For your car to run smoothly, motor oil is a crucial additive to account for. You should ensure there is sufficient oil for the easy movement and handling of your car. On your next oil change, you might consider going for synthetic lubricants. As its name hints, synthetic oil has artificially made chemical compounds. It has fewer impurities compared to regular oil and properties that help it withstand high temperatures. Focusing on synthetic oil, we look at the debate, Pennzoil Platinum vs. Ultra Platinum, to understand more about their performance.
The two are Pennzoil products, a company with a strong name in the sale of synthetic oil and other vehicle utilities, such as air and oil filters. Let us look at the two synthetic oil brands to give you an idea of how they work and how good they are for your vehicle.
Pennzoil Platinum
Pennzoil Platinum is a natural gas derivative, instead of crude oil, using the Pennzoil patented gas-to-liquid PurePlus technology. Like most synthetic motor oils, Pennzoil Platinum is a great performer and offers excellent protection for your car parts. This synthetic lubricant comes in various packages, a good example being the Pennzoil 550046126-3PK Platinum full synthetic motor oil. The oil is immaculate, which translates to excellent fuel economy. It is a perfect additive for modern turbocharged engines, helping prevent issues like low-speed pre-ignition, a premature combustion occurrence, leading to noise or engine failure.
This bottle of oil can last you for thousands of miles before changing it, showing you how it will save you from other car maintenance costs. This synthetic oil has few impurities and can do an excellent job of curbing friction and protecting the engine from power loss. A look at the Pennzoil Platinum review, and you will understand that this synthetic motor oil will conserve your horsepower.
Pennzoil Platinum also has the benefit of keeping your pistons 45% cleaner. Clean pistons do not have much carbon and dirt buildup, which can get in the way of their movement. A smooth-moving piston translates to ample energy distribution, hence, a smooth driving experience. Temperature changes affect oil efficiency, wherein in extremely hot or cold conditions, the performance lags. This is not the same with Platinum oil, as it can withstand both hot and cold temperatures. Additionally, it prevents engine wear due to friction and mechanical shock.
What about Pennzoil Platinum vs. Mobil 1? Which is the best? Both are advanced synthetic oils and bring their best in lubrication. Pennzoil Platinum is an excellent cleansing agent, and so is Mobil 1. However, Pennzoil has an advantage over the other brand in areas of use where it can work well with diesel engines. The good thing with Mobil 1 motor oil is that it works fine with older car and truck models.
Pros of Pennzoil Platinum
Back to the Platinum vs. Ultra Platinum debate, we have to look at the pros and cons to get a glimpse of the oils’ functionality. Pennzoil Platinum looks like a high performer, evident when you look at Pennzoil Platinum vs. high mileage. It will improve your vehicle’s mileage, ensuring minimal wear and tear. This synthetic lubricant will maintain your engine’s horsepower and torque. Coupled with its 40% cleaning effort on the pistons, you are sure to have a smooth driving experience. The oil’s purity enhances its performance as a lubricant and reduces friction between the engine’s moving parts.
Other benefits of the oil are reduced engine noises and engine resistance to shock and general tear, and better fuel economy. Additionally, the oil responds well to temperature changes, working fine in extremely hot or cold conditions.
Cons
Despite having plenty of advantages, Pennzoil Platinum has some shortcomings, the main one being its disposal. When used, you have to ensure proper disposal of the motor oil as it can harm the environment. You can get a decent disposal point to drop it off. Another con about Platinum oil is that it may not be compatible with some vehicles, though this case is not that prevalent.
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Ultra Platinum
On the other side of the debate, we have the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum motor oil. From its name, you get the idea that it is of a higher quality than the Platinum type due to the addition of the word ‘Ultra.’ It is true as this synthetic oil is ideal for extreme performance, making it a great additive to sports vehicles and other similar automobiles. Like Pennzoil Platinum, the Ultra Platinum synthetic oil is a derivative of natural gas responsible for its cleanliness. It has several advantages, like ensuring you have clean pistons, translating to a fulfilling driving experience. It also helps maintain engine horsepower and torque, a necessary thing when it comes to high-performance cars.
If you want some of the mentioned advantages, you can go for the “Pennzoil – 550045201-3PK Ultra Platinum full synthetic motor oil”. It is a high-performance oil that offers exceptional wear protection for your engine, protecting it from power loss and providing better fuel economy. It is ideal for top-performance and luxury cars; the result is an engine close to factory standards in cleanliness and overall functionality. Its formulation helps it beat temperature changes, where it maintains its viscosity and flow in low and high temperatures. You can use this can of Ultra Platinum synthetic oil for cars, SUVs, vans, and trucks, with a guarantee of high efficiency.
The Ultra Platinum oil is excellent, as we can see from the features of the Pennzoil – 550045201-3PK Ultra Platinum full synthetic motor oil, like fuel economy and flexibility to temperature changes. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum reviews appreciate its versatility, where you can use the oil with various cars, both petrol and diesel engines.
