Pennzoil vs. Valvoline Oils; Which Is Better?

Regarding car engine protection and lubrication, two of the most common brand names in the market are Pennzoil and Valvoline oils. While these two products are similar in various aspects, such as reducing friction in engine parts, they differ significantly. The differences between them should guide you as a car owner in deciding which type of motor oil is best for your vehicle.

Features of Pennzoil and Valvoline

Here are features of Pennzoil and Valvoline that make each unique. These features should help you choose the best oil for your car:

1. Pennzoil Platinum Motor Oil

Pennzoil is a synthetic motor oil that protects the engine against wear due to friction, thus extending the engine’s life by up to 500,000 miles. The Pennzoil-Quaker State Company, a Shell Oil Company branch, manufactures this motor oil brand.

Since it’s made from natural gas and not crude oil, Pennzoil is up to 99.5% free of impurities that could clog the car’s engine, thus ensuring top-notch engine performance. Pennzoil oil boasts the trailblazing PurePlus gas-to-liquid technology, transforming natural gas into a premium quality, full synthetic base oil.

There are several versions of Pennzoil motor oil products, some full synthetic and some synthetic blends. However, they all have similar benefits. Here are some of the advantages of using Pennzoil engine oil products:

• Offers improved fuel economy compared to a dirty engine.
• Boosts piston cleanliness by up to 45%.
• Provides superior wear protection for vehicle engine parts.
• Protects against engine power loss.
• It contains fewer impurities than traditional engine lubricants, thus preventing the clogging of engine parts.
• Specially formulated for modern high-performance engines.
• The manufacturer offers a free warranty for up to 500,000 miles (or 15 years) if you exclusively use Pennzoil engine lubricant products.

2. Valvoline Motor Oil

Is Valvoline good oil? Valvoline is a type of synthetic motor oil formulated to provide day-to-day protection against the major causes of an engine breakdown, including wear, heat, friction, and deposits. Valvoline Inc., the US’s second-largest oil change service provider, manufactures Valvoline-brand motor-oil products.

It boasts low-friction technology that minimizes contact between the moving parts of the car’s engine. As such, the low-friction technology enables power optimization and fuel economy. Valvoline motor oil also features a state-of-the-art detergent system that cleans the internal engine components to prevent sludge buildup and resist oil breakdown.

This motor oil brand boasts exceptional viscosity retention, providing optimal temperature protection even in harsh weather conditions. In a nutshell, Valvoline motor oil protects crucial engine parts, thus reducing the need for costly engine repairs.

Valvoline has a wide and versatile range of motor oil products; the Valvoline synthetic oil review includes:

• 7 fully synthetic motor oil products provide inherent stability and improved resistance to thermal breakdown, compared to traditional motor oils.
• 3 synthetic blend motor oil products- a mix of conventional and full synthetic oil formulated to maintain optimal engine performance.
• 3 high mileage products.
• 3 heavy-duty products.
• 5 small engine products.
• 2 racing oil products. 

Valvoline vs Pennzoil Comparison

Valvoline and Pennzoil are types of motor oil used to reduce friction in internal engine components. However, they differ in terms of manufacturer, weight, anti-wear performance/catalytic converter performance, reduction of sludge buildup, temperature performance/viscosity, and price/cost.

Manufacturer

Valvoline and Pennzoil are made in the USA, but different manufacturers produce them. The Shell Oil Company owns the Pennzoil product brand, while Valvoline is a product of Valvoline Inc.

Weight

A bottle of Valvoline oil weighs 29.9 pounds, while a bottle of Pennzoil motor oil weighs 11.9 pounds.

Anti-wear performance/catalytic converter performance

Valvoline has better anti-wear performance than Pennzoil since it contains more zinc and phosphorus, which are anti-wear additives. A 5W-20 bottle of Valvoline Advanced engine oil contains 760 ppm of zinc and 660 ppm of phosphorus. Comparatively, a similar amount of Pennzoil Platinum motor oil contains 693 ppm of zinc and 610 ppm of phosphorus.

