oilman Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Costs of synthetics vary considerably. The most expensive are the “Ester” types originally only used in jet engines. These cost 6 to 10 times more than high quality mineral oils. The cheapest synthetics are not really synthetic at all, they are dug out of the ground and not manmade. These are in fact specially refined light viscosity mineral oils known as “hydrocracked” oils. “Hydrocracked” oils have some advantages over their equivalent mineral oils, particularly in lower viscosity motor oils such as 5w-30 and 5w-40 and they cost about 1.5 times more than good quality mineral fractions. This is the “synthetic” which is always used in cheap oils that are labelled “synthetic”. So, why are these special mineral oils called “synthetic”? Well, it all came about from a legal battle that took place in the USA more than ten years ago. Sound reasons (including evidence from a Nobel Prize winning chemist) were disregarded and the final ruling was that certain mineral bases that had undergone extra chemical treatments could be called “synthetic”. Needless to say, the marketing executives wet their knickers with pure delight! They realised that this meant, and still does, that the critical buzz-word “synthetic” could be printed on a can of cheap oil provided that the contents included some “hydrocracked” mineral oil, at a cost of quite literally a few pence. So, the chemistry of “synthetics” is complex and so is the politics. The economics are very simple though. If you like the look of a smart well-marketed can with “synthetic” printed on it, fair enough, it will not cost you a lot; and now you know why this is the case, it’s really only a highly processed mineral oil. But, if you drive a high performance or modified car, and you intend to keep it for several years, and maybe do the odd “track day” or “1/4 mile”, then you need a genuine Ester/PAO (Poly Alpha Olefin) synthetic oil. These oils cost more money to buy, because they cost a lot more money to make. Very simply, you always get what you pay for, cheap oils contain cheap ingredients, what did you expect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 So "simple" question... Which is the best ? G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supraman382 Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Very interesting! Im a firm believer of 'you get what you pay for' and with cars this is especially true for oil! Do you rate Royal purple at all? Looked into it a few months ago, mainly the LSD and gearbox oil??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 24, 2007 Author Share Posted May 24, 2007 So "simple" question... Which is the best ? G Ester based oils such as the Silkolene Pros and the Motul 300v. Cheers Guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 24, 2007 Author Share Posted May 24, 2007 Very interesting! Im a firm believer of 'you get what you pay for' and with cars this is especially true for oil! Do you rate Royal purple at all? Looked into it a few months ago, mainly the LSD and gearbox oil??? You are quite right. We dont do royal purple though. Have a look at the Silkolene Syn5 75w-90 for the diff. Have you got a 5 or 6 speed? Cheers Guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 hmmm, so Halfords 5w40 full synthetic might not be the best for mine then. At least I swap it out every 4 - 5k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I bet the lettering on the ctrl, c and v keys has worn off your keyboard All very interesting, almost as interesting as the last couple of times you posted it. But it works, I bought oil from you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 oh great advertising campaign... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Oi! you two stop picking on poor Oilman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I always read his posts and i still cant understand what all the numbers and letters mean. That gold stinky gue we put in our engines is so complicated. Its just me being thick but i find them intersting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I bought Silkolene Pros once then found out you dont get top up bottles, bl##dy inconvenient. Probably go with Motul next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 24, 2007 Author Share Posted May 24, 2007 Ahh, they do top ups now! Cheers Guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 oops i see top up bottles on your site. LOL:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Ahh, they do top ups now! Cheers Guy. Ahh right, cheers:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra dan Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 so if it says fully synthetic does that mean it still may not be? ive always used the valvoline synpower myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Motul Chrono 300V all the way, I've used this on my last three cars as recommended by oilman many moons ago. My car is running stock and is never tracked, but used everyday. Every three months the oil is changed, when draining its still got its gold colour to it, I've never had this with any other oil. I can't recommend this stuff highly enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Motul Chrono 300V all the way, I've used this on my last three cars as recommended by oilman many moons ago. My car is running stock and is never tracked, but used everyday. Every three months the oil is changed, when draining its still got its gold colour to it, I've never had this with any other oil. I can't recommend this stuff highly enough. can you collect the "old" oil and i'll pick it up from you every few years ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Oi! you two stop picking on poor Oilman poor and oil don't belong in the same sentence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Every three months the oil is changed, when draining its still got its gold colour to it, I've never had this with any other oil. More money than sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daston Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I use Motul for my diff/gearbox but I use Castrol for the engine. Is castrol oil's any good or have they become just a brand name? I tend to use Castrol Edge Sport 10W-60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 More money than sense! That's a bit strong, he covers 20,000 miles a month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 That's a bit strong, he covers 20,000 miles a month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 That's a bit strong, he covers 20,000 miles a month! In a Supra? Definitely more money than sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Hmmm, I don't cover 20,000 miles a month, last year did 9000 miles. I just like to look after my car thats all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkdtime Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I just like to look after my car thats all. That's nothing, I change my oil after every journey.... ....and it has mitten gloves for the side mirrors for those cold nights:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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