Tough question, because you want enough of everything to get the job done, but not so much as to be a waste.
A good example is M1 V-Twin 20W50 which has a very high HTHS of 6.1 cP and high zinc levels of 1750 ppm, so a great car race oil and motorcycle oil, but too much for the average family car. Not a good winter oil and likely to increase fuel consumption.
However I do like things like HTHS, zinc and TBN in generous amounts. The Euro ACEA A3/B4 oils provide this in a nice balance, with the OEM specs of MB 229.5, BMW LL-01 and Porsche A40 taking it up another notch again.
If I wanted a more resource conserving oil, a typical API SN and ILSAC GF-5 oil, then I would chase Dexos1 or ACEA A5/B5 specs as a good quality balance point. You can expect less TBN, zinc and HTHS than the typical A3/B4 oil; but still more than enough to get the job done for the general driver on the road.
So first I decide the type of oil I want ( eg A3 or GF-5), then I chase a few good specs in that oil class (eg Porsche A40 or Dexos1 respectively) then I see what is around as a name brand oil at a good price.
Finally once my above filter has produced a short list, I then look for the oil with the lowest NOACK volatility (%). You need a well balanced package, but once you have that, I think low Noack volatility reflects a quality product with good base stock and low polymer VII load.
A good example is M1 V-Twin 20W50 which has a very high HTHS of 6.1 cP and high zinc levels of 1750 ppm, so a great car race oil and motorcycle oil, but too much for the average family car. Not a good winter oil and likely to increase fuel consumption.
However I do like things like HTHS, zinc and TBN in generous amounts. The Euro ACEA A3/B4 oils provide this in a nice balance, with the OEM specs of MB 229.5, BMW LL-01 and Porsche A40 taking it up another notch again.
If I wanted a more resource conserving oil, a typical API SN and ILSAC GF-5 oil, then I would chase Dexos1 or ACEA A5/B5 specs as a good quality balance point. You can expect less TBN, zinc and HTHS than the typical A3/B4 oil; but still more than enough to get the job done for the general driver on the road.
So first I decide the type of oil I want ( eg A3 or GF-5), then I chase a few good specs in that oil class (eg Porsche A40 or Dexos1 respectively) then I see what is around as a name brand oil at a good price.
Finally once my above filter has produced a short list, I then look for the oil with the lowest NOACK volatility (%). You need a well balanced package, but once you have that, I think low Noack volatility reflects a quality product with good base stock and low polymer VII load.
