Lucas vs. Mobil 1 Oil Test

Interesting ... though Nate's clickbait tactics tend to keep me from watching many of his videos.

I love most of the tests that Protect Farm puts up. A while back he compared a bunch of popular oils in a playoff format. This is the final video in the series but he recaps all of the results at the end of the video.

 

^^^^
Yea, Trust Me, I read it on the NET.
I won't even CLICK on a site like YOURBESTPICKS.com

I'll stick to what works for me:
https://www.castrol.com/en_us/unite...MIgb6OzdDM8gIV8AytBh22HwAzEAAYASAAEgIDU_D_BwE

Castrol, "has been berry, berry good to me".

 

^^^^
Yea, Trust Me, I read it on the NET.

ooops, double clutched. . .

 

Those old SNL shows made me laugh every week. Think of how many phrases from that show became part of everyday speech.

 

Yea, every time I see Nancy Pelosi

 

I have no use for comparative bench tests that do not reflect actual in-use conditions. I formulated major engine oils for 18 years for Chevron and Chevron Chemical including Delo 400, the top heavy duty engine oil in the market, and Chevron's passenger car line of products. What matters in an engine oil is actual engine performance as measured by standardized engine tests. Lab scale bench tests as shown in this video have absolutely nothing to do with certifying an engine oil to meet API standards.

API sets the performance standards for all OEM and aftermarket engine oils such as CH-4 for HD diesel and SN for passenger car oils. No bench tests are used that are more than meeting viscosity and low temperature flow requirements for the oil (or a few seal compatability tests). What matters is how the oil performse in long duration engine tests that measure the oil's ability to prevent piston ring wear, camshaft wear, sludge control and oxidation stability amongst many other parameters including piston cleanliness. No bench test can measure these performance properties.

The current slate of engine tests is so stringent that any oil passing those tests and being licensed by API will protect your engine if changed at a proper oil change interval. My work field testing all types of oils in NY City taxi cabs, one of the most demanding applications for an oil, show that it is far more important to change oil than to worry about the nuances of different brands that claim one specific advantage and try to tell you that this is important.

For essentially all applications other than say Top Fuel Engines, it doesn't make much difference what oil you use as long as you change it at a reasonable interval and use a new filter every time. With regular maintenance and attention, you engine should last as long as the physical parts last. Meaning until you break a rod or drop a valve. The oil will not be the cause of the failure.

That being said, I would only use name brand oils from major marketers as they have a multi-billion dollar reputation to maintain and will stand behind their product. API also does monitoring of all engine oils so that there is assurance that oils on the market meet API specifications. This includes even validating the engine tests that the manufacturer claims to have passed.

The engine test program to qualify an oil costs over $1 million to run. So on oil marketer will screw around with an oil that may not pass all the tests.
This is a much more complex situation than can be demonstrated in a simple video using simple tests. The viscosity comparison in the test showing meaningless differences in flow is one of those issues. He didn't even say the temperature at which he ran the test. So the results are pointless. Usually these tests are performed at -40C (-40F) which is a temperature at which you would probably not be able to start the engine anyway. So who cares which oil was better at a meaningless temperature.

 

Agree 101%. Any name-brand oil will do, just change it at regular intervals. I favor Mobil-1, but I’m not that picky, only it has to be a synthetic.

However - I have a 1983 Honda CB1100F. That’s an air cooled engine that runs quite a bit hotter than your water cooled car engines. It seems to me the best oil for that is the Castrol conventional 20w50. Using anything else seems to make the engine sound “rattle-y” when it’s really hot. So I think the Castrol is a little better with extreme heat.

 

The tests used in the video are meaningless to actual engine wear conditions. API specifies a number of engine tests to certify oils for use under the API logo. All oils must pass these tests which are far more severe than normal operating conditions experienced in normal and even severe service. All API SN and later oils, especially those meeting GM ELOS specification are more than capable of protecting modern engines from wear. Simply using API certified oils and changing the oil per OEM guidelines should give 200,000 miles or more of engine life.
I formulated oils for Chevron for 18 years including products such as DELO 400 for HD diesel engines. Do don't believe everything shown on YouTube or the internet. Check with the oil experts and trust the major oil manufacturers to supply quality products. Even WalMart and Costco brands of products meet all API and GM requirements and will protect modern engines from wear when properly maintained.