Interesting oil facts #3

[oilman]

SYNTHETIC?

What is it and what does it really mean?

The Oxford Dictionary says:
“made by synthesis; manufactured as opposed to produced naturally”

When it comes to oil we think of synthetics as the best that we can buy and that all synthetics are the same but, it’s not so simple.

Synthetic oils are not all the same, some are manmade in laboratories with uniform sized molecules and represent the finest quality that money can buy; others are merely highly refined mineral oils also known as hydrocracked oils.

So, some synthetics are not really synthetics at all in the true sense of the word and certainly not from a chemists point of view. Granted, these highly refined mineral oils have some advantages over less refined mineral oils but they do cost more.

Why are highly refined mineral oils called synthetic and is this legal when they are not really synthetic in the true sense of the word?

A legal battle took place in the USA some years ago and the final ruling was that certain mineral fractions that had undergone extra chemical treatments could be called “synthetic”.

The Marketing Executives were delighted as they realised that “synthetic” could be printed on a can of cheap oil provided that the contents included this specially processed mineral oil which cost a fraction of the price to produce than real synthetics. The profit implications where fairly exciting too!

So how does this affect the average motorist with a standard road going car or bike?

Very little other than you may be paying for something that is not quite what you think it is. Quality-wise it will still be better than that old 20w-50 dino oil in the back of the garage that cost next to nothing.

The economics are pretty simple too. If you like the look of well-marketed can with “synthetic” printed on it that does not cost you a lot, you now know why this is the case.

But, if you have a high performance, modified or track car/bike and you want to keep it in the best condition then you need the real thing as it offers the highest levels of protection. It will cost you more but then it’s still cheap against the cost of an engine failure!

Cheers
The Opie Oils Team.

 

[Jamesstone]

Interesting read , although when you think about it you can pay alot for brand so the whole price thing cant be a 100% proven way to check this, eg - last year i got a timberland t-shirt for my birthday, had all the original labels etc so hopefully can assume its real.. then i have t-shirts that i wear for work - daily, & to be honest my cheap work t-shirts are worn & washed many more times than the timberland one and they look in better condition.. so in theory you could be paying £10-20 more purely as its got MOBIL or CASTROL written on it, not havin a stab at your oils mate just speaking in my mind.. not always a good thing though lol

 

[oilman]

Agreed but as the proper manmade stuff is 6-8 times more expensive you will notice a price difference for sure!

Cheers

 

[JonC]

Agreed but as the proper manmade stuff is 6-8 times more expensive you will notice a price difference for sure!

Cheers

Not wishing to cause an arguement, but merely to discuss, would you notice the benefits that warrant the expense of a ester based oil over a cheaper (ie Halfords/Comma fully synth) hydrocracked oil, especially if oil is changed every 6k or in the case of the average owner who keeps his/her car for only 3 years?

Indeed, has there been any conclusive evidence that an engine in an average high mileage road car (over 100k+ miles or 10+ years old) is in a better condition because it was run purely on ester fully synth based oil against hydrocracked fully synth oil?

What would say is better for the engine in the following scenario:

engine thats done, average mileage 12k-15k miles/year, occaisional track days, equal mix of town and fast A road/motorwary, oil changed with hydro cracked fully synth (for arguements sake Halfords/Comma) every 6k or every 12 months.

or

engine thats done, average mileage 12k-15k miles/year, occaisional track days, equal mix of town and fast A road/motorwary, oil changed with ester fully synth (Silkolene Pro) every 12k miles or 24 months as per service schedule.

Cheers

 

[NIN-172]

How do you know if you are buying a hydrocracked or real synthetic oil then?
I put the Motul 8100 stuff in mine which is cheaper than the 300v.
So is the 300v real synthetic & 8100 hydrocracked? Obviously they aren't gonna write, this is crap fully synthetic on the container, so how do you know?
Is Elf Excellium hydrocracked? seen as that's what Renault recommend.

Also, Costco sell some Chevron 5W/40 oil for about £10 for 4 litres. What's the difference between this & the more expensive hydrocracked stuff.

 

[oilman]

Agreed but as the proper manmade stuff is 6-8 times more expensive you will notice a price difference for sure!

