Originally Posted By: Ed_Flecko
Are there any consumer grade PAO based, synthetic motor oils and how do you positively know that???
There are only two ways to know the type and percent of base oils used in a motor oil: obtain this information directly from the manufacturer (unlikely), or run a gas chromatography (GC) scan on the oil. GC will distinguish among PAOs, esters, ANs, and petroleum distillates (Groups I, II, and III), but usually will not distinguish among the petroleum distillates (i.e. tell a Group I from a II or III).
Base oil blend compositions and percentages can not be reliably determined from physical property data such as pour point, flash point, viscosity index, or volatility, although some general or directional clues can sometimes be deducted from such data.
The term "True Synthetic" is obsolete and irrelevant in today's world. Most oils contain optimized base oil blends aimed at specific performance and/or marketing targets, and "True" no longer automatically denotes higher performance. Additives dominate performance and one can easily formulate great conventional oils and poor "true" synthetics. Industry and OEM Approvals are a better indicator of performance than base oil composition.
Tom NJ