The best synthetic motor oil - Shell, Lukoil or Castrol?

In 1969, the Fuel Institute was established in the United States, which developed its own motor oil labeling system. Their classification is still used today and is one of the main factors when choosing a lubricant. The marking of the institute consists of a two-letter abbreviation. The first letter in the abbreviation indicates for which type of motor the oil is intended.

In our case, all products will contain the letter S, since it indicates a gasoline engine. If the first letter is C, then it is also suitable for diesel engines. The second letter refers us to the year of manufacture of the car. The further the letter is in the Latin alphabet, the newer the marking and the more modern this lubricant is suitable for modern cars.

Among our participants, there is only one nominee who has already accepted the new classification and received an official certificate that allows him to be labeled with the abbreviation SP. This is Shell Helix synthetic motor oil. We give him the unconditional first place. The second line is shared by Castrol, Idemitsu and Lukoil.All of them are marked as SN, and the Japanese brand is also suitable for diesel engines, as the letters CF tell us. But Liquid Moli and Total go only to the third step. These are SM grade oils. And here it is worth noting that it is impossible to judge which oil is the best according to this classification, just the SM classification is intended for cars manufactured before 2003, and if you have more modern equipment, it is better to look for another option.

Since 1991, Europe has its own association of manufacturers, which assigns its own classification to motor oils. The basis is an abbreviation of a letter and a number. The letter indicates the type of engine. A - gasoline unit, B - diesel. The number indicates the year the category was introduced. It doesn’t make sense to delve into the intricacies of the system, it’s just important to understand that the higher the number, the more new cars this oil is intended for.

Among our participants, two groups can be distinguished: the first group included double-labeled oils - these are Shell Helix and Idemitsu, and the second - with a single one, and these are all the other participants.In simple terms, participants from the first category are more versatile, according to the European classification, as they fit both the most modern cars and cars of the past generation. Therefore, we consider it right to give them the first line, and place the rest of the participants in the second.

Despite the fact that in our comparison we took oils labeled 5w40, they all have different freezing and ignition temperatures. This may seem insignificant at first glance, since the temperature in the engine crankcase will never occur at which the oil can flare up, and the freezing point is most often far beyond the real climate indicators. In fact, these parameters are very important. They indicate how pure the oil base is. Synthetics can be different in their basis, so the purer it is, the higher the flash point will be.

As for the freezing point, it does not give any specific knowledge, but it should be understood that the closer the actual temperature is to this value, the more viscous the oil becomes. Accordingly, you can build on the climatic realities in your region. Our member values ​​look like this:

According to the standard, the flash point of engine oil should not be lower than 225 degrees. All of our members are tested, and some oils come very close to this mark.But since the numbers are almost the same for everyone, with only a slight difference, we will take the freezing point as a basis.

Two participants can safely be called the winners in the nomination: Liquid Moli and Shell Helix. With their performance, they will maintain normal viscosity much longer. We will also give the second line to two contestants: Lukoil and Total. Both stand at around -44 degrees. And we give the third place to Idemitsu and Castrol. They have the lowest rates, although Castrol has a higher flash point.

Many users believe that the second digit in the SAE classification indicates the permissible temperature regime at which this lubricant can be operated. Synthetics 5w40 got into our comparison, and it is believed that 40 is the temperature outside. And that's not true at all. The number 40 is conditional and indicates the viscosity class.

That is, the real kinematic viscosity will be completely different, and not in specific values, but in a certain range. Viscosity is taken as a basis at a temperature of 40 and 100 degrees. So for oils with a classification of 5w40, the lower viscosity threshold was set at around 12.5 mm2 / s, and the upper one - 16.3. That is, depending on the specific brand, these figures will vary. You should choose based on the proximity of the real figure to the allowable values.

There is also a viscosity index parameter. It is calculated according to a very complex formula, which does not make sense to give. The viscosity index is the average value between tolerances at 40 degrees and at 100. In most cases, this index ranges from 140 to 180 units. You can meet a higher figure, but most likely it will be a specialized engine oil for racing cars or special equipment.

We believe that it is more correct in our case to give preference to those products that perform better in a quiet ride. Surely, among our readers there are more such drivers than professional racers or extreme sports enthusiasts. Accordingly, we will give the first line to the nominees, whose lower threshold of kinematic viscosity is closest to the critical mark of 12.5 units. These are Shell Helix, Idemitsu and Castrol. Liquid Moli, Total and Lukoil oils are much further from this mark. They still don't feel like racing cars, but the viscosity level is worse than the comparison winners.

