What is synthetic oil? Synthetic oil is made by synthesizing chemical compounds that were not originally present in crude oil. The new base oil is then combined with a series of additives. The main difference lies in the fact that synthetic motor oils are created utilizing a specially "synthesized" base oil where the size of the oil molecules are all of an ideal weight and of a consistent size. While a conventional motor oil is made up of different molecule sizes which are mixed together, along with various waxes and impurities, a fully synthetic oil is made to provide a much purer base oil, with less waxes and with a uniform ideal particle size to help increase the oils viscosity level. The additives which are used in the production of synthetic oils can help to create an extremely stable engine oil which will sustain the correct viscosity levels across a large range of temperatures. So what does synthetic do for you? 1. Superior friction reducing between sliding surfaces. 2. Lowers engine temperatures. Oil accounts for 1/3rd of a rotary's(engine found in mazda's) cooling. You will typically see ~10 F lower temperatures with synthetic due to reduced friction between sliding surfaces. 3. Reduced foaming. Foaming is caused by air bubbles that become trapped in the oil. The bubbles prevent heat from escaping the oil, causing temperatures to rise. 4. Burns cleaner. There is reduced carbon deposits because of the ash less base. Synthetic oil also has less impurities and will burn cleaner than conventional oil. It's all but required for new diesel engines because conventional oil has much higher sulfur content. 5. Synthetic oil lasts longer then conventional oils in extreme heat conditions. This becomes especially important for FI cars. What are the drawbacks to using synthetic oil? 1. Main drawback is cost. Synthetic oil can go for more than twice the cost of conventional oil. 2. Not suitable for breaking in your engine. Synthetic oil's lubrication and additives will inhibit the break in process. Your first few oil changes for your new car should be with standard mineral oil. However after breaking in the engine you should switch to synthetic oil. 3. Oil leaks can occur when switching to a fully synthetic oil with an old engine. The introduction of a synthetic oil may cause the detergents in the synthetic oil to break down and clean-up waxes and sludge which was maintaining the seals in the engine. However, new engines dont have this problem. Decide if you want to use synthetic sooner rather than later. Questions and answers Q: If synthetic oil resists heat better than conventional, doesn't that mean it's not going to burn in the engine as it's injected? A: You're not burning quarts of oil at a time. The MOP is injecting tiny amounts of oil to lubricate the seals. At that ratio of gas to oil, the oil mixes with the fuel and burns quite easily in the 1600+ F temperatures in your Engine. Q: Does "FULL SYNTHETIC" really mean the oil is synthetic? A: No. Oils such as Castrol Syntec say "full synthetic" on the bottle, but are derived from crude oil. In 1997, Castrol changed the formula of its Syntec "full synthetic motor oil" and removed PAO from the base stock. It's now based off of hydrocracked mineral oil. This move saved Castrol's production costs by 50% while they continued to charge normal synthetic prices. Moral of the story: Make sure you do some research before buying. Castrol isn't the only one doing this. Q: How do i know what type of oil is suitable for my car? Normally, it is advisable to check the manual that came with the car. This usually has the recommended prescribed oil. However, if its unclear from the manual. You can always call the dealer and ask. They will tell you what oil is suitable for your car.
i use mobile 1 10w40 synthetic oil. manual says use 5w30, but i use 10w40 cause of the turbo. another common misconception is that you have to change the synthetic oil every 5-7k. but most synthetic oils when they came out, was recommended that be changed at 20k. even now they are good for 10-15k. since production went down they changed it to about 5-7k.
synthetic oils are better as far as engine protection is concerned, but be wary of using them without proper info on the engine you are using it on, being more viscous/degree change as compared to mineral oils of the same viscosity index. Though I agree with Gagan that synthetic oils need changing less often, it also depends on operating conditions, like in india, we need to change oil more often because of dusty conditions and varying temperature conditions, so before opting to upgrade to a synthetic oil for your car, consult a specialist, because if you get it wrong, you could end up ruining your engine
What I've heard is about synthetic oils that they are better but having said that they must be used in the engines that have done less than 100,000 kilometers or else if more no one recommends it
the civic that i had before had almost 200k on the motor and i used mobile 1 5w30 synthetic oil. ran perfect, but that motor {b16a2} burns oil like crazy.
@ rahul, what I really meant was that basically, the cost of the oil should be justified, if you end up paying thrice the normal cost for a synthetic oil, you should be able to run it for thrice the mileage, but in india, because of the dusty/dirty conditions, the oil gets fouled much before its viscosity reduces because of the dirt that gets ingested in the engine.
Synthetic oil can help continue the life of a vehicle's motor, increase horsepower, and gas mileage, but there are instances when synthetic oil is not suggested. The oil in your car's motor lubricates the going components and stops friction. As the oil moves through the engine it choices up metal shavings, dust, condensation and sometimes redundant antifreeze. The oil then flows through the oil filter, which eliminates the debris, and permits clean oil to flow back into the engine.
well you can't stop friction, you can just lower it by coating the pistons and cylinder walls with lubricant...the advantages of synthetic oil are in its stability, that is to say, that even at high temperatures, it doesn't lose it lubricity and viscosity, hence protecting the engine even under extreme conditions of load, or temperatures, other than that, synthetic oils are not recommended during breaking in of the engines(during this period the the pistons expand and contract hence rubbbing with a cylinder walls to develop a very fine fit), however these days engines come pre run, so they fill up on synth oil before they take them out of the showroom