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This page deals with Valvoline brand oils

Introduction

VR1 20W50 is one of the best base oils tested. However, it does contain too much ZnDDP to be used with catalytic converter equipped vehicles.

Legend

N/A = NO ADDITIVES

M# = SQUID INK ADDITIVE MIX VARIATION

C# = CUSTOM MIX, SEE UNDER CHARTS FOR MORE DETAILS

Results

VR1 20W50

Recommended blend: M12

SLR Scoring ---

N/A: 79.72
M12: 89.30

VR1 20W50 is a fantastic oil, and it's fantastic performance becomes even better with SQUID INK. It seems that SQUID INK M12 is the best additive for this oil, reducing its 120 minute scar size by over 25%, and reducing the cylinder's weight loss by a staggering 71.5%. However, other oils perform better, and other oils with SQUID INK perform much better.

Please be aware that VR1 is considered a "racing oil" and is advertised as such. This oil has a higher zinc and phosphorous (mostly in the form of ZnDDP) content than most common gasoline engine oils and should not be used on vehicles with catalytic converters.

Valvoline VR1

While scar size and depth are directly related, it's worth noting how minimal, fine, and small the scarring was on the test cylinders. See below. (A red/brown grain of sand is present, don't think of it as a mistake, use it for scale)

Scars

Base 120 minute wear scar at 40x
Base 120 minute wear scar at 100x
Base 120 minute wear scar at 250x
Valvoline VR1 M12 40x
Valvoline VR1 M12 200x
Valvoline VR1 M4 200x