How the hell does this crap get spread. To start off, mechanics don't know crap. They know about parts of cars and how to fix them. Engineers, on the other hand, design the parts that go in the car. If an Engineer gives you advice, then you may want to listen. They will know a whole lot more than where a part goes and what noise it will make if you break it.

I am almost done with my undergrad in Petroleum and Mechanical engineering. I will tell you point blank that synthetic lubrication is ALWAYS better than freaking dynosaur sludge. Synthetic oil is purpose made for lubrication. Conventional oil was simply pumped out of the ground one day and people found out that it's slick. "Hey, this stuff might lubricate." What do you trust? Purpose built lubrication made in a lab by scientists, or dead organic matter that decayed for millions of years that is contaminated with substances like sulfer and wax that can gunk up the engine.

Point blank, if you are leasing with no intentions of buying, use conventional. If you are buying the car, use synthetic. You will want every advantage you can get. Just take a look at the tach on the highway.

As for oil changes, check the manual and cut the recommended interval in half. Use a high efficency oil filter. And last but not least, Castrol Syntec is not actually synthetic. I don't know about valvoline, but I know for a fact that Mobil 1, Redline, Amsoil, and Royal Purple are indeed true synthetic. Castrol Syntec is a highly refine conventional that get to be marketed as synthetic because of some stupid F***s in the BBB.

 

I'm proud of you being almost done with your undergrad degree in Petroleum and mechanical engineering. And I know I'm just an old mechanic....but I'm also an Engineering student from UNCC in my last year. Here's basically what a chem teacher had to say about synthetic oils----polyalphaolefins, or Olefin Oligomers, are a short chain polymer composed of two or more decene molecules.They are hydrocarbon structures that are free of all metals, sulfur and phosphorus. They will pour at —40C and will not boil until the temperature exceeds approximately 450F. Pros:Lubricity and thermal stability. CONS: limited in their ability to dissolve some additives and may shrink seals.
Didn't get the feedback of dissolving or breaking down of aluminums...but once I get back in the lab next fall....I'll do my own testing............see what I come up with. And from what I've heard........Mobil 1 is the most complete syntec and is highly renowned.

 

Okay - that right there pisses me off. I know i don't know didly about what actually is in an oil and i congratulate you on getting your degree soon - but i have been a mechanic in the military for 14 yrs. and i know quite a bit. Don't insult our profession - we do the hard stuff you can't

 

Ha ha. I hear that bro. I took offense to that, too, right off the start.

 

HELL No, not 7500, change your oil with synthetic oil every 3,000 miles. If you havnent used up 3,000 miles by 3months passed, change it every 3months.

 

everybody listen up this is how it goes everyone thinks they know what to put it and has their own opinion. why don't you just take everyones advice and go from there. i think if you are gonna run your car harder and are more prone to give it a lil hell then go synthetic, but if you just do normal driving all the time stay with the reg motor oil. my two cents are that race engines must be using the synthetic for a reason..

 

He does have a point about the race engines....but also, the crew changes out motors a lot and repairs are always made before and after races. Not just for tuning purposes. Whenever you increase horsepower or increase mechanical efficiency of an engine, there is more wear and tear on the motor. Have you not noticed that your engine runs stronger and harder than ever....just before she blows. Because you have increased maximum mechanical efficiency and she can't take it anymore.

 

Try motul oils...

 

try MOBILE 1....i change my engine oil every 3 months...

 

Sorry to anyone I offended, I rephrase what I was trying to say.

Mechanics are usually not good people to go to for advice on highly technical subjects. Organic chemistry and petroleum engineering are two separate programs that you can spend eight years of your life in. After eight years, you have still only scratched the surface. Mechanics seldom have the time to delve into such studies.

As far as polyalphaolefins. PAO for short. You are exactly right, they shrink seals and they dissolve certain materials that they ought not dissolve. It is this piece of information that starts all the rumors and bull crap that people spew out of their mouth like a hot fountain of diarrhea. You will never find of bottle of PAO on the shelf. You can not buy a bottle of PAO.

People that design synthetic oils know about these properties far better than even I. Would it not make sense that the designers would add stuff to the oil in order to combat these nuances. No company would market an oil that would shrink your seals and destroy the engine. Moble, Amsoil, Redline, Royal Purple, ect. all have additives that make the PAO problems no problem at all. I can’t think of the chemical off the top of my head, but most of these oils are a mix of PAO and the chemical I can’t remember. They do wonders together.

The only time I can reasonably say not to use synthetic is in really old cars and pre-Renesis rotary engines. Old cars have different piston rings than modern cars. The older rotary engines actually let a little oil into the rotor housing. As you read above, synthetic oil doesn’t like to burn. The oil that sneaks into the house needs to be volatile enough to burn off or it will seriously gunk things up.

Again, I didn’t mean to insult the mechanics. Some of these guys really enjoy what they do. Some just don’t like books. Some people (like myself ) don’t like to get there hands dirty. My point was to get advice from creditable sources. You wouldn’t ask a bus driver for advice on nuclear energy.

 

Well, as far as the apology about the whole mechanic thing. Don't worry about it. Also, you are correct about the two different majors. But chem is chem...and I'm sure you've taken your chem courses....as many as there are.
Well, Seals...yes....they can shrink because of the PAOs. But even though engineers have developed the oils to maintain the engine's efficiency, the structure of the PAO is still the same.
I have spoken with Dr. Ken Hope, PH.D, CLS and Senior Program Leader in PAO Research and Technology with Chevron. He has assured me that PAOs will not damage aluminum, and that aluminum is actually manufactured and processed with PAO's and does not stain aluminum. So, I retract my statement about the breaking down of aluminum until I do my research to prove myself wrong. Once I'm back in the labs next fall, I will conduct and rigorous lab project involving many synthetics and find out, if any, results. Until then.......SYNTEC, maybe OKAY.

 

I hope you mean sythetic, because Castrol "SYNTEC" isn't even synthetic.

 

yes, synthetic oils...exluding castrol. my bad typing

 

why do you guys keep saying SYNTEC is not sythetic.. i always thought it was mobil 1 that had that problem..

http://www.castrolusa.com/products/p...uct_category=1

you guys keep spreading the myth and the newbies keep passing it on, pretty sad

-joe