Pros of Ultra Platinum
Ultra Platinum has several advantages, and the one that stands out is that it is a powerful performance utility suitable for sports and luxury vehicles. It helps maintain the car’s horsepower and torque and ideal feature in the motorsport scene. It does an excellent job in engine maintenance, preventing its wear and tear, and retains its cleanliness, evident from the clean pistons. In case of temperature changes, this synthetic oil will still bring its best, maintaining its viscosity, even in low temperatures. Other pros include fuel economy and versatility, where it will work with different vehicle models.
Cons
The main downside of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum oil is its disposal as it contains compounds that can be harmful to the environment. You can look for a used oil incineration facility, which has excellent ways to dispose of used oil.
Read Also: Is Engine/Motor Oil Flammable?
Pennzoil Platinum vs. Ultra Platinum Difference
What is the difference between Pennzoil Platinum and Ultra Platinum? The two are Pennzoil products and share many similarities; for example, both of them are advanced synthetic motor oils derived from natural gas. Looking at Pennzoil Platinum vs. Ultra Platinum Reddit discussions, you realize that both synthetic oils have impressive reviews, with many users applauding their purity, which results in low burn-off and degradation rates.
Back to their difference, you will see a slight variation in their performance. While Pennzoil Platinum is a standard oil that will work with various vehicles, Ultra Platinum is for high-performance cars, such as those seen in the autosport scene. If you have a powerful engine that you want to have a level of horsepower and torque, it is advisable to go for the Ultra Platinum version. The Platinum variant is also suitable and will work fine with newer and older vehicle models. Both are compatible with cars, SUVs, trucks, and other vehicles, showing off the brand’s strive for versatility.
You should also know that both oils have the same viscosity rating of 5W-30, meaning that they are multi-grade oils and work well in all weather. The 5W denotes its viscosity on startup, the W being short for winter. The 30 is the oil viscosity when the car is in motion. In summary, the two are not that different, save in the performance aspect, where the Ultra Platinum tops the Pennzoil Platinum in that it is for top-grade performance.
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Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Can You Mix Pennzoil Platinum and Ultra Platinum?
While mixing different synthetic oils is not advisable, you can mix the two, seeing that they are from the same brand and share a viscosity rating of 5W-30. Mixing oils with the same viscosity is not too bad, as it won’t affect their effectiveness.
Is Pennzoil Platinum The Best?
You can consider Pennzoil Platinum as one of the best synthetic motor oils you will encounter due to its performance. It does an excellent job of lubricating your engine and will, maintain its horsepower and promote fuel efficiency. These are some of the features it boasts of, and they give it an edge over many of its competitors.
How Many Miles Does Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Last?
The Pennzoil Ultra Platinum will last your car for a long without signs of poor performance for up to 10000 miles for a well-functioning vehicle. The limit may be lower if the vehicle has some mechanical issues.
Does Pennzoil Platinum Really Clean?
Yes, it helps clean the engine, which is noticeable in some engine parts like the pistons, preventing sludge buildup, which can slow them. It also gets rid of existing sludge, with a 40% cleaning capability.
How Many Miles Is Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic Good For?
Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic is a robust additive and can cover you up to 300000 miles or ten years if you exclusively use this product. However, it would help if you had a regular oil change to maintain your engine’s performance.
Is Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage Dexos Approved?
Dexos approval refers to the stringent regulations motor oils should meet, mostly focusing on emission standards to get a clean bill. Reports indicate that the Pennzoil Platinum high mileage is not Dexos approved. However, not being approved does not translate to disapproval, and Pennzoil is probably on the move to get its products in order.
Final Word
When you get into the regular vs. synthetic oil argument, you can see that the latter is the best in terms of performance and cleanliness. Pennzoil is one brand that majors on synthetic oils, having the Platinum and Ultra Platinum varieties under its diverse catalog. We can see that they have excellent features like improving engine life and mileage and boosting fuel economy. You can use either of the two motor oils depending on your needs, but ensure you change your oil regularly.
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Your paragraph on 5W-30 viscosity is mostly incorrect. The W does stand for winter as you stated. However the 5 means that the oil will have the same viscosity as a straight 5 weight oil at operating temperature. The 30 means the oil will have the same viscosity as a straight 30 weight oil at startup.
Also you note as a con that these oils must be disposed of properly due to their potential harm to the environment. This statement is unnecessary, all engine oil must be disposed of properly. These two particular oils are no more or less harmful than other oils.
Hello Purity. Nice write-up. Some good info, and I enjoyed it. I must admit, I was a bit befuddled by the statement that the Platinum oil is good for 300K miles! . I am assuming you are referring to some kind of marketing warranty Pennzoil uses for total engine life. To be fair, you do recommend regular oil changes….. but in today’s world, I fear some folks may take you literally and try to go 10 years on the same oil! LOL (folks that probably should not be driving IMO). Haha. Just thought I would make a comment on that one point. Also, I would be interested in knowing what exactly are the “Dexos” certification requirements? I understand that not having Dexos stamped on the bottle does not mean it is disapproved, but I still wonder why a company with the size and reputation of Pennzoil doesn’t have Dexos approval on their “flagship” Ultra or their “high mileage” oils after such a long time on the market? Perhaps an investigation on the Dexos requirements would be enlightening. Nice work here. I enjoyed the read. -David