Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5W30 VOA

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OK guys, thought I'd post the Euro L 5W30 VOA since I had great success with the Euro 0W40 in my Odyssey. This oil went into my 01 Forester with 216k, so I will have a UOA sometime in the future.

First thoughts looking at the VOA, it is kind of a letdown (at least to me) when comparing to the 0W40 on the add pack. I understand this is a C3/SN oil, and the 0W40 is an A3/B4 oil, but at 7.6k UOA, the 0W40 TBN was only 1.0 lower than this VOA. Can somebody chime in on this? I know it's a serviceable oil, but this almost makes me want to just use the 0W40 in the Subaru as well as the Odyssey. I'll put the VOA up first, and my 0W40 UOA up second. VI does look to be impressive at 183, which is slightly higher than the PDS at 174. I'll toss the PDS clip in at the bottom.

For $22.97, it's not a BAD oil, but I think it's just OK. Thoughts on the Euro L 5W30?

VOA:


0W40 UOA:


PDS:
 
Thanks for the VOA.

Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
but this almost makes me want to just use the 0W40 in the Subaru as well as the Odyssey.

If your engines don't call for low SAPS oil, then don't use it.
 
Yeah, if you read the spec, Euro L is meant more for diesel engines than gasoline engines. Probably fine for 5k, but not good for 10k. Stick with 0w40 or whatever the recommended oil is for your car. Basically it boils down to don't use a diesel oil in a gasser.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

If your engines don't call for low SAPS oil, then don't use it.

[/quote]

Does SN still qualify, or is there enough overlap in the API/ACEA ratings that it can still meet SN and low SAPS for ACEA? I mean, technically the Subaru is SJ and the Odyssey is SL, but obviously it's pretty difficult to find anything that would only meet SJ or SL. What would be some good oils for these applications?
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Does SN still qualify, or is there enough overlap in the API/ACEA ratings that it can still meet SN and low SAPS for ACEA? I mean,

Not sure what you mean by "still qualify"? An oil can meet API SN and still be low SAPS, if that's what you're asking.

Quote:
technically the Subaru is SJ and the Odyssey is SL, but obviously it's pretty difficult to find anything that would only meet SJ or SL. What would be some good oils for these applications?

It really depends on how long of an OCI you want to do.

Historically, US gasoline was not ultra low sulfur, which caused rapid TBN depletion in oil, which meant that low SAPS oils were poorly suited to handle long OCIs in gasoline engines here. Now, things are changing and supposedly US is moving over to ultra low sulfur gasoline, but I don't know where we are at with actual implementation of this, and if/how it varies by region, by state, by gasoline brand, etc.

On the other hand, low SAPS oils are designed to protect modern diesel emissions equipment, which neither one of your cars has, so it's of no benefit to you. They may also provide some benefit in DI engines (questionable), but again, your engines are not DI.

My recommendation for your applications, if you want to run long OCIs, would be to stick with full SAPS oils.
 
Anything that has reasonably high TBN, say above 8, I would consider full SAPS. Anything meeting ACEA A3/B4 spec will have TBN of 10 or higher, because that is what that spec calls for... Castrol 0w-40, Castrol 0w-30, Mobil1 0w-40, Pennzoil Euro 5w-40 or 0w-40, just to name a few.
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
So, Pete, please humor me. How do I determine a "full-SAPS" oil, and what are some examples of such? Thanks for the info!


The Euro L carries the BMW LL-04 rating, that is a low saps rating.
 
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thanks Subie for posting the lackluster VOA of PP Euro 5w-30.
The PP Euro L 0w-40 is now my go-to oil for extended drain over 10K miles.
 
Originally Posted By: camryrolla
thanks Subie for posting the lackluster VOA of PP Euro 5w-30.

It's not lackluster. It's exactly as it was designed, and exactly as required by modern diesel engines.

Quote:
The PP Euro L 0w-40 is now my go-to oil for extended drain over 10K miles.

PP Euro 0w-40 doesn't have 'L' in it. If it did, it would have been a low SAPS oil, just like that 5w-30 that the OP posted.
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Originally Posted By: camryrolla
thanks Subie for posting the lackluster VOA of PP Euro 5w-30.
The PP Euro L 0w-40 is now my go-to oil for extended drain over 10K miles.


There is no such thing as PP Euro L 0W40?
 
OP, ~ 820 ppm Zinc and TBN of 7 looks about right to me for a 5W30 SN and mid-SAPS C3 oil.

A full SAPS A3 / B4 oil is required to have a TBN > 10 as SA between 1.0 and 1.6 %, typical values would be TBN of ~ 11 and SA of ~ 1.2 %.

A mid SAPS C3 oil is required to have TBN > 6 and SA < 0.8 %. Your results are fairly typical.

For the record, a low SAPS C4 oil is required to have SA < 0.5 %

But most Dexos1 / GF-5 oils have SA of ~ 0.8 % and a TBN of ~ 7.5 so you are very much in the same ball park as most people out there, except your C3 oils has a higher HTHS >= 3.5 cP instead of the usual 3.0 to 3.1 cP for an ILSAC 5W30.

I would run a Euro synthetic C3 oil 5,000 to 7,500 miles.
You could run a Euro Synthetic A3/B4 oil 10,000 to 15,000 miles.

BTW a Euro C3 oil is almost the same as a Dexos2 oil.
 
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Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Mightymouse, no, there is no Pennz Platinum Euro L 0W40. It is just Pennz Plat Euro 0W40. The L denotes the lower TBN due to lower SAPS content.


Yes, I know.
wink.gif
 
Darn, I was really hoping this would be a good Ecoboost application oil.

While under warranty, Castrol Magnatec looks to be it still.
 
I don't see the advantage of running synthetic in the Forester. I ran Pennoil Conventional 5W30 or 10W30 High Mileage at 5-7k mile intervals when I had an '00 Impreza RS and a '99 Outback.
 
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There's no real reason other than the $5 extra per oil change makes me feel better inside. Plus, since I like what Pennzoil has done for my vehicles, I wanted to share the VOA with the board.
 
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