Formula Shell Full Synthetic Oil 5w30, any good???

Zack1978 · Jul 12, 2013

Hi everyone,
I have been unable to find much information about Formula Shell Full Synthetic Oil 5W30. I have a BJ's Wholesale club near me that often has the oil on sale for $22.00 for a six pack. The price seems great, but is it a good oil? I have not done a UOA on the oil, but I have been using in my 2006 Nissan Xterra and my 2002 Toyota Highlander (3.0 sludge motor. On the Xterra I mostly use Mobil-1 5w30, but a few times I ran the Shell.
On the Highlander I change the oil every 3,000 miles, since I am concerned about sludge in that motor.
Does anyone have a good review of this oil? Am I using a high quality oil? Is this oil above or below the Mobil-1 oil?

Thanks,
Zack

901Memphis · Jul 12, 2013

It an excellent oil. Pretty much a sleeper.

Here's the Voa it's on the list.

http://pqiamerica.com/March2013PCMO/Marchsyntheticsallfinal.html

WiskyBadger · Jul 12, 2013

I'd buy it if I could find it around me.

BillyTheKid · Jul 12, 2013

I've used the oil plenty on the same BJ's deal you mention and very happy with it.

Mr Nice · Jul 12, 2013

Hallmark · Jul 12, 2013

At quart (same as I pay for syn blend Kendall GT-1), that is a lot of bang for the buck for a SOPUS syn.

901Memphis · Jul 12, 2013

It's hard to compare directly to mobil 1 as shell uses a higher calcium additive pack while mobil uses a higher magnesium mix with a moderate dose of calcium but the specs are very similar as far as overall TBN and viscosity index, With the Formula Shell being a slightly lighter 30 weight at operating temperature. I say it a coin flip if price was the same and Shell wins being cheaper.

PhillyJoe · Jul 13, 2013

BJ's seems to alternate their sales between FS Synthetic and Mobil 1. A few months ago, Shell was even cheaper and I bought 5 cases. Great oil at a great price. This month Mobil 1 is on sale, $20 off 2 cases. Regular price is $36.99. Regular price for FS Synthetic is $28.99.

Zack1978 · Jul 13, 2013

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
It an excellent oil. Pretty much a sleeper.

Here's the Voa it's on the list.

http://pqiamerica.com/March2013PCMO/Marchsyntheticsallfinal.html

Could you give me a quick understanding of what the numbers mean? Are the Shell numbers good?

Using the Shell Full Synthetic is better than general conventional oil, correct?

Thanks,
Zack

901Memphis · Jul 13, 2013

Originally Posted By: Zack1978
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
It an excellent oil. Pretty much a sleeper.

Here's the Voa it's on the list.

http://pqiamerica.com/March2013PCMO/Marchsyntheticsallfinal.html

Could you give me a quick understanding of what the numbers mean? Are the Shell numbers good?

Using the Shell Full Synthetic is better than general conventional oil, correct?

Thanks,
Zack

The TBN refers to the additive pack and generally a higher TBN will result in being able to extend oil changes. Castrol Edge for instance has a starting TBN on 11.3 while Shell is only 8.2. 8.2 is good, but i wouldn't use it for double severe service internals like Castrol Edge.

The Visocity at 100C determines how thick the oil is at operating temp, in this case its 30 wt thickness. A 30 wt ranges from 9.3-12.49 cSt @ 100C, the lower the number the lighter it is. For instance a 20 wt specifices a cSt of 5.6-9.29, so a "light" 5w30 would be Pennzoil Platinum with a cSt @ 100C of 9.9.

The Viscosity index, basically the higher the number, the lighter the oil is at all temperatures, so higher is better. Most of the oils are nearly the same, ranging from 161-171, with Shell being at the near top.

The NOACK volatility mass % loss test will torture test the oil at a very high temperature and measure how much evaporates during a specific time. With this number, the lower the better. Low NOACK oils are desirably in high temperature applications and all direct injection engines. Shell does very well here also with 9.7% (15% is the highest you can have). Something like Pennzoil Ultra is the top dog in OTC synthetics with a super low 6.6%.

