Synthetic oil worth it?

What have you been using?

If you have not used synthetic until now, I would not start now. For several reasons changed to synthetic in a high mileage engine that had not used synthetic can show up problems you did not, and would not know about. Also with that many miles already, you would not gain much additional engine live if all went well.

On the other hand, if you have been using synthetic and are not experiencing any problems I would stick with it.

The question is "Why do you want to switch and what do you expect?"

I switched after about 200,000 miles. By then I was running 20w50 dino oil in my '89 Golf. What I noticed is that the engine started easier in the winter.

Tim Wohlford

I have heard that synthetic cleans out your engine so the first couple changes look quite dirty. Perhaps this 'dirt' is what may cause unknown problems?

When you run a TDI all oil is always "dirty." (:-)

That depends entirely on the brand/performance of the synthetic oil in question. A top performing synthetic oil can improve fuel economy, lower emissions, reduce engine wear, make cold winter starts much easier, make for an internally cleaner engine, make for a cooler running engine, provide better hot engine protection and reduce maintenance/repair costs.

All the Best, Steve

15 year independent AMSOIL Synthetic LubricantsDealer Proudly Made in the USA Offering wholesale prices to all

I hear it also cures gout.

Michael

-- Have a round and remember things we did that weren't so tender, Let the train blow the whistle when I go... -JC

So, how does one evaluate synthetics to distinguish the "top" ones from the others?

For instance: How do the synthetic engine oils of Mobil, Petro-Can, Motul, and Castrol compare objectively with your product? And is there any way the buyer can confirm these differences for himself?

Achim

axethetax

You would need laboratory data. There is nothing a consumer can do to evaluate lubricants. These are VERY expensive tests we are talking about here.

I think bottom-line everyone knows that synthetics are far superior to regular oils. But the "worth it" part is subjective based on each person's experience and taste. My 85 GTI has 190,000 miles on it, I have been running Castrol Synthetic in it since 1988, doesnt burn a drop of oil, compression is still very good and extremely even across all cylinders, and makes me agree with every statement Steve made based on my experiences. Course I also buy expensive av equipment that I think is worth it. My friends come over and love it, but only one of them will spend the dollars to purchase stuff of their own, instead they just bitch that their stuff sounds inferior to mine.

So let's see the data. Perhaps the fact that none of the major manufacturers are willing to publish data indicates that no one synth oil is clearly better than any other?

-- Mike Smith

Heh heh....I have used Castrol lubricants for 130k miles and spend more on stereo gear than nearly everything else! Could not care less about video though.

heh heh

Synthetic oil is clearly better in most areas. Your average consumer would not be able to make heads or tails of laboratory data. However, one easy test you can do is take conventional oil and put it into a freezer. Do the same with synthetics. The cold you get, the more obvious the difference.

High Temperature/High Shear (ASTM D-4683)

The High Temperature/High Shear Test measures a lubricant's viscosity under severe high temperature and shear conditions that resemble highly-loaded journal bearings in fired internal combustion engines. In order to prevent bearing wear, it is important for a lubricant to maintain its protective viscosity under severe operating conditions. The minimum High Temperature/High Shear viscosity for a 30 weight oil is 2.9 cP. As shown in the graph, AMSOIL Synthetic 10W-30 Motor Oil surpasses this minimum standard and displayed the highest High Temperature/High Shear viscosity in the group. The superior viscosity retention of AMSOIL Synthetic 10W-30 Motor Oil in the face of severe temperature and shear conditions allows it to provide continuous, unsurpassed protection for engine bearings, extending equipment life and preventing wear.

10W-30 Viscosity

AMSOIL--------------------------------------------------------3.51 cP Quaker State Peak Performance-----------3.37 Castrol GTX Drive Hard ----------------------3.35 Valvoline Syn Power -------------------3.30 Mobil 1 Super Syn Power ------------3.30 Valvoline ---------------------------------3.28 Mobil Drive Clean -----------------3.20 Pennzoil with Purebase ------3.16 Quaker State Synthetic ---3.15 Pennzoil Synthetic -------3.14 Castrol Syntec ----------3.13

March 2003 test results

All the Best, Steve

15 year independent AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants Dealer Proudly Made in the USA! Offering wholesale prices to all

No data for Shell's syn which is what I have at this time?

Temperature/High

For specific data on an oil, you can contact the oil company in question and ask for the Product Data Sheet on their oil. This sheet will list various industry standard test results.

Keep in mind that oils manufactured to meet a price range are shackled with using lower priced ingredients in the oil and this of course lowers the performance of the oil and the benefits it can supply to a consumer.

On the other hand, oils manufactured to be the best possible, use the best possible ingredients in the oil, which of course provides the consumer with the most benefits.

All the Best, Steve

15 year independent AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants Dealer Proudly Made in the USA! Offering wholesale prices to all

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You're preaching to the converted. I've been running synthetic engine oil and gear oil exclusively in all of my motor vehicles since 1983.

However, my question is: how does one choose among the various brands of oil labelled "synthetic"? That hasn't been answered.

Web searches on the subject suggest that the definition of "synthetic oil" has been broadened considerably in recent years, and that all synthetics are NOT equal. But why someone who sells this product can't give a detailed technical explanation of it's claim to superiority baffles me.

Achim

axethetax

Interesting, but hardly enough to make a decision.

I'm currently trying out a synthetic engine oil called MOTRLUBE 4S

10W40 Its spec sheet describes the following paramenters:

pour point -42C/-43.6F flash point 240C/464F copper corrosion 1A max operating temp 220C/328F viscosity 100C/212F ASTM D-445 14.08 cst viscosity index ASTM D-2270 146 specific gravity 0.850 gravity API ASTM D-287 30.6 sulfated ash (%) ASTM D-874 0.66 TBN (mg KOH/g) ASTM D-2896 4.78

Can you provide the corresponding data for Amsoil?

Achim

axethetax

I didn't say that *synth* oil wasn't better than *dino* oil. I said that (I'll bet) no one *synth* oil is clearly better than any *other* synth oil.

-- Mike Smith

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