The Data Speak for Itself...
Click above for larger image
Click above for larger image
Corporate Office:
3X LUBE, INC.
Miami, FL 33160
Website(s): www.3xlube.com
The Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA) is an independent resource for information and insights on the quality of lubricants in the marketplace. Our mission is to serve the consumer of lubricants by randomly sampling and independently testing lubricants taken from the field. Test results are posted along with the brand names on the PQIA website. This webpage provides an analysis on the brand detailed below.
The following are the test results for the sample examined.
Manufactured by: 3X LUBE, INC., Miami, FL
Purchased at: Opa-Locka, FL
Date of purchase: 10/20/2015
Website(s): www.3xlube.com
November 18, 2015
CONSUMER ALERT
PQIA ISSUES A DON'T BUY ON 3X Super Premium MOTOR OIL SAE 20W-50
The results of the tests conducted on this sample DO NOT meet the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J300 specifications for the SAE Viscosity Grade listed on the product label. Also of high concern is that the sample of 3X Super Premium 20W-50 motor oil tested has 129 parts per million of silicon. This high level of silicon in motor oils strongly suggests the sample is contaminated.
Adding to PQIA's concerns is the claim that this is a multigrade 20W-50 motor oil meeting an American Petroleum Institute (API) SA Service Classification. Plain and simple, this can't be. By definition, an API SA motor oil cannot be a multi-viscosity grade product. As shown in API 1509, Table A-1 of Annex A, API SA motor oils are "straight mineral oil." As such, they contain no additives. Multigrade motor oil requires the use of viscosity modifier additives to be a multigrade. Consistent with the API definition, the Society of Automotive Engineers in SAE J183 defines API SA oils as "straight" viscosity grade products. By either/or both of these definitions, the term API SA and multigrade are mutually exclusive; a motor oil cannot meet both an API SA Service Category and be an SAE multigrade.
In addition, this product is labeled as meeting API SA which is an obsolete specification. The API cautions this specification "Contains no additives. Not suitable for use in gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1930. Use in more modern engines may cause unsatisfactory performance or equipment harm." The product labels on 3X Super Premium MOTOR OIL SAE 20W-50 does not adequately warn consumers of this limited use, and in fact, suggest otherwise when the front label describes the product as “Super Premium.”
It should also be noted that the front label of the product states “1 U.S. QT / .946 mL." This is incorrect in that one quart is 946 mL or .946 L, not .946 mL.
|
Physical Properties |  |
| Elemental Analysis | |
|
| Labeling | |
Note: Although laboratory tests alone cannot be used to establish if engine oil meets an API Service Category, they can be used to determine if it doesn't.
| PHYSICAL TESTS (click for test details) - a | Standard | 3X SUPER PREMIUM |
| TBN, mg KOH/g (ASTM D2896) | 1.14 | |
| Viscosity @ 100ºC, cSt (ASTM D445) | 16.3 to <21.9 | 12.5 |
| Viscosity @40ºC, cSt (ASTM D445) | 94.8 | |
| Viscosity Index (ASTM D2270) | 127 | |
| Viscosity @-15ºC mPa s (cP) (ASTM D5293) | 9,500 Max | 4,458 |
| ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS (click for test details) - a, b | ||
| Additives | ||
| Calcium | 178 | |
| Magnesium | 0 | |
| Phosphorus, ppm | 76 | |
| Zinc, ppm | 91 | |
| Molybdenum, ppm | 0 | |
| Barium, ppm | 0 | |
| Boron, ppm | 0 | |
| Silicon, ppm | 129 | |
| Potassium, ppm | 0 | |
| Manganese, ppm | 0 | |
| Titanium, ppm | 0 | |
| Copper, ppm | 0 | |
| Sodium, ppm | 0 | |
| Vanadium, ppm | 0 | |
| Contaminants | ||
| Silver, ppm | 1 | |
| Aluminum, ppm | 0 | |
| Chromium, ppm | 0 | |
| Iron, ppm | 0 | |
| Nickel, ppm | 0 | |
| Lead, ppm | 0 | |
| Antimony, ppm | 0 | |
| Tin, ppm | 0 | |
|
||