Synthetic Oil Vs Regular Oil
Synthetic oil vs regular oil is one of the most complicated debates discussed by engineers of the automotive industry, and the fact is that it has no concrete conclusion. To know more about synthetic oil vs regular oil, read on...
Walk into any mechanic's garage and you will see several types of lubricant used to minimize the friction caused while running automobiles — from the suspension system to the pistons in the engine. Almost all the moving components in a vehicle require lubrication. Both synthetic and regular oil are used mainly in the piston block of the engine, forming a layer of molecules over the inner surfaces so the pistons move smoothly. This lubrication delivers three main benefits: it eases the motion of the pistons, it substantially reduces the heat formed within the engine (increasing engine life and the quality of firing), and it drastically boosts the vehicle's fuel economy.
How Each Oil Is Made
Regular oil, also known as conventional or mineral oil, is a by-product of petroleum obtained through the process of fractional distillation, which breaks petroleum down into various products. It is made up of alkaline and cyclic paraffin, has a rather uneven molecular structure, and yet possesses high lubricating quality; it is cheaper than synthetic oil and available almost universally, and before the commercial development of synthetic oil it was the predominant mechanical lubricant.
Synthetic oil, by contrast, is an artificial chemical preparation made through perfected, sophisticated processes. The concept was developed in the 20th century by two experts working independently — Dr. Hermann Zorn of IG Farben in Germany and Dr. W. A. Zisman of the Naval Research Laboratory in the United States. The primary synthetic oils were polyolefin-based, and most brands remain so today, though manufacturers have also produced synthetics based on polyesters, polyglycols, esters, alkylated naphthalene and alkylated benzene. Unlike the non-uniform molecules of conventional oil, the molecules of synthetic oil are highly uniform, almost identical to one another — a characteristic considered a great merit in any lubricant.
Merits, Demerits and Which to Use
The uneven molecular structure of conventional oil actually makes it well suited to new engines: the internal surfaces of a new engine, though beautifully forged, are not perfectly accurate, and the uneven molecules help the excess, inaccurate points on the piston and piston-block surfaces shred off through friction and heat, evening the components out so they adapt to the mechanism. Conventional oil has two drawbacks, however — it oxidizes at very high temperatures, creating pollutants, and at very low temperatures it forms sludge that renders the oil useless.
Synthetic oil suffers neither of these problems at extreme temperatures, resists air pollution, and gives very good results in engines that are a few years old, preserving the components and ensuring excellent running. Its one drawback is that it is currently rather costly.
As a conclusion, to reduce car engine problems it is best to use mineral (regular) oil during the initial period of an engine's life, so the young components get into shape, and to switch to synthetic oil in the later years to keep the engine in shape and increase its durability. The overall debate, though, remains almost as old as the oils themselves and grows more complex by the day as lubrication technology advances — so which oil is ultimately "better" remains undecided.
