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Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: oilman on 06 August 2004, 13:00
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A word of caution ? You get what you pay for!
Below is an article written by John Rowland, Silkolene/Fuchs Chief R & D Chemist for 40 years.
Quote:
Costs of synthetics vary considerably. The most expensive are the ?Ester? types originally only used in jet engines. These cost 6 to 10 times more than high quality mineral oils. The cheapest synthetics are not really synthetic at all, from a chemists point of view. These are in fact specially refined light viscosity mineral oils known as ?hydrocracked?. These have some advantages over equivalent mineral oils, particularly in lower viscosity motor oils such as 5w-30 or other oils with a low ?W? rating such as 5w-50 etc and they cost about 1.5 times more than good quality mineral fractions. We use several different grades of this base oil, where appropriate. This is the ?synthetic? which is always used in cheap oils that are labelled ?synthetic?. Yes it?s a cruel world, you get what you pay for!
Now, you may ask, why are these special mineral oils called ?synthetic?? Well, it was all sorted in a legal battle that took place in the USA about ten years ago. Sound reasons (including evidence from a Nobel Prize winning chemist) were disregarded and the final ruling was that certain mineral bases that had undergone extra chemical treatments could be called ?synthetic?. Needless to say, the marketing executives wet their knickers with pure delight! They realised that this meant, and still does, that the critical buzz-word ?synthetic? could be printed on a can of cheap oil provided that the contents included a few percent of ?hydrocracked? mineral oil, at a cost of quite literally a few pence.
So, the chemistry of ?synthetics? is complex and so is the politics!
The economics are very simple. If you like the look of a smart well-marketed can with ?synthetic? printed on it, fair enough, it will not cost you a lot; and now you know why this is the case. But, if you drive a high performance car, and you intend to keep it for several years, and maybe do the odd ?track day?, then you need a genuine Ester/PAO (Poly Alpha Olefin) synthetic oil, such as PRO S or PRO R. This oil costs more money to buy, because it costs us a lot of money to make, very simply, you always get what you pay for!
UNQUOTE:
This article is something that all car owners should read and understand before buying oil and I?ve posted this with Johns permission.
I thought you guy's might find this interesting?
Cheers
Guy. :)
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Hmmmm you need to get out more !
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Hmmmm you need to get out more !
Your telling me! oil is my life! :o :o
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You sound like a one man oil watchdog!!
Thanks for the advice though!
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as much as i love reading essays wouldnt it be easier to say which oils on the market are which? whats pro s and pro r oils?
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as much as i love reading essays wouldnt it be easier to say which oils on the market are which? whats pro s and pro r oils?
The Pro S and Pro R are two brands of ester based synthetic oils made by Silkolene.
Esters assist the additive pack in a motor oil formulation because they are surface-active (electrostatically attracted to metal surfaces), so they help to reduce wear and friction.
They are fluid at very low temperatures and at high temperatures they are very chemically stable and have low volatility (don?t evaporate away).
They also help to prevent hardening and cracking of oil seals at high temperatures.
Cheers
Guy.
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what about good old Mobil 1 ?
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if Silver Synta is good enough for VAG to use in their engines from the factory then its good enough for me
its only a road car, not a blooming formula one car im trying to maintain
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its only a road car, not a blooming formula one car im trying to maintain
LOL ;D