The Best Synthetic Oils For Your Engine

What Type of Synthetic Oil Do I Need?

There are two fundamental types of synthetic oils currently available in the market. Choosing which between these two will be right for your vehicle depends on a variety of factors that we will be looking into in greater detail in the next section. Suffice it to say, it is best to understand the 2 types of synthetic oil first.

• Synthetic blend

This type of synthetic is actually a combination of conventional motor oil and a company’s synthetic base oil. You can look at it more like a juiced-up version of your conventional motor oil. It also gives you performance boosts and improved protection for your engine except that these will still pale in comparison to full synthetics. The good thing about synthetic blends is that you get some of the benefits of full synthetics while paying only slightly higher than conventional oil.

• Full synthetic

As we have been discussing, full synthetics are those that are manufactured in the lab complete with a very unique molecular structure and embedded with advanced additives to give you the best protection and best performance for your engine.

 

Now here’s where it can get complicated. Because the development of full synthetic motor oil occurs in the lab, their inherent protective and performance characteristics vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. That is why you may have several synthetics all rated at SAE 5W-20 yet the experiences of motorists vary greatly. The answer is in the formulation of the product. Since this is technically a blend of proprietary synthetic base oil and advanced additives, each company may have its own patented technology for each component of the blend.

That being said, you may get full synthetics that are much better at cleaning your engines while others might be able to provide you with better engine protection. Some will provide exceptional thermal protection but are lousy at cold starts. As such it is important to choose a full synthetic that will give you the kind of outcome you want for your car.

Factors to Consider

We said that making the choice on the type of synthetic oil to use on your car depends on a host of factors. As such we’re here to examine some of these factors that you might want to consider when choosing synthetic motor oil for your car.

• Compatibility with existing oil

While it is perfectly okay to top your conventional oil with full synthetic, this is not generally recommended as you are simply diluting the unique chemical properties of the synthetic. In simple words, you may not be able to obtain the best performance and protection for your car. Instead, it is best to drain your engine oil, flush it with an appropriate solution, and then replace it with a synthetic.

Now, before you do that you have to check your vehicle owner’s manual regarding the specific type of oil to be used. You have to understand that there are legacy engines that work a lot better with conventional oils rather than full synthetics. If ever you have a modern car usually dated 2000 and above, you will most likely benefit from a full synthetic.

• Viscosity grade

We have been talking about this unique characteristic of oil – viscosity – or thickness. What you would want to have is the right viscosity grading in your motor oil depending on the prevailing environmental conditions in your area.

If you are the type of driver who would typically be a devil behind the wheel or you’re fond of hauling bulky and heavy things or even just cruising along on a really hot and humid day, you’ll find that the best viscosity grade will be one with a ‘thicker’ consistency. This means you will have to go for something like 10W-40 or even 15W-50. This is especially true for engines that will be going through high temperatures or engine stress.

On the other hand, if you’re living in an area where it snows 364 days of the year with the only day left being in the mild 60s, then you have better get synthetic oil that has exceptional low temperature viscosity rating. You can go for a 5W-20 or even 0W-20.

 

If you’re driving in conditions that are neither too hot nor too cold or that your engine is not really subjected to extremes in temperatures and stress levels, then getting an engine oil that has medium viscosity grading should suffice. A good rating to start will be 5W-30.

• Additives

One of the essential differentiating characteristics of full synthetics from synthetic blends and conventional motor oils is the presence of additives. Unfortunately, this is also what differentiates one brand of synthetic from the next since, as we already pointed out, different companies will have their different take on what they perceive to be the best-performing motor oil. That being said, it would be wise to look at the most common additives used in modern synthetic oils.

Anti-foaming agents – As the name implies, this additive is what prevents the formation of bubbles or foam which can create cavitation in the oil. These cavitation are air pockets that can adversely affect the important qualities of synthetic oil especially lubrication. 

Antioxidants – Just as antioxidants negate the effects of free radicals in the body, antioxidant additives in engine oils can also provide almost the same effect. This helps protect the oil against premature degradation, further increasing its lifespan and overall performance.

Anti-wear agents – One of the most common anti-wear agents used in today’s synthetics is zinc dialkyldithiophosphate or ZDDP. While it is still poorly understood how the substance is able to reduce the rate of degradation of the metal elements in the engine, the general observation is that it can significantly lengthen the overall lifespan of your car’s engine.

Conditioners – Also known as softeners, these additives are mostly found in formulations geared for older or high mileage engines. What they do is that they try to soften up seals to help them expand a lot better and form a tight fit in their respective fittings. It’s perfect for preventing leaks.

Corrosion inhibitors – As you may have already guessed, these additives are excellent in terms of protecting the metal surfaces of your engine from highly corrosive substances such as acids.

Detergents – These are one of the most common types of additives integrated into synthetic formulations. They enhance the engine-cleaning properties of synthetics. They can also help in the removal of gunk and debris.

Dispersants – These are almost similar to deaggregators wherein they help prevent the clumping of various particles. This helps prevent the buildup of sludge which can cause partial blockage in any of your engine’s ports.

 

Viscosity index improvers – Remember what we said about oil turning watery-thin in higher temperatures? Well, it’s the job of viscosity index improvers to make sure that the amount of oil ‘thinning’ is kept to a minimum to retain the important physical and thermal properties of synthetics. 

As we have pointed out earlier, choosing the best synthetic oil will have to include considering the type of additives that you would want for your engine. While it would be ideal to get all of these additives in a single product, it simply isn’t the case in the real world.

Synthetic motor oils are especially formulated for today’s high-performance engines. Even legacy engines with exceptionally high mileage on their odometers can also benefit from these lab-formulated and tested products. Choosing the best synthetic oil will actually depend on driving conditions, the compatibility of the oil to your existing lubricant, and the choice of additives you may want on your car. With our list of the best synthetic motor oils you’re now one step closer to putting the best protection and performance-enhancer in your engine.