What's the better oil? Amsoil signature series vs pennzoil ultra platinum?
Posted by Drunk_Redneck@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 106 comments
What's the better lubricant?
AlternativeStation84@reddit
Amsoil only won due to cold flow test at the end Penzoil has better evaporative loss therefore is better in hot climates. Ex Houston
Cx5Guy@reddit
No way does pennzoil have better evaporative loss than amsoil.. what test is this showing on?
fordtough76@reddit
Pension wins @2:41 https://youtu.be/TWuKvnCq1js?si=Cyko45F4UpJq8ND4
Cx5Guy@reddit
This is just one test from tests that arent even real world coffee makers? I want to see oil analysis results from actual engines..... if i see a few, that would convince me. I love PUP.. its one of the best, but i just dont believe its better than amsoil at evaporative loss especially since the HUGE difference in noack..im willing to stand corrected if someone can show me oil analysis from actual cars and not coffee pots and other machines.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Wear too though..no? Again it's splitting hairs tho. I'd can find Pennzoil Ultra Platinum under $30 you did well. It's a phenomenal product.
TreesHappen75@reddit
No, beat them in the wear scar test also, IIRC.
AhBuckleThis@reddit
I never ran Pennzoil, but I have Amsoil. Amsoil is good, but too expensive. I run Mobil One in the daily drivers and Valvoline Vr1 in my 69 Camaro.
Cx5Guy@reddit
and the pickup trucks we pay 70-120 grand for are NOT too expensive? You folks who like to go cheap on oil, the most important part of maintenance, are hilarious.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Pennzoil is superior to Mobil1 in every test. Especially Penn Platinum & Ultra Platinum. Facts.
porchprovider@reddit
Amsoil is an MML (pyramid scheme). They way over charge for oil that’s the same as everything else out there. Also super gimmicky. The people who sell it are brainwashed and they pass on the brainwashing and high prices to customers.
Cx5Guy@reddit
Its not brainwashing man, its oil facts. Check the oil analysis.. amsoil is the best, period. You can call it brainwashing, a cult, over priced whatever. People spend 70k on a pickup truck no problem , and cheap out on oil!LOL Its higher price cause its a better oil.
Bulky_Dingo_4706@reddit
I've used nothing but Amsoil in my 400k mile car that still runs great. You can call it an MLM all you want. It's priced higher for a reason.
petepta@reddit
My buddy has 600,000 miles on his pontiac vibe.(original motor and transmission) always amsoil signature series and amsoil trans fluid. Made me switch. I have 280,000 on my escape also using amsoil at 10,000 mile intervals.
Cx5Guy@reddit
Can i ask if he or you use 5w30 or 0w20? I have a 2025 Mazda CX5 that calls for 0w20 (Here in US due to CAFE) but i REALLy want to used 5w30.. just not sure. Ive heard great things about the Amsol 0w20 as well.. but thinking i still want the 5w30..
petepta@reddit
He uses the 5w30
Cx5Guy@reddit
Thats incredible.. thanks for sharing you helped make my decision!
porchprovider@reddit
You got any scientific proof that's not created by Amsoil to back up the claims that it causes less wear on engines?
Bulky_Dingo_4706@reddit
Watch Project Farm's video on YouTube where he rigorously tests each engine oil brand. Amsoil performed the best out of all of them. You pay more for quality. My car has 420k miles because of it.
Silver-Film6289@reddit
I agree with you. If you compare the slight advantage against the price difference....its cheaper and better for your car to change your pennzoil at comparatively shorter intervals
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Truth 💯 🇺🇸
ZookeepergameSea9229@reddit
They are not a pyramid scheme. lol.
AdoptedTerror@reddit
LOL, they probably started that way. Not sure how you continue with it sold on www.amsoil.com.
ConBroMitch2247@reddit
Say what you want about their sales channel. But Amsoil is most not definitely not a MLM.
Upstairs_Echo3114@reddit
It is technically an MLM. But it's not run like the stereotypical MLM where you're encouraged to buyers tons of product and try to get everyone you meet to buy it. You can simply be a customer, or a preferred customer or even a dealer and they don't bother you. I've been a dealer since 2014 and only sold to friends, myself and my family and I've never been contacted by the guy above me or the company about buying or selling more.
porchprovider@reddit
Yeah, that’s what I said, you just worded it weird.
tacosgunsandjeeps@reddit
The sellers can't just tell you how much it costs on a Facebook page, you have to pm them. Any company that shitty isn't worth buying from
sweet_occums_razor@reddit
What? The prices (with and without membership) are in plain site on their website.
tiger-93@reddit
Facts
Mindless_Whereas9897@reddit
Amsoil is by far the best oil on the planet
Informal-Look-7759@reddit
Schaeffer's and hp are the best. Not my opinion just going off lab testing.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Maybe but is the margin gonna make that much difference long run? Many other factors. Amsoil or Pennzoil Ultra Platinum both top notch. Period.
nemix77@reddit
I agree with most users here that Amsoil Signature is overpriced, however I do believe they a better base oil and better additives package then Pennzoil Ultra.
