Which Engine Oil Brand Wins?
This head-to-head test of 2 engine oil options has the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
5W-30 conventional motor oil
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
All measurements (4 more)+
Evaporative loss (230 F, 1 hour)
- 15W-30 conventional motor oil
started at 1,210 g, ended at 1,210 g, no measurable loss
- 2banana (mashed, later diluted with water into what the host calls banana W-30)
started at 1,197 g, ended at 1,138 g, a loss of 59 g
Temperature during heat test
- 15W-30 conventional motor oilover300 F
- 2banana (mashed, later diluted with water into what the host calls banana W-30)
only 154 to 155 F after 45 minutes
Film strength / bearing wear test
- 15W-30 conventional motor oil
bearing on the right, used as the clean comparison side, no notable damage described
- 2banana (mashed, later diluted with water into what the host calls banana W-30)
bearing on the left showed a lot of damage; host states bananas do not have very good film strength
30-minute engine run
- 15W-30 conventional motor oil
used first as the baseline run to get engine temperature and performance measurements before the oil was drained and bananas added
- 2banana (mashed, later diluted with water into what the host calls banana W-30)
engine locked up after only 5 minutes but was freed and restarted; had to be shut down about every 4 to 5 minutes to add water as the water content flashed off; engine survived the full 30 minutes but was described afterward as pretty much toast
How it was tested
- evaporative loss test: 200g banana vs 1,210g of 5W-30 oil heated to 230 F for 1 hour
- film strength / lubricity test comparing cooked banana to 5W-30 oil
- flow comparison at approximately 75 F (no verbatim numeric result given)
- 30-minute engine run test: 5W-30 baseline run, then oil drained and 20 oz of mashed banana added to the crankcase of an air-cooled, splash-lubricated engine
