Dino + Additive vs. Synthetic

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

leebae

Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
124
Location
North Georgia, USA
I posted this on another thread. I thought it may be more appropriate here. SEE BELOW:

BITOG is covered with posts debating syn vs. dino vs. blend etc...

How does a good dino (i.e. GTX, yellow bottle Pennzoil, Valvoline) with an A-RX Maintenance Dose stack up against a Grade III Oil (i.e. Syntec, Mobil 1, etc...)?

I have seen several posts that have questioned the need for a synthetic in many vehicles? Is this combo (dino & A-RX MD) a good or maybe even better option than Mobil 1?

I am not adept at interpreting a UOA. Maybe one of the lab guys (Terry) has some input on this subject.
 
mobile 1 syn in 5w30 and 10w30 aint all that. if you are running 5k mile oci's or less you can go with a good brand named dino and be fine..
 
I can not speak to the quality of Mobil 1. I do believe that I have seen Terry with Dyson recommend a good SM Dino + an A-Rx MD. However, I could be mistaken.
 
I'm kind of wondering how you're comparing dino+ARX to a synthetic; are you talking about cleaning ability or durability?
 
My inquiry is really more in regards to durability and overall performance. If I understand correctly, no oil (synthetic or otherwise) will actually do any cleaning with the exception of Redline. I have seen recommendations (I believe from Terry w/ Dyson) for Dino SM + A-RX MD. I was wondering if this combo would allow for extended drains (7.5K - 10K, or at least 5k).

Other posts have indicated that an A-Rx MD helps boost the host oil's add pack.
 
i have seen oils like maxlife, mobile 1 syn "clean" a motor.. what i mean by clean is to clean the varnish and crusty stuff conventionals leave behind. i have 92k miles on my truck and have been using mobile 1 syn for over 40k miles and she shines bright when you stick a flashlight and in the fill hole and look around. if you were to look in my gf's 05 corolla with 85k miles there is lots of varnish from using conventionals.. we both change oils at 5k miles. varnish will not harm a motor just look ugly haha... if you drive normal any conventional oil will do just fine up to 5k miles. i am going to swtich from mobile syn to either a syn on sale, blend on sale or maxlife. bc it doesnt matter much.
 
I think that a synthetic oil, because of its molecular design is more durable than a regular conventional oil.
Remember auto-rx is a cleaner, which is a good thing but it will not improve oil durability.
 
Wow, That is interesting. I was under the impression from reading several threads that oil (even sythetic) would not actually clean. However, I am confident that several oils utilizing higher quality base stocks and/or more robust additive packages are better at preventing varnish and sludge. That is interesting that Mobil 1 showed some cleaning ability in your application.
 
yeah well like i said, i have been using it for 40k miles. something worked. there isnt much if any varnish in there. i run 5-6k mile intervals. either way i am swtiching to something cheaper. lol... i dont like the mobile 1 higher IRON content.
 
oh and be careful with what you read on here and any board. without pics and proof its all heresay anyway. you are getting a lot of opinions rather than fact on this board. so do the research and watch out for the ____ haha.. i was just telling you what i noticed with my motor.
 
I know I'm coming across like some defender of M1 and that's not what I'm trying to do. But keeping mis-information out of BITOG would seem to be a good thing to be dedicated to. I wish we could get a legit word on M1 and Grp III - M1 may have NO Grp III in it. Some or all lines of M1 may have varying % of Grp III and Grp IV, all M1 lines may be 100% Grp III. But if I'm a new user and I read this post, I walk away thinking and telling folks M1 is a Grp III. Is M1 0w40 100% Grp III ??? Is M1 5w30 EP 100% Grp III? Is M1 0w30 100% Grp III?

Leebae, plse tell me which of the following is a Grp III oil -

M1 0w40

M1 EP 5w30

M1 (reg.) 0w30

M1 (reg.) 5w30

Awaiting w/ anticipation!!
 
