Many people have very strong loyalties to certain brands of oil. They’ll swear by their favorite brand and assure you that anything else is bound to ruin your engine. But we’re here to dispel that myth. After nearly 30 years of testing oils from thousands of different engines and industrial machines, we have discovered a shocking fact: it doesn’t really matter what brand of oil you use.

But wait! Before you dismiss us as heretical, listen to what we do recommend. We always suggest using an oil grade recommended for your engine by the manufacturer and a brand that fits your budget. The grade of oil is much more important to performance in your engine than the brand of oil.

In fact, here’s another little secret. The oils you can find at any mass retailer, such as Wal-Mart or Meijer, are actually name-brand oils (such as Valvoline, Shell, or Quaker State), but with the store’s label on it. Think about it. A place like Auto-Zone is not in the business of manufacturing oil. They buy their oil from the big oil companies and put their name on the bottle. The only difference between the Auto-Zone brand and the name-brand oil is the name on the bottle and a few dollars per quart.