d0nkeyxPunch

Is it true that Synthetic engine oil and conventional engine oil are the same thing?? My friend keeps on nagging at me that I am wasting my money for synthetic motor oil when its the same thing, but with a different name. Can anyone please clearify my confusion? Thanks in advance.

StyleTEG

Wow, your friend is very wrong.

TurboSedan

Synthetic is better in particular Mobil 1 and Redline.

LB CRX

if you keep using the synthetic oil you get all kinds of thick buildup inside the motor. if you dont believe me, try taking your head off...trust me youll see what im talkin about.
according to the dyno the synthetic oil only gives about a 1Hp increase...is it worth it? youll save money and life on the engine if you go with the regular stuff

LB CRX

well 2 people are proving me wrong. im just telling you from experience. i used the moble synthetic oil and i had all kinds of residue when i tried to change the head gasket. a shop told me it was from the synthetic oil. i was told to use the regular mobile 10-30

HumanResource

Damn this thread will go on for a while on this debate. I go with ol' dino oil, why> I have a B16-Drive over 3000 miles a month and want it to last long. As long as you change oil and filter prior to 3000 miles, then you're OK. It's not like Conventional is NOT going to protect my engine right?

Lsos

I've heard many comflicting stories, but it appears that all the reputable sources know it to be fact that synthetic is better than conventional in pretty much any characteristic an oil is supposed to display. By reputable sources I mean racing teams, chemists, experienced engine builders, and such....

All conflicting stories I heard were from sources such as farmers that used conventionals in their tractors back in the 50's and they worked just fine, old people, and generally people that really didn't know.

I heard one guy refuse to put any synthetic in his engine simply because it isn't natural. An S2000 motor going at 9000rpms isn't all that natural either.

Ultimately while synthetics have been pretty much established as being far better, perhaps they're not 4x better, and for a lot of people conventionals are simply good enough.

Katman

He's right in the aspect of how oil lubes an engine, but he's wrong if he's trying to say that non-synthetic oil in ALL aspects is the same as synthetic oil -- now that's false. Synthetic for one cost more because it's a more advance formula than regular/non-synthetic oil. The viscosity breakdown endurance is longer in synthetic, that's why you can go way over 3000miles.

But what it breaks down to is you, the consumer.
If you're like me, I like using good ol' regular 10w30/10w40 oil. I personally don't need to waste double the cost for synthetic if I'm going to change my oil at the same amount of mileage (around 4000 miles). It's just a waste of money. I'm not scared that my motor isn't going to last LONGER because i'm not using synthetic oil. Honda engines are way reliable besides the fact of which oil you use.

Or you can be the worry-wart type, who worries about their engine constantly and always baby's it. Synthetic this and that ....blaah... waste money here & there and everywhere..

...my $.5

MikeSarr_GSR

the residue in your head around the ridge of the cylinder lining
has to do with the way your engine burns the mixture. that
residue is carbon buildup. that stuff on your valves and chamber...
carbon. its all in your engine above the rings and throughout
your exhaust manifold. that has nothing to do with the synthetic
oil, except the fact that mobil 1 isnt a very good sealing oil in
high output engines with small bores. I had 0-30w amsoil in mine and
had far less blowby than I do now. I use the 5-30mobil until I
change back. I had to re-do my vavles and I made the bearing
caps too tight and they knocked. I drained the ams and went to
the mobil 15-50 cuz I thought it was rods bearings. Turned out,
it wasnt when my intake cam froze at idle at BDC (thank GOD)
I then went back to 5-30 and instantly noticed the blowby and
a small drop in compression when I drove. My engine is puttin
out about 200/150 at the flywheel now and my engine
has 46500 miles. The Amsoil is the best
I have used so far.

Time for an upper engine cleaning!!!

mannymo

Synthetic oil has a much higher film strength at lower viscosity. Nhra pro stock engines run "zero" weight synthetic oil and it is good for about 5-7 hp on the dyno. But they change the oil every 2 miles.

In most other types of racing engines synthetics aren't used unless the team is sponsored by the company that makes the oil. Even with the higher film strength and less "viscosity breakdown" (how many times have we heard that one) Synthetic oils have a less desirable quench rate(how fast the oil can pull heat away from the metal).

In an endurance race or in your daily driver, quench rate is much more important than a few horsepower(unless someone else is buying your parts).

