If synthetic motor oil can live up to the performance claims peppered across the Internet then it definitely is something to consider for our engines. A lot of the time synthetic oils carry a premium price over the conventional oil. But does the extra cost come with extra protection? What is synthetic oil and does it protect better…
I am asked this question frequently and there are couple of ways its asked. One questions is “where does synthetic oil come from or what is made out of?”
Oil that is synthetic was “synthesized” from other petroleum products. This means that the final oil is assembled from smaller raw components from things like ethane or coal.
Whats important about that? Oil is comprised of hydrocarbon chains and the different lengths of chains have different lubricating properties. An intelligent formulator knows exactly what hydrocarbon chain lengths he wants to get the oil properties he wants.
The other question I receive is “what is so good about synthetic oil?”
The benefit of synthetic oil is there are far fewer impurities in it like standard oil. Conventional oil has natural contaminants in it like paraffin’s and waxes that contribute to sludge formation and change the viscosity and pour point of the oil as the oil is aged in an engine.
I did a google search on the interntet and here are some of the top benefit claims for using synthetic oil:
“synthetic motor oil provides better engine protection, higher performance, and better flow in the engine when it is cold and first started”
“synthetic oil is capable of withstanding higher temperatures without breaking down. This could provide longer oil life and better engine protection through the life of the oil change.”
“synthetic oil can last longer in your engine with the right set of additives. The base oil is less prone to breakdown and if the right amount of good additives are added oils have been known to last up to 35,000 miles or one year.”
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