Checking out the Fuchs Silkolene line of MC oils, but it looks like a wide range of oils are actually distributed here too, even the 0w-20!
Electrosyntec Oil Technology – The Ultimate Protection For Your Engine
Everyone knows that Silkolene produces the genuine article - scientifically researched, chemically advanced engine oils. The technical advances that have enabled Silkolene to introduce Electrosyntec are derived from aerospace technology and subsequent sound scientific research and thorough testing under ultra extreme conditions with our racing partners.
Let's try and make understanding Electrosyntec and its electrostatic adhesion properties easy. Everyone talks about atoms but we only see or feel electrons. Electrons are responsible for colour, taste, texture, hardness…. you name it. Equally so, our mechanisms of perception depend upon electrons; we feel, taste and see with them! OK, the nuclei of atoms are responsible for weight, but each nucleus is deep down beneath clouds of electrons, and not approachable by any normal means.
Metal atoms have loosely-held outer electrons which are free to move about, even though the metal nuclei and their more tightly-held electrons are fixed in a more or less rigid framework (like a crystal lattice,). The 'free electrons' hurtle about in the open spaces between atoms, especially when under the influence of an electric current. However, they are still attracted by the positively-charged nuclei, so they cannot (at normal temperatures) escape from the surface of the metal. In fact, they spend more time just below the surface, which means there is an overall positive charge, which has not been fully neutralised by electrons in this region.
When a metal is immersed in a liquid, the positive surface can attract the molecules of that liquid if it has regions of negative charge, The sorts of molecules which are likely to have such regions are non-symmetrical types with atoms that 'pull' more electrons to one end, giving it a negative charge. Obviously, this will leave the electrons a bit thin at the other end, giving that a positive charge.
Electrosyntec molecules behave in this way. When a layer of Electrosyntec molecules is in place, another layer will be attracted to the outer positively charged ends of the first layer of molecules and then another to the exposed negatively charged ends of the second layer and so on, This is electrostatic adhesion and it has been shown that these layers do exist, and that anything from 10 to 50 layers can build up on a metal surface. This is enough to be significant where lubrication is concerned; on finely-finished machined surfaces, the layer can be of similar depth to the surface roughness: i.e. 0.1 to 1 micron (I micron = one thousandth of a millimetre).
OK, so now we understand how electrostatic adhesion provides this layer of lubricant in Electrosyntec products… but what benefits does it provide? The chemical bond formed with the engine surfaces forms a tough film which stays in place while the engine is shut down, reducing wear during the vital few seconds at start-up - this means that your engine and transmission are protected against wear at all times, These layers of Electrosyntec molecules also permit the use of less viscous lubricants, which reduce drag and therefore release additional power from your engine.
http://www.710oil.co.uk/pdf/ProR0w20.pdf
The Synthetic Myth
What do we mean by the word 'synthetic'? Once, it meant the 'brick by brick' chemical building of a designer oil, but the waters have been muddied by a court case that took place in the USA a few years ago, where the right to call heavily-modified mineral oil 'synthetic', was won. This was the answer to the ad-man's dream; the chance to use that sexy word 'synthetic' on the can… without spending much extra on the contents! Most lower-cost 'synthetic ' or 'semi-synthetic' oils use these 'hydro-cracked' mineral oils. They do have some advantages, particularly in commercial diesel lubricants, but their value in performance engines is marginal.
True synthetics are expensive (about 6 times more than top quality mineral types). Looked at non-basically, there are three broad categories, each containing dozens of types and viscosity grades:-
1) PIB's (Polyisobutanes)
These are occasionally used as thickeners in motor oils and gear oils, but their main application is to suppress smoke in 2-strokes.