Which way to go? You have to change your oil every 3kmiles. You change your oil becuase of the combustion by-products in the oil,& almost all oil has detergent in it.

I use the multi blend, to get the best of both worlds.

Katman

..oh yeah, multi-blend -- a median between the rich and poor -- haha...I forgot about that! that I use sometimes too.

StyleTEG

I have to disagree. The thick buildup you speak of is not a result of oil.

I would quote more, but its huge.

Go here for more info http://pub27.bravenet.com/faq/show.p...wcat#question6

The main reason for using synthetic is not that it gives you an increase in HP. It has better wear, durribility, and protection properties.

GreenD

if your not supposed to mix synthetic w/ conventional (and correct me if im wrong), then how does the whole "blend" thing work?

ninesecrx

It actually doesnt matter if you mix synthetic and regular oil. I will tell you why running regular oil is better then the synthetic stuff. Whats the most important aspect in making power in our cars? Ring seal. If you dont have that, your gonna lose power. Synthetic oils do a bad *** job at lubeing...which is cool for bearings and stuff like that but not for ring seal. It coats and protects almost to well and leaves a little residue on the cylinder walls and hurts the ring seal. Thats why I run regular oil is because it is better for ring seal.....Mike

Rocket

Funny that you say that Mike, but I agree wholeheartedly.

That's good advice in my book.

zeta_msz_006

Just wondering if you were the orginal owner of the car? The reason I am asking is even though you have been using synthetic oil, if you were not the orginal owner then the previous owner might not have been using it.

Mobil 1 will leak out of the seals of older cars.
Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ was tested in dozens of industry standard and OEM tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made.

ExxonMobil engineers are wary of conventional oils that tout their use of additional seal-swelling agents. With extended use, these agents can over-soften engine seals, resulting in leaks. More to the point, an oil additive will not rejuvenate worn or damaged seals. The damaged seal may have been caused by a worn rotating metal component in the engine.

If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™. ExxonMobil also always recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use. The following a copied from the Mobile1's home page.

http://www.mobil1.com/why/myths.jsp check the link from Mobile1's home page.


[Modified by zeta_msz_006, 9:39 AM 6/19/2002]

StyleTEG

Quality Synthetic oils (and dino for that matter) have additivies formuled for seals. There is no problems with synthetic oil and seals.

d0nkeyxPunch

wow, thanks for the reply. just wondering if your compression matters on which type to use.

filetofit

I know this isn't the forced induction board but synthetic oil can tolerate much higher temperatures without smoking such as are found in the CHRA of a turbo.

ninesecrx

Hey styleteg: I dont think you understand. Ring seal and seals are two different things. Once you figure that out...you'll be ok. I never said synthetic was bad for seals......Mike

StyleTEG

Yeah, I know the difference

That little residue left on the cylinder walls is the anti-wear additivies. I talked to some oil experts and they all said that the additivies had no adverse effects on ring seal.


[Modified by StyleTEG, 2:49 PM 6/20/2002]

Yokohama

If you use synthetic can you go back to using regular?...I heard it is bad for the motor to go back to regular after synthetic.

psychodog

Yes, going back to conventional is not reccomended. Here's a reason that I pulled off a website (sounds pretty logical)

If you do decide to change, only go up the scale. If you've been running around on synthetic, don't change down to a mineral-based oil - your engine might not be able to cope with the degradation in lubrication. Consequently, if you've been using mineral oil, try a semi or a full synthetic oil. By degradation, I'm speaking of the wear tolerances that an engine develops based on the oil that it's using. Thicker mineral oils mean thicker layers of oil coating the moving parts (by microns though). Switching to a thinner synthetic oil can cause piston rings to leak and in some very rare cases, piston slap or crank vibration.

I have a slight oil consumption prob on my car (2000)..Ofcourse Honda says its within an 'acceptable limit'. So can anyone confirm that my oil would burn faster if I switch to synthetic??

Quik Chris

All the motors I've blown (including a Saturn one when I was 16 doing an SCCA Solo II event) were on Mobil 1 synthetic oil 5W-30. I don't know if it's just a coincidence or for certain resons. I now only use Valvoline conventional oil. If synthetic is so good, why can't you use it during initial engine break in's?

Koori

You can.. Go to Mobil's site. They use it in high end cars from the factory.. Like Vette's, Porsche's, and Benz...