Synthetic Oil Vs Conventional Oil

The research and developments in synthetic oil over the past few years have resulted into the improvement in the performance of engines. The synthetic oils are chemically similar to the conventional ones in terms of ingredients. However, the major difference between synthetic and conventional oil is that the ingredients present in the latter are recombined to form hydrocarbon molecular chains with desired characteristics. The uniformity which is seen in synthetic oils is not found in conventional oils of even the highest quality.

Need for Synthetic Oils
The synthetic oils are used as a substitute to the conventional oils due to the superior chemical and mechanical properties they possess. The need for synthetic oils did arise when engine manufacturers started searching for better options over the conventional oils. Dr. Hermann Zornteri from Germany began the search for an alternative to conventional oil. The objective was to prepare a lubricant that possessed properties of regular oils but did not gum or gel in real or working conditions.

Comparing Synthetic Oil with Conventional Oil
The conventional oils were replaced by synthetic ones to overcome the problems caused by high viscosity. Low winter temperatures especially aggravated these problems and people had to look for better options; which were provided in the form of synthetic oils. Thinner or less viscous conventional oils were used to prevent freezing in olden days. These oils had a 'W' or 'cold temperature-viscosity rating. However, these oils didn't work well for high-performance engines. Multiviscosity oils suitable for all seasons were developed after the failure of 'W' rated oils. The multiviscosity oils also had flaws in them i.e. they didn't work well under heavy-duty conditions.

The synthetic oils that we use today are prepared from chemical reactions. Unlike the conventional oils that are made by refining crude oil, synthetic oils can be chemically prepared by combining various synthetic base fluids like alkylated aromatics, synthetic esters and polyalphaolefin (PAO). These oils are able to withstand extreme temperatures due to uniformity in size and shape of their molecules. Conventional oil molecules on the other hand are unstable and subject to chemical changes in extreme conditions. At high temperatures, the molecules of conventional oils oxidize or vaporize easily. A synthetic oil product named 'Mobil 1' is able to remain stable even at a temperature of 400 °F. One of the advantage of using synthetic oil over conventional one is that there are no contaminants present in them. The conventional oils contain impurities like wax, sulfur and asphaltic materials responsible for detonation. The asphaltic materials are also responsible for the build up of sludge and varnishes. The benefit of not having wax in synthetic oils is that it flows freely at low temperatures. The synthetic oils with 0W-30 ratings flow 7 times faster than conventional oils with 5W-30 rating. These oils can flow at temperatures lower than -63 °F. The synthetic oils are also useful in terms of peak numbers since, the engine gains as much as 10 hp as opposed to 7 hp with conventional oils. The thinner oil (synthetic) provides less initial drag and thereby, allows the engine to run smoothly. Read more on synthetic vs mineral oil.

The synthetic oil vs conventional oil comparison presented in this write-up gives us an idea of how advantageous it is to use synthetic oils over conventional ones. The points listed above should help in understanding more about these different forms of oils