Worst oil

[heavyhitter]

What is the worst oil avalible today? I know there is alot of debate on what is the best oil but not on the worst.
I dont want to see brand bashing, but if you have a "worst" oil please back it up with some facts.
My belief is any oil that you can buy today has to be OK because they have to conform to some standard. So this would mean any API house brand oil should provide OEM required protection for your engine.
I know this is a blanket question and many variables but if there is a true "best" there has to a a "worste".

 

[TurboTravis]

You CANNOT buy a engine oil today that will not provide good protection for your engine if you follow your vehicles maintenance schedule and use the proper grade oil.

 

[heavyhitter]

This is what I am thinking. But some have to be better or much better than others. Like a litter of puppies, they all can be great dogs/pets but there is always a runt. Where is the oil runt?

 

[Laminar Lou]

The worst oil is the one you don't change.

Anything with an API starburst has met minimum specifications.

 

[chet2]

any oil with that is api approved is good oil...there are only bad owners

 

[Nickdfresh]

Well, if you look hard enough in mini marts, you can usually find some oil that doesnt have any pretensions about API certifications. But it MIGHT meet SOME of the specs.

Also, Wal-Mart still carries non-detergent or SB-rated oil...

 

[Pablo]

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Where is the oil runt?

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Has this question been asked before?

 

[HondaF1Fanatic]

Pennzoil and Quaker State, they cause sludge and waxy build up......

KIDDING!!! Like everyone said, any API certified oil will be fine if you change it at proper intervals for the type of use that the car sees.

 

[buster]

I don't think there is one. RP though would probably be my least favorite based on UOA's I've seen.

 

[01rangerxl]

I have heard rumors of Coastal being recycled oil, but whether that is true, or in fact a bad thing if it is, who knows.

If you go into an older grocery store, drug store, or some places like Roses, I am sure you could find a 10 year old bottle of some non detergent 30 weight oil better suited to a lawnmower than any car built in the last 30 years, but other than that...

 

[psudaytona]

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I have heard rumors of Coastal being recycled oil, but whether that is true, or in fact a bad thing if it is, who knows.

If you go into an older grocery store, drug store, or some places like Roses, I am sure you could find a 10 year old bottle of some non detergent 30 weight oil better suited to a lawnmower than any car built in the last 30 years, but other than that...

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I wouldn't even use that junk in a mower I liked. I run Pen. Platinum in the B&S 6.5 with 1oz of LC20 added. And in the 4cycle weedwhacker I am using VP Racing 10w40 synthetic group V(primarily due to how hot this engine gets).

As others have said, I don't think you can find a "bad" oil today. Nothing that would damage your engine. I think some just make the engine sound better or feel smoother. That being said, I find I don't like how Supertech 10w30 made my daytonas engine sound. Very noisy and it made the valve lifter tap worse it seemed. Havoline was better, but Castrol StartUp was the best.

I wish I could find Startup in 5w30 so I could use it in my first change of my new crown vic PI...

 

[Throckmorton]

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I have heard rumors of Coastal being recycled oil, but whether that is true, or in fact a bad thing if it is, who knows.

If you go into an older grocery store, drug store, or some places like Roses, I am sure you could find a 10 year old bottle of some non detergent 30 weight oil better suited to a lawnmower than any car built in the last 30 years, but other than that...

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Are recycled oils necessarily worse? I'm pretty sure that the recycled PP, M1, Syntec and MC Semi-syn from my car would make a great base stock for a recycler to use.

 

[Eddie]

A single grade non-detergent oil for lawn mowers made in 1955.

 

[Merkava_4]

There's just no way to answer that question without making someone flip their lid. I've got a list of oils that I stay clear from, but I sure as [censored] am not going blurt it out on this board. And from personal experience, it's not even safe to PM someone with a list of oils that are junk; so I won't do that either.

 

[Blue99]

I've been busy beyond belief this summer, but I'll toss my opinion into this thread:

As Buster commented, many users have a "least favorite" motor oil, but any PCMO with the API donut will provide acceptable performance in any engine that does not see severe service type OCI's.

And if anyone does indeed have a list of "junk" motor oils, I'd like to see the test data used to arrive at the "junk" rating.

 

[BrianWC]

Amen. Recycled or re-refined is no big deal, either.... Since this thread is pretty much useless I'll lighten the mood. One oil I stay away from even though I have no reason is Quakerstate dino. I have too many bad memories of the QS slick on the side of the street in front of my parents' home where my dad always parked his 84 Chevette. He might be the one of a small brotherhood that got 476k miles out of a Chevette.

 

[wgtoys]

Easy question to which the answer is the "SA rated" oils you still see on the shelf of convenience stores, some gas stations and even many auto parts stores.

 

[Merkava_4]

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And if anyone does indeed have a list of "junk" motor oils, I'd like to see the test data used to arrive at the "junk" rating.

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Not gonna happen. I'll take that list to the grave with me.

 

[ewetho]

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I have heard rumors of Coastal being recycled oil, but whether that is true, or in fact a bad thing if it is, who knows.

If you go into an older grocery store, drug store, or some places like Roses, I am sure you could find a 10 year old bottle of some non detergent 30 weight oil better suited to a lawnmower than any car built in the last 30 years, but other than that...

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I wouldn't even use that junk in a mower I liked. I run Pen. Platinum in the B&S 6.5 with 1oz of LC20 added. And in the 4cycle weedwhacker I am using VP Racing 10w40 synthetic group V(primarily due to how hot this engine gets).

As others have said, I don't think you can find a "bad" oil today. Nothing that would damage your engine. I think some just make the engine sound better or feel smoother. That being said, I find I don't like how Supertech 10w30 made my daytonas engine sound. Very noisy and it made the valve lifter tap worse it seemed. Havoline was better, but Castrol StartUp was the best.

I wish I could find Startup in 5w30 so I could use it in my first change of my new crown vic PI...

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Recycled and formulated to meet specs is fine oil for an engine. No problems.

Start-up not easy to find just try Syntec Blend. That is the next step up according to an email I got back from Castrol a couple years ago. It just had more of what made it better than GTX at the same price around here.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

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I have heard rumors of Coastal being recycled oil, but whether that is true, or in fact a bad thing if it is, who knows.

If you go into an older grocery store, drug store, or some places like Roses, I am sure you could find a 10 year old bottle of some non detergent 30 weight oil better suited to a lawnmower than any car built in the last 30 years, but other than that...

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Are recycled oils necessarily worse? I'm pretty sure that the recycled PP, M1, Syntec and MC Semi-syn from my car would make a great base stock for a recycler to use.

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As long as they built a decent additive package into it, what would be the difference? They could crack it up to any level they wanted once they removed the water, sediment and volatile elements out of the mix. In most cases (all, I'd bet) ANY collected used motor oil is a heck of a lot further along in the refining process than even the sweetest and lightest crude. Since most of the synthetics are GroupIII hydro-cracked dino anyway, they might as well just clean up the recycled oil and sell it back to us. One day, we'll probably find out that's what they've been doing all along, they just didn't see the need to tell us.

That company will be Exxon/Mobil.