Yes I watched Project Farm.
I do my own oil changes every 5000 miles on my 2023 Highlander Hybrid which demands 0W-16 oil. Of note, my 10000mi and 20000mi are free at the stealership and I have those done there so it is on the record. However I’m concerned that the label for my next oil change (I just had them do the 15000mi do-nothing inspection. Again, it’s recorded that I took it in in case there is an issue later on.) said it will be 0W-20. And yes, I know at a certain point doing an oil change every 5000 miles mean any oil & filter will work and bless you for changing the oil, even conventional although I refuse to use Fram oil filters.
Anyways, based on Project Farm I use Pennzoil Platinum and my concern is they do not have Ultra Platinum at that weight which was the PF winner and according to my research a little better than stinky ol’ plain Platinum. Valvoline is another great one based on my research and others swear by Mobil1 which I think in 2024 is over-rated. And of course others insist on Toyota oil saying it’s OEM and the best for my car, even better than Mobil1 although others say it is simply Mobil1 with Toyota branding. On top of this are Amsoil and Royal Purple but let’s exclude those for now unless you think there will be a universe of difference. So out of Mobile1, Toyota OEM, Pennzoil and Valvoline oils and ignoring price, what one would you go with for 5000 miles oil changes on a new car?
If it make a difference, used with WIX or Napa mid-range filters.
Not to rain on your oily parade, but IMHO, all motor oils are basically the same. If they meet all the standards, just buy the cheapest. Your car will be a hunk of rust before your engine shows any wear from poor lubrication.
Not to contradict beowulf, whose knowledge may be more current than my own. (I did my shade-tree mechanic stuff back in the era of points and condenser and carburetor. And I used non-synthetic oil).
My experience was that you could sure as hell tell a difference between straight 40 weight and straight 30 weight when cranking your cold engine in the winter time. Multiple-viscosity oils like 10w40 were less easily distinguished, but my pompously-expert hi-performance engine guru friends said the muti-vis oils were not as durable under high heat and load as their upper number would have you think. And I’ve handled 90 weight, used for gears, and that stuff isn’t even a liquid.
In short, I do not at all have the impression that all motor oils are basically the same, but my info might be out of date.
I agree with @beowulff, in that if your oil meets the pertinent specification, it’s going to be functionally the same as another oil that meets the spec for the listed use.
Another way to look at it is that for cars that require API SP oil, one is much the same as another.
It is true that some also meet more rigorous specs like VW 502.00 or Mercedes Benz MB229.52, but in large part, that isn’t going to make much difference unless your car requires that.
The thing is, the combination of the plethora of European manufacturer proprietary specs, the GM Dexos specs, and the newer API SN/SN Plus/SP specs along with the lower weights required by modern cars, ALL of those oils are synthetic and highly capable oils that’ll have your engine outlast the rest of the car. Nobody’s car is going to be able to tell the difference between any of them, and on the off chance it gets to 250k miles, nobody’s going to be able to say that the reason it burns some oil is because the owner used Pennzoil vs. Royal Purple.
And OEM oils are just rebadged oils from major manufacturers. Toyota doesn’t make their own oil, nor do they spec anything special. They just put out a RFP for oils meeting a certain price point, spec and of a certain weight, and then sell it as Toyota OEM oil. In fact, it’s made by ExxonMobil, as are Nissan’s and GM’s. Honda’s is from ConocoPhillips, BMW’s is Shell, VW’s is Castrol, and so forth.
But… if you really want to do a deep and slightly insane dive into the world of motor oils, go to thebobistheoilguy.com forums. You’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know about oils.
I third that there isn’t much difference between brands. If it meets the manufacturer’s specs it will be fine.
And anecdotally, I buy cars new and drive them a very long time. Our last 4 vehicles all went >10 years and 200k miles on whatever was cheapest (and again, met the specs in the manual).