In any group of petrol heads the talk will invariably turn to engine oils, engine oil price and the inevitable subject as to why use synthetic motor oil?
Let's overlook engine oil price for a minute and weigh up the performance of full synthetic oil. To keep this piece brief I'll focus on full synthetic oil, API Group V, as opposed to semi synthetic oil.
Synthetic engine oil is specifically blended to meet the operating requirements of the ever evolving engine. The following properties are common in contemporary full synthetic lubricants:
1) Highly developed friction modifiers cut energy sapping friction. This not only increases power output, but also reduces fuel consumption and can also lessen operating temperature.
2) Since synthetic lubricant is engineered to be thermally stable, and utilises better anti oxidation technology (over mineral engine oils), varnish build up is reduced. This keeps the internals of the engine reasonably clean and reduces the sludge build up that plagued vehicles operating in heavy traffic conditions in cold climates.
As Turbo chargers grow to be more long-lasting (Largely thanks to the strides made in synthetic lubricants) more OEM's are opting to fit these to Increase engine efficiency. The reluctance to fit turbo chargers on "everyday" vehicles has basically revolved around the perception that turbo chargers were unreliable.
When one considers the environment that a turbo charger operates in - turbines rotating up to 200,000 RPM and housings reaching surface temperatures of 900 deg. C it's quite obvious that mineral engine oils (Even highly refined semi synthetic oil) would be hard pressed to survive.
The dilemma with the Turbo, is that when the engine is shut down temperatures climb rapidly, while at the same time oil circulation (That also cools the bearings) ceases. At this stage it's common for mineral oils to carburise. These diamond hard particles then act as a grinding paste on the bearings, resulting in premature failure! Fully synthetic engine oil has been proven to prolong the life of the Turbo, and is an important reason why to use synthetic motor oil.
3) In theory, using synthetic oil can also delay oil-change intervals. I say in theory, merely as technically synthetic motor oil can comfortably cope with intervals of up to 40,000 km's, although OEM warranty and service interval contracts will not tolerate this. Of course if you're using synthetic engine lubricant in an out of warranty vehicle you can determine if you'd like to delay intervals.
Another rationale why extended synthetic motor oil change intervals may be undesirable, relates to dirt ingress via the air filter element. Typically a new element, filters +10 micron (Around the cross section of a human hair), however as the element becomes clogged with dirt the vacuum increases, resulting in larger particles being sucked into the engine. Regrettably even the best synthetic engine oil can't do anything about the damage this can cause.
There's no uncertainty that synthetic oil out performs crude based engine oils, and with the engine oil price discrepancy between the two reducing, the smart choice is almost certainly a fully synthetic motor oil.
Let's overlook engine oil price for a minute and weigh up the performance of full synthetic oil. To keep this piece brief I'll focus on full synthetic oil, API Group V, as opposed to semi synthetic oil.
Synthetic engine oil is specifically blended to meet the operating requirements of the ever evolving engine. The following properties are common in contemporary full synthetic lubricants:
1) Highly developed friction modifiers cut energy sapping friction. This not only increases power output, but also reduces fuel consumption and can also lessen operating temperature.
2) Since synthetic lubricant is engineered to be thermally stable, and utilises better anti oxidation technology (over mineral engine oils), varnish build up is reduced. This keeps the internals of the engine reasonably clean and reduces the sludge build up that plagued vehicles operating in heavy traffic conditions in cold climates.
As Turbo chargers grow to be more long-lasting (Largely thanks to the strides made in synthetic lubricants) more OEM's are opting to fit these to Increase engine efficiency. The reluctance to fit turbo chargers on "everyday" vehicles has basically revolved around the perception that turbo chargers were unreliable.
When one considers the environment that a turbo charger operates in - turbines rotating up to 200,000 RPM and housings reaching surface temperatures of 900 deg. C it's quite obvious that mineral engine oils (Even highly refined semi synthetic oil) would be hard pressed to survive.
The dilemma with the Turbo, is that when the engine is shut down temperatures climb rapidly, while at the same time oil circulation (That also cools the bearings) ceases. At this stage it's common for mineral oils to carburise. These diamond hard particles then act as a grinding paste on the bearings, resulting in premature failure! Fully synthetic engine oil has been proven to prolong the life of the Turbo, and is an important reason why to use synthetic motor oil.
3) In theory, using synthetic oil can also delay oil-change intervals. I say in theory, merely as technically synthetic motor oil can comfortably cope with intervals of up to 40,000 km's, although OEM warranty and service interval contracts will not tolerate this. Of course if you're using synthetic engine lubricant in an out of warranty vehicle you can determine if you'd like to delay intervals.
Another rationale why extended synthetic motor oil change intervals may be undesirable, relates to dirt ingress via the air filter element. Typically a new element, filters +10 micron (Around the cross section of a human hair), however as the element becomes clogged with dirt the vacuum increases, resulting in larger particles being sucked into the engine. Regrettably even the best synthetic engine oil can't do anything about the damage this can cause.
There's no uncertainty that synthetic oil out performs crude based engine oils, and with the engine oil price discrepancy between the two reducing, the smart choice is almost certainly a fully synthetic motor oil.
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