synthetic oil brand testing

http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf

Here are some interesting info on different brands of synth oils.

Many of the oils tested are not readily available in the US. Amsoil was not tested so I wonder how it would have done. Ditto for certain others. Royal Purple is a good product so no surprize there. I am a bit surprized with Red Line as it has proven itself to be top notch over the years. I would love to actually see the test equipment and how it was used.

I'm surprised at the prices paid for these oils. And with the Redline, I've never seen packaging like that, either. Makes me wonder what's up. Even if the dollar sign reflected Canadian dollars, the prices were really high, IMO.

The test equipment was interesting, and I have seen references to these tests elsewhere, but the real truth in the testing is how the oil performs in an engine. Unfortunately, that type testing is so prohibitively expensive, we'll never see anything but anecdotal reports on it.

hevster1 said:

Many of the oils tested are not readily available in the US. Amsoil was not tested so I wonder how it would have done. Ditto for certain others. Royal Purple is a good product so no surprize there. I am a bit surprized with Red Line as it has proven itself to be top notch over the years. I would love to actually see the test equipment and how it was used.

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What was even more surprising was Valvoline provided best bang for the buck. It goes to show that Valvoline does know oil.

Powder Hound said:

Even if the dollar sign reflected Canadian dollars, the prices were really high, IMO.

The test equipment was interesting, and I have seen references to these tests elsewhere,........

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The dollar sign reflected Austrailian dollars. Street Commodores is a Austrailian automotive magazine devoted to the Commodore car.

The "Falex Lubricity Tester" should look familiar because it is the same "tester" you saw on TV infomercials for the "miracle" snake oil additives that use to be advertised on TV. The additives that once they had been ran in your crankcase, they could be drained out and you could keep driving the car without oil. The snake oils the the FTC made them pull off TV and fined the heck out of. Not a highly conclusive test. If you read their conclusion, they are planning to run UOAs next, which should be more telling.

Shell Helix Diesel Plus VA 5W 40 -or 5W30 VX are much better oils. I do not think these oils are available in Australia. The test says that only one oil even worked. ? They made Redline seem a tad backyard. They claim Royal purple is expensive but for people who have to commit to 505.01, 506.01, and 507 its not really. None of those the oils would work on anything built after 03.

wjdell said:

.....None of those the oils would work on anything built after 03.

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Do you mean "none of those oils are officially approved to work on anything built after 03?" I would not hesitate to run RP in any vehicle, gas or diesel of any model year.

More internet science!

thierryvw said:

http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf

Here are some interesting info on different brands of synth oils.

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That's all a lot of fun, but that type of loading doesn't occur under normal circumstances in a car engine.

AZGolf said:

Do you mean "none of those oils are officially approved to work on anything built after 03?" I would not hesitate to run RP in any vehicle, gas or diesel of any model year.

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OK - Wish you would use it and do some UOA's if you can do 3 UOA's and all are well we would know if the testing process really means anything. Or is it the quality of Royal purple in that test in not the reality of a engine, and can it protect well in all areas.

I think a oil will reveal itself by 15k, 3 5k UOA's and we would know for sure.

Bogus 'Test'

The 'one armed bandit' is a bench test for extreme pressure (EP) grease and gear lube. It offers a quick comparison for products with EP additives (like RP's moly). Bench test results can't be compared with real-world performance.

This 'test' is used by RP and Schaeffer to sell engine oil, and by aftermarket additive companies to sell additives.

Metal on metal contact to produce the wear scars in the tests are beyond the scope of the test - the test is not designed to be run until the parts are damaged this way.

There is absolutely no extreme pressure contact in an engine. Engine parts are lubricated by the oil film.