been in use for many years now and suddenly we need a hybrid oil? I wonder what is really different?


I agree, quite silly. Just trying to grab more market share.


Growing market share is the number one job of nearly every marketing department. Why would this be silly?

Originally Posted by Doublehaul
Fail on valvolines part.

Focus and strengthen core products is the correct approach in a world of marketing Induced confusion


Fear of missing out and group-think amongst inbred marketing and development folks looking to capitalize on perceived market trends.

Im interested in seeing if Castrol goes the way of "all mileage."

Heck even valvoline should offer only two products - synthetic blend maxlife and full synthetic maxlife. Run them as "all mileage, with maxlife technology"
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by demarpaint
That's one I'll be passing on when AAP or Auto Zone blows it out on closeout. Nothing hybrid in the fleet, and no plans for one.


LoL … we have a Fusion Hybrid … at 100k switched from 5w20 to 5w30.
At 120k it got some of my M1 AP clearance stash …
 
Originally Posted by wemay
Quote
Unique engines require specialized product innovation......prevent warm up and peak performance. Low engine operating temperatures can create excess water vapor that dissolves into the oil resulting in sludge, corrosion and motor oil breakdown that can negatively impact fuel economy and engine life."Valvoline's pursuit of new solutions to new problems challenges our unique in-house Valvoline Engine Lab to create flexible formulas that are proven to extend engine life," said Fran Lockwood, Valvoline chief technology officer. "Valvoline Hybrid Vehicle Full Synthetic motor oil contains a special blend of additives and superior antioxidants to provide the ultimate protection for hybrid engines."


They have a point. That happens. Gonna need to see some tests to prove that whatever formulation change they put in (more dispersants?, higher TBN?, etc.) is effective in fighting low temperature operation, greater than regular synthetics already do.
Maybe the upcoming GF-6 has more low-temperature sludge tests?
 
Trying to recall … Was there someone from Newfoundland that had water contaminated oil … was it a Fusion Hybrid …? (cold and extremely humid there) …
 
Not buying it. Marketing gimmick.

I have an older Prius (2010) which uses the same gas motor (1.8 Toyota engine) that is used in the Corolla models, for those years.

Maybe they are gearing towards newer engines in hybrid cars, under the guise that it is an engine ONLY built for that hybrid model car.

Hearing 'hybrid oil' makes me cringe...like when our local oil change service stores told me they would not change oil in my hybrid, unless it was full synthetic (thus costing $74.99 for the change + filter).

Not sold.
 
Hybrids are actually easier on oil. Especially later model hybrids with exhaust mounted coolant heat exchangers. (See Kia Niro/Hyundai Kona) They get up to operating temperature very quickly and run less time per mile.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Hopefully it will have titanium. Titanium is one of the better anti-wear additives when an oil hasn't reached operating temperature yet.

I see you've had a sip of Kendal's marketing Kool-Aid.
Titanium has no lubricating properties whatsoever.
Now, titanium nitride is a surface coating that has superior friction-reducing properties when applied to the surface of a solid material. i don't think it can be applied to an oil molecule.

In the last ten years or so, "titanium" has been touted as having all sorts of magical properties, always as a marketing strategy. Everything from being highly wear-resistant, to being harder than diamonds, to being extremely heat-resistant, to having superior insulating properties, to being extremely strong.. It is none of these. What it is, is a fairly lightweight (about the density of aluminum), fairly strong (the common Ti alloys have a UT strength comparable to many steels), and extremely corrosion-resistant.
I worked with titanium for thirty years, machining it, welding it, hot-forming it, super-plastically-forming it, heat-treating it, vacuum-furnace diffusion-brazing it, testing it, looking at it under very high-powered microscopes. I love the stuff, but it is just metal.

"doing my part to dispel the myths"
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by code5coupe
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Hopefully it will have titanium. Titanium is one of the better anti-wear additives when an oil hasn't reached operating temperature yet.
I see you've had a sip of Kendal's marketing Kool-Aid. Titanium has no lubricating properties whatsoever....."doing my part to dispel the myths"
Then you disagree with Afton scientists, and British Petroleum chemists as well. You're up against some smart people. You'll lose this argument easily........Titanium works well. You didn't "dispel myths". You're wrong about Ti compound's usage in motor oil.
https://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=6907
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2540286
"Afton's scientists believe the resulting compounds form protective FeTiO3 films on the engine surfaces. 'The titanium chemistry gives us a large benefit in terms of engine protection,' Bell says. "
"Through their analysis, the chemists pinpointed a titanium molecule that displayed the sought-after characteristics: the additive changes the freezing pressure of the lubricant under extreme pressure and it actively thickens and reinforces the oil film. In an engine, that means it offers greater protection at high-pressure contact points, giving the oil the ability to keep metal surfaces apart more effectively with a cushioning effect.
The laboratory results needed rigorous testing in the real world to make sure that the claims could be substantiated. Castrol's team in Pangbourne, UK, led this phase of development to formulate the oil and test the effects of titanium to reduce friction and resist film breakdown." -- British Petroleum, who may be using a different Ti compound than Afton's.
Kendall might have licensed Afton's patent.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top