Technical Synthetic Oils are a Marketing Scheme.

Very interesting thread on Fordbarn from a Mobil engineer. Worth the read.
See link.
Quoted….,
I'm a little biased in that I worked for Mobil but what passes for synthetic today is not what it used to be. Synthetic used to be like Mobil 1, a non crude oil based polyalphaolefins (PAO) which are a chemically engineered synthesized basestocks. I only use Mobil 1 for modern cars and dino oil for my 41 Ford.

Mobil sued other companies calling their oil "synthetic" when it wasn't PAO but lost.

Lube oils are of a specific chemical structure, branched chain paraffins. Used to be lube base stocks came from "lube" crudes, in other words the lube oils were in the crude oil and just needed to be separated out. Lube crudes are becoming few and far between these days so the oil companies have been forced to manufacture the base stock from non lube crudes. What passes for "synthetic" these days is from crude oil. The lube cut from the crude unit is then hydrocracked to get a lube base stock. They make their lube oils sound "better" by calling them synthetic. "Synthetic" is a marketing term these days!

The difference between PAO oil and "synthetic" oil is in impurities. The PAO oils are more pure. The biggest benefit is in cold places like Alaska as the PAO oils freeze at a much lower temperature.

I've tried to make this explanation to be understood by the non engineer. Don't know if what I wrote makes sense to old Ford owners or not?

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332183

 

I know he mentions later how he never actually worked in engineering for motor oils and that the plant refined base stock for industrial more than automotive. He just mentions "synthetics", is he talking Full Synthetic or Blends in general? Your Full Syn (PAO, Group IV) and your Blends (Typically Group II, III)/Mixed with Group IV & V usually in the form of their additive packs. Where your Industrial and older conventional oil typically comes from a Group I-II, Hydrocracking would make it atleast a Group II. I'd say there's a good difference from that to the automotive refining. Regardless it makes you think about it, interesting read.

 

@Blues4U

 

I use oil

no issues so far

 

The fact that Smokey Yunick swore by synthetic oil years before it was in the public eye says a lot to me.

 

@Petejoe are you trying to start a conumdrum? .... Just give a wink and I'm with you

 

Personaly, just listening to the engine, Been happily pouring Mobil 1 since the mid '80s.

 

It's January 12, 2024 - more than a week into the new year - about time we had an oil thread!

 

I saw this coming, oh well.

 

Dino's are fine with me and my 421,xxx mile OT daily. Nothing has ever needed to be done to the engine. I use mostly Fram filters too so I may be suspect in many ways.

Lynn

 

@Blues4U x 2!

 

Just being on the HAMB does that!

 

Is the copied message from the FordBarn saying only Mobil1 is a real synthetic, or?

 

It's like the conversations I have with my friends at the watering hole, wait long enough and they all start over again.

You should change your HAMB name to Nostradamus. Mad Nostradamus. Has a nice ring to it.

 

I like it, I predict in the future you will will continue to polish everything and make it shine.

 

It's uncanny!

 

I'm with Smokey.

 

I did my own homegrown test with a synthetic gear oil. Agreed it was a few years ago.

Long test, but it told me under no uncertain circumstances, synthetic oil is here to stay in my vehicles.

Mike

 

So, is Mobil1 faking synthetic now, changed the formulation(s), or how they're doing things, or is it same as it was? FWIW, I've used it for decades, & like it.
Marcus...

 

Me too.

I even put some new oil in from time to time.

 

I don’t care who you are ! This here is funny shit.
Anyone here run castor oil

 

I find the synthetic oil much harder to wipe up off the garage floor after a week or two.

 

Years ago when we ran at a USAC race where everyone was cheating running nitro, we put a couple ounces of castor and a bit of Alamask in the tank to make them think we were running nitro. We always hoped they would check our fuel but they didn't dare.

 

In my Sopwith Camel.

 

Not since the 70's and racing modified snowmobiles on methanol. Castrol Nitroblend. Normal Castrol 2 stroke caster oil for methanol was a pint can for 5 gallons of methanol. He Nitroblend can was more than a quart. And you couldn't get that shit out of your clothing if you slopped it on. Skidoo Blizzard engines really wokeup with that stuff tho. But don't forget to pickle the carburetors after the races. Those Tillotson carburetors just sort of disappeared if you forgot. And don't forget a squirt bottle with normal gasoline/oi mix to get it running. You think getting an injected small block on methanol running is tough i the summer. Try free air 2 stroke at 20 degrees on methanol. And pulling it over by hand yet...

 

Just for the record I run synthetic in my late model stuff on an older engine with flat tappet cam I run conventional 20W50 with zinc , the OEM recommends 20W50 ,the cam grinder recommends zinc with his cam. If you run the oil recommended by the engine builder, cam grinder or OE and change at a recommended frequency your engine should live a long happy life. Engine oils are better than they ever have been.
Dan

 

If any you guys think oil isn’t good


Try not using any.

a watched a junkyard vw run about an hour without it.

 

I always felt like a lot of that stuff gets made up just to have something to tell the folks asking for your "secrets". If he swore by positive ground electrical systems I bet we'd have another interesting thread to read after this one...

 

LOL. Bet you are right.

Ben

 

Start off.... "I worked for Mobil" then said "My engineering field wasn't motor oils"

Ill leave it there.