Both of the engine oils are made from natural gas instead of crude oil, with the help of PurePlus Technology.
Ultra is designed with high performance additives to provide complete protection against wear. It provides outstanding performance in extreme conditions along with Ultra-cleaning ability. It can be used in all kind of vehicles, including advanced turbocharged engines, under any circumstances.
Euro can be used in gasoline engines as well but it is especially formulated for diesel engines having particulate filters. Its anti-wear protection is as remarkable as Ultra, but it is mostly famous for its emission-compatibility with gasoline engine’s catalysts and diesel engine’s particulate filter in order to avoid ash formation, which could block the exhaust system.
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison Table
| Specifications | Pennzoil Ultra Platinum | Pennzoil Platinum Euro |
| Oil Type | Full Synthetic | Full Synthetic |
| Engine Type | Gasoline / Diesel | Gasoline / Diesel |
| Available viscosity grades | SAE 0W – 20, SAE 5W – 20, SAE 5W – 30, SAE 10W – 30 | SAE 0W – 40, SAE 5W – 40, SAE 5W – 30 |
| ILSAC | GF-6A | GF-5 |
| API | SP | SN |
| Cost of 5W30 | 8.92 $, 1 Quart | 6.72 $, 1 Quart |
| Oil change interval | 7,500 miles | 10,000 miles |
| Additives | Premium Anti-wear additive, Ultra cleaning detergents | Anti-wear additive, premium cleaning detergent, viscosity index improvers. |
| ACEA | A1/B1 , A5/B5 | C3 |
Catalytic Converter Performance
Zinc and phosphorous are being added into engine oils as an anti-wear additive. During combustion or when the engine gets heat up, a small amount of engine oil burns and the formation of zinc and phosphorous ash takes place which poses a threat to the performance of catalytic convertor. So the engine oil having more concentration of zinc and phosphorous would be more hazardous than the rest.
The tested data below represents the concentration of zinc and phosphorous in both oils. The content of both of these substances is highly present in Ultra which makes it more dangerous than its competitor.
| Engine Oil | Concentration of Zinc (ppm) | Concentration of Phosphorous (ppm) |
| Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W – 30 | 875 | 784 |
| Pennzoil Euro L 5W – 30 | 817 | 710 |
Reduction of Sludge build
Whenever oil is exposed to moisture at high temperature conditions, a reaction known as oxidation occurs which results in the formation of sludge and deposits. It is quite difficult to avoid this situation. So the oil manufacturers came up with the solution of cleaning detergents. Magnesium, Sodium and Calcium are being added into engine oils to clean the sludge. The concentration of these substances in an oil determine its cleaning ability.
By observing the test results shown below, it is obvious that Ultra has the superiority over its competitor in this regard since it has the most concentration of calcium in it.
| Additive | Content in Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W – 30 (ppm) | Content in Pennzoil Euro L 5W – 30 (ppm) |
| Magnesium | 17 | 10 |
| Sodium | 0 | 2 |
| Calcium | 2576 | 1663 |
Oil Burn-off protection
Many oils burn off when the engine is at high temperature depending upon their volatility and flash point. Volatility is the tendency of a substance to get evaporated under certain conditions. While the flash point is the temperature above which vapors of any liquid would combust if get ignited.
Euro is having the high flash point than its competitor which means Euro would last longer in extreme heat conditions.
| Parameter | Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W – 30 | Pennzoil Euro L 5W – 30 |
| Flash Point | 203 o C | 242 o C |
Minimizing Engine Wear-Off
Due to high friction, extreme conditions or even improper operations could lead to engine wear off. That’s why oil manufactures add up anti-wear additives in the engine oil to provide wear protection. The most popular anti-wear additives are zinc, phosphorous, boron and molybdenum. The engine oil having these additives more in it would provide better wear protection.
Ultra has high concentration of these elements, than its competitor, making it a remarkable choice when it comes to wear protection. On the other hand, the concentration of anti-wear additives in Euro is also not bad and makes it a good anti-wear engine oil but it lacks behind when compared to its counterpart, in this regard.
| Additive | Content in Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W – 30 (ppm) | Content in Pennzoil Euro L 5W – 30 (ppm) |
| Zinc | 875 | 817 |
| Phosphorous | 784 | 710 |
| Boron | 131 | 66 |
| Molybdenum | 61 | 3 |
Viscosity Comparison
The viscosity comparison can be carried out based upon three parameters namely kinematic viscosity, viscosity index and pour point. Kinematic viscosity refers to the internal friction of liquid divided by its density at a certain condition. The test shows that at 100o C Euro would be thicker than its competitor means having high kinematic viscosity.
Viscosity index refers to the change in viscosity along with the change in temperature. The results depict that Ultra’s viscosity would get affected the most during temperature increase in the engine. And the viscosity of Euro will get lower impact of temperature change since its viscosity index is higher than competitor.
Flowing characteristics of a liquid sustain up to a certain temperature; below that temperature it loses the ability to flow and that is the pour point of that liquid. As we can see in the tested data given below that Ultra would be best suited for winter conditions since it has less pour point than its competitor.
| Parameter | Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W – 30 | Pennzoil Euro L 5W – 30 |
| Kinematic Viscosity at 100o C | 10.3cSt | 12.5cSt |
| Viscosity Index | 173 | 189 |
| Pour Point | -48 o C | -45 o C |
Oil Change Frequency Comparison
The oil changing necessity occurs when the engine oil loses its ability to neutralize acids which are formed during combustion and oxidation. This neutralizing ability is determined by Total Base Number (TBN). It is obvious in the tested result that Ultra has high TBN which means it is going to last longer than its competitor and hence would have low oil changing frequency.
| Parameter | Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W – 30 | Pennzoil Euro L 5W – 30 |
| Total Base Number | 9.3 mg KOH/g | 7.0 mg KOH/g |
Cost Comparison
The cost of one quart of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30 and Pennzoil Euro L 5W-30 Full Synthetic Motor Oil is 8.92$ and 6.72$ respectively. Ultra is expensive than its competitors due to its low oil changing frequency and high anti-wear capability.
Summary
- Ultra is more harmful to engine’s catalytic convertor than its competitor
- Ultra is the best contender for removing sludge and cleaning purpose.
- At high temperature conditions, Ultra would burn off quickly than its competitor and Euro would be the best option.
- Ultra has remarkable wear protection ability.
- Euro is thicker than Ultra and its viscosity gets more affected by temperature change as well. The option in cold conditions would be Ultra since it has high value of pour point than its competitor.
- Oil changing frequency of Euro is higher than Ultra.
