for the guys that are into recreational oil changing...

Flowing better at low temperatures is better, perhaps, IF you are subject to low temperatures.. I, at this point, am not.

It is not necessarily the additive that is hygroscopic. Some synthetics are more hygroscopic than hydrocarbon oils.

These are the glycol ester types of synthetics.

There is just no easy answer.

I used a lot of "barrel" oil for many years from the multi-line distributor, but then they decided they didn't want to handle barrels anymore at they put in bulk tanks with metered pumps - made it a lot wasier than pumping from a barrel into a pouring can - no more funnels required - and less, not more, possibility of contamination because there were no extra containers or stages of handling involved.

The only problem is you NEVER really knew what you were getting. They handled Valvoline, Castrol, Quaker State, and at least 2 other brands

- all of which made good oils - and also cheap oils. Which grade were we getting this month? from which company?.

On a carbureted engine with a choke it IS a function of t emperature. If the engine (I think all 454 Pontiacs were carbureted, by the way) is never warmed up the choke never comes off and fuel dilution of the oil is a VERY REAL possibility.

Actually, synthetic oils, in general, DO tend to be more hygroscopic, and provide less corrosion protection (marginally)

As for the synthetic flowing better when cold - most definitely - but is that an advantage in Miami or SanDiego?

It is only an advantage if you NEED that cold flow advantage.

In Miami or San Diago the fact that it thins less with heat and is generally more resistant to oxidation is more important.

And that encompasses what - about 90%? of all oil changes in North America.

And with short trips in cold weather a synthetic oil does not buy you much in extended oil life. SOME, yes. But not a lot. In high temperature (extreme heat) synthetic DOES buy you a fair return in extended oil life.

So what's call a s*it-fork a s*it-fork??

Now.... a lot is going to depend on what you call cold... -40 is a God-given fact for several days a year where I live... it's gonna happen, drop your purse and hold you jacket closed, pansy...

I run dino oil... I cannot justify the expense of synthetics and most of you guys can't tell the difference between cracked synthetics and PAO synthetics anyway.

Don't get me wrong.. run synthetic if you want... I put it in a customers engine every time they ask. But I'm going to have a real hard time recommending it to people that don't need it...

in cold weather, synthetics will buy you extended engine life - they protect against start-up wear better.

if you change your oil every 3k miles...

cringe.

so it's still advantageous!

besides, most engine wear occurs during warm-up. if a synthetic can protect during this phase, and it can, then it's protecting the engine more than a conventional oil.

so, synthetics are better at higher temperatures too!

you use brake fluid in your engine???

yes there is.

More items you parrot as if your having said it makes it true.

More testimonial. Where is your unassailable data?

as opposed to pissing and moaning about something you don't understand you mean?

well, i didn't get it from any contribution you've made - that's for sure!

No - learn to read I said 90% +/- use conventional oil

Again - I was not talking about ENGINE life - I was talking about OIL LIFE.

There IS a difference.

Yes, but in the vast areas of North america where much below freezing and much over 80F are rare, there is VERY little advantage. - and just using a slightly heavier gerade oil for the warm temperatures does virtually the same thing.

Except synthetic oils also tend (note, I said TEND - not necessarilly always do) to drain down leaving less of a "static" oil film, they NEED to get there quicker.

In real life, under "normal" conditions, there is almost un-measurable difference in wear between standard dyno and normal synthetic lubs.

If you were as smart as you THINK you are you would know that diethylene glycol esther based synthetic oils are one of the major synthetic types.

sorry dude, you weren't clear.

i know there's a difference. engine life and oil life go hand in hand. and synthetics outperform conventional oils, cold or hot. end of story.

but it's still advantageous. you may not regard longer life, better fuel economy, lower wear as advantageous, but most people do.

sorry, that's incorrect. the adsorbed lubricant layer for a pao is more tenacious. that's one of the reasons it's a better lubricant.

wear product content of 2ppm vs 4ppm is small and "almost un-measurable", but it's 100% difference.