IMO the world isn't going in the right direction in a lot of ways. I was wanting to give redline a try, but when I can get PUP 5w-20 for my wife's durango for under 25 bucks for the 5 quart jug, I have to look at the bottom dollar. I got a 2% raise at work this year, more job responsibilities and cost of living went up 6-10%...so I just went backwards quite a bit. Not a good feeling!!
I'll add the following: never pity the fool, and you can't fix stupid. Fear-mongering is sn0wballing, with everyone playing the shortage game. It's gotten above ridiculous levels now. I see inventory overflow because various vendors can no longer sell overpriced GPUs and are now trying to pawn off products at MSRP or below, telling customers that "they're doing them a favor." The same is happening in the car business and other industries: artificial shortages, artificial devaluation, and incredible price hikes. The cost of living went up more than 10%. I'm sorry to tell you that. And here is why I started this rant the way I did: the masses are too sheep to vote with their dollars and labor. They want instant gratification, so they are willing to borrow themselves into oblivion. They will work for next to nothing in an attempt to feed themselves. And when there is more month left at the end of the money, they will borrow some more. It never ends. As individuals, we are powerless and insignificant. A handful of powerful banks rule and control the planet. Enjoy neo-indebted-servitude. I just wanted to let you know who's making your life miserable, just in case you were wondering.
Regarding motor oil, when it comes to off-the-shelf products, I will always pick Mobil 1, with a few exceptions. Mobil 1 has abandoned full SAPS motor oils, as they haven't updated their formulations in a very long time. If I need that, Shell Helix Ultra / Quaker State Euro / Pennzoil Euro (they are the same) are products updated to API SP standards and the latest OEM approvals. API Starburst / ILSAC motor oils, I would say that Mobil 1 Extended Performance is the best choice. Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 is the only off-the-shelf motor oil you can purchase at Walmart blended only with Group IV and V base oils. The other oils in the Extended Performance lineup are blended with GTL, PAO, and Alkalythed Naphtalines. Contrast that to Pennzoil Platinum that's Group III + GTL and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum that's only GTL. This last one is very low density, and that's why some folks, including myself, noticed noisy engines, especially noisy HEMIs while running it.
Lastly, you can't use UOAs to determine how good oil is at preventing wear. The "wear metals" shown in UOAs are not wear metals but particles that the oil managed to absorb and dissolve. If that were the case, Red Line Oil would come out as the worst of them all, especially on a first run, as it's very good at dissolving loose metal particles. PUP has very poor solvency because it's made from GTL, so it always shows low "wear numbers." Red Line has excellent solvency and will also clean out crud like almost no other motor oil. As a result, it shows high wear metals on cheap UOAs. I have grown to love Red Line Oil. My only regret is that I started using it full-time so late.
As it pertains to cost, considering how expensive everything is, the fact that I do my oil changes, and that I can cut costs in other places, including never eating out, I can say that I'd rather spend $40 to $50 on a gallon of Red Line than $30 to $35 on Mobil 1, or even $40, per oil change. Realistically the price difference is about $30 to $40 per oil change. To me, it's worth spending that in return for slightly better fuel mileage and better engine protection. And yes, it's hands-down better than Mobil 1 or Pennzoil or anything else that's API licensed. Period.
The statements above are my opinion only. I'm sure that many will disagree with them, especially if I was to make them on b@@bs. People tend to talk down Red Line Oil until they use it, and it actually solves a problem or two for them. Then they tend to shut up. I'm somewhat guilty of that as well.
