Amsoil Dealer
01-02-2006, 09:55 PM
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https://www.amsoil.com/dealer/websites/graphics/amsoilbar.jpg
THE ROLE OF MOTOR OIL
Before we can discuss what makes a good motor oil, it helps to understand what role motor oil actually plays in the performance of an engine.
While motor oils serve a variety of functions, they are primarily necessary to lubricate and to cool the engine. When the engine is at rest, the motor oil sits in the bottom of the engine block in what is called the oil pan. Upon start-up, an oil pump feeds oil from the pan to the oil distribution system by means of a network of passages, tubes, grooves and holes leading to the engine bearings and other surfaces needing pressurized oil for lubrication. Other parts, like the overhead valve system, receive a carefully controlled quantity of non-pressurized oil through splashing or spray.
In addition to lubricating and cooling engine parts, motor oil must allow easy starting, protect the engine from corrosion and oxidation, keep the engine clean, form a tight seal between piston rings and cylinder walls and help the engine use fuel efficiently.
In days gone by motor oil was made from the throwaway byproducts of a barrel of crude oil after everything useful was taken from it. In those early days the filter, if you had one at all, was a by-pass type, filtering only a small percentage of the oil. In some instance the filter was little more than a screen and the oil was changed every five hundred or thousand miles. (Some of us recall grandpa's stories of tires needing to be changed on every trip to town, the idea of longevity being somewhat foreign back then.)
As cars and their engines became more sophisticated, so too the requirements of a lubricant became increasingly demanding. In the 1960's jet fighter pilots and their mechanics were becoming aware of the advantages of synthetic oils, and a few of them experimented with the notion of synthetic lubrication for automobiles. One of these pilots, Lt. Colonel Albert J. Amatuzio, went further than the haphazard experiments of his peers. His ten year quest resulted in the development of AMSOIL, the first automotive synthetic motor oil to exceed the certification requirements of the American Petroleum Institute (API).
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What is better? Conventional ("dino") or Synthetic?
The short answer ...
CONVENTIONAL (petroleum) MOTOR OIL vs. SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL
----- CONVENTIONAL (petroleum) MOTOR OILS -----
Conventional Lubricants (a.k.a. petroleum, "dino" or NON-synthetic) are refined from crude oil which has thousands of types of molecules.
Refining is a process of physically separating the impurities from the oil and further separating the light and heavy components. Because refining separates products by weight, it groups molecules of similar weight ... but dissimilar structure. The result is a lubricant with a wide assortment of molecules.
Some of the substances in crude oil are detrimental to lubrication. Paraffins, for example, are a common conventional oil contaminant that causes motor oil to thicken in cold temperatures.
----- SYNTHETIC MOTOR OILS -----
Synthetic Motor Oils are made from pure chemicals, ... not refined crude. Their components are chemically reacted to produce finished products with pre-designed performance characteristics.
Because of synthetic lubricants molecular uniformity, they excel in reducing friction, which improves fuel efficiency, controls heat and reduces wear. This molecular uniformity also helps synthetics resist thinning in hot temperatures and thickening in cold.
IN A NUTSHELL ... Synthetic Oils (or lubricants) benefits are reduced wear, more horsepower, lower operating temperatures, and improved fuel mileage.
I have expanded on the benefits of synthetic motor oils and lubricants in a separate thread
on this website titled CONVENTIONAL LUBRICANTS vs. SYNTHETIC LUBRICANTS (AMSOIL) (http://www.dakota-durango.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12635).
https://www.amsoil.com/dealer/websites/graphics/amsoilbar.jpg
THE ROLE OF MOTOR OIL
Before we can discuss what makes a good motor oil, it helps to understand what role motor oil actually plays in the performance of an engine.
While motor oils serve a variety of functions, they are primarily necessary to lubricate and to cool the engine. When the engine is at rest, the motor oil sits in the bottom of the engine block in what is called the oil pan. Upon start-up, an oil pump feeds oil from the pan to the oil distribution system by means of a network of passages, tubes, grooves and holes leading to the engine bearings and other surfaces needing pressurized oil for lubrication. Other parts, like the overhead valve system, receive a carefully controlled quantity of non-pressurized oil through splashing or spray.
In addition to lubricating and cooling engine parts, motor oil must allow easy starting, protect the engine from corrosion and oxidation, keep the engine clean, form a tight seal between piston rings and cylinder walls and help the engine use fuel efficiently.
In days gone by motor oil was made from the throwaway byproducts of a barrel of crude oil after everything useful was taken from it. In those early days the filter, if you had one at all, was a by-pass type, filtering only a small percentage of the oil. In some instance the filter was little more than a screen and the oil was changed every five hundred or thousand miles. (Some of us recall grandpa's stories of tires needing to be changed on every trip to town, the idea of longevity being somewhat foreign back then.)
As cars and their engines became more sophisticated, so too the requirements of a lubricant became increasingly demanding. In the 1960's jet fighter pilots and their mechanics were becoming aware of the advantages of synthetic oils, and a few of them experimented with the notion of synthetic lubrication for automobiles. One of these pilots, Lt. Colonel Albert J. Amatuzio, went further than the haphazard experiments of his peers. His ten year quest resulted in the development of AMSOIL, the first automotive synthetic motor oil to exceed the certification requirements of the American Petroleum Institute (API).
__________________________________________________
What is better? Conventional ("dino") or Synthetic?
The short answer ...
CONVENTIONAL (petroleum) MOTOR OIL vs. SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL
----- CONVENTIONAL (petroleum) MOTOR OILS -----
Conventional Lubricants (a.k.a. petroleum, "dino" or NON-synthetic) are refined from crude oil which has thousands of types of molecules.
Refining is a process of physically separating the impurities from the oil and further separating the light and heavy components. Because refining separates products by weight, it groups molecules of similar weight ... but dissimilar structure. The result is a lubricant with a wide assortment of molecules.
Some of the substances in crude oil are detrimental to lubrication. Paraffins, for example, are a common conventional oil contaminant that causes motor oil to thicken in cold temperatures.
----- SYNTHETIC MOTOR OILS -----
Synthetic Motor Oils are made from pure chemicals, ... not refined crude. Their components are chemically reacted to produce finished products with pre-designed performance characteristics.
Because of synthetic lubricants molecular uniformity, they excel in reducing friction, which improves fuel efficiency, controls heat and reduces wear. This molecular uniformity also helps synthetics resist thinning in hot temperatures and thickening in cold.
IN A NUTSHELL ... Synthetic Oils (or lubricants) benefits are reduced wear, more horsepower, lower operating temperatures, and improved fuel mileage.
I have expanded on the benefits of synthetic motor oils and lubricants in a separate thread
on this website titled CONVENTIONAL LUBRICANTS vs. SYNTHETIC LUBRICANTS (AMSOIL) (http://www.dakota-durango.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12635).