However, the more anti-wear additives in engine oil, the lower the catalytic converter’s performance. That’s because as the motor oil burns, the anti-wear compounds are transformed into ash, which blocks the catalytic converter and diminishes its performance. Therefore, Pennzoil oil is better for catalytic converter performance than Valvoline oil.

Reduction of deposit buildup

Sludge buildup occurs when oxidized motor oil mixes with dirt to form carbon, which further reacts with other contaminants to form the thick slurry liquid that is sludge. Whenever sludge buildups inside the car’s engine, it hinders optimal engine functionality and performance.

To slow down sludge buildup, motor oils typically contain calcium- and magnesium-based detergents and dispersants. Valvoline is better than Pennzoil at sludge reduction since it contains more calcium-based compounds that act as detergents. A 5W-20 container of Valvoline Advanced engine oil contains 1446 ppm of calcium, while a similar amount of Pennzoil Platinum contains 982 ppm of calcium.

Temperature protection

Pennzoil motor oil offers better temperature protection than Valvoline oil since it retains more viscosity at extreme temperatures. The former oil brand has a higher viscosity index than Valvoline, thus retaining its viscosity better at higher temperatures. Also, Pennzoil has a lower pour point temperature than Valvoline; hence, it retains its viscosity better at lower temperatures too.

Price/cost

Pennzoil oil is cheaper than Valvoline oil. 5-quarts of Pennzoil Platinum costs $23.97, while an equal volume of Valvoline Advanced motor oil costs $34.99.

Is Pennzoil better than Valvoline?

Pennzoil vs Valvoline which is better? It’s not logical to compare Pennzoil and Valvoline motor oils because each has its unique upsides and limitations. For instance, if you live in the north where falls and winters are extremely cold, you should go for Pennzoil motor oil since it has a lower pour point temperature, hence better viscosity retention at low temperatures. Similarly, if you wish to keep your engine parts at optimal performance for longer, you should go for Valvoline oil which has more anti-wear and anti-sludge additives.

Valvoline Synthetic Motor Oil protects your car engine from corrosion and increases the rate of combustion, which yields better fuel consumption. Although it’s a lubricant, it doubles up as a cooling agent that dissipates heat from the engine since it does not evaporate as heat builds up in the combustion chambers. The oils help removes toxins and clear/prevent rust as they circulate in the engine; they are generally packed in 4-liter gallons and are recyclable.

Summary Table: Pros and cons of Pennzoil vs. Valvoline oil

Due to the differences between Pennzoil and Valvoline lubricants, each product brand has its upsides and shortcomings. The table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of Pennzoil motor oil and Valvoline motor oil.

Valvoline vs Pennzoil synthetic oil comparison

Pennzoil oil	Valvoline oil
Has a lower amount of anti-wear additives hence providing lower anti-wear performance.	Offers better wear protection due to a higher amount of anti-wear additives.
Better at protecting the catalytic converter.	It hinders the performance of the catalytic converter much worse than Pennzoil oil.
Poorer at reducing deposit buildup due to a lower amount of calcium-based detergent.	Better at limiting sludge buildup due to a higher amount of calcium-based detergent.
Offers better temperature protection due to higher viscosity retention.	Provides poorer temperature protection due to lower viscosity retention.
It is cheaper than Valvoline motor oil.	Costs more than Pennzoil motor oil.

Is it OK to mix Valvoline & Pennzoil?

Mixing Pennzoil and Valvoline oil is not good, as it voids your product warranty. The Pennzoil Platinum motor oil manufacturers offer a 500,000-mile/15-year warranty coverage, whichever comes first. This warranty cover only stays valid if the customer exclusively uses this product over that period.

References

•  Science.gov: Sample records for engine oil viscosity.

•  National Library of Medicine: Rheological Properties of Engine Oil with Nano-Additives Based on MoS2 Materials.