The two important ones are:-
2) Esters
All jet engines are lubricated with synthetic esters, and have been for 50 years, but these expensive fluids only started to appear in petrol engine oils about 20 years ago. Thanks to their aviation origins, the types suitable for lubricants (esters also appear in perfumes; they are different!) work well from -50º C to 200º C, and they have a useful extra trick. Due to their structure, ester molecules are 'polar'; they stick to metal surfaces using electrostatic forces. This means that a protective layer is there at all times, even during that crucial start-up period. This helps to protect cams, gears, piston rings and valve train components, where lubrication is 'boundary' rather than 'hydrodynamic', i.e. a very thin non pressure-fed film has to hold the surfaces apart. Even crank bearings benefit at starts, stops, or when extreme shock loads upset the hydrodynamic film. (Are you listening, all you rally drivers and off-road fanatics?)
3) Synthetic Hydrocarbons or PAO's (Poly Alpha Olefins)
These are, in effect, very precisely made equivalents to the most desirable mineral oil molecules. As with esters, they work very well at low temperatures, and equally well when the heat is on, if protected by anti-oxidants. The difference is, they are inert, and not polar. In fact, on their own they are hopeless 'boundary' lubricants, with less load carrying ability than mineral oil. They depend entirely on the correct chemical enhancements.
In fact PAOs work best in combination with esters. The esters assist load carrying, reduce friction, and cut down seal drag and wear, whilst the PAOs act as solvents for the multigrade polymers and a large assortment of special compounds that act as dispersants, detergents, anti-wear and anti-oxidant agents, and foam suppressants. Both are very good at resisting high-temperature evaporation, and the esters in particular will never carbonise in turbo bearings even when provoked by anti-lag systems.
Castorene R40 Racing Oil
Castorene R40 racing oil is a Castor Oil based blend incorporating synthetic lubricants and additives which enhance the castor oils of naturally high film strength and resistance to seizure, this enhancement represents a significant advance in lubrication containing vegetable oil and minimises the risk of thickening or lacquer formation.
• Inhibitors derived from aircraft gas turbine engine technology give stability and oxidation resistance and both laboratory and racing tests have proved the product.
• Oil thickening and lacquer formation is reduced even in hot running engines such that the oil can be used for longer periods than those normally associated with castor-based products.
• Fully soluble in alcohol fuels and ideally suited for use in both air and liquid cooled racing engines running on methanol or methanol based fuels.
Note: These are not detergent grades, and more frequent oil changes are required than with additive treated mineral oils. Castorene R40 must not be mixed with mineral oils.
Silkolene Pro S 5W-40 - 100% Synthetic Oil For All Race Engines.
The ultimate 100% ester/pao synthetic high performance engine oil that provides optimum protection and extended engine life and reliability. It exceeds the performance requirements of virtually all engine manufacturers. Combines exceptional anti-wear performance and outstanding high temperature protection with excellent cold start characteristics. Suitable for both turbocharged and normally aspirated engines to ensure maximum economy and reduced emissions.
SAE 5W/40. API SL/CF CCMC G5 PD2, VW 500.00/505.00, MERCEDES 229.3, BMW, Porsche
http://www.710oil.co.uk/pdf/PRO%20S%20-%204%20Wheel.pdf
Electrosyntec Oil Technology
- Thread starter Audi Junkie
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Great post. Obviously not impartial but the best explanation I've seen here of the nature and importance of polarity in engine oil, especially in film strength/boundary lubrication. It also appears to be the source of a quote posted here some time ago, which I've referenced without having known where it originated:
What it does not mention is that conventional oils (and processed conventionals like Grp II/III) are also polar, though less so if I'm not mistaken.
Obviously this could tie in to the current thread about conventionals being better for wear in certain turbo-charged engines and occasional other threads the come up about the possible wear superiority, at least in some instances, of conventionals in comparison with PAOs.
At the other end it explains the interest many of us have in the ester-based oils. There are many indications that among all the possible engine oil base stocks, the esters, and especially the polyol esters, are the best, with the fewest inherent drawbacks (essentially none) and the best properties in most areas of importance.
Some of the remaining questions I have are of the general magnitude of the importance of polarity for engine wear in typical use (I think it is very important) and of the actual proportions of the polyol ester base stocks used in the available ester-based oils (I have a bias towards Red Line in that regard but the only data point I can reference in support of it is HTHS).
