Synthetic Oil: The Facts

Recently there has been a lot of debating going on about what the best synthetic motor oil on the market is. If you were to ask five different mechanics the same question, you would probably receive five different answers in return. This is mainly due to the reason that a lot of people base their answer based on a subjective experience instead of scientific facts. This often leads a person to come to a conclusion without taking the time to posses all of the facts.

The issue has also become clouded due to the fact that a lot of people do not understand what the true definition of a synthetic motor oil is. Before motor oil can receive the classification of synthetic motor oil in the United States, it must meet certain viscosity and thermal standards. In addition, it also has to meet a range of other chemical characteristics as well.

As early as the 1990's, it was revealed to the public that many oil companies of the day were refining their petroleum oil to the point where it met these standards instead of starting with a base synthetic stock. While it was completely legal for these companies to call their oil synthetic, it was actually birthed from a completely different chemistry than traditional synthetic oils, which used polyalphaolefin as its base.

This type of marketing was later ruled as a deceptive form of advertising, and there were many lawsuits that sprang up as a result of this. When the dust finally settled, it was ruled that the word "synthetic" was considered nothing more than a marketing term. The end result of this was that any highly refined petroleum oil that met the necessary standards could be labeled as synthetic.

Your engine doesn't understand marketing terms, and is only concerned with the protection and the performance of the motor oil that is being used in it. In light of this fact, a PAO-based oil will still be superior to conventional motor oil in several ways. The main benefit of using one of these types of oil is that it will provide superior protection in low temperature situations, when compared to their petroleum-based counterparts.

It is a known fact that most of the damage that occurs to an engine happens during cold starts, and while the engine is being operated at low temperatures. This is a major advantage and has led many to claim that a PAO-based oil is the best synthetic motor oil.

No matter which type of oil you decide to put in your car, always be mindful of the fact that not all synthetics are created equal, and even though it is legal for the word synthetic to be displayed on a bottle, when they are compared in a lab, the difference is as clear as between night and day.