Pennzoil question and answers.
Find below a comprehensive Q&A about all things Pennzoil
Product Specific / Technical
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology is a very high performing full synthetic motor oil. However, Pennzoil wanted to test the boundaries of technology even further so we introduced Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology, a product providing the best cleanliness and protection in the Pennzoil line-up of motor oils.
Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ with PurePlus Technology is formulated to contain additional cleansing technology and additional friction modifiers to maintain lower friction between moving parts.
Yes, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology will continue to phase out Pennzoil Ultra™ Full Synthetic motor oil over time.
Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5W-40 is an ACEA A3/B4 type oil and is suitable for vehicles where the motor oil type is required as an SAE 5W-40 grade. The new, comparable product is named Pennzoil Platinum® Euro Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology 5W-40.
Yes, Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5W-40 is discontinued. The new product is named Pennzoil Platinum® Euro Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology 5W-40.
The Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ with PurePlus™ Technology Technical Data Sheets can be found on Pennzoil.com.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology are first-of-their kind synthetic motor oils blended with a pure, clear base oil made from natural gas. PurePlus™ base oil has fewer of the impurities found in crude oil, the start for many other traditional and synthetic motor oils. The difference is in the base oil, which makes up 75%-90% of a typical motor oil formulation. Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oils use 100% PurePlus™ base oil.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology keeps pistons up to 40% cleaner than the toughest industry standards (Based on ILSAC GF-5, Sequence IIIG piston deposit test using SAE 5W-30; does not apply to Pennzoil Platinum Euro products), meanwhile Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology keeps pistons up to 65% cleaner than the toughest industry standards. (Based on ILSAC GF-5, Sequence IIIG piston deposit test using SAE 5W-30; does not apply to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-40.)
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology keep pistons cleaner than any other leading synthetic motor oil. (Based on pistons from standard V6 engine in ASTM Sequence IIIG piston deposit test using SAE 5W-30.) In fact, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ keeps pistons up to 25% cleaner than Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum® keeps pistons up to 8% cleaner than Mobil 1.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology provide engines Complete Protection without compromise. Complete Protection is defined as coverage on five key areas consumers deemed as most critical for motor oil performance: 1) engine cleanliness, 2) fuel economy, 3) conservation of horsepower, 4) wear protection, and 5) performance in extreme temperatures. These benefits make Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology excellent choices for advanced engines, including direct injection engines.
The benefits specific to piston cleanliness, fuel economy and wear protection are derived from the synergistic combination of Pennzoil high Performance Additive Chemistry and PurePlus™ base oil. This means that PurePlus™ Technology in effect helps additive technology work better providing consumers a harder working motor oil.
All additive packages deplete with use. As the additives act to perform their function they will be consumed, for example in neutralizing acids. This depletion is a good reason why checking the oil level and topping up are great practices. In recent years, there has been a tremendous amount of work to develop additive technology that lasts longer throughout the oil drain, and Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology have been designed to stay fresh for longer during the oil drain when compared to conventional motor oils.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology can have a shelf-life of up to four years if stored properly and it is not necessary to shake the motor oil bottle before dispensing. Our formulations are carefully balanced to ensure that additives stay suspended within the motor oil. You can contact the Pennzoil helpline if you wish to identify the date of when your purchase was bottled.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology meet and exceed key industry standards and OEM specs, including API SN AND ILSAC GF-5 for passenger car motor oils and ACEA European oil sequences for service-fill oils. PurePlus™ base oils have been designed with the future in mind, and they deliver a strong platform to meet the future oil requirements for upcoming GF-6 standards.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology are extremely robust formulations, but lubricant marketers do not set oil drain intervals. Drain interval recommendations are made by engine manufacturers.
The specific high-performance additive formulation used in the new Pennzoil Platinum® line of products is proprietary and that information cannot be shared.
The specific high-performance additive formulation used in the new Pennzoil Platinum® line of products is proprietary and that information cannot be shared.
The VI ranges from 150 to 170 for 0W-20, 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30. For wide span viscosity grades e.g. 0W-40, 5W-50, the VI is close to 190.
Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology 0W-20 has KV40 46.4cst, KV100 8.8cst and VI 172.
New grades are being suggested for some emerging applications. Within the industry SAE grades such as 0W-16 are regularly discussed. These are highly specific grades necessary for highly specific applications. PurePlus™ base oil is a great platform from which we can fully formulate ultra-low viscosity oils like a 0W-16 and meet industry and manufacturer requirements.
No Pennzoil does not add MoS2 (a solid) to our motor oils.
Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology have low phosphorus and sulphur levels within the levels specified for API SN. They also meet the low sulphated ash levels required for the various OEM specifications the products meet. In the Pennzoil® Euro portfolio we do have products that meet particular low SAPS levels required by some European OEM specifications, please check www.MotorOilReimagined.com for more details about these products.
PurePlus™ base oils exceed the minimum standards for API Group III base oils. (There is no API Group III+ category.) PurePlus Base Oils enable formulations with lower volatility, better low temperature performance, better oxidation stability, and better piston cleanliness compared to traditional API Group III base oils refined from crude oil.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology can have a shelf-life of up to four years if stored properly.
Viscosity Grades
a. Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology will be available in 0W-20, 5W-20, 5W-30, 5W-50, and 10W-30.
b. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology will be available in 0W-20, 0W-40, 5W-20, 5W-30, and 10W-30.
c. Pennzoil Platinum® Euro Full Synthetic motor oil? with PurePlus™ Technology will be available in 0W-40, 5W-30, and 5W-40.
d. Pennzoil Platinum® Racing with PurePlus™ Technology will be available in 10W-60.
Pennzoil is not offering 0W-30, 15W-50 or 20W-50 at this time.
Pennzoil Platinum® Euro Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology is available in 5W-40.
Both the 0W-40 and 5W-40 will be available at multiple retailers.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology provide excellent performance in low temperatures thanks to the excellent low temperature pumpability of PurePlus Base Oils.
Yes, Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology will be available in a 5W-50 viscosity grade.
Pennzoil Platinum® Racing Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology is available as an SAE 10W-60 and is suitable for many high-performance applications. Also, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology 0W-40 is recommended by SRT for their engines and Pennzoil Platinum Euro Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus Technology 5W-40 is recommended by Ferrari and Maserati for their engines. Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology 5W-50 is also suitable for many high performance applications.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology are extremely robust formulations, but lubricant marketers do not set oil drain interval recommendations. Drain interval recommendations are made by engine manufacturers. A potential advantage of using a high quality synthetic is to take better care of your engine and reduce deposit formation, which over time may reduce power, performance, and fuel economy, rather than extending the drain interval.
Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology are extremely robust formulations, but lubricant marketers do not set oil drain interval recommendations – these recommendations are made by engine manufacturers. So, if your engine manufacturer recommends 15,000 mile ODI, then we stand behind the 15,000 mile ODI. A potential advantage of using a high quality synthetic is to take better care of your engine and reduce deposit formation, which over time may reduce power, performance, and fuel economy –rather than extending the drain interval.
Licenses / Approvals
Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology carry dexos1 approval for SAE 0W-20, 5W-20, and 5W-30.
Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology meet and exceed industry standards in addition to many OEM specifications, including BMW, Mercedes, Fiat, Porsche, Renault, VW, Ferrari, Maserati, GM, Nissan, Ford and Chrysler Brands (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram).
Yes they do: Pennzoil Platinum® 5W-30 Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology meets ACEA A1/B1 and A5/B5 requirements and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oil with PurePlus™ Technology meets A1/B1 and A5/B5 requirements, check the TDS for details of the claims for each SAE grade.
Pennzoil Platinum® Euro LX SAE 0W-30 is approved to meet the latest VW 507.00 specifications. Pennzoil Platinum® Euro LX SAE 0W-30 is due to launch in North America in the beginning of 2015.
GTL / Testing
We began switching production facilities to use PurePlus™ base oil in our Pennzoil Platinum® line of motor oils—bulk, packaged and Eco-box—in 2013. Beginning February 1, 2014, Pennzoil Platinum® packaging indicated the use of this technology was 100%, and all production locations have switched.
