What are your thoughts on store brand motor oils?

[SC Maintenance]

I have used Supertech when it was on clearance. I prefer something else when its only one dollar difference. I don't think there is anything bad about it, just prefer something other than Warren. Not really sure why.

In the US were actually quite lucky because there are a lot of rules and protections with standards on things like oils. Other countries don't necessarily have all these requirements - like our poster from Finland above.

 

[ProbeGT]

Are you serious?

Dead serious.

To me, the approvals and certifications don't matter as much as the actual content data.

With emphasis on "to me." All my cars are 2004 or older and thus all API ratings after SL are totally meaningless. I need to see what's in the oil to make an informed decision on whether or not the oil is suitable for my application. Pennzoil confirmed this when I asked them in the latest Q&A which of their current API certified oils they'd recommend for my cars. Somewhat shockingly, their answer was "none" and suggested Rotella T6 which lacks any API seal.

That said, approvals and certifications are already listed on the bottle. That's good, I never said to remove them. Supplementing them with a list of the actual ingredients would be a whole lot better, though. After all, if the ingredients didn't matter, VOA wouldn't be a thing.

 

[Redhawk454]

I have FRAM 10w30 full synthetic high mileage oil in my Jeep 4.0 right now with a ZDDP additive (5.5 ounces)

going to switch to AMSOIL 10w40 Full synthetic next Oil change

I've also ran FRAM 5w40 HDEO in my RAM 3500 (switched it out for AMSOIL 5w40 back in February).

why do I use FRAM?

its consistently on the shelves at Avance Auto Parts.


Orielly brand oil (OMNI) is good, but its a hit or miss at my local Orielly.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Dead serious.

With emphasis on "to me." All my cars are 2004 or older and thus all API ratings after SL are totally meaningless. I need to see what's in the oil to make an informed decision on whether or not the oil is suitable for my application. Pennzoil confirmed this when I asked them in the latest Q&A which of their current API certified oils they'd recommend for my cars. Somewhat shockingly, their answer was "none" and suggested Rotella T6 which lacks any API seal.

That said, approvals and certifications are already listed on the bottle. That's good, I never said to remove them. Supplementing them with a list of the actual ingredients would be a while lot better, though. After all, if the ingredients didn't matter, VOA wouldn't be a thing.

Rotella T6 5w-30 is SN rated - or was. I wonder if your no longer allowed to use a API SN cert. Its SP only?

 

[ProbeGT]

Rotella T6 5w-30 is SN rated - or was. I wonder if your no longer allowed to use a API SN cert. Its SP only?

I am currently running Rotella T6 5W-40 which has no API rating. Only CK-4 donut on the bottle. BTW engine runs really smooth all the way to 8600 RPM

 

[TiGeo]

ST works for me in a few of my vehicles.

 

[doublebase]

I’ll use them, they are certified. But yeah, I’d rather use a Mobil1 EP that I can buy off the shelf. Right now I’m actually running Amalie Synthetic because I got a smoking hot deal on it. But I’d prefer a name brand.

Ive used the following synthetic house brands...Super Tech, Amalie, Napa, Carquest, Fram. I will say that I think I maybe have had some more consumption when using some of these, BUT who knows exactly why that would be. It could have been because of time of year (temps), it could have been because of driving (although I’m pretty consistent with my commute and speeds). But yeah, I have noticed a little more consumption. And I do believe that not all oils are created equal...that there some slight benefits of using major name brand or a boutique brand.

 

[53' Stude]

I didn't say it was " bad " . I said I had a bad experience . The engine was noticeably more noisy with the NAPA oil . Are you saying I had a bad filter ? I used the same Fram Extra Guard filter that I used previously .

Very hard to say. I’ve not noticed any noisier engines using off brand oils. Unsure what caused the noise you mentioned.

 

[ka9mnx]

I was a happy ST user until our shelves went dry. Then WM only stocked their Advanced ST oil which wasn't much cheaper than M1. I went with QS for quality and cost considerations.

 

[TiGeo]

I was a happy ST user until our shelves went dry. Then WM only stocked their Advanced ST oil which wasn't much cheaper than M1. I went with QS for quality and cost considerations.

I think QS is the definate budget go-to for name brand, it's ~$1 more than the basic ST syn but there is just something about using store brand/bo-bo motor oil that is so satisfying to me hahahaha

 

[MSCH]

I’ve been happy with the Rural King house brand oil.

I've used it ... believe it is a Warren Oil product.. lately their price structure has went higher but this stuff used to be 32 dollars for 2 gallons..

 

[MSCH]

Quaker state and Pennzoil are both owned by Royal Dutch Shell. from everything I have ever read, there are only a few companies producing the product, so it is all just an exercise in relabelling at a certain point

 

[dubber09]

In Canada they sell Motomaster brand as Canadian Tire store brand, oil is made by Shell and many oils are same as Pennzoil/QS oils at a lower price.

