Found this rather interesting. Any comments?
When motorists are asked: "Why does motor oil need to be changed?" the most common answers are:
It gets dirty
It breaks down
Because my mechanic told me
Amazingly all above reasons are WRONG !
And here is why:
In modern fuel injected electronically controlled engines with "sealed" crankcases there is no way that "ambient" dirt can get into the engine oil. Only if AIR FILTER is defective (torn or improperly installed or missing) or PISTON RINGS are excessively worn or broken, small amount of "dirt" can be introduced into the engine lubricating oil.
(For more info go to: Dirty Motor Oil in Q&A in Publications)
The Hydrocarbon Oil in its pure form is quite stable chemical, after all it has been in existence for millions of years before it was introduced into your vehicle. Almost no amount of pressure or mechanical stress will "damage" the oil molecules. Interaction with other chemicals, extreme heat and availability of oxygen will cause oxidation, formation of gum, varnish and sludge, but not a "Break Down". The long chain polymer molecules that are present in most multi-viscosity oils to give them high viscosity index, can however shear under stress and become shorter or smaller molecules. This loss of multi-viscosity property is sometimes referred to as "Viscosity Break-Down" a term that was introduced by CASTROL in their GTX Motor Oil commercials.
Unfortunately most mechanics are NOT Automotive Engineers, are NOT Lubrication Engineers, are NOT Tribologists, are NOT Chemists, are NOT Rheologists.
Neither is typical mechanic equipped with MICROSCOPE, VISCOMETER, TITRATION UNIT, SPECTRO-CHEMICAL ANALYZER.
One needs all of above to determine if any Oil needs to be changed. Also since such TEST can cost from $10 to $100, depending on accuracy and complexity, it is more convenient to change oil at some arbitrarily determined interval.
There are two reasons why lubricants need to be changed periodically:
The most important reason is chemical change of the lubricant itself. The lubricant looses its lubricating capacity due to chemical decomposition of the oil itself and due to depletion of the chemical additives that are present in modern oils. The more severe are the operating conditions, the faster does this change occur.
The second reason is removal of wear particles that are present in the lubricant and which can not be removed by normal filtration. The greater the loads to which the mechanism is subjected the faster is the wear and more wear particles are present in the oil. Frequent starting and stopping of the engine, especially in winter, also increases wear and formation of "cold sludge".
Is there an alternative to frequent oil changes?
Yes, if more superior lubricant than that which is recommended by OEM is used, frequent servicing can be safely reduced or even eliminated.
Synthetic Oils are usually better than petroleum oils, permitting extended oil drain periods.
However it is important to not that just because Oil is Synthetic, it does not automatically imply that it can be used for service periods that are any longer than those specified by OEM for Conventional Petroleum Oil.
Both ExxonMobil (Mobil 1) and CASTROL (Syntec) specifically instruct consumers using their Synthetic Oils to follow OEM recommendations for Oil Change Interval that is same as specified for conventional petroleum oil !
CASTROL and Pennzoil both go as far as specifying only
3 month or 3,000 mile service interval (same as petroleum)
"for best performance".
AMSOIL is one of few companies that has several different longer life Motor Oils, some with one year or 24,000 mile service interval, and others with 6 month or 7,500 mile service interval.
Synthetic Super Lubricants with colloidally suspended solid lubricants in chemically inert liquid synthetic oil are the best (Syn-Sol). They eliminate the need for oil changes in most applications.
Why are Synthetic Oil better?
Lubricant is not automatically better or superior to Petroleum Oil just because it is or claims to be "synthetic". (For more details see Publications > Synthetic)
However, because many synthetic lubricants are chemically more uniform, and are stable under extreme pressures and temperatures (both hot and cold), and usually do not decompose as rapidly as petroleum base lubricants, longer oil change intervals are therefore permissible.
Modern Premium Synthetic lubricating oils will allows up to 24,000 miles or one year between engine oil changes.
(The same service life that was promoted by Mobil for the original version of Mobil 1 back in 1976 -- no such claim is now being made for the current version of Mobil 1 -- Tri-synthetic formula or the latest Mobil 1 with SuperSyn )
But likewise these permissible extended oil change intervals are based on the expected service life of ONLY 5 years or 50,000 miles for vehicles operated under ideal conditions. If vehicle is operated under severe service operating conditions (as most vehicles are), or if longer service life is required, this extended service interval needs be likewise reduced to one half or one third.
