The engine oils are what decide how well your car runs and how much fuel it consumes to do so. But which one of these will do the job better?
Oil by an experienced industry that has been providing the folks with the best since 1866? Or oil by a relatively newer Texan Mobil that has been making advances since 1911?
How well will the oil lubricate your vehicle’s running engine is dependant upon how many impurities it holds with it. There is one major source of impurities when the oil is obtained naturally and that is the surrounding minerals and the rocks. These oils, even after being filtered and all cleaned up, carry with them the impurities that could impede the proper lubrication of your vehicle’s engine. Hence, a more expensive way is employed to bring out oils that are completely free of impurities. The oils are artificially synthesized in the laboratory. The good news is that both the oils we chose to talk about are fully synthetic oils.
Compare Valvoline with Pennzoil Full Synthetic
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison
| Valvoline Maxlife | Mobil 1 High Mileage | |
| Oil type | Fully synthetic | Fully Synthetic |
| Engine type | Both Deisel and gasoline | Both Deisel and gasoline |
| Available Viscosity grades | 5W- 20, 5W- 30, and 10W- 30 | 0W- 20, 5W- 20, 5W- 30, 10W- 30, and 10W- 40 |
| ILSAC | GF- 5 | GF6- A |
| API | SP | SJ SL SM Resource conserving |
| Cost | 7.07 US dollars per Quart | 7.88 US dollars per Quart |
| Oil change frequency | 75000 kilometers | 10000 kilometers |
What more is in there?
The addition of some more substances, namely additives prevents the evil that the oils bring with them.
The additives that Valvoline claims for having added in their Maxlife full synthetic oil include the detergents to prevent deposits, enhanced anti-wear additives, and the premium seal conditioners to amplify the lubrication that is already provided by the oil.
The Mobil industry, on the other hand, has very smartly formulated its high mileage oil by adding the active cleaning agents and the performance additives in the proportions just right.
All these additives altogether have two main tasks:
- Keeping the engine clean
- Protecting the engine from the unwanted wear
Engine performance; better or worse?
Catalytic Converter Performance
The Catalytic Converter might save the world!
If the impurities in the oil you add in do not poison it.
The job of a catalytic converter is to break down the otherwise harmful gases into less harmful forms. However, if elements like Phosphorous are present in a higher proportion in your newly bought oil, the catalytic converter may get poisoned. And you know what that might indicate? A bad oil.
Luckily, both Valvoline Maxlife and Mobil 1 have a low content of injurious agents. Low enough to not greatly affect the performance of the engines. However, the reports suggest that because Valvoline specifically adds Zinc for the extra protection of the engine, more phosphorous needs to be added too for the correct formulation. Hence, Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic oil may contain a slightly higher amount of phosphorous.
Reduction of sludge built up
The oxidation of the oil molecules leads to the formation of products, that on being cooled give out a thick material called sludge. What builds up at a place and stays static prevents the proper circulation of what is moving: that is the oil.
Valvoline came up with a way to prevent both the process: the oxidation of the oil breakups and the building up of the sludge. Their Valvoline Maxlife oil contains the antioxidants that prevent the oxidation of the oil molecules in the first place. Not only this, but the high mileage oil introduced by Valvoline also consists of the dispersants that prevent the moisture present in the oil from causing the oxidation of the oil molecules. Moreover, extra detergents prevent the piling up of the sludge, hence providing 25 percent more protection against the deposits, as the company claims.
Mobil 1 high mileage synthetic oil, on the other hand, consists of the active cleaning agent that prevents the building up of sludge and washes away the old deposits.
Conservation of oil is the duty of the oil itself?
Although oils do not evaporate easily, high temperatures in the running engines can cause the vapors of oil to form that will not only affect the performance of the engine but will also raise the emission of the harmful agents into the environment.
Mobil Industries claim to have added to their oils the compounds that provide the oil with thermal stability to the extent that the motor oils can continue to lubricate the engines for 10000 to 20000 miles, depending upon the viscosity of the oil.
