Can't you make your own Syn. Blend

[sHERM]

If you've got a car that you don't want to put full Synthetic in for the cost, but you do want a Syn blend. Could you not buy 4 quarts havoline conventional 10w30 and 1 quart Havoline syn. and make your own synthetic blend? They say the blend is only 20% Synthetic anyway.

 

[Al]

You could..but in the case of Havoline Dino which probably has some Group III in already-I don't know if it's really worth the trouble. Conventional oils now are pretty good and may not be much inferoior to the blends. Also keep in mind the additives may not be optimized. Now mixingj say Mobil 1 with their conventional line may maike a little more sense bc Mobnil 1 is a PAO.

 

[greencrew]

There was also a good UOA posted mixing Castrol GTX with Mobil 1.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Sherm, I do not belive that blends of less then 50% really represent that big of an improvement. SUre their have been some limited studies showing 25%-30% PAO offering some advantages but nothing long term has been done. It seems like it would be better to use either a cheap group III like Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5W40 for $12 a gallon at Walmart of the old homebrew. If I was going to do the homebrew blend I would make sure that the synthetic I was useing was close to 70%-100% PAO and I would go 50/50 .

 

[mf150]

can't mixing oils srew with the chemistry of the additives package making them less effective?

 

[JohnBrowning]

Yes, It sure can MF150! THis is why while I have done it when I was young and poor I do not do it anymore. I would rather know what I am getting. Even sticking with the same brand does not gurantee anyting! When you start mixing homebrew like this you really need used oil analysis to see what is going on. The used oil analysis for each home brew and the VOA for such endevors can really eat up any proposed saveings.