Walmart 2 cycle oil

[crazy charlie]

Anyone know who is making 2 cycle oil for Walmart this year.I have not used it in a few years .It used to be green and now it is blue.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Don't take my word as absolute, but I heard that it is penzoil. I use it and am happy with it. Haven't had any issues with my motor pertaining to oil.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

All I can tell you is that I have been using it for several years now and am very happy with both the performance and it's price. I stock up with it when i visit one of our U.S.A plants as it is way cheaper there than in Canada.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

The info that I have is that Walmart's Super Tech 2 stroke oils are provided to it by Warren Distribution, Inc. Warren Distribution is an Omaha, Nebraska company that manufactures and distributes automotive aftermarket parts. They also distribute oils and chemicals as private label products. The company began as Warren Oil Company, in 1922.

In, addition to the private label brands that it supplies to companies like Walmart, Warren Distributors also has its own brand of oils. They are sold under the names Accel, MAG1 and Polar.

While Warren apparently does blend its own oils, it has no refining capability, so it has to be getting its raw stock from someone else. Just who that is, is the 50 dollar question. My guess is that they get it from whatever source is the least expensive at the time.

Even if they are getting the stock form SOPUS (Shell Oil Products, US), which includes the Pennzoil, Quaker State & Shell brands, to say that the Super Tech Oil is the same as any of those brands, would be a stretch.

The best thing we might be able to do, in order to come up with opinions of the quality of Super Tech products, is to find some independant testing on them. If anyone finds such testing on the net, I suggest putting a link to it here.



???

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

I agree, it makes no diffference who makes the oil for them, I'm sure there's a spec it needs to meet and that's it, it would make little difference which company produced it.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Ok, here is some info I found on the internet.

1. Discussion on different oils and tests:
http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/bassboard/boats_motors/message.html?message_id=298490

2. Lab test results (from link of above discussion):
http://home.comcast.net/~team_dougherty/results/results.html

3. List of additives (another link from above discussion):
http://www.theoillab.com/page5.asp

The results look to be pretty legit, but I can't say for sure since this is the only search results I found. The results show that Supertech is not significantly better or worse than any of the standard oils.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

If it's TCW-3 it's good for me !!!! no matter the make.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

i've been using super tech for many years, boat, cars, mowers, all of them.

 

[emilime75]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

My guess is that they get it from whatever source is the least expensive at the time.

I'd say that statement hit it right on the head.

I personally feel that Wally World, or any other discount or no-name brand oil is inferior and would not trust it in any of my engines just to save a few pennies. The fact that it is TCW-3 rated actually means very little. All it means is that it is within the rating's specs for lubrication but I am willing to bet it is at the bottom of the list, just barely passing which is not something I'd want in a boat motor that spends much of it's life at WOT. The second problem with it is that it is dirty. It is not refined to the same level as many other oils and this could cause problems. Sludge build up is one of them. A similar example is fuel. You can buy premium fuel at a major branded station for a certain price and not have problems, but you can go across the street and buy the stuff that's 10 cents cheaper and get who knows what in your tank and that could cause problems...I'm sure we have all heard or experienced problems with people using certain gas stations and having problems afterwards. I know for a fact that my wife's car has check engine light issues what we fill up with Walmart fuel...but not with any other brand gas. Walmart does not care to have quality products on it's shelves and it wants to pay the bare minimum for what it does carry. Oil manufacturers, who ever they may be providing the oil to them this week will not offer their higher quality product at the rate that Walmart wants to pay. Save yourselves trouble down the road, spend just a few bucks more for some decent oil. I'm not saying you have to buy the most expensive stuff on the shelf, but don't buy the cheapest either. Oh, and let's not forget that WALMART IS THE DEVIL and we shouldn't shop there at all.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Lets talk about $65.00 for 2.5 gallons of TCW-3... (WW Price for name brand oil)

Do you really think theres a $43.00 difference in quality? On something that spends very little time in your engine.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

A similar example is fuel. You can buy premium fuel at a major branded station for a certain price and not have problems, but you can go across the street and buy the stuff that's 10 cents cheaper and get who knows what in your tank and that could cause problems ......

I think you are misunderstanding how gasoline is marketed and sold. What you buy under a given label is very often exactly the same gasoline that you buy across the street, with the possible exception of some additives. Here in the New Orleans area, most of the gasoline sold is refined at the Valero facility in Norco. It doesn't matter which brand name is on it - its all the same gasoline.

What I do agree with is the possibility of getting dirty gas at an offbrand station, due to tank problems. That said, I never buy "big name" gasoline and I've never had a problem.



???