That's why I rotate between Pennzoil Ultra and Amsoil Signature in my vehicle, this way I'm only paying about 20% more lifetime on oil changes while still getting the benefits of Amsoil Signature additives package in my engine.
With Pennzoil Ultra I do 9 month intervals for 5 changes or about 4 years, and Amsoil Signature I do 1 year intervals for 4 changes or about 4 years, and then rotate back to Pennzoil Ultra.
Apprehensive-Bad-463@reddit
Go with whatever the engineers used to develop your car. if it’s an eco car then any brand works.
ConBroMitch2247@reddit
Terrible advice. Have you seen some of the pisswater oil being pushed to meet efficiency standards at the expense of engine protection.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Follow manufacturer recommendations always while under warranty!
Apprehensive-Bad-463@reddit
No you should void your warranty and use thicker oil because these engineers don't know what they're doing :)
Cx5Guy@reddit
lol..the engineers know what they are doing, but the legal depts and marketing depts dont.. as they submit fully to BS cafe requirements. Well they may know what they are doing, but they are kinda forced to go with CAFE
Apprehensive-Bad-463@reddit
Personally I only use high end oil on my corvette and my Acura gets STP stuff. By “any brand works” I meant any name brand, not the bs you find at the dollar tree or Walmart.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Yes, we mean only major brand US oils. Best out there. Motul & liquimoly is overpriced & overrated. Japanese oils aren't popular for good reason.
LOTF1776@reddit
Hey now, Walmart has great deals on oil, lol. I buy my Pennzoil Ultra Platinum online from Walmart because they always have it on sale for about $30 for a 5-quart. One of the best oils on the market for that cheap, I'll take take it!
CarLover014@reddit
Project Farm did a whole series on the best motor oil. Final Round: Amsoil vs Pennzoil
To sum the video up, Amsoil DID win, but not by a massive margin. Both are fantastic oils. However for a gallon of Amsoil, you can get 10 quarts of Ultra Platinum for the same price
MidwestAbe@reddit
Take project farm for what it is. A You Tube video.
I would not draw much from his video on engine oil,, given he didn't even test them in, wait for it, an engine.
Simple fact is any certified oil is going to be within an eyelash of each other. We basically kid ourselves into Castol over Pens or Mobil or OEM. Just change it on time and make sure you always have enough on the dipstick.
Upstairs_Echo3114@reddit
People frequently run Amsoil safely for over 100,000 miles without changing it.
Try that with Pennsoil.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Cmon now . With huge costly bypass filter setup maybe. Not realistic. Use Pennzoil Platinum/ Ultra Platinum & Fram Ultra Synthetic oil filter. Ur good to go! Very protected & safe.
Upstairs_Echo3114@reddit
It only costs a few dollars a quart more for the highest grade Amsoil makes and it protects WAY better. Pennsoil isn't 100% synthetic.
If you drive a 4 banger, it's cheaper to just change it. If you drive a Cummins or Power Stroke, the bypass and testing kit are the way I go. Either way, Amsoil is superior to anything you can get at O'Reilly or Walmart, and the bypass protects your engine even more. It's actually a the smallest particles that do the most damage.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Pennzoil never claims to be a long distance engine oil & SMART drivers would follow there IOLM anyhow so this statement is baseless. Both top notch oils. Been running Pennzoil Platinum/ Ultra Platinum 10yrs+. I'm happy w/it esp on my expensive GTDI engine Ford 4wd trucks. Use a good synthetic oil filter as well for best benefits! Fram Ultra synthetic/ Purolator One etc.
Upstairs_Echo3114@reddit
How is the statement baseless?
MidwestAbe@reddit
Ok. I'll try it. Let you know in 7 years how it went.
Relevant-Fox658@reddit
😂😂
op3l@reddit
This is the real answer.
As long as you buy from a reputable brand and it's the right weight oil for your engine, it'll be the same give or take a few percent. No sense worrying about what brand will offer that extra 2% of protection.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Facts 100%. Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra Platinum in my GTDI engines for last 10yrs. Can't beat it for price, protection, availability & performance!
Exciting-Suit5124@reddit
No it isn't. As an actual engineer that spans a lot of spaces and topics you're entirely wrong here.
op3l@reddit
Ok. Sure. but for the regular folk who use their car for commuting it makes no tangible difference. If you want to analyze the oil after every oil change to see how much of whatever is in the oil it’ll make a difference on the data sheet. And yea for some top secret military or deep sea long term machinery that is life or death it’s worth it to use the bestest oil there is with all the right ingredients. But not for the average Toyota Camry or equivalent.
