alvoline Article on Synthetic

[TallPaul]

Synthetic or Conventional Oil?

I just gave it a cursory review and it seems okay, but not very detailed. A joke that they suggest your "trusted mechanic" can tell you if one oil is compatible with another.

Then they tell you to read he label to make sure you are getting what you want in a synthetic, but Valvoline does not specify if you are getting Group III vs PAO or ester on their own label.

 

[FowVay]

I really like Valvoline products but their web site is simply ridiculous. They have so many errors it's more like reading a comic book than a informal technical publication.

It took them YEARS to change their recommended oil for my vehicle application. I don't know if I had anything to do with it but I sent them several technical bulletins from the mfgr and sent copies of VW's oil specifications. They used to recommend premium blue 15w40 for my VW TDI simply because it was a diesel. They finally changed the recommendation to a synthetic 5W-40 (SynPower 5W-40) as VW specifies.

They have every specification in the world listed for their 5w30 SynPower and they even reply in e-mail that it doesn't meet them. I have asked them to correct it also. We'll see.

Otherwise,, I find it hard to take anything they have in print as anything more than entertainment.

Is the general motoring public truly this out of touch with things related to their vehicles? People spend tens of thousands of dollars on vehicles,, and they seem to know absolutely NOTHING about them. ohh, that's a rant for another day.

 

[TallPaul]

The article seems to imply that all Valvoline synthetic is PAO, but I called them yesterday and was told that is not so, that they use varying proportions of PAO along with Group III.

 

[Roger]

Quote:
The PAO base stock does hold up longer than petroleum-based oils, but the additives in both wear out at the same rate.


I found that comment to be the most interesting one in the entire article. If true, why are synthetics advocated for extended OCI's?

 

[MolaKule]

Actually, Synthetics can can be dosed with higher levels of additives than mineral oils.

 

[Roger]

How does the average consumer know which ones have higher levels of additives?

 

[bmwtechguy]

Higher starting TBN would indicate more of the detergent type additives, right?

 

[MolaKule]

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/additives-detergent-dispersants.41162/

 

[OilGuy]

Originally Posted By: Roger
How does the average consumer know which ones have higher levels of additives?

They DON'T! Different types of additives can be used as well. It's entirely possible to use some sort of base oil that you are willing to call syn or syn blend and mix with a bare minimum spec add pack. Most semi-educated consumers would simply look at the marketing label of syn, syn blend, or conventional.