Valvoline.com

7/1/2008

Valvoline Challenges Mobil 1 on Wear Protection

LEXINGTON, Ky., July 1, 2008 - Valvoline launches a national advertising campaign today that takes on competitor Mobil 1, claiming Valvoline SynPower has "four times better wear protection than Mobil 1."

Valvoline advertising will include print, radio and on-line banner ads. Agency of record for the Valvoline division of Ashland Inc. is Borders Perrin Norrander, Portland.

According to Valvoline, the claim is based on the industry standard Sequence IVA test. The Sequence IVA is the industry standard test for determining wear performance of an engine oil and is required to meet the API SL and SM requirements. Multiple tests showed that Valvoline SynPower provided four times better wear protection than Mobil 1, as measured in these tests of 5W-30 grades.

"We stand behind the ASTM standard tests completed recently at our own fully certified engine testing laboratory and at an independent laboratory," said Valvoline Marketing Director John Stotz. "Consumers tell us it is wear protection that matters most to them," he said.

Key to Valvoline's anti-wear chemistry is its zinc/phosphorus additive known as ZDDP. Increasingly lower levels of phosphorus in motor oil have been the subject of concern to automotive enthusiasts. SynPower's low volatility ZDDP formulation causes the phosphorus to stay in the oil longer, according to Valvoline Technical Director Thom Smith. Phosphorous bonds to metal parts in the engine to form a 'sacrificial' layer that helps protect against engine wear, Smith said.