Basically being pedantic at that point.
Various_Professor137@reddit
The old saying goes "oil is oil." Especially when it comes to plain old dino oil.
However, hundreds of millions of oil analysis from Blackstone and independent laboratories have shown that formulations are not just formulations. With each product having different additive packages, there are products that are better than others. Which also means some work better than others in regards to protection, fuel economy, thermal breakdown, cold flow, lubricity and more.
op3l@reddit
Yes, but the difference is negligible with normal driving and changing at the right intervals(mileage and time wise)is more important than an expensive oil that is expected to last longer or something like that.
chrwei@reddit
I'm not concerned about "normal driving", I'm concerned about how well it'll protect when shit goes wrong. is a turbo bearing failure going to fragment and send metal into the engine immediately, or can the oil hold it together long enough to stop safely and not destroy the engine...
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Yes, basically 100% truth. There will always be the question: which is best. All tests show me Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is clear winner 🏆. A great engine oil for anyone that wants top notch protection @fair price pt.
MidwestAbe@reddit
Meh. Buy Supertech from Wal Mart and save your money.
Exciting-Suit5124@reddit
Are you saying he lied or that you can't make any inferences about those tests in terms of performance in a real engine?
MidwestAbe@reddit
I'm saying that he tested engine oil outside of an engine. You can choose how validating you think that data is for you.
Exciting-Suit5124@reddit
You can make reasonable inferences from tests like these. That's literally how most testing is done on everything from tires to satellite solar arrays.
It's not practical or possible or cost effective or necessary to exactly replicate how something is going to be used.
MidwestAbe@reddit
Literally everything.
Excellent point.
Salty-Protection-640@reddit
still, amsoil won 💪💪
tiger-93@reddit
Amsoil is overpriced
East-Improvement-648@reddit
It is not overpriced for its high quality. Amsoil has a Preferred Customer program which enables customers to receive a substantial discount for a nominal annual payment.
Status_Ferret_7358@reddit
Castrol 5W-30 full synthetic used to be my favorite oil until I switch to Amazon big difference
Over_Temperature7490@reddit
Actually people like you have no clue what they are talking about. Oil is oil but the additives are different and have a big affect on your car. I use amsoil signature series on my Genesis g70 3.3t methanol injected. Specifically for the lspi. Low speed pre ignition. Amsoil oil is the best at controlling that and because of my turbos. They are a group 4 oil which is technically better than a group 3 and it's more synthetic than a full synthetic group 3. There are difference even though clowns claim there isn't
Salty-Protection-640@reddit
yep and I got money so. thanks for the reminder.
BigHitUSA@reddit
Amsoil is MLM joke oil lol
Various_Professor137@reddit
Project Farm did testing with Pennzoil and amsoil I'm engines, sent them to Blackstone and included the results in the comments. You really should take a look at them.
TMSN86@reddit
Brief synopsis please...from the UA?
Various_Professor137@reddit
Urine came back positive. For annoyance.
TMSN86@reddit
Wonderful.
Various_Professor137@reddit
In all seriousness Pennzoil ultra Platinum routinely comes back with the least wear metals, their additives last longer over more mileage. Crazy stuff.
TMSN86@reddit
Thank you.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
U can OVER PAY for it. Shows me Pennzoil Platinum/ Ultra Platinum hard to beat in any scenario or vehicle & priced fairly.
Ok-Tower-7424@reddit
If you get the preferred customer membership on their website the price comes way down. Used to use the factory yamalube in my 2021 raptor 700r but after a couple of clutch changes I got talked into using their 10w-40 dirtbike oil in my quad. No more wet clutch trouble and the oil seems to stay cooler. Just my observation.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
If you can destroy the clutch on '21 Raptor 700R or any modern machine frequently..your very abusive on clutches. I own '10 YFZ450X Bill Ballance edition & '21 Raptor 700R-SE. Both bought new. Broke in both engines w/Semi-Synthetic then switched to full synthetic oil. Use Maxima or Bel-Ray mainly. I too learned Yamalube wasn't best choice. Any quality full synthetic w/proper specs will serve you well changed @10-15hrs. Key is frequency of oil changes!
NeedleGunMonkey@reddit
They all meet spec and all engine manufacturers leave margins of safety for real world variances so buy whatever you want.
Salty-Protection-640@reddit
this is correct. your oil rating is a measure of how well it lubricates and moves at varying temperatures and conditions. your car calls for a rating. no oil on store shelves is lying about their rating, so they all meet the spec.
also, even if one oil is a little bit better than another, it won't matter until your car hits 500k miles. and guess what? something else besides the oil will take your car off the road before then.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
It's great stuff no doubt. Just more convenient for me grab Pennzoil Ultra Platinum & Fram Ultra synthetic oil filter for my 4cyl GTDI turbo engine. It's well protected & hard to beat either.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
YUP truth. Average life span of ALL brand vehicles out there nowadays is 197k according to KBB.com or Edmunds. Ones make it to 300k+ is small, small percentage. Mostly trucks. F150/ F250/F350 or Silverado/Silverado HD etc.
