Synthetic oil is a chemicals compound artificially made to act as lubricants. Chemically modified petroleum products are used for the manufacture of synthetic lubricants instead of crude oil. The most important reason behind the development of synthetic oils is the extreme conditions that are present inside modern engines.
There are two types of synthetic oils
A. (Group III) – These oils are made using mineral refining, with some chemical treatment.
B. (Group IV and V) – These oils with 100% synthetic molecules and with no mineral refining.
Benefits:
1. Excellent Flow Performance at Low Temperature – Synthetic lubricants are specifically formulated to reduce internal friction, this results in outstanding low temperature flow characteristics. This means more effective lubrication of components and less wear and tear during cold start-ups.
2. Stable Viscosity – A higher viscosity index means a much more stable viscosity across the range of temperatures, throughout the engine. Besides delivering wonderful performance at low temperature, synthetic lubricants are also known to resist thinning at very high temperatures. This means better protection through a larger operating temperature range.
3. Better Oxidation & Thermal Stability – Better oxidation stability and improved thermal stability in synthetic lubricants means minimizing the viscosity increase over time and a far more efficient deposit control. This means, lesser oil replacement and smaller downtime with the capacity for larger oil drain intervals so that you save time, money and energy.
4. Effective Wear Protection – When engines are new, they have to deal with very high torque and very high shock loads. Synthetic drivetrain lubricants deliver much better anti-scoring performance, this assists in increasing gear life at high rotation speeds.
So now, you know why synthetic oil is better. Although a synthetic oil-change will cost twice as much as conventional oil, the actual cost levels out to only 50% extra, considering the longevity of synthetic oil.
The oil change interval for synthetic oil is way longer than that of the conventional oil. For conventional oils it is 5,000 miles whereas for synthetic oils it is 7,500-10,000 miles.
Engine oil needs replacement due to the infiltration of with combustion residue that accumulates at the same speed irrespective of the type of oil. It is recommended that oil change schedule should never be over run, as it can result in damage to the engine.