 

[dogememe]

I have no issue with store brand/house brand oil as long as it's API-certified and meets suitable specs for the engine/application.

Would I run Supertech oil for 30,000 miles in a TGDI application? No, I wouldn't. But I wouldn't do that with AMSOIL either.

I've done weird stuff just to try it. When I had a 2010 Escape with a straightforward naturally aspired port injected 2.5L engine that would probably run fine on olive oil one of my most recent oil changes was "premium" Pennzoil Euro L 5W-30 in there just to see if there was a difference. Nope, no difference. Same fuel economy, same engine sounds, same responsiveness, but it was interesting/fun to put it in there. So while not worth it, it was worth it to me. My next oil change was "cheap" O'Reilly Synthetic 5W-20. It retails for half as much, and worked EXACTLY THE SAME.

What I'm trying to say is, you can put in oil that exceeds the requirements or offers more protection in theory, and you'll feel better about it. But in reality, your vehicle will end up in the junkyard for some reason other than a lubrication-related failure.

My next oil change will be on my new-to-me Chevy Volt which calls for Dexos1 5W-30. Guess what it's gonna get? O'Reilly Synthetic 5W-30. Yes, the most expensive vehicle I've ever owned, is going to get cheap oil. And guess what? This thing well end up in the junkyard in 10 years because the battery goes bad or someone runs a red and totals it, not because I used store brand oil.

All I'm trying to say is, have fun, use whatever oil tickles your fancy, but don't worry about what other people use because any brand of suitable oil will work fine for typical OCIs.

 

[KGMtech]

Nobody has mentioned Canadian Tire's house brand oil "Motomaster". The synthetic Motomaster is made by Shell Canada (might be PP) and is highly accepted in Ontario, but it's usually the same price as when the PP is on sale, so I use the real PP. For the last year on the old 2009 Flex, I switched to SuperTech synthetic 5W20 to save a few toonies each change. Didn't tell the Flex, she'd be upset I'm cheaping out.

I strongly suspect that the Canadian Tire oil filters are Fram made, but for my cars, I use either Motorcraft or Mahle from RA.

 

[53' Stude]

Nobody has mentioned Canadian Tire's house brand oil "Motomaster". The synthetic Motomaster is made by Shell Canada (might be PP) and is highly accepted in Ontario, but it's usually the same price as when the PP is on sale, so I use the real PP. For the last year on the old 2009 Flex, I switched to SuperTech synthetic 5W20 to save a few toonies each change. Didn't tell the Flex, she'd be upset I'm cheaping out.

I strongly suspect that the Canadian Tire oil filters are Fram made, but for my cars, I use either Motorcraft or Mahle from RA.

Speaking of Super tech I. Canada; who makes that nowadays? Used to be Safety Kleen

 

[Opelman]

I have no problems using store brands if they have the specs for what I am driving. Most of my old stuff doesn't care especially with short oci.I did notice years ago that Flag brand 30 wouldn't hold as high pressure and pressure would drop off sooner in a very hard run engine compared to Chevron Supreme 30. Repeated the experiment more than once with the same results.

 

[bbhero]

I have no issue with store brand/house brand oil as long as it's API-certified and meets suitable specs for the engine/application.

Would I run Supertech oil for 30,000 miles in a TGDI application? No, I wouldn't. But I wouldn't do that with AMSOIL either.

I've done weird stuff just to try it. When I had a 2010 Escape with a straightforward naturally aspired port injected 2.5L engine that would probably run fine on olive oil one of my most recent oil changes was "premium" Pennzoil Euro L 5W-30 in there just to see if there was a difference. Nope, no difference. Same fuel economy, same engine sounds, same responsiveness, but it was interesting/fun to put it in there. So while not worth it, it was worth it to me. My next oil change was "cheap" O'Reilly Synthetic 5W-20. It retails for half as much, and worked EXACTLY THE SAME.

What I'm trying to say is, you can put in oil that exceeds the requirements or offers more protection in theory, and you'll feel better about it. But in reality, your vehicle will end up in the junkyard for some reason other than a lubrication-related failure.

My next oil change will be on my new-to-me Chevy Volt which calls for Dexos1 5W-30. Guess what it's gonna get? O'Reilly Synthetic 5W-30. Yes, the most expensive vehicle I've ever owned, is going to get cheap oil. And guess what? This thing well end up in the junkyard in 10 years because the battery goes bad or someone runs a red and totals it, not because I used store brand oil.

All I'm trying to say is, have fun, use whatever oil tickles your fancy, but don't worry about what other people use because any brand of suitable oil will work fine for typical OCIs.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Seriously a really very good post here in my opinion.

 

[tyman]

For less than $10/jug(/oil change) more, I'll stick to a major name brand like Mobil, Castrol, Valvoline, etc.

 

[Bighorn2500]

Have used Traveler, Kirkland, Rural King branded oil many times without issue when the price was right. They’re all made by some major company that has plenty of years manufacturing oil, just a different distribution network.