Synthetic Motor Oil Apr 2019 Test: Which Brand Wins?
In our Apr 2019 test we compared 2 synthetic motor oil options head to head. Amazon Basics came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Amazon Basics
Price shown in test: $19.99 for a 5 quart container
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Liqui Moly
Price shown in test: $13.50 for one liter or $45 for a 5 liter container
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“in this instance Amazon basics definitely won the competition in a very decided manner”
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
All measurements (4 more)+
Lubricity Wear Test
- 1Amazon Basics Full Synthetic 5W-30 (dexos1 Gen 2, API SN+, ILSAC GF-5)
performed a lot better than Liqui Moly; no specific wear scar size or bearing weight figures were narrated, only the qualitative result 'Wow, amazonbasics really did a lot better job than liqui moly on this test'
- 2Liqui Moly Top Tech 4200 5W-30
performed worse than Amazon Basics on the wear/film-strength test; no specific wear scar size or bearing weight figures were narrated
Cold Flow Test 1 New Oil
- 1Amazon Basics Full Synthetic 5W-30 (dexos1 Gen 2, API SN+, ILSAC GF-5)
won, finishing ahead of Liqui Moly by around an inch
- 2Liqui Moly Top Tech 4200 5W-30
lost to Amazon Basics by around an inch
Heat Evaporation Test
- 1Amazon Basics Full Synthetic 5W-30 (dexos1 Gen 2, API SN+, ILSAC GF-5)
started at 416.96 g, weighed 414.44 g after 2 hours on the griddle (loss of 2.52 g); lost slightly more weight than Liqui Moly. Meta chapter for this segment reads 'AmazonBasics lost 0.007,' which does not exactly match the narrated gram figures (2.52 g loss out of 416.96 g starting weight is roughly a 0.6% loss); kept as an unresolved chapter-derived figure, not independently confirmed by narration.
- 2Liqui Moly Top Tech 4200 5W-30
started at 407 g, weighed 404.52 g after 2 hours on the griddle (loss of 2.48 g); won this test by a fraction of a gram, having lost slightly less oil than Amazon Basics. Meta chapter for this segment reads 'Liqui Moly wins by 0.0049,' which does not exactly match the narrated 0.04 g gram difference between the two brands; kept as an unresolved chapter-derived figure.
Cold Flow Test 2 New Vs Cooked
- 1Amazon Basics Full Synthetic 5W-30 (dexos1 Gen 2, API SN+, ILSAC GF-5)
new Amazon Basics led the four-lane rematch, and the cooked (heat-exposed) Amazon Basics sample finished barely ahead of the new Liqui Moly
- 2Liqui Moly Top Tech 4200 5W-30
new Liqui Moly barely beat the cooked Amazon Basics sample but still trailed the new Amazon Basics; new Liqui Moly also beat its own cooked (heat-exposed) sample by nearly an inch and a half
How it was tested
- lubricity/wear scar test (bearing weight loss and wear scar size after a roughly 10 minute lubricity-tester run)
- cold flow race, new oil (both oils chilled to 15 below zero Fahrenheit for 24 hours)
- heat/evaporative loss test (approximately 200 g of oil heated to roughly 375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours, weighed before and after)
- cold flow race rematch, new oil vs heat-exposed (cooked) oil, four lane
“in this instance Amazon basics definitely won the competition in a very decided manner”
