Oil - It might not be what you think!!
Discussion
mmmm interesting.
I have a blue 25ltre container in my garage marked up as 5/40 fully synthetic beacuse if your in the vauxhall owners club you can get it at a really good price.
will that be a real synthetic? Do you know who makes the oil that vauxhall supply?
>> Edited by pesty on Wednesday 1st September 16:17
I have a blue 25ltre container in my garage marked up as 5/40 fully synthetic beacuse if your in the vauxhall owners club you can get it at a really good price.
will that be a real synthetic? Do you know who makes the oil that vauxhall supply?
>> Edited by pesty on Wednesday 1st September 16:17
opieoilman said:
But presumably the starting materials for synthetic oils still come from crude oil. I suppose you could make your starting materials from synthesis gas but that would be a bit silly and taking things a bit far... I wouldn' thave thought it really matter where the "building blocks" for a synthetic oil comes from as long as they are purified a reasonable amount before they start synthesis (and I imagine they would use pur starting materials as they want a pure product).
No, synthetics are not made from crude oil base stocks.Synthetic basestock molecules are pure and of uniform size. This is because synthetic basestocks are designed from the ground up with the sole purpose of protecting your engine. Nothing is added if it does not significantly contribute to the lubricating ability of the oil.
In addition, in top-quality synthetics, no component is added which might be contaminated with any substance that might lessen the lubricating qualities of the oil. In other words, manufacturers of these premium synthetics implement very strict quality control measures to insure no contamination.
Not only that, synthetic basestocks are designed so that the molecules are of uniform size and weight. In addition, synthetic basestock molecules are short-chain molecules which are much more stable than the long-chain molecules that petroleum basestocks are made of. This significantly adds to the lubricating qualities and stability of the oil.
Cheers
Guy.
Aha, having reread the original post and read some of the others I think I have cleared up my confusion. From my first reading what I thought you were saying was that for synthetic oils the materials they synthesised the lubricant from were not derived from crude oil, but they were in "semi synthetic". What you're actually saying is that semi synthetic oil is just the result of cracking long chain hydrocarbons, but for (truly) synthetic oils they design a pure synthesis from simple starting materials for the lubricant - ie they only make one molecule... and the product is as pure as possible.
I'm still right though that the starting materials for the synthesis of synthetic oils are derived from crude oil, but the oil is refined a lot and reacted a lot to get pure, simple starting materials that are used in all kinds of synthesis
Fat Audi 80 said:
Thanks but I will still be using Casrol 10w60 in my turbocharged Audi S2! 
Cheers.
Steve.
Castrol 10w-60 is a very popular oil even though its only a hydrocracked mineral oil, however the Audi S2 requires an oil that meets the VW500.00 spec, all VW/AUDI engines do things by code. The Castrol RS 10w-60 does not meet this spec.
Cheers.
tuttle said:
Very interesting read thankyou.
I've always used Millers Oils(in a performance turbo car)-do I need to worry?
We have had a look at the Millers oils and have been unable to compare tech data against others as the data is not really available, they have a very strong following though that must account for something.
Cheers
Guy.
pesty said:
mmmm interesting.
I have a blue 25ltre container in my garage marked up as 5/40 fully synthetic beacuse if your in the vauxhall owners club you can get it at a really good price.
will that be a real synthetic? Do you know who makes the oil that vauxhall supply?
>> Edited by pesty on Wednesday 1st September 16:17
I cant think who makes the oil for Vauxhall at the moment, they will move to who ever gives them the best deal. This oil is fine for every day use in an every day car but for a performance car I would choose a properly branded oil for fear the oil has been produced to a cost.
Cheers.
Guy.
Mr E said:
We have had a look at the Millers oils and have been unable to compare tech data against others as the data is not really available, they have a very strong following though that must account for something.
Excellent advertising?
Maybe... or they make good oil.
Tech data sheets would confirm it one way or another.
mcflurry said:
Thanks for an informative post
As my car is due to be serviced on Saturday, should I insist on Mobil 1 or do you have a shortlist of alternatives? Previously I have used Magatec, Mobil 1 or Valvoline as available.
Regards,
What kind of car is it? let me know and I will give you a few options. What is the car used for commuting, track fast road use etc and is it modded?
Cheers
Guy.
Imadreamer said:
I have 5 litres of Mobil 1 0-40 and 5 litres of Silkolene Pro S 10-50. Which one do you think would be best to go in the car tomorrow at its' service? The car is a chipped Seat Leon Cupra. It has the VAG 1.8T engine in in case you're not familiar with it.
Cheers
In your hand book it will give you a code for the oil to be used, it will be something like VW503.00 or VW503.01 and what bhp is it now its been chipped. let me know, however my gut feeling is it would be the 0w-40.
