Interesting Info About Motor Oil

[Daytona]

Taken from: http://www.synlube.com/viscosit.htm

Motor Oil that is measured to have viscosity of 9.5 cSt @ 100 C will be rated as SAE 30, while another Motor Oil that is measured to have viscosity of 12 cSt ( or 26% more viscous ) will also be rated as SAE 30 Motor Oil.

Yet in real life operation 26% difference in viscosity may make difference between engine that will run forever and one that will wear out prematurely.

That is why "stay in grade" over the service life of the Motor Oil is so important!

The SAE J300 measurement is only relating to a FRESH UNUSED MOTOR OIL.

As few as 20 hours of operation will change viscosity of pure petroleum oil.

Some oils will shear and thin out to SAE 20 or below, while some oils will oxidize and sludge up to become much more viscous like SAE 40 or even SAE 60!

The "best" motor oil will be SAE 30 when fresh and SAE 30 when drained out after its use.

Motorists make the common mistake that every SAE 30 oil is the same in performance, but the reality, however, is quite different.

Even more drastic differences in viscosity for fresh and used oils can be observed in multi-viscosity or multi-grade oils such as SAE 5W-30.

The SAE J300 viscosity classification therefore should not be confused with any level of quality or long term performance. API Service Classifications are used to distinguish Motor Oil performance levels and are based on specific engine and laboratory tests.

No matter what oil you use for any purpose the ideal viscosity that provides the ultimate lubrication, that is TOTAL bearing surface separation, and at MINIMUM power that is consumed by the lubricants viscosity (MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RISE) occurs ONLY at ONE combination of:
· SPEED
· LOAD
· TEMPERATURE.

Under ALL other combinations of the three factors, the lubricant is NOT IDEAL.

Some lubricants, due to much higher than normal viscosity index, can have more advantageous performance over much wider range of TEMPERATURE, SPEED and LOAD, than others and therefore can be used more universally in wide range of applications.

That is why some lubricants such as single grade SAE 30, must be changed to SAE 20 when operating temperature is reduced or to SAE 40 or SAE 50 when the operating temperature is increased.

So thicker more viscous oil is needed when engine is operated at higher temperature such as high summer heat.

Similarly the proper viscosity depends on LOAD, the higher the load the thicker or higher SAE number is required. So on highly loaded engine designed to used SAE 30 oil under normal operation SAE 40 or SAE 50 should be utilized.

Speed however has the opposite effect, when engine designed to run at 2,000 RPM is constantly run at 6,000 RPM but at the same load, the SAE 30 oil should be substituted with SAE 20 oil. Higher operating speed requires thinner or lower viscosity lubricant.

It is possible in some applications that the increase in load can be just offset by the increase in speed and then the same oil such as SAE 30 that is just right for NORMAL operation will be also JUST RIGHT for the new HIGH LOAD and HIGH SPEED regime.

"Old" truckers are well aware of this from experience, they get much better and longer engine life when running in lower gear up-hill. Extra LOAD is imposed on the engine by climbing uphill (lifting cargo weight against the pull of gravity requires more power therefore the engine LOAD is increased), this can be balanced by running engine at much higher RPM (this requires thinner lubricant).

The alternative of running uphill in low gear, that is at slow engine speed and increased load would surely require increase in motor oil viscosity or else almost certain engine damage would result.

It would be rather inconvenient to change motor oil before and after every major hill on the Interstate. Therefore changing gears is much more feasible.

Thinner motor oils such as 5W-20 or even 0W-20 are becoming more popular these days and are even specified by some OEM's (FORD & HONDA) on new cars.

Although these oils are promoted as "energy conserving" they generally trade a gain of less than 0.1 MPG in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) for shorter useful engine life.

FORD which has previously designed cars to have 10 year or 150,000 miles life has reduced the mileage life expectation to "beyond 100,000 miles" on vehicles that are operated on SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil.

HONDA only claims "useful life" as 7-years or 70,000 miles in EPA certifications for their CIVIC which uses SAE 5W-20 Motor Oil, while the previous model that utilized SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil was certified for 10 year or 100,000 mile durability.

