I see alot of threads about how Valvoline Maxlife Sythetic Blend is a good oil because it has a lot of PAO in it. I am curious about the difference between the full synthetic and the synthetic blend. I was told by the Valvoline rep that their full sythetic was group 3. Does that mean it has no PAO in it like the blend does? If that is the case, in theory wouldnt their blend protect better than their full synthetic?
Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic Vs. Maxlife Syn Blend
- Thread starter srl1104
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I'm not into the science of all this issue. If I had a choice it would be synthetic all the way! So far I've seen nothing but the "blend" version only.
Durango
Durango
Regular Maxlife is so good, why go synthetic?
I checked the MSDS on the regular and full synth. The regular 20W50 uses ~17% PAO (CAS 68037-01-4) which is why I think they are now calling it a blend.
The full synth did not show a CAS number for base oil but only shows one base component. I'll take the rep's word that it's GrpIII.
Better ?... can't say.
The full synth did not show a CAS number for base oil but only shows one base component. I'll take the rep's word that it's GrpIII.
Better ?... can't say.
Valvoline techs have told me the synthetic has more PAO than the regular, but from the MSDSs it appears there is no PAO in the synthetic. I also emailed Valvoline more than several months ago about it and followed up with a phone call and the guy remembered passing my email along, but they never responded. But the synthetic 10w30 is ACEA A3, which is pretty good for a 10w30, so it has something good in it. Still, I may run a quart of Amsoil PAO with 5 qts Maxlife synhetic each OCI. Yes I have some Maxlife synthetic. Couldn't help myself two years ago when AZ clearanced it at $2 a quart.
For 20w50 I'd go Synpower based on the MSDS showing it is about 80% PAO (but is it true?). Other grades Synpower are Gp III.
The main reason that I want to go Synthetic is because the oil is going to be run in my 01 BMW 325i. This is the only oil that meets the BMW specs and is readily available close to me. I am planning on running around 6 or 7k between oil changes and doing analysis.
Sounds good. Like I say, it meets ACEA A3, which is pretty good for 10w30. It's just I like the certainty I get on PAO with the regular. Let us know how it goes.
I think the PAO and GII+ is pretty good for seals, and I think that GIII oils are good for seals, but PAO only synthetic may not be as good for the seals IMHO. I guess it could be, but it is just my educated guess.
As I was looking through some Maxlife Synthetic Specs and found that the 5w30 also meets the ACEA 3 and also BMW LL-01 specifications. Also I have not been able to find a HTHS rating on the VMLS(valvoline maxlife synthetic). I suspect that the HTHS must be above 3.5 as that is what meets the LL-01 spec. This oil is very interesting to me as it seems like it is a very good oil that not many people are using. Are there any VOAs or UOAs on the 5w30 VMLS?
The syn blend meets my needs just fine so who needs the full syn??
The syn is a great oil. The only question is whether and how much PAO. For the performance it gives, there must be some PAO, eh?
Who knows, their MSDSs are pretty dated. Probably can't tell much from them.
Anyhow, the product data sheets do list the moly.
Also IIRC Maxlife synthetic beats Synpower in HTHS and NOACK.
Who knows, their MSDSs are pretty dated. Probably can't tell much from them.
Anyhow, the product data sheets do list the moly.
Also IIRC Maxlife synthetic beats Synpower in HTHS and NOACK.
Quote:
Temperatures in my neck of the woods go from about -40 to 120. Also I am planning to run extended OCI's on a car that specs synthetic oil. Thats why.
Sorry...didn't notice you were driving a beemer.
I like those new abbreviations:
VMLS = Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic
and
VMLB = Valvoline Maxlife Blend
HTHS for 5w30 is 3.5
HTHS for 10w30 is 3.6
Presently using the 5w30 VMLS in my Jetta and so far I'm liking it. It has the VW 502 approval which is pretty rare for a 5w30. The only other comparable oil I can think of is PP Euro 5w30 which you can order from NAPA.
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