We began switching production facilities to use PurePlus™ Technology in our Pennzoil Platinum® motor oils—bulk, packaged and Eco-box—in 2013. Beginning February 1, 2014, Pennzoil Platinum packaging indicated the use of this technology was 100%, and all production locations have switched.
PurePlus™ base oil is classified as an API Group III product. It is important to note there is no such category as an API Group III+ base oil, interested readers can download and check out a copy of API 1509 for the current official base oil definitions. PurePlus™ base oil is classified as API Group III base oil based on its molecular structure, but it exceeds the minimum requirements for API Group III base oil.
To achieve fuel economy requirements and improve vehicle performance vehicle manufacturers have moved toward smaller turbocharged engines with direct injection. These smaller engines are worked harder to achieve a higher rated output, increasing both the pressure and the temperature in the combustion chambers. These engines provide a demanding environment for the motor oil. Pennzoil Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology keep critical engine parts clean and protected, and they have high resistance to oil degradation and low volatility which helps them to maintain the protection over the oil drain interval also resulting in less need for oil top-up.
While PurePlus™ base oil and PAO base oil differ in regard to viscosity, volatility and chemical composition; PurePlus base oil and PAO base oil are similar in their ability to enable top-of-the-line engine oils to perform at a very high level. The key difference between Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus™ Technology and competitive PAO formulations rests with the additive chemistry that is paired with the PurePlus™ base oil. The synergy of PurePlus™ base oil and our best additive chemistry, in the Pennzoil line up of products, results in a fully synthetic motor.
Yes there are different grades of GTL base stocks. GTL base stocks come in 3 grades, denoted 3, 4 and 8. The 3, 4 and 8 base oil grades are produced at the Pearl plant in Qatar.
Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology have undergone many stringent lab tests, industry tests, and OEM tests in addition to millions of miles of field trials. The Complete Protection benefits of the line of Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus™ Technology products make them an excellent choice for advanced engines, especially direct injection engines, because the motor oils help prevent deposits and perform extremely well at high temperatures. No other leading motor oil helps keep engines cleaner than Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus™ Technology. (Based on pistons from standard V6 engine in ASTM Sequence IIIG piston deposit test using SAE 5W-30. Does not apply to Pennzoil Platinum® Euro and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ 0W-40. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ keeps pistons up to 25% cleaner than Mobil 1; and up to 35% cleaner than Valvoline® SynPower®. Pennzoil Platinum® keeps pistons up to 8% cleaner than Mobil 1; and up to 17% cleaner than Valvoline® SynPower®)
Lower volatility means less oil consumption inside your engine. Low volatility is also a key factor in enabling an oil to stay fresher for longer throughout the oil drain. Oil loss through volatilization of light ends can cause contaminants, for example from blow-by gases, to concentrate in the oil. These contaminants can accelerate oil ageing and additive depletion. Low volatility helps to maintain viscosity control and is also helpful from protecting the oil from degradation caused by the very high temperatures that can be encountered in turbocharger bearings. Such degradation can cause the build-up of significant deposits in turbochargers.
Both Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology far exceed the industry requirements for NOACK. In order to address your NOACK values question, we would need more information from your testing. The use of PurePlus™ base oil enables Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus Technology with NOACK volatilties of 10% or lower.
At the moment PurePlus™ base oil will primarily be used in our Pennzoil Platinum® line of products. However, in the future other engine oils in our portfolio may contain a percentage of PurePlus™ base oil, if required for a specific formulation. Products in the remainder of the Pennzoil portfolio are continuing to use conventional base oils as their primary base oil.
Location
Yes, Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology are available in Canada.
We have made all grades of Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology available to all the retailers including Walmart. Please check with your local stores for availability.
Other Shell Products
PurePlus™ base oil is primarily used in our Pennzoil Platinum® line of products. However, in the future other engine oils in our portfolio may contain a percentage of PurePlus™ base oil, if required for a specific formulation. Products in the remainder of the Pennzoil portfolio will broadly continue to use conventional base oils as their primary base oil.
