Dino/Synthetic blend ??

[OilMan]

Lubricating oil base stocks are generally broken down into 5 categories:
Group I and II are conventional petroleum, and differ primarily in sulfur content.
Group III is hydroprocessed petroleum oil -- basically an extra refining step. The FTC ruled in court that this could be called "synthetic", even though it is 100% petroleum.
Group IV and V are the true synthetic PAO and Esther based synthetics.

So yes, the oil companies do produce different products. The group I/II is primarily determined by how the crude comes out of the ground, but the group III is a separate product with the extra refining step. The group IV and V basestocks do not contain petroleum so they are a whole different class of material.

Most synthetic blends are a mix of group I or II and group III base stocks. So, they are 100% petroleum. Also, many of the so called "synthetics" are group III petroleum oil. The group III petro oil actually performs almost as well as true synthetics, at almost the same cost as the true synthetic.

I agree with the others -- you really don't know what you are getting with blends -- it's just marketing to lower price points.

Dave

 

[gsxr1100]

Cerberus Going to get a pair of hids just need to find a set of phillips and at 4100K

 

[gsxr1100]

Soundguy- I said “why buy a blend when it has some below standard base mix” because; Below standard is some petro oil in a synthetic. When compared to synthetic, petro is below standard when comparing apples to apples. It is like putting avi gas and then putting 87 in it! The 87 is “dirty” compared to the avi (118)

All I will say is that some oil at “Wal-mart” or whatever is not the same as a major brand. You can say what you want, but no way. My wife tried that junk some generic Big Y stuff and the “brand stuff” was way better. Even she said the brand x was junk and was bad.

Almost like the Mercury Cars are the same as Ford, nope! To bad Fords win in all classes You will never see a Mercury win over Ford.

But on to the topic. You get what you pay for. You can buy a real Kubota tractor or some brand “x”. The major brand name will outlast/out perform 99% of the time compared to brand “x”/ lower priced.

But compared to oil you can’t tell me that some $1.49 brand “x” synthetic oil is the same as Redline , Amsoil or L.E.? There base stocks are different and there additive package is less.

It is very hard today to destroy and engine with oil when everyone changes it like 3 months or 3K miles! Kind of hard to worry about it since they are always changing it.

I might agree that, as you stated, “ei. if brand 'X' yeilded an obviously higher failure rate on engines” but it is hard to prove and people care about price too much, not quality. Then again it you buy some “Wal-mart oil for a $30K+ car or truck you should be shot!

I think oil man said it pretty good. “Blend oils you really do not know what you get”. Plus define synthetic? It changes daily.

I just say use whatever oil you want; but, I would stick to major brands and use what oils are good in the area you need them to be.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My wife tried that junk some generic Big Y stuff and the “brand stuff” was way better. Even she said the brand x was junk and was bad. )</font>

Sounds pretty scientific to me... I'll guess in all the test trials you stuck to proper test methods.. control groups, etc. right? 'junk'... that is a quality term refering to ..what? mileage? lubricity? suspended particles? addative package? polymer chain life? temp/viscosity coeficients?

I'll also assume that ewach oil test was done on the same exact track / conditions as each succeding test, same fuels, etc.

At which point I'd ask to see the data.

I was merely speculating myself... but think I'll bow out of this thread as all it is going to break down is brand vs brand opinions anyway... opinions are abundent.. I kinda like to think that the universal value of an opinion is a set constant.. yet the total number of opinions in existance is growing..... so things are getting pretty diffused nowadays...

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( So yes, the oil companies do produce different products )</font>

I wasn't stating that oil companies only produce one product/product line.. I was implying that in each product / product line there are probably not a large amount of grades being produced. I.e., Here is our 23wt 'salvation' oil.. and our other 23wt 'engine gutter' oil. your choice....takes yer' chances.

Again.. if someone was putting out an oil SOOOOOOO bad that adding it to your engine immediatly gutted the car... they would not stay in business.. that is what I was talking about when refering to an 'inferior' product line.. not a brand 'a' to brand 'b' synthetic comparison.. etc.

later days

Soundguy

 

[gsxr1100]

Soundguy---I know what I used in my Ford Powerstroke when I had it. Same truck, same engine running at proper design critiera, same fuel purchased at SAME station & same filters (oil and fuel). Tried Mobil (delvac), Ford & Amsoil oils. Too bad the Mobil and Ford oil were poor, very poor in test results. The metals were very high never mind the TBN and the other “good” things. In this case the Ford was the highest and the Amsoil and Mobil were close in price.

I would never even think of putting a Wal-mart oil or generic oil in my items. Again you get what you pay for and I see what the price is on these oils and who buys them. Not bashing Wal-mart people but the guy who walks in and buys 3 quarts to install in his 1970 truck leaking/burning 2-quarts oil per day does not care. He uses the cheapest oil he can get. Hence, he goes to Wal-mart where 75% of the time people worry about price and not quality.

I feel that some generic oil (ie walmart) is “'inferior'” because look at the marketing. They do not sell oil at Wal-mart to people driving $100K cars. They know who and what people buy there oils etc. Sad but true. You do not see Rolex at Walmart only the $10.99 ones.

Some brand names will perform much better then some generic oil. Again, you get what you pay for.