 

[dingbat]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Just like warranties, there are two trains of thought when it comes to selecting a 2 stroke oil.

There are those that go the cheap route and hope they don?t pay for it down the road.

Then there are those that pay up front and hope that they got their moneys? worth in the end.

FWIW: I have no problem running Wally oil in a 25 year old 15 Hp motor. The Wally oil is much better than the motor was speced to use.

When It comes to the new, high output motors, TCW3 standards don't apply. The HO motors have never been tested to see if these oils even meet the demand of these motors. Call me stupid, but when I have $14K in motor on the back I'm not a bit interested in running an unproven oil to save $100 or so a year in oil cost.

 

[emilime75]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Lets talk about $65.00 for 2.5 gallons of TCW-3... (WW Price for name brand oil)

Do you really think theres a $43.00 difference in quality? On something that spends very little time in your engine.

Considering I buy Penzoil brand 2 stroke oil from the same shelf as the Super Tech at Walmart for only 2 dollars more per gallon... you can talk about your $65 oil all you want. I stated clearly in my post that while I think Walmart oil is crap, I definetly don't think you need to buy the most expensive stuff available.

 

[emilime75]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

I think you are misunderstanding how gasoline is marketed and sold. What you buy under a given label is very often exactly the same gasoline that you buy across the street, with the possible exception of some additives. Here in the New Orleans area, most of the gasoline sold is refined at the Valero facility in Norco. It doesn't matter which brand name is on it - its all the same gasoline.

What I do agree with is the possibility of getting dirty gas at an offbrand station, due to tank problems. That said, I never buy "big name" gasoline and I've never had a problem.



???

Really? So, Shell, BP, Exxon, Kwik Sak, Walmart Fuel, Home Depot Fuel, Mapco, Amoco, Mobil along with all the other major and mom and pop fuel stores all get the exact same fuel??? And it's all refined exactly the same? I highly doubt it.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Actually, I knew a vp from BP and he said that gas is gas. The difference is in the additives not necessarily the refineries. There are a very limited number of refineries in the states that produce all the gasoline due to restrictions in the law. You can check that out if you need fact.

Now if the studies are correct on the differences in TCWIII oil that was posted earlier, the differences are in the viscosity and the additives not the refining. The TCWIII oil is basically an "ashless" oil. That is the standard from the reading I have done. The two high performance oils, the mercury optimax and the yamalube had high levels of molybdenum which is an additive for the performance oils compared to the others. This allows the oil to withstand higher heat levels which the high performance motors probably produce. And we know that heat is a bad thing for any motor.

Anyway, long story short, I don't believe there is anything wrong with the Wally World oil. But for different applications, different oils may need to be called for. For the average weekend warrior, my opinion is to use what you are comfortable with. I have old motors, so cheaper is better. I've used both mercury and walmart. No difference in performance.

One last note about walmart quality, if you know anything about Walmart's business practices, their products are generally cheaper not always because it's lesser quality, but because of the volume they buy and the lower profit margin per capita (infor from a high level manager of sears/kmart). I'm not saying they have low quality stuff because a lot of their stuff is lower quality, but much of their products, like other big box stores, are just rebranded.

 

[Twainman]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

I have been in the petrochemical industries from refineries to finish product terminals to pipeline for 35 years. I agree with the above comment that gas is gas because all refineries crack the oil the same way. Also if you have a major oil company finish product terminal say Conoco--look what brand of trucks stop there--you will see all majors wheel thru and fill up. In fact alot of terminals keep the competitors additives on site and as the driver swipes his computer card it turns on a pump to add a little of that companies additive to the stream. I was associated with The above mentioned company and we had to meet a government and military spec which all fuel has to do. I have even seen in our canning and bottling facility that Conoco containers have been on line filling up with 10/30 oil and all of the sudden another brand appears and starts filling at a rate of 40 containers a minute--these brands are from major oil companies to private branded material. As long as the oil, whether 2 stroke or 4 stroke meets a national spec it should be ok to use. I have been doing contract engineering work since I retired for all Major oil companies and I can tell you that there in not much difference in the refinering process with exception of materials used for corrosion resistance which sometime caused the small spikes in chemical analysis as the products carries some ions of with it. Sorry for the long comment but there is a high probality that the X brand of gas you are using was actually manufactured by Y company as oil companies trade out products all the time especially during outages or downtimes which are frequent. Same with oil.

