The Differences Between AMSOIL Synthetic Oils and Conventional Oils

Synthetic Oil Basics (Click here Video): This second segment in the Information Series covers the differences between synthetic and conventional oils, what sets AMSOIL apart from the competition and the benefits of using AMSOIL synthetic oils. Posted March 22, 2010

Engines, transmissions and other components contain hundreds of moving parts. Though the metal surfaces of these parts look very smooth, they are actually filled with microscopic peaks and valleys. When a peak on one surface touches its mating surface, it causes damage. The damage may be abrasive, like scratching, or adhesive, in which a portion of one surface sticks to its mating surface, leaving a pit in the original and a lump on the second. When the damage caused by contact is severe, it causes failure, which is usually a sudden event. when it is mild, it causes wear, a long-term event. Wear cannot be eliminated altogether, but it can be slowed through proper lubrication. Failure prevention and wear reduction are the primary functions of lubrication.

Wear Reduction

Lubricants inhibit friction and wear by providing a film that physically separates surfaces so that when they move, the mating surfaces don't touch. The lubricant's viscosity, technically its resistance to flow, and often thought of as its "thickness", provides the lubricant's ability to separate surfaces. Viscosity is the single most important characteristic of a lubricant.

Cooling

Most lubricants also cool the components they serve. For example, the crankshaft, main and connecting rod bearing, camshaft, cam shaft bearings, timing gears, pistons, and lower engine components depend on oil for cooling. Lubricants pick up heat from components and carry it to an area, such as the engine's crankcase, where the heat transfers to the surrounding air.

Other

Lubricants also seal, clean and perform other functions.

Conventional oils are the oils most people are familiar with and are refined from crude oil. Refining is a process of physically separating light oil components from heavy ones. Crude oil is a natural substance and contains millions of different kinds of molecules. Many are similar in weight but not in structure. The refining process cannot distinguish such molecules, so a wide assortment of molecules is present in the finished lubricant made from crude oil stocks.

Some crude oil molecules are not beneficial to the lubrication process. For example, paraffin causes refined lubricants to thicken and flow poorly in cold temperatures. Molecules containing sulfur, nitrogen and other elements invite the formation of sludge and other products of lubricant breakdown, especially in high-temperature applications. Sludge and breakdown products significantly increase wear rates.

The assorted molecules of refined lubricants also have different shapes, making lubricant surfaces irregular at the molecular level. As lubricant layers flow across one another during the lubrication process, these irregularities create friction, which consumes power, reduces efficiency and increases heat and wear.

The main advantage of mineral oils is their low cost. The main limitation of mineral oils is that…the lubricant-sized molecules have a variety of structures ranging from the best to the worst (in the terms of wear control).

SYNTHETIC LUBRICANTS

Synthetic lubricants are chemically engineered from pure chemicals rather than refined from crude oil. That gives the significant advantages over refined oils.

Pure – The base stocks from which synthetic lubricants are made do not contain sulfur, nitrogen or other elements that invite the formation of sludge and other products of lubrication breakdown. Synthetic lubricants can be used in higher temperatures than refined lubricants without breakdown. Their resistance to breakdown allows them to be used longer than refined lubricants can be used, Lubricated systems stay cleaner and last longer with synthetic lubricants.

Uniform – The base stocks from which synthetic lubricants are made feature uniform and smooth molecular structures, which ensures low friction as lubricant layers slide across one another. Reduced friction increases energy through-put for greater fuel efficiency and power and reduces heat and wear for longer equipment life.

Molecular uniformity also helps synthetics resist thinning in heat and thickening in cold, which helps them protect better than refined oils over a system’s operating temperature range and helps ensure secure sealing.

Field experience has shown that synthetics can give economic benefits when used in place of mineral oils which were working satisfactorily. The benefits fall in five general areas:

Designable – Many different kinds of base stocks may be used to create synthetic lubricants, allowing a synthetic to be designed for virtually any application. Some base stocks are ideal for use in extremely cold environments. Others are perfect for use in extreme heat. Some are extremely safe in applications in which refined lubricants pose a fire or explosion hazard. Refined oils simply do not offer the design and flexibility synthetics offer.

The design flexibility of synthetics also allows them to be tailored very specifically to the needs of everyday applications, such as automotive engines, commercial equipment or much industrial machinery. That specificity helps ensure long life and peak power, performance and fuel economy from the lubricated system and long lubricant life.

AMSOIL synthetic lubricants are chemically engineered to form pure lubricants. Synthetic lubricants contain no contaminants or molecules that "don't pull their own weight" Because synthetics contain only smooth lubricating molecules, they slip easily across one another. On the other hand, the potpourri of jagged, irregular and odd shaped molecules of refined lubricants don't slip quite so easy. The ease with which lubricant molecules slip over one another affects the lube's ability to reduce friction, which in turn, affects wear control, heat control and fuel efficiency. AMSOIL synthetics are superior.

Does Conventional Oil Offer Any Advantage

Petroleum oils have met our lubricating needs for more than 100 years. They provide adequate lubrication and protect in many applications and they usually cost less to purchase than synthetics. However, because synthetic lubricants may be used for longer drain intervals than conventional lubes, and components lubricated with synthetics tend to require fewer repairs than those lubricated with conventional lubes, people who use synthetics often end up spending less on lubrication and vehicle maintenance than those who use conventional lubricants. The savings to industrial and commercial users are well-documented by AMSOIL and others. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are the finest lubricants available today. Because AMSOIL uses only the highest-quality base stocks and additive chemicals, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils provide maximum protection for virtually every application.

T's Advanced Synthetics

Greg and Marcy Thurman

Your Nationwide AMSOIL Authorized Independent Dealer

Nationwide US Warehouses, Canada and Palm Harbor, FL

727-798-8552

E-Mail: greg@tsadvancedsynthetics.com

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