!44: Synthetic Motor Oil - Is it Better Than Natural Motor Oil?

!±8± Synthetic Motor Oil - Is it Better Than Natural Motor Oil?

Natural motor oil is made from crude oil, also known as petroleum. Synthetic oil is made, or synthesized, artificially. The first research to find lubricants that could replace natural oils was done in the late 1930s and the early 1940s, both in Germany and US. There are several types, both totally synthetic oils and semi-synthetic oils that are blends of natural mineral oil and synthetic oil. Synthetic motor oils are, just as the natural motor oils, hydrocarbon composites, so you can always use synthetic oil if you want the best lubricant possible. This also means you can mix them if you want to.

So why would you want to use synthetic motor oil? Its viscosity performance is much better than that of natural oil, leading to less mechanical wear and better overall performance. It provides better lubrication on cold starts, and is more stable than natural oil. This, in addition to less loss of vapor while you drive, contributes to less mechanical wear, which again means that the engine will last longer. It also means that the oil don't have to be changed as often as natural oil, so there will be less oil waste to the benefit of both the environment and the car owners finances. To further improve the environment and the personal economy, using synthetic motor oil will mean a more efficient use of fuel for some cars and engines. If you are going to do high speed driving or drive for an extended period of time in extreme heat, synthetic oil works much better than natural oil. It will also give better engine performance for heavy loads.

There are some disadvantages with synthetic motor oil. Firstly, it is often more expensive than natural oil. The lower friction used to be a problem in some situations, as it couldn't be used for the first runs with a vehicle because friction was desired to cause proper wear and tear. This is no longer a problem, as engines continuously get better made cars often come with synthetic motor oil from the factory. For normal driving the advantages aren't as big as for more extreme conditions, for normal city-driving somewhere without extreme temperatures you might not notice a big difference. But as it is as good as the natural one, synthetic motor oil will be a safe bet in many cases.