How to Compare Synthetic to Standard Motor Oil

A car's engine generates a tremendous amount of heat. To protect those parts, motor oil is used for lubrication to reduce friction. Oil has to be changed before it breaks down and gums up the engine parts, and it can be standard, synthetic or a blend of both. Synthetic oil is chemically engineered; standard, or conventional, oil is processed from petroleum crude oil found beneath the earth's surface. Here's how to compare synthetic to standard motor oil.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Read the owner's manual for your car to find out if a specific oil is recommended by the manufacturer, if it's required for warranty and how frequently it has to be changed.

2. Understand the make up of each type of oil. Synthetic oil flows better at cold temperatures and withstands greater amounts of heat longer. Conventional oil is more sensitive to stress and heat. Wax, or paraffin, in standard oil turns it to the consistency of pancake syrup in cold temperatures, which gums up engine parts. At higher operating temperatures, the oil actually vaporizes, resulting in metal-to-metal contact. Synthetic oil is created to lubricate like standard oil without becoming thick and gel-like in extreme temperatures.

3. Look at the budget aspects because synthetic oil costs more to create than standard oil. Synthetics usually have better additives that increase the cost, but enable it to last 3 to 5 times longer than standard oil.

4. Change your oil less frequently, but pay more for the oil, when you use synthetic oil. Or change your oil more often and pay less per oil change. You end up spending about the same amount, so compare the benefits of using synthetic oil in your car engine.

5. Consider driving conditions and your driving habits. Hard-driving, load towing, short-distance driving, stop-and-go traffic and cold climates are examples of conditions that call for synthetic oil. Most major name-brand standard oils provide adequate performance in normal conditions with regular oil changes.

6. Think about the vehicle you're driving. Regular oil changes prolong the life of your engine, but if you aren't concerned about your car, it doesn't belong to you, it's not worth much or you're replacing it soon, just go with the cheapest oil you want.

[ahoier]

on 9/30/2009 Wow....very interesting. I've always been told to switch to synthetic when the vehicle reaches the 75-100k mark....but theoilguy is basically saying, this could be a bad thing? Since the synthetic could reveal problems...?

[theoilguy]

on 9/9/2009 Some very good points. The best one being that your decision of whether to use petroleum or synthetic oil depends alot on how long you intend to keep the vehicle and how many miles you put on it each year.

The longer you intend on keeping it and/or the more miles you put on the vehicle per year, the more likely synthetic oil, even at its higher pricetag, will be worth the additional investment.

Of course, one should also consider that if your vehicle is over 10 years old or over 125,000 miles or so, you might want to weigh your options a little more carefully, since synthetics can UNCOVER (not create) leakpoints as they clean out your engine, and this is more likely to be an issue, the older your vehicle is.

Another site that might help you compare your motor oil options is www.TheMotorOilEvaluator.com - it's got tech spec comparisons for over 600 oils, plus alot of good info.