General thoughts on synthetic blends?

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I tried to do a search, but couldn't find anything definitive.

Are blends such as Castrol Syntec really any better than plain old dyno oils? I hear about people using regular oil and full synthetics, hardly anybody uses blends... is it sort of the ******* of oils? Not good enough to justify the cost over regular oil, and not good enough for people who want synthetic?
 
I used to think that blends were the biggest ripoff out there, but after seeing Schaeffer Oil perform in UOAs on here, there is no doubt in my mind that a well made blend can work very well and not cost a bundle. And Syntec Blend has shown some very good reports on here too.
 
Schaeffer Blend works very well for me in my vehicles. I changed over to it from Mobil 1 because it provided lower wear metals in used oil. Of course, as Bob has taught us, the additive package is (as he says) more important than the base oil. I find no reason to doubt him and his experience. I think Schaeffers is a really good deal.
 
In real world testing, most blends perform better than you'd think given the fact that they're only supposed to be 10% synthetic. Whether you're better off mixing 3 quarts of dino and one of synthetic and doing your own thing I can't say.
 
Pardon my ignorance or inexperience...

I've never heard of Schaeffer oils... are they sold in regular stores like AutoZone, Pep Boys, Wal Mart, etc.?

Or are they a higher end brand like Red Line, Amsoil, etc.?
 
BLends are 10%-25% synthetic usualy. Very few companys will tell yo how much of each base stock is in their product. CAM2 is very good about discloseing raw material. Cam2 blends are 20% PAO and 80% Group II.

I have not seen a UOA of their product but at least you know what you are getting.

Before blends were available we used to mix Regular and Syntrhetic oils 50/50. This gave us enough protection to run on the AUtobahn at WOT but was still cheap enough to change regularly. This practice is frowned on by oil purists/zelots today! Not haveing seen a UOA I can not say one way or the other!

[ March 15, 2004, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: JohnBrowning ]
 
My objection, as to those on the shelf at Wally World, is that the cost is about the same as a true synthetic. If the price were more realistic it would be a bargain.
 
quote:

Originally posted by RTexasF:
My objection, as to those on the shelf at Wally World, is that the cost is about the same as a true synthetic. If the price were more realistic it would be a bargain.

I'm not sure I agree that the costs run about the same. At two different Wal-Marts: Castrol Syntec Blend is $10.96/5qt jug. M1 is $19.96 and Castrol "full" synth are $20.96. So the blends check-in at about 50% of the full synth cost.
 
I think it all depends on how long you plan on keeping a vehicle. If you trade or sell before the vehicle reaches 150K, it makes no sense to use anything but a good dino. For longer term ownership, a more expensive oil may be a good idea.
 
quote:

Originally posted by DaveInLA:
Pardon my ignorance or inexperience...

I've never heard of Schaeffer oils... are they sold in regular stores like AutoZone, Pep Boys, Wal Mart, etc.?

Or are they a higher end brand like Red Line, Amsoil, etc.?


Schaeffer is mainly an industrial oil company...over 300 products...with some very good car and truck lubes. Their take is that by using top-quality petroleum plus top-quality synthetic they get almost equally good service as full synthetic at a lower cost per mile. Wear will be as low or lower than many synthetics due to the premium additive package and the oil life will be nearly as long as a full synthetic with lower cost because of the blend. I presently have 11,000 miles on
Schaeffer's 10W-30 with an excellent analysis at 10,018 miles. I'll test again at 12,500 miles.

Schaeffer products are usually sold by regional sales reps and in >$250 quantities. Tim Mills, who advertises on these pages, sells smaller quantities.


Ken
 
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