Cheers
Guy.
opieoilman said:
In your hand book it will give you a code for the oil to be used, it will be something like VW503.00 or VW503.01 and what bhp is it now its been chipped. let me know, however my gut feeling is it would be the 0w-40.
Cheers
Guy.
It's an older model and the 503 specs weren't around when it was built. I think the handbook specifies the 500 or 502 spec I think which both the oils meet. The engine is now putting out about 215BHP (apporx. 30 BHP increase) and 245ft/lb (approx. 70 increase) of torque. I have used both of the oils in the past but just wondered which would be the best option. The engine also now has 60K miles on it but has a new turbo.
Imadreamer said:
In your hand book it will give you a code for the oil to be used, it will be something like VW503.00 or VW503.01 and what bhp is it now its been chipped. let me know, however my gut feeling is it would be the 0w-40.
Cheers
Guy.
It's an older model and the 503 specs weren't around when it was built. I think the handbook specifies the 500 or 502 spec I think which both the oils meet. The engine is now putting out about 215BHP (apporx. 30 BHP increase) and 245ft/lb (approx. 70 increase) of torque. I have used both of the oils in the past but just wondered which would be the best option. The engine also now has 60K miles on it but has a new turbo.
Ok in light of that info it would be the Silkolene Pro S 10w-50 every time, a full synthetic ester based oil that meets the VW500.00 spec ideal for modded turbo engines.
You are one of the few that already uses Silkolene Pro S how did you come accross it and how long have you been using it?
Cheers
Guy.
I did a bit of research into oils a couple of years ago and the Silkolene looked like a good option, I couldn't find it anywhere though and so stuck to Mobil 1. At the Autosport show (I think) at the NEC a couple of years ago there was a company selling it. I bought some from them and used it in the car but they only supply it in cases of 4x 5 litre containers so is a little pricey. I went back to Mobil 1 as at the time I couldn't afford another case and with the Mobil 1 I get slightly better MPG and also thought that the winter protection would be slightly better.
I will go back to Silkolene though if you think it's the better oil?
Cheers
I will go back to Silkolene though if you think it's the better oil?
Cheers
Imadreamer said:
I did a bit of research into oils a couple of years ago and the Silkolene looked like a good option, I couldn't find it anywhere though and so stuck to Mobil 1. At the Autosport show (I think) at the NEC a couple of years ago there was a company selling it. I bought some from them and used it in the car but they only supply it in cases of 4x 5 litre containers so is a little pricey. I went back to Mobil 1 as at the time I couldn't afford another case and with the Mobil 1 I get slightly better MPG and also thought that the winter protection would be slightly better.
I will go back to Silkolene though if you think it's the better oil?
For a modded turbo engine the silkolene is more appropriate if driven hard as the 10w-50 will provide better protection, The 0w-40 will provide you with better cold start protection however with our uk climate the gaines over the ester 10w-50 are marginal, the 10w-50 is more than adaquate. In my opinion it beats the Mobil because it is ester based the Mobil is PAO based. Silkolene if you can get hold of it, I can help you there, now works out cheaper than Mobil 1. Send me an e-mail and I will forward onto you some prices and you can compare for your self.
Cheers
Guy.
Imadreamer said:
I did a bit of research into oils a couple of years ago and the Silkolene looked like a good option, I couldn't find it anywhere though and so stuck to Mobil 1. At the Autosport show (I think) at the NEC a couple of years ago there was a company selling it. I bought some from them and used it in the car but they only supply it in cases of 4x 5 litre containers so is a little pricey. I went back to Mobil 1 as at the time I couldn't afford another case and with the Mobil 1 I get slightly better MPG and also thought that the winter protection would be slightly better.
I will go back to Silkolene though if you think it's the better oil?
For a modded turbo engine the silkolene is more appropriate if driven hard as the 10w-50 will provide better protection, The 0w-40 will provide you with better cold start protection however with our uk climate the gaines over the ester 10w-50 are marginal, the 10w-50 is more than adaquate. In my opinion it beats the Mobil because it is ester based the Mobil is PAO based. Silkolene if you can get hold of it, I can help you there, now works out cheaper than Mobil 1. Send me an e-mail and I will forward onto you some prices and you can compare for your self.
Cheers
Guy.
opieoilman said:
Thanks for an informative post
As my car is due to be serviced on Saturday, should I insist on Mobil 1 or do you have a shortlist of alternatives? Previously I have used Magatec, Mobil 1 or Valvoline as available.
Regards,
What kind of car is it? let me know and I will give you a few options. What is the car used for commuting, track fast road use etc and is it modded?
Cheers
Guy.
It is a Brabus tuned up smart cabrio. Tiny engine, mated to a turbo, driven on road only, most weekends in excess of the NSL. Does about 7k a year tops.
Hello! Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff