Synthetic engine oil

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

A car in our time has ceased to be just a luxury item, although for some owners this is still true. But only spending with the purchase of a personal vehicle does not end, and in order for it to serve faithfully for a long time, it is necessary to monitor its technical condition. In particular, we are talking about consumables like synthetic oil and repairs.

It is no coincidence that synthetics are indicated in the example, because such a consumable is well-deservedly popular among most motorists. What caused this, we will now understand.

Why do you need engine oil?

And why, in fact, absolutely all drivers buy car oil in stores or markets? Yes, now this question is unlikely to come to anyone's mind, but still it is worth once again recalling the importance of such a need.

What is an engine? This is a very complex unit, which each time becomes more and more complicated and even more difficult. It is safe to say that automation has begun to rule the world, so modern cars are equipped with an ECU (electronic unitcontrols), which is essentially a computer. Of course, this is not the device that almost every family now has, but it does its job with a bang.

But back to our topic of synthetic motor oil. It is thanks to the engine and a number of other mechanisms that the car drives, performing the task assigned to it. And since in the engine, due to the specifics of its operation, some parts rub against each other, a friction force inevitably arises, which eventually has a detrimental effect on their technical condition. Engine oil is formulated with one main goal in mind - to significantly reduce this friction.

In addition, modern lubricants help clean parts by absorbing various contaminants such as soot, soot and other contaminants. Due to such consumables, parts of the power unit heat up less, thereby increasing its service life.

At the same time, viscosity is an important parameter of any oil. If it has a liquid consistency, it will simply drain, and not lubricate engine parts. As well as vice versa with too thick grease. The operation of the power unit will be significantly hampered. For this reason, it is worth knowing for which period of time to use mineral or synthetic motor oil.

Automotive synthetics

With the start of industrial-scale production of automobiles, natural-based mineral oils were poured into engines, which had a number of significant drawbacks. In this regard, soon there was a need to improve the main characteristicslubricant.

In the middle of the 20th century, many manufacturers of motor oils began to think about solving this problem. And by the middle of the 70s of the last century, the first of its kind motor oil of synthetic origin appeared. To this day, many drivers use what was created almost 50 years ago.

What is mineral oil? In fact, this is crude oil, which differs by far from the best characteristics in terms of lubrication. But after multi-stage purification, distillation and processing, the properties of oil increase, and it becomes more resistant to temperature changes.

Synthetics production

How is synthetic engine oil made? For this, organic synthesis of a number of petroleum products is used. In this case, a wide variety of compounds are obtained, differing from each other in composition. Synthetic automotive engine lubricants come in a variety of bases:

• Polyalphaolefins (PAO).
• Glycols.
• Polyorganosiloxanes (silicone).
• Esters.

Of these, the first base enjoys well-deserved popularity due to its high viscosity index. Thanks to this, the engine starts without problems in winter in frosty weather, and does not overheat in summer.

Production is based on the lengthening of short chains of butylene or ethylene into a long line. And the longer it is and the more homogeneous its atoms, the more resistant the oil to destruction. And this property is especially important when workingpower unit under unusual conditions (rpm changes, high load, speed, temperature).

In other words, in order to increase the life of the engine, it is necessary that the structure of synthetic oil does not crystallize under the influence of negative temperatures and at the same time retains its density at very high temperatures. PAO oils fully meet these requirements.

But synthetics are different from synthetics and there are products made on the basis of esters. These are products of neutralization of carboxylic acids under the influence of alcohols Due to the polarity of the molecules, the oil adheres to the surfaces of parts. This property allows you to do without all sorts of additives, which usually burn out in the engine, which leads to the formation of soot on the surface of the engine units. Only now the cost of such an ideal engine oil at first glance exceeds the price of a mineral counterpart by 10 times.

Glycol synthetics should not be mixed at all with mineral water, or with semi-synthetic options, or with synthetics on a different basis. For this reason, such mixtures are produced for the manufacture of oil, but are still used in the production of antifreeze.

Dignity

Now it is worth touching on, perhaps, the main question that worries any car enthusiast: what are the advantages of synthetic lubricants? Actually, here are the main advantages:

• Flowability - Synthetic-based oils have a better indicator than products based on other materials. Due to this, it is essentialreduces friction resulting in fuel savings.
• Stability - Synthetic lubricant has a stable structure to temperature changes, regardless of external weather conditions outside the car.
• Longer service life - Synthetic lubricants stay the same for almost their entire service life due to improved performance.
• Detergent and anti-wear properties at a higher level.
• Use of additives - in synthetic motor products, they dissolve completely without forming a precipitate.

Besides this, synthetic oil has detergent and anti-wear properties at a higher level. However, there are also disadvantages, and about them below.

No flaws either

For example, PAO-oils have a significant drawback that ester counterparts do not have. We are talking about the dissolving power, and it is noticeably lower for oils based on polyalphaolefins. Of course, here one should take into account their excellent washing properties, which helps to soften the soot. But it does not dissolve completely, and its particles come off the parts, which leads to clogging of the oil channels and the entire lubrication system as a whole.

In addition, these oils are quite expensive, due to the peculiarities of their production. Manufacturers of synthetic motor oils 5W40 and any other type in this case incur high costs that are difficult to pay off.

Use

As you can already understand,synthetic motor lubricants are reliable protection for the engine, and it works even in extreme conditions. And it doesn't matter if the cars are turbocharged or not. In modern cars, where there are newer power units, it is just desirable to use synthetics. They will protect the engine from carbon deposits and corrosion, ensuring the stability of its operation.

But no matter how best synthetic oil is, for old cars that have traveled more than one hundred kilometers, it is better to choose semi-synthetic or mineral counterparts. In such cars, engines, as a rule, are already worn out: a lot of carbon deposits have accumulated inside them during operation, the gaps between the rubbing parts have become larger, and there are microcracks in the piston group. Synthetics, having increased fluidity, are simply not able to fill these spaces, and because of this, “oil starvation” occurs.

Only when choosing such an engine oil, however, this applies to any other purchase, not only in relation to a car, you should be more careful. The more popular a product is, the more fakes are made for it. Therefore, it is better not to buy cheap products, because any high quality product is highly valued.

The best synthetic oils

There are topics in the world around which there are constantly many disputes, rumors of myths, etc. The automotive industry is no exception, and among many owners the topic of choosing the best engine oil for their iron horse is relevant. Enough to visit any forum,dedicated to motorists to see for themselves by reading numerous reviews of synthetic oils.

And since there is simply a huge amount of lubricants on the market today, both ordinary drivers and automotive specialists cannot give a clear answer in terms of which manufacturer is best to give preference to.

Since the main indicator for choosing engine oil is its viscosity, a kind of rating will be compiled based on its most common classes:

• 5W-30.
• 5W-40.

But it is still important to understand one simple truth - there is simply no such thing as the best engine oil for an engine! Every material has its own strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, a number of car manufacturers recommend purchasing one product, while others advise giving preference to a different brand. On the one hand, it looks like some kind of conspiracy or conspiracy, but in reality the quality and duration of operation are directly dependent on the properties of engine oil.

MOBIL 1 ESP Formula 5W-30

Mobil synthetic oil is almost as good as its French competitor Motul, except for a little more high-temperature deposits. Just to feel the difference, you need to do 5 or 6 oil changes. However, the difference in cost will be on the side of Mobile and there will even be some money left. But as for the northern regions, here it already surpasses Motul - the engine is lighter in cold weatherrun.

Motul 8100 X-clean FE 5W30

Many motorists have an ambivalent attitude towards this manufacturer. Some people can't stand it, while others appreciate the quality. It is impossible to unequivocally recommend all Motul oils, but this particular product has excellent performance.

It's all about anti-friction and extreme pressure additives that provide engine parts with reliable wear protection.

Motul Specific DEXOS2 5W-30

The quality of this product was appreciated and approved by such a world-famous concern as General Motors. It has energy-saving properties and good lubricity. The dexos2 standard indicates high resistance to high temperature loads.

MOBIL Super 3000 X1 5W-40

According to the test results, including the opinion of the motorists themselves, Mobil synthetic engine oil has shown its best side. There are no special obstacles for pumping it in conditions of negative temperature. At the same time, at 100 ° C, its performance is slightly lower than that of other analogues, but again, everything is within the normal range. In addition, its service life is quite long.

ELF Evolution 900 NF 5W-40

Ideal for cars equipped with a Renault power unit, and they are also placed under the hoods of Volvo. The oil has a stable viscosity, and it keeps despite exceeding the temperature set by the standard. Only in the cold, the product thickens noticeably, and if for residentsthe middle or southern strip is not critical, for those who live in the north, it is better to choose another option.

Lukoil Lux 5W-40

Synthetic oil Lukoil', of domestic production, is well-deservedly popular among many Russians. Moreover, it is suitable for some foreign-made cars like Volkswagen diesel cars, whose engines are equipped with pump injectors. But where VW 505 01 is required Those who are generally skeptical of domestic products should know that Lukoil to some extent even surpasses a number of analogues.

The transmission also needs protection

In a car, not only the engine needs high-quality lubrication of parts, the transmission also needs it. And we are mainly talking about an automatic transmission, since it is more sensitive to external factors than its mechanical counterpart.

In the automatic transmission, most of the parts that are in motion and under the influence of friction force are frayed, which is inevitably accompanied by an increase in temperature. And here, among the existing oils specially designed for transmission parts, the superiority branch also belongs to synthetic lubricants.

As with motor lubricants, synthetic gear oils also contain various additives. They only serve for specific purposes, whether it is to increase viscosity or improve corrosion resistance. Often in these synthetic oilsadd chlorine, zinc, sulfur and phosphorus. It turns out a mixture of an almost inseparable level.