Differences In Oils

People began using oil to make things move easier almost 200 years ago.  Since that time, we have evolved oil to be extremely specific and have learned to add ingredients to oil to help it do specific tasks.

Few topics in the automotive world will evoke the passion that motor oils will.  Opinions are everywhere and everyone is an "expert".  Oil companies have invested millions and decades to cultivate their brands in the eyes of "experts" and the general public so it can be a confusing topic.

We like to keep things simple here.  So here is the simple reason you need oil in your vehicle.  Your vehicle is comprised of millions of parts that are in motion at mind-numbing speeds.  These parts are made from all types of metals.  When metal parts are moving close together, they can produce friction when they rub together.  Friction produces heat and can wear down metal surfaces.  Your oil is meant to coat these metal surfaces to stop them from rubbing together unprotected which reduces friction and keeps everything moving and keeps parts from wearing out.

Here is a quick and easy to understand guide to today's oils.

Conventional Oil

Conventional oil is what you probably think of when you hear the words "motor oil".  Conventional oil has been around in the basic form since the early 1800's. It doesn't take much to imagine the train engineer with his metal can squirting oil on the wheels of a steam train.  He was using the early forms of conventional motor oil. Conventional oil is what comes out of the ground with some refinements.  Today's conventional oil is highly modified to the point that they are usually clean and contains additives to help it resist breaking down and to help keep engines clean for a period of time.

Advantages of Conventional Motor Oils

Conventional engine oils are the least expensive of all of the types of oils.  Prices for conventional oils can vary based upon the brand and the additional ingredients (referred to as "Additives") blended into the oils.  Conventional oils of today are generally OK for most regular driving conditions.  They come in almost every viscosity (click here to learn what this means) for basically all vehicles.

Disadvantages of Conventional Motor Oils

The biggest disadvantage of conventional oils are that they are subject to breaking down.  This means that after a period of time or under certain conditions, they simply do not lubricate metal parts, which is the only real reason you need an oil. 

Conventional oils may not have the "film strength" of some other types of oils as well.  Think of film strength as the ability for an oil to keep two metal surfaces from touching.  The higher the film strength, the more pressure and oil can withstand before it is essentially "squeezed" out, leaving metal surfaces exposed.  

 

Synthetic Oils

Synthetic oils were developed in the early 20th century to meet the needs of the aviation industry.  They needed to lubricate their engines and transmissions at altitude, higher pressures, higher heat, and for longer periods than conventional oils could operate.  

Synthetic oils are what the name implies, they are oils that were developed in a laboratory by scientist for a specific purpose.  Synthetic oils are much more stable because the molecules that make up the oil are the same size and are much more stable than the molecules in conventional oils.

 Full Synthetic Oil

Full Synthetic Oil is just what the name implies they are 100% synthetic oil. These are generally considered the top level of oil you can purchase for your vehicle.  Different brands will blend in different additives to achieve different results, however, the base oil is 100% synthetic, it is considered a "Full" synthetic oil.

Advantages of Full Synthetic Oil

Full Synthetic Oil has a higher purity than any other oil.  They are cleaner and dramatically more stable than other oils.  They resist breakdown from heat and pressure much better than other oils, therefore they protect much longer and do not need to be changed as often.  

Full Synthetic Oil posses higher film strength so it can withstand higher pressures than other types of oils. Film Strength is the single most important property of any lubricant.  The oil must withstand the forces trying to squeeze it away from the metal the oil is protecting.  A higher film strength means an oil can withstand more pressure.

Most high performance vehicles, racing vehicles, and aviation and aerospace vehicles require full synthetic oil.

Disadvantages of Full Synthetic Oils

The main disadvantage of Full Synthetic Oil is the cost.  They are usually the most expensive of all oils.  

If you want a Full Synthetic Oil, be sure to read the labels closely.  Just because an oil says it is a "synthetic", it may not be a "Full" synthetic.

Synthetic Blend Oil

A Synthetic Blend Oil is a synthetic oil mixed with a conventional oil.  Different brands have different formulas of Synthetic Blend oils that have different percentages of synthetic vs conventional oils.  Brands will also add different ingredients to synthetic blend oils to achieve different results.

Advantages of Synthetic Blend Oils

The main advantage of synthetic blend oils is that they provide better performance than a conventional oil because of the presence of the synthetic oil.  Synthetic Blend Oil is also not as expensive as Full Synthetic Oil.  

Disadvantages of Synthetic Blend Oils

The biggest disadvantage to Synthetic Blend Oil is the purity and life of the oil.  Since there is conventional oil in some inside them, they are not as pure as a full synthetic and will break down before a full synthetic oil.

Synthetic Blend Oils can seem from the labeling that they are a Full Synthetic and people can be led to believe they are buying Full Synthetic Oil so you need to look carefully.  If you want a Full Synthetic Oil, you should look for words like "Full Synthetic" or "100% Synthetic Lubricant".

Oil technology is infinitely complex and we could go on and on, however, the intention of this page is to give a high level understanding of the differences in oils for your vehicle.

Types of Oil

Your vehicle requires different types of oil such as motor oil, transmission fluid, and gear oil.  All of these types of oil can come in conventional, synthetic blend, or full synthetic formulas.  We have guide to understanding the differences in these oils available here.