Since both HONDA and FORD Warranty their NEW cars for ONLY 3-years or 36,000-miles the reduction in engine life expectancy is not a factor.

By contrast Mercedes-Benz recommends use of ONLY Synthetic Motor Oil that is at least SAE 5W-40! This is a recent increase in recommended viscosity from SAE 5W-30. Apparently customer research indicated that engine longevity is more important to typical MB customer than fuel economy.

[Daytona]

(part 2 of article)

Even more important is the High-Shear High-Temperature MINIMUM specification in SAE J300. There are "two" SAE 40 specifications, one with minimum HSHT value of 2.9 cP for Automotive Oils (SAE 0W-40; 5W-40; 10W-40) and the other for Heavy Duty Oils (HDO) (SAE 15W-40; 20W-40; 25W-40; 40).

This double specification is at insistence of heavy duty engine manufacturers who have required HSHT viscosity limits consistent with good engine durability in high-load, severe service operation. HSHT value of 3.7 cP or 27% more viscous oil at 150ºC (300ºF).

Yes, a 27% increase in viscosity makes a difference between Automotive engine that lasts 100,000 miles and Truck engine that lasts 1,000,000 miles!

When you consider that most Automotive Motor Oils are ONLY 3 cP, while our

SAE 5W-50 SynLube™ Lube-4-Life™ Motor Oil has rating of 5 cP, you can readily appreciate why we can claim 300% to 500% increase in typical Automotive engine durability, and that is with substantial "safety" reserve!

Which SAE rating is the best ?

A: SAE 0W-60 but it is not available, yet !

Theoretically the best possible SAE Viscosity rating is 0W-60, but only small experimental quantities of such lubricants were ever produced. The NASA SynLube™ is rated SAE 0W-60, but it sells for $90.00 per Liter, therefore it is not economical or practical for average automotive use.

SynLube™ Lube-4-Life™ is rated SAE 5W-50 (ISO 100)

Below is the list of SAE Viscosity Ratings in order of preference from Best to Worst:

The Best Possible - SAE 0W-60 (Very Expensive)

The Best Available - SAE 5W-50 (Possible only with Fully Synthetic Motor Oil)

2nd Best - SAE 5W-40 for Colder Climates (Synthetic or Blend)

SAE 10W-50 for Warmer Climates (Synthetic or Blend)

3rd Best - SAE 5W-30 for Colder Climates

SAE 10W-40 for Normal Climates

SAE 20W-50 for Hot Climates**

Average - SAE 10W-30

SAE 15W-40 for Heavy Duty Diesel Applications

Acceptable - SAE 30 for Normal Climates, but not in Winter

SAE 40 for Warmer Climates, but not in Winter

SAE 50 for Hot Climates, but not in Winter

SAE 5W-20 for sub-zero temperatures, Winter use only**

Legend: ** = unless use is prohibited by the engine manufacturer

[Nate's Alero]

HOW THE HELL IS SAE 0W-60 the best?????? its thick as all hell!

[[ion] C2]

Article is fcked up.

FTW:

[DOHC_tuner]

I like this part

Higher operating speed requires thinner or lower viscosity lubricant.

.....running engine at much higher RPM (this requires thinner lubricant).

[Daytona]

I think motor oil companies know a tad more than you all do.

But more importantly, has nobody keyed into what I highlighted in RED? Car companies are now using "fuel efficient" oils which cause the overall life of the engines to decrease significantly through reduced protection all for fractions of a single mpg increase.

[[ion] C2]

So you highlighted the part showing that using thinner oils reduce engine life. Sure you/they can claim thicker the better all day, and that it increases engine lifespan like crazy (provided it doesn't clog up the oil passages...). Then you also have to keep in mind that high of viscosity will kill power and gas mileage.

5W30 was perfectly fine for my engine's hard 190,000 miles. Engine ran excellent when removed.

You took this article from a questionable website supposedly selling this miracle oil that doesn't require oil changes. It's not like all "motor oil companies" are backing what this article says. I mean, click the link. Believing a website that looks like that is difficult. Web 1.0.

[Daytona]

^What?