This means that engine oil should still be changed every 12,000 to 7,500 miles in most automotive and light truck applications.
There are number of "synthetic" oils available to consumers in the USA.
Most recognized brand is Mobil 1.
Others are Delvac 1, Amoco Ultimate, Exxon Synthetic,
Quaker State SynQuest, Valvoline SynPower, etc.
CASTROL Syntec is also promoted as "synthetic" despite of it being produced from Group III Petroleum Basestock (see Synthetic)
Because Synthetic Oils are about four times more expensive than equivalent petroleum oils, less than 4% of vehicle owners in the USA currently use them.
Premium Synthetic Oils are available from small companies such as AMSOIL, Eon, Red Line, Royal Purple.
Premium Synthetic Oils are six to nine times more expensive that petroleum oils, and since they are produced by small companies, reliable data on their market share is not available, but it is estimated to be less than 1/2 %.
Synthetic Blend - a Hype?
In recent years a new category of Motor Oils has been developed primarily in the USA, they are "Synthetic Blend" Motor Oils.
They are about half the price of "Fully Synthetic" motor oils which currently sell in the $4.25 to $5.00 price range for one U.S. Quart.
They promise the same performance as "Synthetics" but for half the price.
At first glance that seems promising, but when the ultimate truth of "Synthetic Blends" is examined, it is apparent that the only benefit that they offer, is a higher profit margin for the marketer of the oil.
Here are the facts:
"Fully Synthetic" Motor Oils contain 70% to 85% Synthetic Base Oil by volume, the balance are additives dispersed in Petroleum Carrier Oil. They sell for under $5.00 per US Quart and cost about $3.25 to manufacture.
The mark up is about 50%. The market share is about 4%.
Petroleum Motor Oils contain 80% to 95% Petroleum Base Oil by volume, the balance are additives dispersed in Petroleum Carrier Oil. They sell for about $1.00 per US Quart and cost about 35 cents to produce (even at price of crude oil @ $30.00 per barrel).
The mark up is about 150%. The market share is over 90%.
"Synthetic Blend" Motor Oils contain 5% to 20% Synthetic Base Oil, 60% to 70% Petroleum Base Oil, the balance are additives dispersed in Petroleum Carrier Oil. They sell for $2.00 to $2.50 per US Quart and cost ONLY about 50 to 60 cents to produce.
The mark up is 300%. The market share is about 2%.
The temptation of high returns on investment which is presented by "Synthetic Blend" Motor Oils is the only driving force behind their promotion, after all if you could double your profit, what would you rather sell "Petroleum" or "Synthetic Blend"?
Even Mobil, which for over 20 years held the position that "semi-synthetics" as they used to call what now is generally referred to as "Synthetic Blend", are a waste of money, if you want synthetic quality and synthetic performance get "100% Synthetic*" (Mobil 1, of course).
But now under the pressure of Exxon management since Mobil was merged into ExxonMobil,
guess what the latest news is: "Mobil 1 Synthetic Blend" !!!
"Synthetic Blend" is a hype, if you think that you can not "afford" synthetic oil, get petroleum oil and change it frequently.
Syn-Sol lubricants are the best!
Modern synthetic super lubricants that are especially designed for extended service life even under super severe operating conditions, and in many vehicle applications they can be installed permanently, that is no oil changes are required during the service life of a typical vehicle.
However, if extended service life is also required, the synthetic super lubricants should be replaced or micro filtered every 50,000 to 100,000 miles.
The best synthetic super lubricants are not just improved synthetic oils, but are blend of chemically inert solid lubricants, that are in colloidal suspension in a multi-viscosity liquid chemically inert synthetic lubricant. (Syn-Sol).
Unfortunately these synthetic super lubricants (Syn-Sol), were until very recently very expensive, costing from $250 to $1,425 per U.S. Quart. Therefore their use was limited to critical applications in space flight, military and industrial applications.
However, recent technological improvements in manufacturing techniques and increased demand for these lubricants, allowed for the price to be reduced to a point where their use in modern vehicles is now cost effective even in privately owned vehicles.
SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ® lubricants are the only such lubricants available to consumers in the USA.
In modern vehicles the use of SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ® is at current prices, not just cost effective, but costs no more than the use of Petroleum, or about one cent per mile driven.
When increased fuel efficiency and improved engine durability is considered, the use of SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ®actually saves to typical motorists over $1,000 during the service life of the typical vehicle.
SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ® lubricants are available as:
Motor Oil
ATF
Gear Oil
PSF
Grease
When motorists are asked: "Why does motor oil need to be changed?" the most common answers are:
It gets dirty
It breaks down
Because my mechanic told me
Amazingly all above reasons are WRONG !
And here is why:
In modern fuel injected electronically controlled engines with "sealed" crankcases there is no way that "ambient" dirt can get into the engine oil. Only if AIR FILTER is defective (torn or improperly installed or missing) or PISTON RINGS are excessively worn or broken, small amount of "dirt" can be introduced into the engine lubricating oil.
(For more info go to: Dirty Motor Oil in Q&A in Publications)
The Hydrocarbon Oil in its pure form is quite stable chemical, after all it has been in existence for millions of years before it was introduced into your vehicle. Almost no amount of pressure or mechanical stress will "damage" the oil molecules. Interaction with other chemicals, extreme heat and availability of oxygen will cause oxidation, formation of gum, varnish and sludge, but not a "Break Down". The long chain polymer molecules that are present in most multi-viscosity oils to give them high viscosity index, can however shear under stress and become shorter or smaller molecules. This loss of multi-viscosity property is sometimes referred to as "Viscosity Break-Down" a term that was introduced by CASTROL in their GTX Motor Oil commercials.
Unfortunately most mechanics are NOT Automotive Engineers, are NOT Lubrication Engineers, are NOT Tribologists, are NOT Chemists, are NOT Rheologists.
Neither is typical mechanic equipped with MICROSCOPE, VISCOMETER, TITRATION UNIT, SPECTRO-CHEMICAL ANALYZER.
One needs all of above to determine if any Oil needs to be changed. Also since such TEST can cost from $10 to $100, depending on accuracy and complexity, it is more convenient to change oil at some arbitrarily determined interval.
There are two reasons why lubricants need to be changed periodically:
The most important reason is chemical change of the lubricant itself. The lubricant looses its lubricating capacity due to chemical decomposition of the oil itself and due to depletion of the chemical additives that are present in modern oils. The more severe are the operating conditions, the faster does this change occur.
The second reason is removal of wear particles that are present in the lubricant and which can not be removed by normal filtration. The greater the loads to which the mechanism is subjected the faster is the wear and more wear particles are present in the oil. Frequent starting and stopping of the engine, especially in winter, also increases wear and formation of "cold sludge".
Is there an alternative to frequent oil changes?
Yes, if more superior lubricant than that which is recommended by OEM is used, frequent servicing can be safely reduced or even eliminated.
Synthetic Oils are usually better than petroleum oils, permitting extended oil drain periods.
However it is important to not that just because Oil is Synthetic, it does not automatically imply that it can be used for service periods that are any longer than those specified by OEM for Conventional Petroleum Oil.
Both ExxonMobil (Mobil 1) and CASTROL (Syntec) specifically instruct consumers using their Synthetic Oils to follow OEM recommendations for Oil Change Interval that is same as specified for conventional petroleum oil !
CASTROL and Pennzoil both go as far as specifying only
3 month or 3,000 mile service interval (same as petroleum)
"for best performance".
AMSOIL is one of few companies that has several different longer life Motor Oils, some with one year or 24,000 mile service interval, and others with 6 month or 7,500 mile service interval.
Synthetic Super Lubricants with colloidally suspended solid lubricants in chemically inert liquid synthetic oil are the best (Syn-Sol). They eliminate the need for oil changes in most applications.
Why are Synthetic Oil better?
Lubricant is not automatically better or superior to Petroleum Oil just because it is or claims to be "synthetic". (For more details see Publications > Synthetic)
However, because many synthetic lubricants are chemically more uniform, and are stable under extreme pressures and temperatures (both hot and cold), and usually do not decompose as rapidly as petroleum base lubricants, longer oil change intervals are therefore permissible.
Modern Premium Synthetic lubricating oils will allows up to 24,000 miles or one year between engine oil changes.
(The same service life that was promoted by Mobil for the original version of Mobil 1 back in 1976 -- no such claim is now being made for the current version of Mobil 1 -- Tri-synthetic formula or the latest Mobil 1 with SuperSyn )
But likewise these permissible extended oil change intervals are based on the expected service life of ONLY 5 years or 50,000 miles for vehicles operated under ideal conditions. If vehicle is operated under severe service operating conditions (as most vehicles are), or if longer service life is required, this extended service interval needs be likewise reduced to one half or one third.
This means that engine oil should still be changed every 12,000 to 7,500 miles in most automotive and light truck applications.
