Oil grade manuf. - eg. Syntec grades???

[Dr. T]

How are different oil grades achieved? Is each one "engineered" differently or does the oil company simply thin or thicken things as required with addatives? For eg., I just put in the Belgian Syntec 5-40 last week and it basically seems like a slightly thinner version of the 5-50. They smell exactly alike too. Are these 2 oils basically the same basestock & addative package and Castrol simply thins one out over the other or is something else going on? Are the other grades of Syntec achieved the same way (other than GC of course)?

 

[Sin City]

In most cases the oil blenders will use the exact same additive packages in the different oil grades (not counting viscosity index improvers). Most of the Syntec grades probably use the same additive package with a different viscosity base oil or a blend of base oils. Castrol GTX will have a very different additive package as will their other oils such as Castrol High Mileage oil, etc.

 

[Sin City]

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When I saw the data sheet on this oil change along with the label I thought I would send this in to see what it's about . I like the relatively low Vi at 100c . The stuff smells like sweet detergent . I think this would make a great choice in oil for many cars especially in the summer months . It's a ACEA A3-B3 and ISLAC GF-3 oil which I like and has other ratings as well . Iron 0 Aluminum 2 Sodium 3 Moly 61 Boron 66 Magnesium 13 Calcium 3451 Phos 1004 Zinc 1133 Silicone 12 Vi 40c 85.4 Vi 100c 13.1 VI Index 154 TAN 1.90 TBN 10.98

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quote:

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Here is a VOA of Castrol Syntec 5W-50 from another forum. The date this sample was received by the lab is November 14, 2002. Castrol Syntec 5W-50Vis. SUS @ 212 F 88.9 TBN 10.7 Insolubles Nil Water Nil Dilution Nil Iron 0.9 Silver 0.0 Aluminum 1.7 Chromium 0.2 Copper 0.2 Magnesium 14.5 Sodium 2.1 Nickel 0.0 Lead 0.1 Silicon 0.7 Tin 0.0 Titanium 0.0 Boron 96 Barium 0.0 Molybdenum 59 Vanadium 0.0 Zinc 1160 Manganese 0.9 Calcium 2967 Phosphorous 1063

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The two above VOA's look fairly similar except for the different viscosities. The ppm amounts for the additives seem to be within the margin of error for the oil analysis companies.

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Man alive , I like this oil and look at that magnesium and Vi Index It's the SL/CF ACEA A3/B3/B4-98 502-505 Oil Iron 4 Aluminum 2 Magnesium 1118 Calcium 1287 Phosphorus 939 Zinc 1175 Sodium 13 Silicone 2 Vi 40c 81 Vi 100c 14.3 Vi Index 184 TAN 2.02 TBN 9.07 Comments about this 5 buck a quart oil imported from Belgium ? Post from TooSlick: In the interest of science, I bought a qt of this magic elixer for $12.50, plus tax. I'm underwhelmed to say the least - kind of like expecting a date with Brooke Shields and getting Albert Brooks in a dress instead ... Viscosity @ 100C, 13.7 Cst Fe, 1 ppm - rusty pipes Detergent/Dispersant Additives: Mg, 8 ppm Ca, 2361 ppm Anti Wear/Oxidation Inhibitors P, 1045 ppm Zn, 1270 ppm Si, 1 ppm - antifoam additive Friction Modifiers: Boron, 0 ppm Moly, 0 ppm TBN/ASTM D-4739, 12.15 TS

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Castrol makes two 5W-40 motor oils and they each use a different additive package. [ May 25, 2004, 10:12 PM: Message edited by: Sin City ]