Summary of Are All Motor Oils the Same? Let’s Find Out!

Product Reviewed: Various motor oils including Aviation, Motorcycle, Diesel, Gasoline engine oils, Marine oil, and different viscosity grades (notably Mobile 1 10W30, Mobile 1 0W8, Motorcraft 10W30 Diesel, Philip 66 Aviation 20W50, Quicksilver 10W30 Marine, and Motul 10W30 Motorcycle oil).

Cold temperature flow characteristics (oil flow speed at room temperature and after freezing at -40°C/-40°F)
Wear protection (measured via lubricity and wear scar size tests)
Thermal breakdown and evaporation resistance (Noack volatility test at ~400°F for 2 hours)
Additive package content (phosphorus, detergents, dispersants, anti-wear additives)
Viscosity and film strength
Total Base Number (TBN) indicating acid neutralization capacity

Mobile 1 0W8 oil flows fastest at both room temperature and after freezing, finishing tests in about 1 second at room temp and under 20 seconds frozen.
Motorcraft Diesel 10W30 and Mobile 1 10W30 Gasoline engine oil flow slower but still relatively quick.
Philip 66 Aviation 20W50 flows slowest due to higher viscosity.
Marine and Motorcycle oils flow slower than thinner automotive oils, especially after freezing.

Motorcraft Diesel 10W30 showed the smallest wear scar (5.57 mm), indicating excellent film strength and wear protection.
Motul 10W30 Motorcycle oil performed best overall with the smallest wear scar (5.47 mm), narrowly beating Motorcraft.
Mobile 1 10W30 Gasoline oil had a 12% larger wear scar than Motorcraft (6.23 mm), showing less wear protection.
Mobile 1 0W8 thin oil had the largest wear scar (6.56 mm), indicating more wear despite fast flow.
Philip 66 Aviation 20W50 had moderate wear protection (6.35 mm wear scar), relying on viscosity rather than additives.

Philip 66 Aviation oil had the lowest evaporative loss (~2.39 g), best resisting thermal breakdown.
Motul Motorcycle oil performed nearly as well (~2.62 g loss).
Mobile 1 10W30 had moderate evaporative loss (~5.26 g).
Motorcraft Diesel 10W30 lost the most (~8.69 g), showing more volatility.
Marine oil evaporated faster than Motorcycle oil but still performed decently.

Mobile 1 0W8 had the highest anti-wear additive content (~2494 ppm phosphorus), likely to compensate for its thin viscosity.
Motorcraft Diesel had a strong additive package (~2128 ppm phosphorus), correlating with its excellent wear protection.
Motul Motorcycle oil had a good additive package (~252 ppm phosphorus).
Mobile 1 10W30 had less aggressive anti-wear additives.
Aviation oil had minimal detergents/dispersants but relied on viscosity for wear protection.

All oils had similar TBN (~6.9 to 7.8) except aviation oil, which was much lower (~0.61), indicating less acid neutralization capability.

Product	Pros	Cons
Mobile 1 0W8	Fastest flow, high anti-wear additives	Largest wear scar, less wear protection
Motorcraft Diesel 10W30	Excellent wear protection, strong additives	Highest evaporative loss, slower flow
Mobile 1 10W30	Good flow, moderate wear protection, low evaporation	Larger wear scar than diesel and motorcycle oils
Philip 66 Aviation 20W50	Best thermal stability, low evaporation, high viscosity film strength	Slowest flow, low detergent/dispersant content
Motul 10W30 Motorcycle	Best wear protection, good additive package	Slower flow, more expensive
Quicksilver 10W30 Marine	Good wear protection, decent evaporation	Slower flow, more evaporation than Motorcycle oil

Thinner oils flow faster, especially in cold conditions, but may sacrifice wear protection unless compensated by stronger additive packages.
Heavier oils (like aviation 20W50) provide better film strength but flow slower, especially in cold.
Oils designed for diesel and motorcycles

Notable Quotes

— 13:07 — « My theory is that this very robust additive package is designed to help overcome the challenge of thin motor oils. »

— 13:34 — « The aviation oil has a 20 w50 viscosity and is relying on its viscosity to minimize engine wear. »

— 13:47 — « One thing for sure is these oils are definitely not all the same. »