Pennzoil Platinum®, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™, Pennzoil Platinum® Racing and Pennzoil Platinum® Euro Full Synthetic are the only motor oils blended exclusively with PurePlus™ Base Oil at this time. Other products in our PCMO and HDEO portfolios are produced using some PurePlus™ base oil. In the future, we may elect to blend other premium products exclusively with these base oils, and would announce such changes at the appropriate time.
Yes. No other leading motor oil keeps pistons cleaner than Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus™ Technology. (Based on pistons from standard V6 engine in ASTM Sequence IIIG piston deposit test using SAE 5W-30.)
Pennzoil will continue to expand the Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus™ Technology line of premium products, and we do believe there are unique benefits that PurePlus™ base oil would provide to high mileage motor oil.
Typically, this is not necessary. However, this response is based on how clean the engine is. If the engine is dirty, we do recommend shortening the OCI to drain out the build up that was in the engine.
There are not currently any plans to make a Pennzoil product for this application.
This is difficult to answer without context. By conventional standards Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology have a high VI (viscosity index) already.
Pennzoil is only using PurePlus™ base oil in our Pennzoil Platinum® line of premium motor oils. Conventional base oils will remain in other existing formulations that leverage this base.
a. No, in fact Pennzoil® motor oils are unsurpassed in their ability to prevent sludge and are even able to help clean up sludge that may have been left behind by lesser oils.
b. Every time your engine is running, by-products from combustion contaminate your engine oil. If the contaminants build up in the oil, they can settle and create sludge and deposits in the engine. Using low quality motor oil, neglecting to change your oil, and other maintenance issues can also lead to sludge forming in your engine.
No, there is not paraffin wax in any Pennzoil products. However, every conventional oil (and most synthetics) on the market today, including Pennzoil, use “paraffinic” base stocks. This is not the same as adding paraffin wax to the oil. Paraffin wax is actually what candles are made of and this is removed in the refining process and sold to the candle makers.
Marketing / Pricing
PurePlus™ Base Oil is a Group III product and our finished lubricant products using PurePlus base oil will be competitively priced.
We cannot comment on specifics related to production, but it is comparable to traditional methods.
Our goal is to offer a high quality synthetic motor oil at a competitive price. Pennzoil Platinum® with PurePlus™ Technology uses high quality PurePlu™s Base Oil and high performance additives, offering complete protection for your engine, without compromise.
Pennzoil Ultra Platinum® Full Synthetic motor oil provides the best cleansing and performance in the Pennzoil family of motor oils and allows us to push the boundaries of our technology. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is distributed to a variety of retailers and installers across the country and if you are having difficulty finding the motor oil in your area, we encourage you to call us at 1-800-BEST-OIL or search a variety of online retailers.
Shell has exclusive marketing rights to GTL base oil produced at the Pearl facility (PurePlus™ base oil), and we are primarily focused on using GTL base oils within our finished lubricants business. There are no plans to offer Shell GTL base oils for spot trading.
We do not set the final pricing of our products in the marketplace, that is decided by the retailers and installers.
Yes, all Pennzoil® products, either packaged or bulk, are formulated exactly the same, and are made in the same plants with the same performance benefits regardless of where they are sold.
Yes, all packaged or bulk Pennzoil® products are formulated exactly the same, and are made in the same plants with the same performance benefits regardless of where they are sold. If you are interested in more information, the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have new guidelines that require oil change locations to provide information consumers need to make informed decisions about motor oil. The new guidelines and API’s recently published standard provide consumers with additional information about a bulk motor oil’s brand, viscosity, and performance level.
Yes, we often provide our customers with an opportunity to save on Pennzoil® motor oil. Check out pennzoil.com/promotions to see the latest list of Pennzoil promotions for the latest motor oil coupons, oil change coupons, plus other great motor oil deals and offers.
At this time, we only offer Pennzoil conventional 20W-50 in 5 quart jugs. If you have additional inquiries, please contact 1-800-BEST-OIL to check on specific package/viscosity grade availability.
We are not currently producing this product in this viscosity grade in 5 qt. jugs.
