CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Pennzoil is making a case for clean with its new Pennzoil Ultra motor oil, touting the oil’s goal to keep the engine close to factory clean, including those on the racetrack.
Motor Age editors were part of the group given a look at the new oil, which hit shelves March 1. The
company reports that Ultra cleans out up to 35 percent more engine oil than its Pennzoil Platinum, and exceeds manufacturers standards for cleanliness and protection, according to Robert Sutherland, Pennzoil technology manager.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what car you drive, every engine gets dirty and contaminants are many,” adds Debbie Van Schalkwyk, Pennzoil global brand manager. “If you do have an engine that does have sludge, this is the oil that’s going to work to actually clean up that sludge.”
According to Pennzoil, for every gallon of gasoline burned, an engine produces carbon, soot, unburned fuel, partly burned fuel, corrosive acids and water. These byproducts can contaminate the engine oil and lead to sludge, varnish and other engine deposits, which can reduce performance and damage the engine if allowed to build up.
Pennzoil Ultra motor oil with Hyper Cleansing TechnologyTM is formulated to clean up and prevent sludge in an engine, Sutherland says. It will be factory fill on Ferrari engines, and while it is designed to keep engines close to factory clean, it also can clean up older engines.
“We have not seen issues with older vehicles. As you might know, if sludge is holding your lifters together, eventually you’re going to have a problem with oil getting to your lifters. We want to protect engines, and we want to remediate engines with our ability to clean up sludge,” Sutherland says. “We haven’t seen any issues. If you have a new car, it’s the ability to keep it closer to factory clean than any other oil. And if you have an older vehicle, with the sludge removal capabilities, it’s the ability to remediate your vehicle and quite frankly, we haven’t seen any issues in the field with this technology.”
Pennzoil Ultra came onto the market already exceeding the 2010 GF-5 specification’s requirements for cleanliness and protection.
Announcements of the product’s capabilities were made in conjunction with Richard Childress announcing his NASCAR teams will use the product in the 2010 Sprint Cup Series. Childress says this oil helps, as races at most tracks are won on fuel mileage.
“Any time you can cut down friction it’s better on fuel mileage,” he says. “To keep your engine sealed, to keep your horsepower sealed in with your rings, piston ring clearances and all of that, it’s definitely an improvement.”
In addition to its run on the track, Pennzoil is offering a 500,000-mile, 15-year lubrication limited warranty on Pennzoil Ultra, notes Luis Guimaraes, vice president, Shell Lubricants marketing, Americas.
Pennzoil Ultra is available in 5W-20, 5W-30 and 10W-30, as well as 5W-40 and 10W-60.
