What is a "Full Synthetic" Oil?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I don't remember asking before, it was more than four years ago, but thanks for reminding me of my fallibility. It never fails to amaze me at how good you are at digging up old threads and comments, an attribute truly to be admired.

If I've not said it before, although I may have, I suffered a minor brain imjury in a motorcycle accident many years ago, and my memory has suffered. I forget some things, and sometimes repeat myself. It's gotten quite a bit better over the years, but I've gotta work at it.



It crossed my mind, I thought I'd ask. Sometimes my memory is not so good.
Oil is like most things in life as in highly overrated. Like drinking water for example... any clean/balanced water regardless of brand/location source will always be better than dirty/unbalanced water. Same with oil as in anything fresh will surpass used as in an engine doesn't care what specs/marketing claim. That's more to pacify the consumer without question.
 
Oil is like most things in life as in highly overrated. Like drinking water for example... any clean/balanced water regardless of brand/location source will always be better than dirty/unbalanced water. Same with oil as in anything fresh will surpass used as in an engine doesn't care what specs/marketing claim. That's more to pacify the consumer without question.
Really now.
 
Oil is like most things in life as in highly overrated. Like drinking water for example... any clean/balanced water regardless of brand/location source will always be better than dirty/unbalanced water. Same with oil as in anything fresh will surpass used as in an engine doesn't care what specs/marketing claim. That's more to pacify the consumer without question.
There is a lot more to oil formulation than just “clean”. The additives determine how the product performs over time and yes, I would rather have 10,000 mile HPL in my engine than “clean” oil that doesn’t meet specification because I know that the 10,000 mile oil meets the viscosity, HTHS, anti-wear, acid resistance and other performance factors through testing.

“Checks username” - were you joking when you said this?
 
There is a lot more to oil formulation than just “clean”. The additives determine how the product performs over time and yes, I would rather have 10,000 mile HPL in my engine than “clean” oil that doesn’t meet specification because I know that the 10,000 mile oil meets the viscosity, HTHS, anti-wear, acid resistance and other performance factors through testing.

“Checks username” - were you joking when you said this?
Personally I won't trust any oil made to go over 5K in any engine regardless of scenarios. I don't buy into the garbage marketing/data claims.
 
Personally I won't trust any oil made to go over 5K in any engine regardless of scenarios. I don't buy into the garbage marketing/data claims.
Opened minded yet blind is a heck of a way to go through life son. Like starting with a self induced handicap.

Cry me a river... done with the arrogant ass attitude so delete this now!

Well that escalated quickly.
 
Anyways, the real problem here has to do with the limitations of our language. We are attempting to describe a complex product with just a few words on a label.
The "few words on a label" have meaning: Dexos, API, MB 229.5, A3/B4, Porsche C40, etc, These words and acronyms tell a rather comprehensive story about what's in the bottle, more than the many words posted here by some folks, more than advertising jargon.

When you reference something like MB 229.s you get far more than a few words.
 
The "few words on a label" have meaning: Dexos, API, MB 229.5, A3/B4, Porsche C40, etc, These words and acronyms tell a rather comprehensive story about what's in the bottle, more than the many words posted here by some folks, more than advertising jargon.

When you reference something like MB 229.s you get far more than a few words.
My post was referring to the term "Full Synthetic" and not any specific manufacturer approvals or specifications.
 
My post was referring to the term "Full Synthetic" and not any specific manufacturer approvals or specifications.
I think what he was trying to say is, "full synthetic" doesn't REALLY mean ANYTHING (at least outside of Germany apparently). So why even give it any attention?

All the marketing blurbs and names and descriptions on oil containers and websites in the US, mean very, very little... including "full synthetic."

But on the other hand, all the afore mentioned specifications actually DO mean quite a bit. Immeasurably more than the amount of "descriptors" oil company marketing departments apply to their oils.
 
I think what he was trying to say is, "full synthetic" doesn't REALLY mean ANYTHING (at least outside of Germany apparently). So why even give it any attention?

All the marketing blurbs and names and descriptions on oil containers and websites in the US, mean very, very little... including "full synthetic."

But on the other hand, all the afore mentioned specifications actually DO mean quite a bit. Immeasurably more than the amount of "descriptors" oil company marketing departments apply to their oils.
And what other people are trying to say is that synthetic oil means it is synthesized. In that regard Germany gets it wrong since hydrocracked oils are synthesized, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

It really shows the silliness of gauging quality by method of production rather than objective performance criteria.

I still maintain that some day the German marketing rule (or whatever it is) will come back to bite them by implying a quality factor that will no longer be there.
 
I would think that it would benefit the automotive, petroleum and even the aviation industries to join together and draft very narrow and strict definitions of what 'synthetic' and 'full synthetic' mean in the world of lubricants. Write it so the customer would know whether the oil they are buying is a GTL base, a pure mineral oil base stock, an artifically manipulated mineral base oil stock, a PAO base, and so on.

Get Congress (okay, try and get Congress) to enact the guidelines into law with a sufficient enough penalty for engaging in flim flam and otherwise deceptive, vague, or ambiguous advertising.
 


1733439841244.webp

Synthetic Oil: What Consumers Need to Know​

Jonathan Trout, Noria Corporation; Jim Fitch, Noria Corporation
 
Get Congress (okay, try and get Congress) to enact the guidelines into law with a sufficient enough penalty for engaging in flim flam and otherwise deceptive, vague, or ambiguous advertising.
Keep Congress out of it lest they mess it up.
What is deceptive, vague, or ambiguous advertising about licenses, certifications, or approvals? That is, what should matter to the consumer (not base stocks) and the only thing blenders should guarantee (not base stocks).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top