Ed,
A "synthetic" that is not built on a Group 4 base is a waste of money because
it can't match a Group 4 oil's ability to flow at low temps or it's resistance
to
extreme high temperature. Today, if you see a 0W-##, it is a Group 4 base oil.
Most "synthetic" oil's available have a Group 3 base which is a more highly
refined oil developed in the mid '90's. It costs 1/2 as much as Group 4 stock
but you pay about the same. Of the "synthetic" oils available at Walmart
only Mobil1 has a Group 4 base.
I have a 71 F250 and a 99 Ranger. Both get Walmart Super Tech oil.
My 2001 Honda Van gets Mobil1. They all use Super Tech filters and
I always have the oil (except the F250) tested by Blackstone Labs. All is
well according to them but they keep suggesting I leave the oil in the Honda
longer than 14 months and 8,900 miles. I can't do it. It's taken me over 12
years to get from 3 months and 3,000 miles to where I'm at today.
The question "Is synthetic oil (Group 4) better than petroleum oil?" was
answered over 50 years ago at Edwards Air Force Base.
The correct question is "Is the extra cost justified in my engine?"
For my Honda the answer is "maybe", for my trucks "no".
You asked Ed,
Bryan
The Weldons wrote:
> When I was a pretty newly minted mech engineer I took a graduate level course
> in bearing lubrication. Came out of it with a big attitude. Took the rest of
> my career to realize just how complex this subject is. Especially in
> engines.
> One outfit I worked for some years back had a machine with ball bearings
> running so fast that the centrifugal forces on the balls were the overwhelming
> load. The product became marketable only after the switch to a 100% synthetic
> oil. Sure made a believer out of me.
> So what do the rest of you think of synthetic oils? Sure a lot of expense
> when you get into the frequent oil changes needed on a heavy nitro burner.
> Ed Weldon
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