2023 test4 productsEngine Oil & Fluids
Which Motor Oil Brand Wins?
We compared 4 motor oil options head to head. SuperTech 10,000-mi High Mileage came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
SuperTech 10,000-mi High Mileage
Price shown in test: around $22 for a 5-qt jug
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Runner-up
SuperTech 10,000-mi
Price shown in test: around $22 for a 5-qt jug
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Oil Type | Certifications | Star Rating | Evaporative Loss Noack Test | Lubricity Wear Scar Test | Cold Flow At 40 Below Fresh | Cold Flow After Heat Exposure | Oil Lab Anti Wear Additives | Oil Lab Total Base Number | Oil Lab Detergent Dispersant | Fuel Contamination Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1SuperTech 10,000-mi High Mileagearound $22 for a 5-qt jug | full synthetic, SAE 5W-30 | API SP, ILSAC GF-6A, Dexos certified | 2 stars per category (same as the regular 10,000-mi full synthetic), versus 1 star for the 5,000-mi oil | 200 g of oil dropped to 14.55 g of loss after 2 hours at around 440 F, barely edging out the 20,000-mi oil's 14.64 g loss as the best (lowest evaporation) result of the four oils | watt meter and wear results were very close to the regular 10,000-mi full synthetic | barely edged out the regular 10,000-mi full synthetic at first, but the regular 10,000-mi oil ultimately took the lead in this race | finished in a close second place behind the regular 10,000-mi full synthetic | 1,546 parts per million | 6.8, the best (highest) TBN of the four oils tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2SuperTech 10,000-miaround $22 for a 5-qt jug, $4 more than the 5,000-mi oil | full synthetic, SAE 5W-30 (versus the 5,000-mi oil's synthetic blend) | API SP, ILSAC GF-6A, Dexos certified (the 5,000-mi oil is not Dexos certified) | 2 stars per category versus 1 star for the 5,000-mi oil | 200 g of oil dropped to 14.75 g of loss after 2 hours at around 440 F, about 14% less thermal evaporation than the 5,000-mi oil's 17.01 g loss | test pin had a 4% smaller wear scar than the 5,000-mi oil, indicating better wear protection | won this race outright, taking the lead from the High Mileage 10,000-mi oil | won this race outright, crossing the finish line first with the High Mileage 10,000-mi oil a close second | 1,515 parts per million | 6.7 | total detergent/dispersant content was slightly higher than the 20,000-mi oil, which the host found notable since the 20,000-mi oil is rated higher (more stars) for sludge prevention | not tested |
| 3SuperTech 20,000-miaround $26 for a 5-qt jug | full synthetic, SAE 5W-30 | API SP, ILSAC GF-6A, Dexos certified | received two extra stars over the 10,000-mi oil for wear protection and combating sludge, despite oil-lab testing showing slightly less detergent/dispersant content | 200 g of oil dropped to 14.64 g of loss after 2 hours at around 440 F, very close behind the High Mileage 10,000-mi oil's 14.55 g | smallest wear scar of the oils compared in this round, with less than a 1% advantage over the High Mileage and regular 10,000-mi full synthetics; host notes it is 'not that much better' despite being the nominal best result | barely finished ahead of the 5,000-mi synthetic blend, both trailing well behind the two 10,000-mi oils | finished third, barely edging out the 5,000-mi synthetic blend | 1,639 parts per million, the highest of the four oils | described only as 'a little bit low' for an oil promising better wear/sludge protection than the 10,000-mi oils; exact TBN figure not stated in the transcript | not tested | contaminated with gasoline and retested for lubricity; the transcript states '5% gasoline' during the test itself, though the video description states oil was tested with '10% gasoline' - both figures kept verbatim due to this discrepancy, not resolved. Result: fuel-contaminated wear scar was 6% larger than the uncontaminated 20,000-mi oil's scar, and the host notes the contaminated sample's wear scar ended up larger than the cheaper 5,000-mi synthetic blend's original scar |
| 4SuperTech 5,000-mi$18 for a 5-qt jug | synthetic blend, SAE 5W-30 (the other three oils tested are full synthetic) | API SP, ILSAC GF-6A; not Dexos certified (unlike the three higher-mileage oils) | 1 star per category, lowest rating of the four oils | 200 g of oil dropped to 17.01 g of loss after 2 hours at around 440 F, the worst (highest) evaporative loss of the four oils | used as the baseline for the wear-scar comparison; the 10,000-mi full synthetic oil produced a 4% smaller wear scar than this oil | very close in speed to the 20,000-mi oil, both trailing the two 10,000-mi oils | very close in speed to the 20,000-mi oil, both trailing the two 10,000-mi oils | not tested | not tested | about 400 parts per million less detergent/dispersant content than all three full synthetic oils | not tested |
How it was tested
- Noack volatility / evaporative loss test (200 g of oil heated to around 440 F for 2 hours)
- lubricity / film strength wear-scar test (before and after heat exposure)
- cold oil flow race at minus 40 F (fresh oil)
- cold oil flow race at minus 40 F (after heat exposure)
- independent oil lab analysis (anti-wear additives, detergent/dispersant content, total base number)
- fuel contamination lubricity test (20,000-mi oil only)
“the high mileage 10,000-mi oil came out on top with an average finish of 1.9”