Microlubricants?

[SuperFast]

Z-Max, Slick 5, Tufoil. PTFE< ultrafine PTFE, etc.

Should/woudl you ever put it in with an oil change, will it help any?

I dont se emotor oils advertise "microlubricants" and Slick 50 and ZMax are sitting right next to each other on the shevles.

 

[hate2work]

 

[fsskier]

OK, I will bite..... no, not the popcorn....

The answer is no, and no.

It should be H no and H no, except for the censors.

 

[beanoil]

I followed the whole thread from a couple months back on zMax, where Johnny, and a few others debated the effectiveness of it. Advance put zMax on sale, and I used a discount coupon, getting it for practically free. On a whim, I put it in the Equinox with a fresh change of oil. The jury is still out, but the first 310 miles show an increase of over 1 more mile per gallon. I'm not saying it works yet, waiting to see the average over several tanks of fuel. My initial impression is I'll wait and see, but no harm done.

 

[BigCahuna]

You would think with all the super duper additives that there has been in the last 30 years there would be cars with over 500,000 miles on them all over. Has anyone hit that kind of mileage using those products?.Any even close?.,,

 

[JHZR2]

Lots of cars hitting those mileages without anything.

Zmax did something. Ill give it that. However I do not buy the microlubrication aspect. There is a fundamental molecule size/volatility proportionality that doesnt match up to me under thermally stressed conditions...

 

[electrolover]

im no scientist but i believe a good oil is all you need, unless its a new to you car that has been abused or neglected, then a cleaner is in order

 

[fsskier]

We are in the middle of our oils being upgraded to GF5 and Dexos.
Both represent the best efforts of our oil companies, with huge amounts of pressure from the worlds automakers to give maximum gas mileage, minimum wear and resistance to ring deposits, combustion chamber deposits, converter damage, and anti- foaming agents to that our variable cams work properly.

Does anyone really think that there is a commonly available miracle mouse oil sitting on the shelves in every stores "hope in a can" aisle? And that our best oil and automotive engineers, chemists, blenders and tribologists have not considered these "miracle" additives? I suspect that anything that is not in there has a huge downside - many past examples already prove my case.

 

[unDummy]

I wouldn't call GF5 the "best efforts". It, like any organizational upgrade, is just another baby step toward better oil. When a spec 'requires' a "full synthetic only base oil", in the upper group regions, then I will be impressed or mildly surprised.

We've had varnish, sludge monsters, cruddy ring packs... over the years. And, even with GF5/SN, we still will.

I do believe that the benefits of ANY will dwindle as you move up to the higher quality full synthetics, or when you utilize them in an engine family that has no known issues.

 

[fsskier]

Originally Posted By: unDummy
I wouldn't call GF5 the "best efforts". It, like any organizational upgrade, is just another baby step toward better oil. When a spec 'requires' a "full synthetic only base oil", in the upper group regions, then I will be impressed or mildly surprised



Thank you, I believe you have made my point! Since no additive could convert the base stock of a given oil to synthetic.......
that was the original question in this post..... how would it help? And exactly which additive do you feel to be increased solve which exact problem, and what laboratory quality tests show that it does that?

A bottle on the shelf that claims to make every oil function better may in fact make many of them worse.

Yes, the GF5 standards were likely written to not require an entire synthetic base, I doubt we could supply enough of that without years of production growth. Dexos may require a higher synthetic base.

 

[unDummy]

Not necessarily. I'm a huge fan of colloidal lubes and alternative base oils. These are not typical in ANY motor oil.

And, you can't assume that it'll make them worse as this hasn't been proven or shown. I have seen the positive effects of several.

Zmax/Prolong are interesting base oils and worth a study.

Tufoil still has the PTFE. PTFE falls into that colloids list also including the likes of tungsten, moly, graphite, boron, titanium....

Slick50 dumped the PTFE for friction modifiers. Some good papers and patents on friction modifiers. But, which one is Slick50 using?

There are also lanolin, flaxseed, jojoba, and other plant, seed, or animal... based additives in other products. We'll see a movement more in that direction in the future.

 

[ltslimjim]

I'm giving LubrMoly and LubeGard a chance, personally, but I in no way feel they would 'harm' my engines oil. Change their longevity in an extended OCI? Possibly. Which is why for science I'm getting UOAs after!

 

[Loobed]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2


Zmax did something. Ill give it that.



Originally Posted By: beanoil
On a whim, I put it in the Equinox with a fresh change of oil. ... but the first 310 miles show an increase of over 1 more mile per gallon.



Maybe it thinned out the oil which gave higher mileage. Have you tried a lighter weight oil?


P.S. Did Molecule ever finish his tests on zMax? I was waiting to hear his results.