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Old 04-07-2015, 05:25 PM   #11
gpshumway
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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10 Favorite oils in various categories

While an effort has been made to ensure the information in this section is correct at the time of writing, oil makers change their formulations constantly, sometimes changing the category of an oil in the process. For instance, during a recent reformulation Valvoline Maxlife Full Synthetic 5w30 changed from being a Heavy Duty oil conforming to ACEA A3, to a Light Duty resource conserving oil conforming to ILSAC GF-5. Check current product data from the manufacturer if in doubt, links to product data have been included where available.

10.1 Light Duty 5w30 Conventional oils
All RC conventional oils from national brands perform similarly, there's no need to detail the small differences between them here. If you want better oil, spend a few bucks and buy a good blend or synthetic. Good blends like Valvoline Maxlife and Pennzoil Gold and lower tier synthetics like Quaker State Ultimate Durability are only slightly more expensive than conventional oils. If you must split hairs to differentiate between conventional oils, choose one meeting Ford M2C and/or GM dexos specs.

10.2 Resource Conserving 0w20 synthetic oils.

Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5
Excellent oil from Shell Oil Products US (SOPUS), but no ACEA or dexos rating. SOPUS no longer publishes HT/HS for Pennzoil Platinum

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0w20 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A1/B1, GM dexos1.
Excellent oil from Shell Oil Products US (SOPUS) Has ACEA A1/B1 and dexos, but also higher NOACK than Pennzoil Platinum, right on the ACEA limit of 13%. SOPUS no longer publishes HT/HS for Pennzoil Ultra Platinum.

Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w20 - HT/HS 2.7
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A1/B1, GM dexos1, Ford M2C.
Excellent oil from Exxon Mobil, the only 0w20 claiming adherence to Ford's WSS-M2C947-A spec for 5w20 oil, which implies it meets the stricter turbocharger deposit specifications (TEOST 33C) for 5w20. UOA has shown fairly poor shear stability for M1 AFE 0w20, however. As of 5/28/15 Mobil's web product page and PDS no longer list ACEA A1/B1 for AFE 0w20, indicating a possible recent formulation change.

Castrol Edge 0w20 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, OEM approvals
Excellent oil from BP. Latest version has titanium additive trickled down from older "Edge with Titanium FST" formulation (now called Edge Extended). Castrol doesn't publish real HT/HS or many other specs like MRV and CCS for their products, only spec minimums, which makes detailed evaluation hard.

Castrol Edge Extended 0w20 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, OEM approvals
Excellent oil from BP. Broadly similar to Mobil 1 Extended Performance. Guaranteed by Castrol for up to 15,000 miles. Now that the titanium additive package has trickled down to 'regular' Edge, there's little reason to use the 'Extended' version for change intervals of 10,000 miles or less. Castrol doesn't publish real HT/HS or many other specs like MRV and CCS for their products, only spec minimums, which makes detailed evaluation hard.

Subaru (Idemitsu) 0w20 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5
The Subaru branded oil made by Idemitsu Lubricants of Japan. Generally similar to top-tier domestic brands like Pennzoil and Mobil 1. No ACEA rating, but for an oil marketed in the US as an OEM lubricant, that's hardly expected. Product data is hard to come by for this oil.

10.3 Resource Conserving Light Duty 30 grade Synthetic oils

Amsoil OE and XL series 5w30 - HT/HS 3.3
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5
The difference between the XL and OE series is their TBN, XL oils are designed for longer drain intervals, while OE oils are designed for OEM recommended change intervals. Other than TBN the base stocks and additive packages are the same. The 5w30 grade of these oils have some of the highest HT/HS viscosities within the RC 5w30 category, and are thus interesting to turbo Subaru owners highly concerned with warranty coverage, who wish to conform to the strictest interpretation of the owner's manual recommendations.

Amsoil Signature Series 5w30 - HT/HS 3.1
No Formal Certifications
Mentioned here only because it dos NOT carry API or ILSAC certification, and therefore could pose a risk to warranty coverage. Amsoil uses tricky "recommended for" language in their marketing which implies conformance to API and ILSAC standards, but Signature Series is not officially certified. It is excellent oil, but its claim to fame is very long drain intervals, similar to Mobil 1 Extended Performance and Castrol Edge Extended. Unless you're extending your drain intervals past 10,000 miles, there are better ways to spend $10+ per quart on motor oil.

Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, + OEM approvals
Excellent oil from SOPUS. Shell no longer publishes the HT/HS viscosity for Pennzoil Platinum.

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, + OEM approvals
Generally similar to Pennzoil Platinum but with increased levels of cleaning additives and higher TBN, but also with higher NOACK. Shell no longer publishes the HT/HS viscosity for Pennzoil Ultra Platinum.

Mobil 1 5w30 - HT/HS 3.1
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A1/B1?, OEM approvals
Mobil 1 5w30 has a bit of a bad reputation on NASIOC because of the sub-par performance of the early API SM formulation, the latest API SN formulation performs as well as any ILSAC 5w30. ExxonMobil warrants Mobil1 for use up to 10,000 miles. As of 5/28/15 Mobil 1's web information page no longer lists any ACEA specs for M1 5w30 (non-EP) the PDS lists A1/B1, indicating a possible recent formulation change. Formerly M1 5w30 was ACEA A5/B5

Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 - HT/HS 3.0
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A1/B1, OEM approvals
Generally similar to 'standard' Mobil 1 with slightly lower HT/HS. ExxonMobil warrants M1 EP for use up to 15,000 miles, but for change intervals less than 10,000 miles there is no reason to use M1 EP in place of 'standard' Mobil 1.

Castrol Edge 5w30- HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, OEM approvals
Excellent oil from BP. Latest version has titanium additive trickled down from older "Edge with Titanium FST" formulation (now called Edge Extended). Castrol doesn't publish real HT/HS or many other specs like MRV and CCS for their products, only spec minimums, which makes detailed evaluation hard.

Castrol Edge Extended 5w30- HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, OEM approvals
Excellent oil from BP. Broadly similar to Mobil 1 Extended Performance. Guaranteed by Castrol for up to 15,000 miles. Now that the titanium additive package has trickled down to 'regular' Edge, there's little reason to use the 'Extended' version for change intervals of 10,000 miles or less. Castrol doesn't publish real HT/HS or many other specs like MRV and CCS for their products, only spec minimums, which makes detailed evaluation hard.

Subaru (Idemitsu) 5w30 - HT/HS ??
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5
The Subaru branded oil made by Idemitsu Lubricants of Japan. Generally similar to top-tier domestic brands like Pennzoil and Mobil 1. No ACEA rating, but for an oil marketed in the US as an OEM lubricant, that's hardly expected. Product data is hard to come by for this oil, the MSDS linked above was posted by user "Toombs" in 2013 and may not be current.

Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w30 - HT/HS 3.0
API SN +RC/ILSAC GF-5, ACEA A5/B5, OEM approvals
The only ILSAC 0w30 oil readily available in the USA. Performance is generally similar to high quality 5w30 synthetic oils except at very low temperatures where M1 AFE excels. UOA has shown M1 AFE 0w30 to be more shear stable than its 0w20 sibling. Alaskan and Canadian owners of Subarus calling for 5w30, this is your winter oil. Canadian owners can also use the equivalent from Petro Canada which is generally less expensive. Because this oil is a different grade than called for in the owner's manual there is a slight chance of warranty issues when using it.

10.4 Light Duty 30 grade Synthetic oils (non Resource Conserving)

Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30 - HT/HS 3.3
API SL, ACEA A5/B5
A high quality oil with high levels of zinc and phosphorous additives which necessitates certification to the older API SL standard. A good choice for owners of older Subarus, but could pose a threat to warranty coverage in newer cars which call for use of API SM or newer oil.

Motul 8100 Eco-Energy 5w30 - HT/HS 3.4
API SL, ACEA A5/B5
A high quality oil with high levels of zinc and phosphorous additives which necessitates certification to the older API SL standard. A good choice for owners of older naturally aspirated Subarus which call for 5w30, but could pose a threat to warranty coverage in newer cars which call for use of API SM or newer oil. Difficult to find and expensive, there is little reason to use 8100 Eco-Energy rather than functionally similar Mobil 1 High Mileage. Some Subaru dealers offer Eco-Energy as their premium fill.
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Last edited by gpshumway; 07-05-2015 at 09:56 PM.
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