Synthetic oil is a better lubricant than a cleaner. Synthetic oils that have a high ester content, not Mobil 1 or Syntec, do a better job of keeping an engine clean and also so some cleaning. I think the argument here is that a conventional oil with a maintenance dose of ARX will give all the lubrication you need in warranty driven intervals and the esters and other components of ARX will keep the engine clean. A lot of lubrication problems are from junk in the engine (notice the high tech terms). Get rid of the junk and the oil does a better job, extreme cold weather excepted. The advantage of ARX is that it is not a true solvent and is not an oil lubrication additive that will mess with the chemistry of the existing oil. That last point is important because the chemist that designed the oil package knows more about the oil than you or I do. The guy that designed you oil may have never met the guy that designed the additive you want to try. It's like a bet with bad odds, three outcomes, does good, does nothing, does bad. Your chances are 1 in 3 and you pay either way. One additive I've seen in testing that works is Lube Control, but I don't want to sound like I'm stumping for a product. I've seen uoa's that improved with LC but I can say that about everyone that I've looked at with LC. Others, too many to name have produced nothing in testing. So I would say that a good combination would be dyno oil and ARX in reasonable weather would give a lot of these synthetic lubes a run. The next comparo would be with bio oils.
 
It would also be nice to know about M1 0w20 - I've read from official oil sites (though it may be old info) that pulling off a 0wXX is only doable with a Grp IV.


M1 0w20
 
all i know is that uoa's show that mobile 1 syn most of the time shows HIGH iron wear. iron wear = piston and ring wear correct? that = not good.. but there are some on here that have been using mobile 1 syn for years and have over 200k miles on their motors. but people here have that with just conventional oil without using oil additives..
 
Eric,

I can not tell you with any certainty. I agree with you regarding mis-information. In my reading, I have been led to believe (or possibly mis-informed) that M1 (10w-30) is a group III in its new formulation. My understanding or mis-information is that Mobil has not substantianted this.
 
I've been following the High Iron discussion. My Sienna had a UOA at 4.3k (dipstick sample, I'm taking the oil to 10-12k) - Blackstone made a comment on the iron level (15ppm) but said it's nothing to worry about yet, but to keep an eye on it. So I'm indeed watching M1 and iron! (Oil was M1 EP 5w30 - presently topping off with M1 0w40 to try to slow consumption a bit).
 
I dont think the ARX and Dino will provide extended drains. ARX won't extend the dino life.

So, synthetics will probably still have the longer drain advantage.

I do think that ARX and Dino would keep an engine just as clean if not cleaner than a synthetic. I also think it might be possible for ARX and Dino to maintain combustion chamber pressure BETTER than synthetic.
 
i wouldnt run mobile 1 syn past 75- 7500 miles ESP on the same filter. from what research i have done with mobile 1 5w30 and 10w30 is that they are groupIII w\ PAO, how much PAO? no one knows and they wont tell you.

LEEBAE, you have to ask yourself how long of an interval you want to go. 3-5k miles you can run on conventional oil for a long long time. esp on normal to hard drving conditions. just do some research on what oils work better for your vehicle and do some UOA's yourself. if you drive hard in hot or very cold weather and want to go a little past 5k miles then maybe a syn will be better.. do some research.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
Motor oil shelf life
2 3 4
Replies
72
Views
61K
oil pan 4
R
  • Locked
2009 Lexus RX 350 3.5L 2GR FE piston slap/VVTI ticking
2 3 4
Replies
70
Views
34K
Astro14
G
  • Locked
U.S.A. Options for MC oil in 15w-40?? (either dino or synthetic)
Replies
12
Views
5K
bubbatime
2
  • Locked
Mobile Delvac/Synchromesh VS. Amsoil MTG 75/90 for G56
3 4 5
Replies
84
Views
30K
2009ram2500
B
  • Locked
Oil Recommendation: Mercedes-Benz M119 DOHC V8
2 3
Replies
52
Views
25K
Mau
Back
Top Bottom