The Valvoline Maxlife synthetic oil has, however, been designed to have low volatility. Eventually, this property gives higher burn-off protection to the engine oil and prevents it from forming vapors. The special formula used to synthesize the oil gives it 10 times more protection of heat in comparison to its competitors.
Through this process, three things are protected:
- The engine
- The volume of the engine oil
- The environment
Minimizing engine wear
What causes the engine wear? Incomplete lubrication of the running parts and hence, more friction. When Valvoline Maxlife high mileage oil gets into the engine, spreads away to both the hidden and the unhidden parts and forms a strong thick layer on the surface of the parts of the engines. Its multidimensional antiwear system not only works on creating a well-lubricated environment of the engine but also prevents the damage caused by the antioxidants by not letting them form. This feat is brought about by the addition of Zinc into the formulation of the oil. Zinc acts as both an antiwear and an antioxidant. These methods altogether are known to cause 50 percent more engine wear protection.
Mobil 1 high mileage synthetic oil has just the right proportion of the performance additives added to it. These additives have specifically been designed to prevent the wear of the engine.
Engine seals protection
The main page introducing the product of Valvoline flaunts it pretty well enough. The Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic Oil has the added seal conditioners that are to prove great for the aging engine seals. The additives amazingly treat and prevent leaks in the oils.
The engine seals have one job! They gotta prevent the leakage of the engine oil. Mobil 1 high mileage synthetic oil with its conditioners prevents the formation of leaks in the first place. The detergents consistently keep the seals clean as a result of which the performance of the engine oils remains maintained.
The difference in the fuel economy
The fuel which promises to provide your engine with a longer amount of time and helps your car cover a longer distance before the next change is known to have a better fuel economy.
A dose of Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic to the engine of your car is enough to keep its running parts protected for the next 75000 miles of the drive.
Mobil 1, although a very good choice for the old, wearing-out engines, keeps the running engine lubricated to the best for up to 10000 miles only.
Range of viscosities offered
How the temperature changes affect the viscosity of the fuel is a huge determinant of how well the oil will work under certain viscosities. In winters, it is naturally hard for an engine to start, so the low viscosity of the engine oil keeps the parts lubricated easily with the low viscosity when everything else is freezing.
The viscosities offered by Mobil 1 high mileage include:
0W- 20, 5W- 20, 5W- 30, 10W- 30, and 10W- 40
This indicates, that in winters (W stands for winters), the viscosity of the oil may get as low as 0, 5, or 10, depending upon your choice of the oil.
In the hot, running temperatures, the viscosities may get as high as 20, 30, or 40.
Valvoline Full Synthetic Oil offers the viscosities that include:
5W- 20, 5W- 30, and 10W- 30.
This means, that in winters the viscosities of the oil may get to as low as 5 or 10. While, as the temperature of the running engine rises, the viscosity may get to as high as 20 or 30.
You don’t want to get an oil change too often
The restoration of the best lubricating properties of the engine is mainly dependant on the oil itself. The burn-off protection and the ability to seal the slight defects in the engine keep the engine running for longer with just one dose.
Mobil 1 high mileage Oil has the ability to lubricate the engines that have run as long as 75000 miles. It works to protect the engine from further damage and subtly works on the already worn-out engine. Once it is put in the engine, you won’t need to change it up to 10000 miles.
Valvoline Maxlife synthetic, as its name suggests, boasts the protection of the engine up to 75000 miles. This means that once you have the oil in your engines, you can easily relax for a longer period of time.
How heavy will these be in your pocket?
1 Quart of Valvoline Maxlife full synthetic oil (5W- 20) will cost you about 7.07 US dollars.
However, 1 Quart of Mobil 1 high mileage fully synthetic oil (5W- 20) will cost you 7.88 US dollars.
Doesn’t sound like much of a difference, though.
Conclusion
You know how we trust parents with choosing what is the best for their kids?
A well-researched parent is many times better than an expert sitting at a table and passing the verdicts.
Similarly, you drive the car. You know what is best for it.
Especially now that you, too, are well-researched, your decision is going to make your car happy.