Originally Posted By: Mamala Bay
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: AllenWalker
Originally Posted By: MojaveK20
What are the increased driveablity and performance benefits of Amsoil?
Increased bottom end torque, quieter engine, smoother operation, reduced sludge and varnish, increased cold/hot temperature stability, on and on and on.
Synthetic oil tends to be slicker than conventional oil because of molecular uniformity. Conventional oil is made up of whatever has died and been converted to oil. Millions of molecular structures are combined in one black slop drawn from the earth.
Synthetic oil is made up of hand-selected base stocks, all of which share very similar molecular structures, which is why Amsoil is so slick. Imagine a giant jar of different sized marbles spilled onto the floor. Run your hand across the surface of the layer of marbles, and you'll feel severe discomfort as your hand encounters zero uniformity in the size of marbles.
Now lay out a layer of uniformly sized marbles and run our had across them: this smoothness is what you get with Amsoil.
Hand-picked base stocks of vegetable and animal fats and other stuff are used to create a very slick and stable oil that will protect your engine like nothing else.
I wouldn't lie to you.
I've tried many oils, and Amsoil is the one I always come back to.
I'm sorry, but you sound like a real slick car salesman.
Synthetic oils ALL offer a number of benefits that have been touched upon by others.
I'm just going to add a few points here:
-It's a SUBURBAN with a pushrod V8. It's not going to gain any noticeable torque from Amsoil.
-It's not likely to gain much in the way of fuel economy from Amsoil.
-Amsoil's base oil is no more "slick" than Mobil 1's base oil, given that their PAO stock (at least partially) COMES from Exxon-Mobil.
Amsoil is PAO-based. Here's the 'ol Encyclopedia definition of a PAO:
Quote:
A more specific type of olefin is a poly-alpha-olefin (or poly-α-olefin, sometimes abbreviated as PAO), a polymer made by polymerizing an alpha-olefin. An alpha-olefin (or α-olefin) is an alkene where the carbon-carbon double bond starts at the α-carbon atom, i. e. the double bond is between the #1 and #2 carbons in the molecule. Common alpha-olefins used as co-monomers to give a polymer alkyl branching groups are similar to 1-hexene or may be longer (see chemical structure below). Covalent bonding is a form of chemical bonding characterized by the sharing of one or more pairs of electrons between atoms, in order to produce a mutual attraction, which holds the resultant molecule together. ... In chemistry, a molecule is an aggregate of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by special forces. ... Polymer is a term used to describe a very long molecule consisting of structural units and repeating units connected by covalent chemical bonds. ... An alkyl is a univalent radical containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms arranged in a chain. ... In organic chemistry functional groups are specific groups of atoms within molecules, that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules. ... 1-hexene is a higher olefin, or alkene, with a formula C6H12. ... Chemical structure is the arrangement of atoms within a molecule, usually linked by covalent bonds. ...
1-hexene, an example of an alpha-olefin
Many poly-alpha-olefins have flexible alkyl branching groups on every other carbon of their polymer backbone chain. These alkyl groups, which can shape themselves in numerous conformations, make it very difficult for the polymer molecules to line themselves up side-by-side in an orderly way. Therefore, many poly-alpha-olefins do not crystallize or solidify easily and are able to remain oily, viscous liquids even at lower temperatures. Low molecular weight poly-alpha-olefins are useful as synthetic lubricants such as synthetic motor oils for vehicles used in a wide temperature range. Image File history File links 1-Hexene. ... Conformation generally means structural arrangement. ... In chemistry, a molecule is an aggregate of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by special forces. ... Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to deformation under shear stress. ... Temperature is also the name of a song by Sean Paul. ... Lubricants are an essential part of modern machinery. ... A synthetic oil is an oil manufactured for enhanced lubrication performance using the Fischer-Tropsch process which converts carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane into liquid hydrocarbons of various forms. ...
Even polyethylenes copolymerized with a small amount of alpha-olefins (such as 1-hexene, 1-octene, or longer) are more flexible than simple straight chain high density polyethylene, which has no branching. The methyl branch groups on a polypropylene polymer are not long enough to make typical commercial polypropylene more flexible than polyethylene.
The additives to this base stock are things like esters, which come from plants and animals and their molecular structure does NOT look like that of a PAO!!!!
Wikipedia link to esters:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester
Your analogies are EXTREMELY misleading. I am not trying to be rude, but this is how it appears to me.
Synthetic oils pour at a lower temperature. They have better high-temperature stability. They are "cleaner".
Group III synthetics perform VERY close (and in some instances, better) than Group IV synthetics (PAO) in everything but cold pour-point if I remember correctly.
Synthetic oils are more robust and tend to hold up longer. They offer better protection "on the ragged edge".
They also tend to keep engines cleaner inside. This seems to be attributed to the ester content.
As much as I am a fan of synthetic oils, there are MANY instances where a conventional oil is a more logical choice. A vehicle or engine under warranty with a strict OCI policy would be a good example.
Overstating the merits of a product does nothing but disservice for the product itself. Synthetic lubricants exist for a reason. Extreme conditions (hot or cold) make them a necessity in certain instances. Many manufacturers REQUIRE them (VW, Porsche, Mercedes....etc) due to engine design, forced induction applications....etc. But they do not magically give you a massive increase in power, and they do not magically give you a huge boost in fuel economy.
Going to a THINNER oil will give you both of those increases. But they effects are hardly epic. This was part of the logic for Ford spec'ing the 5w20...... From what I understand.
Bill in Utah should chime in with his fuel economy figures. He's run from what I recall, pretty much every oil under the sun in his 'yota, and I don't recall him mentioning an increase in fuel economy OR power with any of the synthetic oils.
What oil do you use? So I can learn!
I use either Mobil 1 or Amsoil in my stuff. Both great products. I just don't expect them to perform in ways that are unreasonable to expect a lubricant to perform, as I stated in my post you quoted.