Quote:
on their own [PAOs] are hopeless 'boundary' lubricants, with less load carrying ability than mineral oil. They depend entirely on the correct chemical enhancements.
I might run the 0w-20 MC oil in my Honda, just because it's' Fuchs. I wish I could get the automobile line of oils. I ended up buying Silkolene chain lube, big spender.
I called Fuchs US almost a year ago inquiring about their Automotive Titan line. Fuchs doesn't sell that in the US, and I contacted a couple of UK companies and they can't ship it by air.
If you ever do find a way to get Fuchs Titan Supersyn, please post it.
Regards,
paul...
I think it's a crock of khrap. It's mostly old marketing stuff re-hashed. 1/2 truths and plain falsities. Some stuff is even corn ball "science". Not many have replied but we need to be more vigilant about dissecting posts like this - lest some will take it for fact.
There was no court case.
I don't think this is factual and true. Nor do I even think he is using the term boundary lubricant correctly, but if he, no oil alone is much of a boundary lube. Even Wiki does a better job than him:
Inert and not polar are not the same thing. By the above definition PAO's are not inert - I don't think something that acts a solvent is inert.
Who first published the "hopeless 'boundary' lubricants" statement? It's been bouncing around the web for some time now and - well it's also not 100% true. PAO's make lousy (OK?) boundary lubricants just like any other liquid lubricant. Boundary lubrication is the job of the additives!!
"The esters assist load carrying, reduce friction, and cut down seal drag and wear, whilst the PAOs act as solvents for the multigrade polymers and a large assortment of special compounds that act as dispersants, detergents, anti-wear and anti-oxidant agents, and foam suppressants."
I thought the main PAO weakness is it's solvent power. I dunno this whole thing seems to be marketing….sorta dressed up in chemistry terms….
Makes you want to buy an oil called "Electrosyntec" doesn't it....but in reality the "polar" charges on additives in oil are greater than esters, petro oil, PAO's!
Quote:
.....once, it meant the 'brick by brick' chemical building of a designer oil, but the waters have been muddied by a court case that took place in the USA a few years ago, where the right to call heavily-modified mineral oil 'synthetic', was won.
Quote:
3) Synthetic Hydrocarbons or PAO's (Poly Alpha Olefins)
These are, in effect, very precisely made equivalents to the most desirable mineral oil molecules. As with esters, they work very well at low temperatures, and equally well when the heat is on, if protected by anti-oxidants. The difference is, they are inert, and not polar. In fact, on their own they are hopeless 'boundary' lubricants, with less load carrying ability than mineral oil. They depend entirely on the correct chemical enhancements.
In fact PAOs work best in combination with esters. The esters assist load carrying, reduce friction, and cut down seal drag and wear, whilst the PAOs act as solvents for the multigrade polymers and a large assortment of special compounds that act as dispersants, detergents, anti-wear and anti-oxidant agents, and foam suppressants. Both are very good at resisting high-temperature evaporation, and the esters in particular will never carbonise in turbo bearings even when provoked by anti-lag systems.
Quote:
* Boundary lubrication (also called boundary film lubrication): The bodies come into closer contact at their asperities; the heat developed by the local pressures causes a condition which is called stick-slip and some asperities break off. At the elevated temperature and pressure conditions chemically reactive constituents of the lubricant react with the contact surface forming a highly resistant tenatious layer, or film on the moving solid surfaces (boundary film) which is capable of supporting the load and major wear or breakdown is avoided.
It is also defined as that regime of lubrication in which the load is carried by the surface asperities rather than by the lubricant[2]
In fact the film consists of more than one single layer. Three layers are distinguished:
* a physically adsorbed layer
* a chemically adsorbed layer, and
* a chemical reaction layer
Quote:
Metal atoms have loosely-held outer electrons which are free to move about, even though the metal nuclei and their more tightly-held electrons are fixed in a more or less rigid framework (like a crystal lattice,). The 'free electrons' hurtle about in the open spaces between atoms, especially when under the influence of an electric current. However, they are still attracted by the positively-charged nuclei, so they cannot (at normal temperatures) escape from the surface of the metal. In fact, they spend more time just below the surface, which means there is an overall positive charge, which has not been fully neutralised by electrons in this region.
