Martin,
I orginally switched to synthetic back in 1981 expressly for the cold
weather benefits, later learning about extended oil change intervals, higher
flash points, lower ash content and better viscosity stability at all
temperatures.
I put 5W-30 oil, Mobil 1 synthetic and regular oil, I believe Castrol, in
jars in a zero degree freezer. The difference in flow charicteristics at
this temperature were incredible. The mobil 1 flowed like room temperature
honey, the regular oil barely budged during the first minute.
The car I used it in was a 1980 Buick Regal witha V-8 engine. It started,
albeit slowly, at temperatures below -40 degrees F or C, they are the same
there. The thermometer was pegged. I had opened the radiator cap first to
make sure I was not frozen up. There was ice in the filler neck of the
radiator, so I inserted a stick to make sure it was not frozen solid. The
stick came out coated, fairly thickly, with ice. It was cold.
For cold weather synthetics cannot be beat. There are lots of other
advantages, but that is another thread. See the SOL pages on the web for
some synthetic vs. regular oil discussions.
Jack Brooks
1960 TR3-A
JIBrooks@Juno.com - Please use this E-Mail address
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