The change in what type of motor oil is coming in your new cars and being recommended is contributing to shorter engine life if that oil continues to be the only one used in the motor, hence them warrantying the cars for less miles.

As for the veracity of the website - it's from the actual major oil company's site for their Synthetic oil, not some noob know-it-all selling snake oil.

[[ion] C2]

What they said about car companies making thinner oils the standard to inrease fuel economy yet reduce engine life I understand. But then they go on and say the best oil for anything is 0W-60... how can you possibly say one weight of oil is the best for any engine. That thick the oil pump and oil passages couldn't even handle it.

Yes, a 27% increase in viscosity makes a difference between Automotive engine that lasts 100,000 miles and Truck engine that lasts 1,000,000 miles!

That's what I was talking about when I said that if that's true that the thicker you make it the longer things last, you still would kill economy, efficiency, and power. And clog things up.

The website brags of people not changing their oil for 85,000+ miles with their miracle ultra oil. I wouldn't consider SynLube to be a major oil company. Although their history page makes it sound like they've been around forever... everything just gives off a major "stay away" vibe. The owner even uses AOL as their browser and contact e-mail.

[Daytona]

^I understand your points now. The AOL email, though, is for questions about the website itself (though the webmaster has an AT&T addy, s yeah that's odd). The actual email contacts are non AOL:
To Purchase SynLube™ Products: sales@synlube.com
General Information: synlube@synlube.com
Webmaster: mirox@att.net

But I do trust them because in the late 1990's and early 2000's I used to use their spray lube all the time (at least I'm pretty sure it was their's because I remember the SynLube name) to grease the wheel bearings in my roller hockey wheels before games. It was good stuff. I probably do still have a can of it in the garage somewhere, though I don't play anymore.

And as for the thickness of 0-weight oil, at last year's SportCompact Slam at RP there was a company touting how many of the "upcoming stars" of the import drag scene were using their 0-weight oil, though it was like $9/quart. Never actual saw the oil to test it, but I did read enough of their pamphlets to be intrigued, to say the least. Don't recall offhand what company it was from.

[CactusWill]

I'm with ION on this one. They're assclowns. All you have to read is that they are trying to sell "synthetic water" for $15 a gallon with no explanation about what it is "supposed" to be (probably a big secret I'm sure ) or the rest of their ridiculously overpriced oils at $20-30+ per quart. I don't care how good their spray lube is, WD-40 makes a good spray lube too yet I don't see them trying to sell synthetic water.

[Daytona]

Really, my main point for posting to begin with wasn't to push their brand of oils; it was about the specifics in how the car companies changed the type of oil they recommended in their cars and in doing so shortened the life expectancies of their engines (hence shorter duration under warranty). Take whatever else you want out of the article - or not.

[cherrington17]

if thats the case... (then changing the oil) why not just run what you'd normally run.. instead of something a grade thinner?

like.. 5w-30 in a civic instead of 5w-20?

[Daytona]

^That's what I do. I don't usually follow the car mftr's recommended brand/weight to the letter. I go with whatever I think is most appropriate for that car at that time based on the weather and type of driving I'm doing.

"Fuel Efficient" oils is a load of crap. So I won't be gaining that extra .01 or .02 mpg with my usual oil, but at least I know my car's going to be protected.

Case in point, my Daytona has been raced on for almost 7 complete seasons, is bone stock, and is about to click over 184,000 miles.

I would think the more expensive 0-weight oils is really just for race-only applications and not for our cars which we drive predominantly on the street (including my Daytona).

[CactusWill]

The 5w-20 and other newer oils are not only intended for better gas mileage, but other aspects of cleaner emissions as well. You can still use regular oil for better protection, and that doesn't mean that you need to go buy 5W-50 oil to make your engine last.


edit: and 0w-40 is used in many cars in germany, bmw & benz etc, but they aren't paying $20 a quart lol.

[kwhauck]

yeah i read a lot of interesting stuff at Sema, and BrandPenn oil intrigued me the most....but i'm a sucker for colored oil, first it was purple and now it's green!!

http://www.bradpennracing.com 100% american, from the ground to the container.....