Cheers

Not wishing to cause an arguement, but merely to discuss, would you notice the benefits that warrant the expense of a ester based oil over a cheaper (ie Halfords/Comma fully synth) hydrocracked oil, especially if oil is changed every 6k or in the case of the average owner who keeps his/her car for only 3 years?

Indeed, has there been any conclusive evidence that an engine in an average high mileage road car (over 100k+ miles or 10+ years old) is in a better condition because it was run purely on ester fully synth based oil against hydrocracked fully synth oil?

What would say is better for the engine in the following scenario:

engine thats done, average mileage 12k-15k miles/year, occaisional track days, equal mix of town and fast A road/motorwary, oil changed with hydro cracked fully synth (for arguements sake Halfords/Comma) every 6k or every 12 months.

or

engine thats done, average mileage 12k-15k miles/year, occaisional track days, equal mix of town and fast A road/motorwary, oil changed with ester fully synth (Silkolene Pro) every 12k miles or 24 months as per service schedule.

Cheers

No argument but on your first scenario I would doubt you would notice anything at all in the period stated

Tracked cars you would get an enhanced level of protection as the oil will stay in grade longer but if changed frequently once again maybe not too much difference.

At the end of the day, it's down to personal choice and budget

Cheers

 

[oilman]

How do you know if you are buying a hydrocracked or real synthetic oil then?
I put the Motul 8100 stuff in mine which is cheaper than the 300v.
So is the 300v real synthetic & 8100 hydrocracked? Obviously they aren't gonna write, this is crap fully synthetic on the container, so how do you know?
Is Elf Excellium hydrocracked? seen as that's what Renault recommend.

Also, Costco sell some Chevron 5W/40 oil for about £10 for 4 litres. What's the difference between this & the more expensive hydrocracked stuff.

Motul 300V is a proper pao/ester synthetic but then again it's a RACE OIL so it's designed for the track.

The others you mention are all "cracked" oils but price will determine the percentage of "cracked" oil and dino oil in it.

We sell a number of proper synthetics, Silkolene Pro, Motul 300V, Redline, Amsoil, some Castrols and Mobil1 so there are decent ones out there, they cost a lot more 6-8 times (the ingredients) so that makes the differential over the cheaper Group III and Group IV blends

Cheers

Cheers

 

[oilman]

Basestock categories and descriptions

All oils are comprised of basestocks and additives. Basestocks make up the majority of the finished product and represent between 75-95%.

Not all basestocks are derived from petroleum, in fact the better quality ones are synthetics made in laboratories by chemists specifically designed for the application for which they are intended.

Basestocks are classified in 5 Groups as follows:

Group I

These are derived from petroleum and are the least refined. These are used in a small amount of automotive oils where the applications are not demanding.

Group II

These are derived from petroleum and are mainly used in mineral automotive oils. Their performance is acceptable with regards to wear, thermal stability and oxidation stability but not so good at lower temperatures.

Group III

These are derived from petroleum but are the most refined of the mineral oil basestocks. They are not chemically engineered like synthetics but offer the highest level of performance of all the petroleum basestocks. They are also known as “hydrocracked” or “molecularly modified” basestocks.
They are usually labelled/marketed as synthetic or semi-synthetic oils and make up a very high percentage of the oils retailed today.

Group IV

These are polyalphaolefins known as PAO and are chemically manufactured rather than being dug out of the ground. These basestocks have excellent stability in both hot and cold temperatures and give superior protection due to their uniform molecules.

Group V

These special basestocks are also chemically engineered but are not PAO.
The main types used in automotive oils are diesters and polyolesters. Like the group IV basestocks they have uniform molecules and give superior performance and protection over petroleum basestocks. These special stocks are used in all aviation engines due to their stability and durability. Esters are also polar (electro statically attracted to metal surfaces) which has great benefits. They are usually blended with Group IV stocks rather than being used exclusively.

It is common practice for oil companies to blend different basestocks to achieve a certain specification, performance or cost. The blending of group IV and V produces lubricants with the best overall performance which cannot be matched by any of the petroleum basestock groups.