Synthetic oil is a complex cocktail of main and auxiliary impurities. Some elements that make up the lubricant do not burn out in the engine, but rather form a residue when boiling. This is the so-called ash that settles on the walls of the engine, and it doesn’t matter if you have a gasoline or diesel unit. Accordingly, the lower the sulfate ash content, the higher the quality of the oil. However, there is a downside, since a decrease in the parameter may indicate a more modest set of additives.

Here you can add the level of sulfur content in the composition. The smaller it is, the better. The quality of the base oils can be different, and synthetics undergo multi-level purification. Simply put, the best oil should contain as little sulfur as possible and have the lowest sulfated ash content:

To determine the winner in the nomination, we will look at both parameters, and according to the results of the comparison, Castrol oil turns out to be the cleanest, which contains no sulfur at all, and the level of sulfate ash content is as low as possible. Unconditional first place, shared by Idemitsu and Total.Total has a slightly higher sulfur content, but this is not critical.

In second place we have Shell Helix with a sulfate ash content of 1.16%. Also a good result, but lower than that of competitors. And the most "dirty" oils are Liquid Moli and Lukoil. Moreover, Liquid Moli has the highest percentage of sulfur content. Definitely, only the third position.

Motor oil is a consumable. It tends to evaporate, and the best oil should do this as slowly as possible. There is a test to determine this parameter. It's called NOACK. With it, the product is heated to a mark of 250 degrees for an hour, and the result shows what proportion of the product has evaporated. The final result is shown as a percentage, and the lower the number, the better.

There is only one winner in this nomination - Shell Helix. He has only 5.7% NOACK. The best value that other brands have not even come close to. For example, Lukoil, Total and Castrol have a value of about 10% with small but non-critical fluctuations. But Idemitsu and Liquid Moli showed the worst result.They have about 13%, so only the third step on the podium.

It's no secret that the modern market is simply littered with counterfeit products, and often the quality of a fake is at such a level that it is simply impossible to distinguish it from the original. Everything is faked, and since only top brands were included in our comparison, their ratio is even higher. Oil must be copy-protected, and brands use a variety of methods.

It was best to defend against Idemitsu. They produce their motor oil in metal containers. It is difficult and expensive to copy, especially since each flask has its own hologram and serial number that can be scanned. The Japanese brand goes to the first line. But the protective nuances do not end there:

As you can see, all brands pay a lot of attention to the quality of protection, and it makes sense to place Lukoil, Total and Castrol on the first step of the pedestal next to Idemitsu. All of them use complex schemes that are not so easy to fake. Yes, and counterfeit manufacturers are doing their best to reduce the cost of their product, and, for example, they will not make three-layer plastic, like Lukoil, or use expensive label glue, like Castrol.

But Shell Helix and Liquid Moli are the most unprotected in this regard. Yes, manufacturers are also trying to do something here, but they pay very little attention to it. These are the most counterfeit brands of oil on the market today. Moreover, counterfeit manufacturers are so adept that sometimes even professionals cannot distinguish an original from a fake, let alone ordinary users.

Motor oil can be sold in different containers from 1 to 20 liters. In some cases, the volume of the container slightly levels the price tag, but only slightly. We will consider the option with liter bottles, since these price tags are the easiest to build on.

We have two winners at once: Lukoil and Castrol. Their price for 1 liter of oil does not exceed a thousand rubles. The second line is shared by Shell Helix, Idemitsu and Total. All nominees have approximately the same price tag.But Liquid Moli becomes an outsider. This is the most expensive motor oil, and the price tag cannot be attributed to the highest quality, which will be clearly seen in the final table. In addition, it is very often counterfeited, and copy protection is at a low level.

The winner is clear - SHELL Helix Ultra. The best oil in most parameters, with the exception of protection and prices. The quality is at the highest level, and you have to pay for it. And it is important not to run into a fake, which is filled with the modern market.

However, other participants included in the comparison cannot be called complete outsiders. All have their advantages and disadvantages, albeit not to the same extent as Shell. The only exception can be called Liquid Moli, which lost to competitors in almost all respects.Moreover, this product is forged very often, and the manufacturer does not pay due attention to protection.