The rest of the numbers are the makeup of the known additives in the oil. You can see Shell uses mostly Calcium as a detergent/dispersant. Other additives are Phosphorous, zinc, and molybdenum. A very common and good additive package.

Both of your vehicles are known problem vehicles with motor oil, so using a synthetic may help deter sludge. In most all other applications, synthetics only help with extending drain intervals.

As cheap as your getting it you can afford to change it every 3,000 miles, but the Nissan i would take to 5,000 since its not as sludge prone, it just shears oil down in viscosity over time.

CATERHAM · Jul 13, 2013

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: Zack1978

901Memphis said:
The Visocity at 100C determines how thick the oil is at operating temp, in this case its 30 wt thickness. A 30 wt ranges from 9.3-12.49 cSt @ 100C, the lower the number the lighter it is. For instance a 20 wt specifices a cSt of 5.6-9.29, so a "light" 5w30 would be Pennzoil Platinum with a cSt @ 100C of 9.9.

The NOACK volatility mass % loss test will torture test the oil at a very high temperature and measure how much evaporates during a specific time. With this number, the lower the better. Low NOACK oils are desirably in high temperature applications and all direct injection engines. Shell does very well here also with 9.7% (15% is the highest you can have). Something like Pennzoil Ultra is the top dog in OTC synthetics with a super low 6.6%.

Your right about most of your explanations but not regarding the above.

The KV100 spec' does not reliably tell you how thick an oil is at operating temp's compared to other oils, you need to know the HTHSV and VI to determine that. It's a very common mistake even made by some experts. I wish the following thread was made a sticky so that I wouldn't have to keep pointing it out:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1990978&page=1

NOACK is not an important spec' in most application if extremely hot oil temp's aren't seen and low number is not necessarily better in DI engines. Of those PQIA oils tested the best for DI applications would likely be Castrol Edge despite it's 11.1% volatility since it has a remarkably low TEOST deposit score (unfortunately not measured by PQIA). Even the highest NOACK % oil, Lucas, has a slightly better TEOST score than PU which has the lowest NOACK.
Bottom line, you can ignore NOACK.

Spector · Jul 13, 2013

Been using all three weights, 5W20 W30 and 10W30 for a couple of years now with 6000 mile OCi intervals It can go further though. Under $4/quart a steal with the BJs coupons.

901Memphis · Jul 13, 2013

Where are TEOST figures posted at?

pbm · Jul 13, 2013

BITOG emeritus 'Johnny' of Pennzoil fame once told me (via PM) that Shell Synthetic was very similar to Quaker State Synthetic in make-up.
At $3.66 a quart, that's a screaming deal, IMO....

CATERHAM · Jul 14, 2013

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Where are TEOST figures posted at?

It is unfortunate that this isn't a standard PDS spec' for DI applications. The following is one of some 5W-30 syn':

http://www.amsoil.com/lit/G3115.pdf

engineer20 · Jul 28, 2014

Where can I buy this?

BrianC · Jul 28, 2014

BJ's wholesale.

nobb · Jul 28, 2014

There seems to be some claims that this is the same as Motomaster Formula 1 synthetic. Any truth to this?

route66mike · Jul 28, 2014

Why wouldn't Shell Oil Products U.S. (SOPUS) make all their synthetics in GF-5/SN types the same? QSUD, Pennzoil Plat, and Shell Synthetic should be the same, to save money on development and certification costs.

Garak · Jul 31, 2014

I think it's a lose-lose situation for Shell. They bought Pennzoil-Quaker State because of the loyalty those brands enjoy, I would assume. Formula Shell also has its own loyal customers. Some people wouldn't give two hoots if all three oils were the same. Many, many others would be quite annoyed, at least if they knew.

Formula Shell Full Synthetic Oil 5w30, any good???

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