There are number of "synthetic" oils available to consumers in the USA.
Most recognized brand is Mobil 1.
Others are Delvac 1, Amoco Ultimate, Exxon Synthetic,
Quaker State SynQuest, Valvoline SynPower, etc.
CASTROL Syntec is also promoted as "synthetic" despite of it being produced from Group III Petroleum Basestock (see Synthetic)
Because Synthetic Oils are about four times more expensive than equivalent petroleum oils, less than 4% of vehicle owners in the USA currently use them.
Premium Synthetic Oils are available from small companies such as AMSOIL, Eon, Red Line, Royal Purple.
Premium Synthetic Oils are six to nine times more expensive that petroleum oils, and since they are produced by small companies, reliable data on their market share is not available, but it is estimated to be less than 1/2 %.
Synthetic Blend - a Hype?
In recent years a new category of Motor Oils has been developed primarily in the USA, they are "Synthetic Blend" Motor Oils.
They are about half the price of "Fully Synthetic" motor oils which currently sell in the $4.25 to $5.00 price range for one U.S. Quart.
They promise the same performance as "Synthetics" but for half the price.
At first glance that seems promising, but when the ultimate truth of "Synthetic Blends" is examined, it is apparent that the only benefit that they offer, is a higher profit margin for the marketer of the oil.
Here are the facts:
"Fully Synthetic" Motor Oils contain 70% to 85% Synthetic Base Oil by volume, the balance are additives dispersed in Petroleum Carrier Oil. They sell for under $5.00 per US Quart and cost about $3.25 to manufacture.
The mark up is about 50%. The market share is about 4%.
Petroleum Motor Oils contain 80% to 95% Petroleum Base Oil by volume, the balance are additives dispersed in Petroleum Carrier Oil. They sell for about $1.00 per US Quart and cost about 35 cents to produce (even at price of crude oil @ $30.00 per barrel).
The mark up is about 150%. The market share is over 90%.
"Synthetic Blend" Motor Oils contain 5% to 20% Synthetic Base Oil, 60% to 70% Petroleum Base Oil, the balance are additives dispersed in Petroleum Carrier Oil. They sell for $2.00 to $2.50 per US Quart and cost ONLY about 50 to 60 cents to produce.
The mark up is 300%. The market share is about 2%.
The temptation of high returns on investment which is presented by "Synthetic Blend" Motor Oils is the only driving force behind their promotion, after all if you could double your profit, what would you rather sell "Petroleum" or "Synthetic Blend"?
Even Mobil, which for over 20 years held the position that "semi-synthetics" as they used to call what now is generally referred to as "Synthetic Blend", are a waste of money, if you want synthetic quality and synthetic performance get "100% Synthetic*" (Mobil 1, of course).
But now under the pressure of Exxon management since Mobil was merged into ExxonMobil,
guess what the latest news is: "Mobil 1 Synthetic Blend" !!!
"Synthetic Blend" is a hype, if you think that you can not "afford" synthetic oil, get petroleum oil and change it frequently.
Syn-Sol lubricants are the best!
Modern synthetic super lubricants that are especially designed for extended service life even under super severe operating conditions, and in many vehicle applications they can be installed permanently, that is no oil changes are required during the service life of a typical vehicle.
However, if extended service life is also required, the synthetic super lubricants should be replaced or micro filtered every 50,000 to 100,000 miles.
The best synthetic super lubricants are not just improved synthetic oils, but are blend of chemically inert solid lubricants, that are in colloidal suspension in a multi-viscosity liquid chemically inert synthetic lubricant. (Syn-Sol).
Unfortunately these synthetic super lubricants (Syn-Sol), were until very recently very expensive, costing from $250 to $1,425 per U.S. Quart. Therefore their use was limited to critical applications in space flight, military and industrial applications.
However, recent technological improvements in manufacturing techniques and increased demand for these lubricants, allowed for the price to be reduced to a point where their use in modern vehicles is now cost effective even in privately owned vehicles.
SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ® lubricants are the only such lubricants available to consumers in the USA.
In modern vehicles the use of SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ® is at current prices, not just cost effective, but costs no more than the use of Petroleum, or about one cent per mile driven.
When increased fuel efficiency and improved engine durability is considered, the use of SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ®actually saves to typical motorists over $1,000 during the service life of the typical vehicle.
SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ® lubricants are available as:
Motor Oil
ATF
Gear Oil
PSF
Grease
