Both of the Engine oils are fully synthetic and made up of group IV base oils and additives to enhance their performance and durability.
Quaker is more focused on providing better cleansing and anti-wear ability with the help of heat activated additives while Mobil 1 provides better fuel economy and compatibility with catalytic converter, particulate filter and high mileage engines.
Table of Contents
Overview of Quaker State Ultimate Durability
This oil is especially designed for technologically advanced vehicles, SUVs, sport cars, minivans, and also compatible with biofuels and hybrid vehicles as well.
During high temperature conditions, heat activated additives will kick in to protect engine from wear, and enhances engine’s fuel economy and performance.
Viscosity modifiers are being added to enhance its flow characteristics in extreme conditions. Its engine cleaning and oxidation control abilities are extra-ordinary as well.
Overview of Mobil 1 High Mileage
This oil is formulated especially for the engines having more than 75,000 miles in their odometers.
High performance additives are being added into it to protect engine vital parts even up to 10,000 miles between oil changes.
It extends the engine life by having premium cleaning agents and seal conditioners to prevent any leakage in the engine.
It meets SP API and GF-6A ILSAC standards which ensures to provide improved fuel economy, enhanced wear protection and low speed pre-ignition in the engine.
Mobil 1 ESP (Emission System Protection) is exclusively designed to be compatible with Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) and Gasoline Catalytic Converters.
Because it has less concentration of zinc and phosphorous which could harm the DPFs & Catalytic Converter respectively.
Its excellent performance in cold weather is unmatched with any other engine oil present in the market.
It slows down oil aging process and hence lengthen the oil changing intervals.
| Specifications | Quaker State Ultimate Durability | Mobil 1 High Mileage | Mobil 1 ESP |
| Oil Type | Synthetic | Synthetic | Synthetic |
| Viscosity Grades | SAE 0W – 20,5W – 20,5W – 30, 5W – 40,10W – 30 | SAE 5W – 20, 0W – 20, 5W – 30,10W – 30,10W – 40 | SAE 0W – 20,0W – 30,0W – 40,5W – 30 |
| Engine Type | Biofuels / Gasoline | Gasoline | Gasoline / Diesel |
| ILSAC | GF-5 | GF-6A | GF-5 |
| API | SN | SP | SN/FC |
| Cost of 5W30 | 7.39 $, Single Quart | 7.97 $, Single Quart | 9.87 $, Single Quart |
| Oil drainage interval, miles | 6,000 to 8,000 | 8,000 to 10,000 | 10,000 |
| ACEA | A5/B5 | A5/B5 | C2,C3 |
Effect on the Catalytic Converter
Zinc & Phosphorous in any engine oil act as anti-wear additives to lessen the friction between moving parts of the engine.
But their downside is that they produce ash content when introduced to high temperature conditions. Ash content settles down on the catalytic convertor and causes the reduction of its efficiency.
The more the quantity of zinc & phosphorous present in the engine oil, the more ash content will be produced, hence affecting catalytic convertor even more.
By analyzing the tested result given below, it is obvious that High Mileage would influence catalytic convertor more than its competitors since it contains more concentration of zinc and phosphorous.
Quaker contains more zinc concentration than ESP but does have low amount of phosphorous and vice versa.
Both of them have approximately same amount of zinc and phosphorous if we analyze them collectively.
| Engine Oil | Quantity of Zinc | Quantity of Phosphorous |
| Quaker State Ultimate Durability (5W – 30) | 850 ppm | 751 ppm |
| Mobil 1 High Mileage (5W – 30) | 1057 ppm | 933 ppm |
| Mobil 1 ESP (5W – 30) | 808 ppm | 803 ppm |
Reducing Sludge build-up
When engine oil is exposed to moisture and high temperature, weak molecules of base oil degrade and make contact with the oxygen present in the moister, under the process of oxidation, and the formation of sludge and deposit occurs.
In order to resolve the issue, engine oil manufacturers add cleaning detergents such as sodium, magnesium, and calcium in the oil to wash away the sludge.
The oil which would have more quantity of these substances would be considered superior in terms of cleaning ability.
Quaker wins this battle since it contains relatively high amount of calcium as its major cleaning detergent. ESP contains the least amount of cleaning detergents and High Mileage lies in the middle.
| Additive | Quantity in Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W – 30 (ppm) | Quantity in Mobil 1 High Mileage 5W – 30 (ppm) | Quantity in Mobil 1 ESP 5W – 30 (ppm) |
| Magnesium | 8 | 795 | 6 |
| Sodium | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Calcium | 2268 | 1040 | 1087 |
Oil Burn-off protection
Whenever engine oil comes into high temperature conditions, it gets evaporated depending upon its volatility. It is defined as the tendency of a lubricant to get evaporate at a certain temperature. This characteristic of the oil is determined by its flash point (auto-ignition temperature). An oil with a higher flash point represents lower volatility and vice versa.