When a metal is immersed in a liquid, the positive surface can attract the molecules of that liquid if it has regions of negative charge, The sorts of molecules which are likely to have such regions are non-symmetrical types with atoms that 'pull' more electrons to one end, giving it a negative charge. Obviously, this will leave the electrons a bit thin at the other end, giving that a positive charge.
Pablo I have seen the term "boundary lubrication" used in different ways and don't know if there is a precise definition for these purposes or not. However I am certain there is an intermediate step between hydrodynamic lubrication and surface-active anti-wear that relies on the oil's resistance to being squeezed from between two surfaces as they approach contact. Call it, informally, film strength, if you prefer. It is this characteristic that I believe is assisted by the oil's tendency to stick to the metal, from what I have read (and of course from what seems to me to make sense). Naturally, the more effective this film strength is at keeping the surfaces apart, the less surface rubbing will occur. As I understand it, only once rubbing has begun (the phase your wikipedia quote references) do surface-active anti-wear chemistries come into play.
I didn't think it was in question that PAOs were not polar. We've seen this in several technical articles posted here and I haven't really seen it questioned. It appeared in one that you might recall, recently, listed as a specific disadvantage of PAO base stocks.
I think once the context of polarity is set, the description of PAOs as "inert" can be seen to refer to them as inert with regard to polar interactions, however you are certainly correct that they are not at all chemically inert, I will not argue with that.
The main thing I liked about the article was that it explained polarity in a way that is easy to understand. I don't think that many people really know what it means, and it is undoubtedly very important to the way oil works. Oil has to stick to metal, and it does that only if, and because, it is polar and therefore has an electrostatic (there, I used their word) bond to the surface. PAOs need to be blended with other stocks to achieve this, apparently.
I am not questioning the effectiveness of PAO oils and as I've said before I think Amsoil's appear to be some of the best. You can obviously make a good oil with PAO base stocks. The only thing I do question is whether it better than other oils, and in what ways, when, why, etc. Polarity is definitely at least a relevant factor.
It makes the case for blended base oil stocks.
http://machinedesign.com/BDE/mechanical/bdemech6/bdemech6_16.html
http://www.engineersedge.com/lubrication/oiliness_boundary_lubrication.htm
I didn't question the polarity or lack thereof of PAO. I'm just saying the polarity of additives are way greater than even ester. PAO lack of polarity is just not a huge issue.
It's not an article, it's a marketing piece. I think people are kinda confused about the polarity issue and this blurb is taking advantage of that.
Actually PAO's don't need to be blended with other stocks to "stick" to metal, but the wetting action is greatly enhanced by various additives.
It's not really a question of Amsoil's formulations - please ignore that icon by my name. Redline is 30-40+% PAO, for example. M1, RP, etc PAO. However, people do read really ignorant statements like "PAO's are useless boundary lubricants"....and I guess form their own opinions? 
It also makes the mindless and constant inquiry of "how much PAO" is in an oil seem silly.
True.
I also like how they slipped "syntec" in there. I'm guessing some corporate connection with BP/Castrol, seeing how the Fuchs Titan shares the methylcrylate co-olgimer PAO base with German Syntec. ftw- Fuchs Titan 0w-20 assures product integrity in ~any~ engine application. That's a bold statement and it makes me think of a tweaked GC with a <10cSt base that still kicks 3.5cP HT/HS.
Pfff... sounds exactly like a rebranding of the 100 years old ELEKTRION (or also referred to as VOLTOL) production process to me...
high polarity OK
but you call 143 of VI good?
i know truly premium motor oils with Viscosity Index >180, but you need to understand the whole lubricants business first... and not rely on marketing stunts.
just an advice..
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