I found a larger, clearer photo (at Amazon).  The tagline is 5 Plus Quarts.  In 
the net contents area, it is marked 5.1 QT  4.826 Liters.  Many brands besides 
Pennzoil are selling the size, some are also marked 1.275 gallons (some specify 
that it is a U.S. quart or gallon).
 
I found no good reason for it.  Another forum claimed Walmart had an exclusive 
with oil companies for a five quart size, and the 5.1 qt was a way of 
competing.  I don't know if this is true, but I did find a Walmart photo and ad 
for a 5 qt size, so perhaps this story hangs together.  I found some off brands 
still selling 4qt, 1 gallon sizes, but the majors appear to have gone to this 
size.  I found no evidence of it being a common engine oil capacity; engines 
seems to be all over the place for all capacity.
 
Note: Technically, the 4.826 L is non-compliant.  FPLA and UPLR (UPLR applies 
to motor oil) only allow three significant digits to the metric claim.  Should 
be 4.82 L or a little more fill and 4.83 L.  However, using 4 digits is a 
relatively common error with many example products.  Oddly, the Customary claim 
allows up to three decimal digits.

--- On Mon, 12/3/12, Hillger,Donald <don.hill...@colostate.edu> wrote:


From: Hillger,Donald <don.hill...@colostate.edu>
Subject: [USMA:52038] Re: Pennzoil 5.1 quarts
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu>
Date: Monday, December 3, 2012, 9:59 PM







Actually, on the Pennzoil container it acknowledges the extra bit over 5 quarts 
in some way in words, but I don’t recall exactly what it says.
 


From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On Behalf Of 
Paul Trusten
Sent: Monday, 03 December 2012 19:50
To: U.S. Metric Association
Cc: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:52037] Re: Pennzoil 5.1 quarts
 

Does it possibly say "to deliver 5 quarts" on the container?

Paul Trusten, Reg. Pharmacist

Vice President

U.S. Metric Association, Inc.

Midland, Texas USA

www.metric.org 

+1(432)528-7724

trus...@grandecom.net

 


On Dec 3, 2012, at 20:20, "Hillger,Donald" <don.hill...@colostate.edu> wrote:


Here’s a mystery for the list:
 
I found the attached image in the K-Mart weekly ad, and went to the store to 
find that most oil brands are sold now in 5.1 quart size.  Why?
 
5.1 quarts = 4.8 L = 1.28 gallons, so nothing is rounded.
 
Don
 


<Pennzoil_5.1-quart.jpg>

Reply via email to