High Mileage would be best suited for high temperature environment because its flash point value is relatively higher than its competitors. The flash point of ESP is good as well but it is less than Quaker, making it last among three.
| Parameter | Quaker State Ultimate Durability (5W – 30) | Mobil 1 High Mileage (5W – 30) | Mobil 1 ESP (5W – 30) |
| Flash Point | 237o C | 245o C | 229o C |
Reducing Engine Wear-Off
Engine oil manufacturers include anti-wear additives into lubricant to lessen the friction between moving components. Phosphorous, boron, zinc, and molybdenum are mostly used as anti-wear additives in modern engine oils. Their quantity would determine the anti-wear ability of the oil.
Some substances are present more in one contender and some are present in the other, but if we collectively combine all substances as one (since all of them are in parts per million unit) then we can say that High Mileage gets the lead. ESP comes up next and the worst choice would be Quaker from the perspective of engine wear-off.
| Additive | Quantity in Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W – 30 (ppm) | Quantity in Mobil 1 High Mileage 5W – 30 (ppm) | Quantity in Mobil 1 ESP 5W – 30 (ppm) |
| Zinc | 850 | 1057 | 808 |
| Phosphorous | 751 | 933 | 803 |
| Boron | 4 | 93 | 247 |
| Molybdenum | 252 | 74 | 93 |
Viscosity Comparison
By observing the tested data, we can conclude that High Mileage has the highest kinematic viscosity among the three engine oils. And Quaker has the least kinematic viscosity, which means that its flowing ability is better than its competitors. Flowing characteristic of ESP is almost similar to Quaker.
By analyzing the data given below, we can conclude that ESP will have the least impact of temperature change on its viscosity, making it most vulnerable to change in environmental conditions. High Mileage would be the worst choice here since its flowing characteristic does get little affected by temperature change than its competitors.
The engine oil with high value of pour point will lose its flowing characteristic sooner than others, and vice versa. ESP is a better option in cold weather conditions since its pour point is lower than its competitors. The next up in line would be High Mileage and least favorable choice here would be Quaker.
| Parameter | Mobil 1 ESP (5W – 30) | Mobil 1 High Mileage (5W – 30) | Quaker State Ultimate Durability (5W – 30) |
| Kinematic Viscosity @ 40o C | 62.6cSt | 70cSt | 60cSt |
| Viscosity Index | 187 | 165 | 178 |
| Kinematic Viscosity @ 100o C | 11.8cSt | 11.9cSt | 10.8cSt |
| Pour Point | -48o C | -45o C | -42o C |
Comparing Oil Drainage Frequency
During combustion and many other inevitable chemical reactions, many kinds of acids get produced which could cause a lot of damage to important components of the engine. That’s why most of the engine oil additives are alkaline based, which helps in neutralizing the acids. Total Base Number (TBN) determines how much longer an engine oil would be able to neutralize the acids. So the engine oil with high value of TBN is most likely to sustain longer in the engine than its opponents.
ESP surpasses its competitors in this regard by having highest value of TBN among them. Quaker has the least base number comparatively so its oil drainage frequency would be much lower.
| Parameter | Quaker State Ultimate Durability (5W – 30) | Mobil 1 High Mileage (5W – 30) | Mobil 1 ESP (5W – 30) |
| Total Base Number, mg KOH/g | 7.99 | 8.7 | 11 |
Cost Comparison
The cost of 1 Quart of Quaker State Engine oil Oil 5W30 is 7.39 $, the cost of single Quart of Mobil 1 Full Synthetic High Mileage Engine Oil is 7.97 $ and the cost of 1 Quart of Mobil 1 ESP Full Synthetic Motor Oil is 9.87 $. ESP is more expensive than its competitors due to having high oil changing intervals.
Summary
- High Mileage would harm the catalytic convertor more than its competitors.
- Quaker is the superior oil in terms of cleaning sludge.
- High mileage will be the best choice in high temperature environment.
- In case of wear protection, High Mileage would be the safest option among the three engine oils.
- ESP is the best choice among contenders in cold weather conditions.
- ESP is also superior when it comes to oil change interval than its competitors, and because of that it is expensive than others as well.