ConfuzzledFalcon@reddit
The one AutoZone has a deal on.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Yup that's fine. Lean towards Pennzoil Platinum for best performance/ protection @fair price pt.
Status_Ferret_7358@reddit
I would only switch to rotella if Amsoil doesn't do the trick but I'm pretty sure it will
Significant_Set1350@reddit
In some tests Amsoil SS was ahead and in others Ultra Penzoil Platinum had better wear numbers.
Significant_Set1350@reddit
Better wear numbers with Ultra Platinum Penzoil
Significant_Set1350@reddit
I’ve used Mobil-1 but now Penzoil
I change my oil every 3,000 miles
I also add a half can of Liqui Moli Friction Reducer
2014 GMC Terrain with 2.4 l engine
Running great
Sticking with Penzoil Platinum
Vs extended oil change intervals
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
5k mis minimum w/ Penn Platinum. It's rated for 15k mis. Great oil. Better than Mobil1 in every test.
Crafty_Reply_6495@reddit
I did Amsoil once a year about 8 or 7k miles since I live 3 miles from work, decided and went with Penzoil every 5k miles on 2014 4runner. is cheaper and better than toyotas mobile oil
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Toyota oil was worst rated OEM oil in tests. Motorcraft Full Synthetic was best rated OEM oil.
FishFreq@reddit
One poster said it right; Amsoil is a Multi Level Marketing program and that's why it's so expensive. Yes it's great oil, however, the Penzoil ULTRA Platinum is high in detergents that keep your engine clean. It's made of natural gas, an industry first, and is so pure and clear you can hardly see it on your dipstick. A clean engine is a long lasting one. Both oils have very high levels of detergents. Both have very high specs, way higher than most others. Project Farm gives you a great little shootout. The real key is your maintenance schedule. If money grows on trees, go Amsoil. If you work hard for every penny, go Ultra Platinum. If you're the latter, change your oil often yourself. An oil's other job besides lubricate is to suspend harmful particles and take them to the filter. Unfortunately, filters can only do so much because if they filter down lower than about 20 microns they'd block oil flow, pressure, and that's way more damaging. Make oil changes really fast and easy: if you have room, use the Fumoto oil drain plug valve which lets you put a hose on it and pour it straight into jugs. I like the higher-end Purolator 15k-20k mile filters even though I change every 5k miles max, and stick a round neodymium magnet to it to keep iron particles in the filter. No, the manufacturer's spec oils and filters are not great, because of the conflict of interest; they need to meet CAFE fleet mpg numbers and like a 0w-20 oil gives them .5 mpg more it helps them. They also need you to buy new cars often, so do the math. Love your engine and it'll love you back ;)!!
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
High end Purolator filter isn't 20 microns. The Purolator One is 20 microns. Much better filter overall for most.
JugadoraNinja@reddit
Pennzoil best bang for the buck plus is available easier. Amsoil i would use it for small engines such as a small mower since the price is about $15 for 1 quart.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Pennzoil Platinum for the win 🏆. $24-25 5qt jug.
Mr_WhiteOak@reddit
As an avid amsoil user I am bought into the brand. Every product I have has made my equipment run better. I run a small farm and have amsoil in every fluid in all of my vehicles. If you are in the preferred deal it really isn't that much more expensive than regular oil.
My L5P doesn't tick with amsoil. My 5.3 you can't hear the lifters with amsoil. I have a 5.3 that has 300k on it and never had a motor problem with it and it has been pure amsoil since 35k miles.
Is it better I don't really know but I do know that it is good enough to work hard in about 20 different motors I have around the farm. Farm life is not easy on motors either. Lots of idle time in the extreme hot and extreme cold. That's my 2c.
Lucky_Goal1443@reddit
Good info. Even if anecdotal. Thanks.
Blu_yello_husky@reddit
Shell T4 heavy duty diesel oil 👌
ImmediatePension6638@reddit
Rotella!! Hands down for Diesel
LevonLevoff@reddit
7.3 f250 eh?
Rifat390@reddit
Wai
Foreign-Ad-776@reddit
I used Castrol edge cos that's what my audi used from the factory. Now that I'm back in a shop I use whatever oil is in our giant oil containers.
tiger-93@reddit
It depends on what you have. Not all oils have every cert. If you have a euro, find the euro certs you need.
If you need an ILSAC cert, find oils for that.
LoHungTheSilent@reddit
Amsoil Signature Series
vikingArchitect@reddit
Valvoline
thelastturn@reddit
Whichever spends less on marketing