 

[emilime75]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Well, I'll tell you what. I'll admit I have not done this with 2 stroke oil, but I have with 4 stroke engine oil and I bet the results would be similar. Go to your favorite Walmart and take a quart of their Super Tech, and a couple of quarts of different branded oils. Open them up and take a look at what's inside. Now answer me this, why is it that something like Castrol is very clean looking and is almost clear with just a hint of yellowness to it, the Super Tech is dark and looks no better than the used engine oil I'm draining out of my engine, and others fall somewhere in between? It even smells dirty. Are you telling me it's all the same oil but Walmart puts in their own additives to make it appear used and dirty? Let's not forget that there is such a thing as recyled oil as well, I would not be surprised if Walmart's oil is just that, or a combination of virgin and used oils.

Regardless, I have to offer my apologies to crazy charlie. I did not intend to jack his thread and take it completely off subject. To my defense, since crazy charlie asked who is currently bottling Walmart's oil I assumed he is aware that it could be an inferior oil and may not be worth a few dollars saved. And, to answer his question... Here is a link to the MSDS sheet for Walmart's Super Tech Marine TC-W3, you will notice it is currently being supplied by SOPUS Products out of Texas, which is part of Shell Oil Company and includes brands such as Pennzoil and Quaker-State. Since this is clearly a debate which will not be resolved here, I'll stay away from the used oil bottled in Super Tech bottles and pay a few bucks more for something that won't clog up my carbs or possibly due worst things. Good luck.

http://msds.walmartstores.com/cache/344019.pdf

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Really? So, Shell, BP, Exxon, Kwik Sak, Walmart Fuel, Home Depot Fuel, Mapco, Amoco, Mobil along with all the other major and mom and pop fuel stores all get the exact same fuel??? And it's all refined exactly the same? I highly doubt it.

Don't. They all buy and sell gasoline stock from one another all of the time. The only thing that tends to be different is the additives that "name brand" gasoline retailers put in their gas and that is not necessarily done at one of their own facilities.

In my area, the Valero facility is the largest refinery, so that's were we get most of our gasoline, no matter what station we buy it at. If you think about it, that makes sense, because none of the retailers want to incur high transportation costs, in order to sell a product that is essentially identical to any produced at another facility. Its also worth mentioning that Valero is the largest refiner in the United States. While Valero has retail outlets (Valero, Diamond Shamrock, etc.), they supply many other retailers too - simply put, they produce more gasoline than they are able to sell by themselves.

As for Walmart, for the most part it's gasoline is also refined right here in my area - Meraux, LA to be exact. The company is Murphey Oil USA, Inc., which sells almost exclusively to Walmart, via its Murphey USA Marketing Company. That said, Murphey is only supplying Walmart in 20 states, so anywhere else that they sell gasoline, they get it from someone else. That someone is going to be a major refinery, simply because they aren't many refineries in the US.

As someone else here said, gas is gas. It goes through the same refining process, no matter which facility made it.



???

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

Let's not forget that there is such a thing as recyled oil as well, I would not be surprised if Walmart's oil is just that, or a combination of virgin and used oils.
http://msds.walmartstores.com/cache/344019.pdf

One problem with this argument...marine two cycle oil is not recycled. It is burned with the fuel. As for other oils, I've used supertech oil in all of my vehicles (not necessarily 100 percent of the time), but with each car I have bought, I have had little engine problems and none that had to do with wear due to bad oil. And all my cars have lasted over 160,000 miles when I got rid of them, both american and japanese.

Now going back to the intent of the thread, it was asked who made the Supertech oil. Also it seems the intent was asking if it's still all right to use (as crazy charlie had used it before). In my opinion as well as others, yes it is. But to each their own. If you are not comfortable with it, get a brand name like Pennzoil and spend a couple of extra bucks. Or if you really believe the high performance oils will help in preventing corrosion better (and personally I believe they do), then spend the extra $40 per 2.5 gallons.

Everyone's experience is subjective. The tech sheets, research/lab tests, and industry experience has more objective information. Both types of info has its merits. But, out of the millions that use SuperTech oils, you will have people with good experiences and others with bad. However, on this forum and others, the majority of people seem to have no problems with actual use. But it is probably the most questioned because it's from Walmart and it's so dang cheap in comparison.

 

[emilime75]

Re: Walmart 2 cycle oil

One problem with this argument...marine two cycle oil is not recycled. It is burned with the fuel.

What? I don't think you understood what I wrote. I am fully aware that 2 stroke oil is burned along with the fuel, but my comment about recycled oil had nothing to do with that. I was referring to used oil being recycled at a refinery and sold off as new, virgin oil. What about that argument is problematic? How do you know 2 cycle oil is not recycled? And so what if it burned with the fuel, are you saying recycled oil cannot be burned with fuel, just virgin oil?