True Full Synthetics List

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
111
Location
Great White North, BC
I in no way intend for this to be an argument thread about corporations controversial claims, if it needs to be said that not everyone agrees with a claim lets leave it at that.

If folks would like to submit some oils it would help noobs like myself search out our options when considering whats out there, not whats best, just whats available.

Thank-you and thank-you for all your help to date, its really kewl
01.gif
 
I hate to be a stick in the mud, but:

1. If people dispute the claims, what's the point of a list? It would just be a collection of guesses and marketing statements.

2. Modern Group III base stocks are starting to blur the line between synthetic and non-synthetic, so there's no longer a real consensus on what "full synthetic" means.

3. Some of the stuff that isn't "full synthetic" in the original sense is actually better in many ways (e.g. some Group III base stocks and RLI's BioSyn stuff). So, depending on your definition of a "full synthetic", you might not even want one in the first place.
 
All Petro Canada and Cdn Tire (Shell) Syn oils are GP III.
ESSO has a couple of heavy duty PAO based oils 0W-30 and 0W-40 but they're not really suitable for your application.

There's nothing wrong with GP III synthetics and in most typical applications perform as well as other "true synthetics". Just not over pay for them.
 
Common ones I know of that are synths and not tweaked dino oil:

Royal Purple grp IV
Mobil 1 (some grp IV/V).....0W40,15W50
Amsoil grp IV
Redline grp V
 
If any of you guys are STLE members then you got July's issue of TLT magazine. The front page article read "Challenges for the new base oils" and it went into detail of how the much purer and greater hydrotreated (and isomerized) oils were offering much lower solubility.

Reading articles such as this has shown me that trying to compare base oils to one another is a silly way to gain bragging rights. The truly important data is the end results of the finished product.

The quality differences among the hydrotreated oils is so great that you really can't categorize 'group III' oils based on their group number alone.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
All oils that say "full synthetic" on the bottle.


Hahaha yeah right!
grin2.gif
Thats a good one tigster! I think the Mobil-1 0W-30 is a full synthetic to add to the list.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: tig1
All oils that say "full synthetic" on the bottle.


Hahaha yeah right!
grin2.gif
Thats a good one tigster! I think the Mobil-1 0W-30 is a full synthetic


I wondered how long it would take for my comment to be posted on. Chuckles.
Lexus114,
As we all know this question can be answered in a couple of ways. Group 3,or 4and 5, or a combination of all of them.
Several months ago a Mobil tech told me all of the M1 oils are Grp4. With that said the 5-30 is probably 30-40% 3 and the rest 4 and 5. The EP is higher in 4-5 as is the 0-40 and other wts. My guess is, only a guess, The best overall oil to use in the family sedan engine would be a well tested oil of the different groups.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
If any of you guys are STLE members then you got July's issue of TLT magazine. The front page article read "Challenges for the new base oils" and it went into detail of how the much purer and greater hydrotreated (and isomerized) oils were offering much lower solubility.

Reading articles such as this has shown me that trying to compare base oils to one another is a silly way to gain bragging rights. The truly important data is the end results of the finished product.

The quality differences among the hydrotreated oils is so great that you really can't categorize 'group III' oils based on their group number alone.


Wholeheartedly agree.
11.gif
 
What about looking at the MSDS and seeing what the pour point and flash point is? That tells you more about the protection capacity of the oil in extreme conditions than anything else. Now someone can point out the importance of the additive package, but additive packages are practically a given. So look for that very low pour point and very high flash point. To me, especially with two turbo diesel vehicles, the flash point is what counts, I want it over 400. Then I want a good additive package.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
If any of you guys are STLE members then you got July's issue of TLT magazine. The front page article read "Challenges for the new base oils" and it went into detail of how the much purer and greater hydrotreated (and isomerized) oils were offering much lower solubility.

Reading articles such as this has shown me that trying to compare base oils to one another is a silly way to gain bragging rights. The truly important data is the end results of the finished product.

The quality differences among the hydrotreated oils is so great that you really can't categorize 'group III' oils based on their group number alone.


I agree but don't you think starting with a great base oil makes it that much easier to end up with a good product? Wouldn't you rather have a grp5 with a great add pack rather than a grp3 with the same add pack?
 
Originally Posted By: Boatowner
What about looking at the MSDS and seeing what the pour point and flash point is? That tells you more about the protection capacity of the oil in extreme conditions than anything else.

Not really. Those things tell you about the resilience and stability of the oil itself.


Originally Posted By: Boatowner
additive packages are practically a given.

What do you mean by that? They are just as much a part of the oil as the base stock.
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
I agree but don't you think starting with a great base oil makes it that much easier to end up with a good product? Wouldn't you rather have a grp5 with a great add pack rather than a grp3 with the same add pack?

For a race oil, definitely. For a street oil, definitely not.

Besides, that's kind of a non sequitur. If you had very different base stocks, you'd have very different add packs.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
If any of you guys are STLE members then you got July's issue of TLT magazine. The front page article read "Challenges for the new base oils" and it went into detail of how the much purer and greater hydrotreated (and isomerized) oils were offering much lower solubility.

Reading articles such as this has shown me that trying to compare base oils to one another is a silly way to gain bragging rights. The truly important data is the end results of the finished product.

The quality differences among the hydrotreated oils is so great that you really can't categorize 'group III' oils based on their group number alone.


I would agree with this and PP would be one good example. That's what's so interesting about motor oil, it's a very complex subject. The truth is there is no "best oil" that will cover every application.
 
Mobil 1 definitely contains a significant amount of group III in their GF-4 grades, as I believe does Royal Purple.

So if containing group III makes a motor oil a "blend", then M1 is a blend.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top