View Single Post
Old 04-07-2015, 05:23 PM   #7
gpshumway
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 43950
Join Date: Sep 2003
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Vehicle:
07 OBXT
OBP

Default

7. How Oils are Marketed
It would be nice if formulators would label their oils with straightforward categories on the front label, but they don't. They use nebulous marketing terms like "synthetic" and "high-mileage". Nevertheless, we can gain some useful information from the way oils are marketed.

Conventional Oils
Usually composed mostly of Group I and II base stock, but may contain substantial amounts of Group III, any presence of Group IV and V is as an additive. These oils are the bottom of each formulator's range and are thus produced to a price point. They are usually not labeled as "conventional", that is implied by the lack of terms like "blend" or "synthetic". They don't generally meet the toughest requirements of ACEA standards, but do meet some OEM standards. They tend to have lower TBN values and thus require shorter change intervals than synthetic or blend oils, but in many non-demanding applications they can provide excellent service for the life of the car. Conventional oils can be Light Duty, Heavy Duty, or Low-SAPS, though Low-SAPS conventional oils are rare. Being the "value" level in a formulator's product range, one can assume the additive packages are designed to meet the minimum requirements of the specifications as cheaply as possible.

Synthetic Oils
Composed of Group III-V base stocks. These oils occupy the upper range of formulator's product lines. Most moderately priced synthetics today are Group III base stock, but high quality Group III performs on-par or better than more expensive base stocks for all but the most demanding applications. They often have high TBN levels, but not always. The long-term shear and oxidation stability of synthetic base stocks is necessary but not sufficient for very long change intervals (10,000+ mi). There are many synthetic oils formulated with the very best base stocks which for various reasons are not formulated for long drain intervals. These oils tend to be race, street/track or Low-SAPS oils. Being the more expensive oils in a product line it can be assumed these oils get the best additives in addition to superior base stocks. Synthetic oils are available as Light Duty, Heavy Duty and low-SAPS varieties.

Formulators often have several tiers of synthetic oil. Shell Oil Products has Quaker State Ultimate Durability, Pennzoil Platinum, and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum in that order. Mobil has Mobil Super Synthetic and Mobil 1, Castrol has Edge and Edge Extended Performance. Upper tier oils tend to meet more stringent ACEA specifications. Some upper tier oils are long-drain oils which don't necessarily perform better at short intervals than their short-drain counterparts. Unless you're aiming for oil change intervals longer than 10,000 miles there's no reason to use Mobil 1 Extended Performance over "regular" Mobil 1 for instance. Since many late model Subaru owners will be choosing these oils, we'll detail some of the major players later.

Long-Drain Oils
These oils are marketed specifically as having the ability to do extremely long drain intervals. They are also always marketed as synthetics. Common examples are Amsoil Signature Series, Mobil 1 Extended Performance, and Castrol Edge Extended. They are marketed as being capable of drain intervals of 15,000 miles or more. It's important to note that many oils not specifically marketed as long drain oils are never the less capable of very long drain intervals, particularly those conforming to ACEA A5/B5, A3/B4, E7, and E9.

Synthetic Blend Oils
These oils are marketed by formulators as a blend of synthetic and conventional base stocks. Typically a blend of Group II and Group III, but there's no standardization for how much of each. One can generally assume that the additive package in these oils falls between synthetics and conventional oils. Whether blend oils are a good value is up for debate. Blends are available as Light Duty, Heavy Duty and Low-SAPS varieties.

High Mileage Oils
High mileage oils are marketed as synthetics, blends, and conventional oils. Their defining characteristic is higher levels of detergents and seal conditioners than conventional oils. Some have higher levels of anti-wear additives, often too high to conform to the latest API/ILSAC specs. Some meet API/ILSAC fuel economy requirements, some don't. The stated purpose of these oils according to formulators is to clean out sludge from neglected engines and to soften and revitalize aged seals, thus reducing leakage. Their additional anti-wear additives probably indicates higher levels of wear performance than conventional oils, but it is unlikely they outperform top-tear synthetics in that regard. Detergent effectiveness is also unlikely to be better than top-tier synthetics. High mileage oils tend to be a bit thicker than their "low-mileage" counterparts, often pushing the upper limit of their viscosity grade. It is generally safe to use these oils in new engines as long as the other specs are appropriate.

Racing Oils
Many national brands produce a lineup of oils labeled as "racing" oils, these include Red Line's racing series, Mobil 1 Racing and Amsoil Dominator. These oils have low levels of detergents and TBN which make them unsuitable for use in street cars. They are designed purely for racing applications where a "long" race is 500 miles and the engine never has a cold start. Many owners are attracted by the high levels of anti-wear, anti-oxidant and friction modification additives in these oils and erroneously presume them to be "better" for their modified street car. Unless your car is a bona fide trailered-to-the-track race car, DON'T DO IT. The additive packages of these oils are designed for the short drain intervals and narrow operating environment of racing, use in a street car can lead to deposits and other problems.

Street/Track Oils
These oils are designed for use in street cars which see heavy track day use. They maintain some levels of detergent additives and TBN for use on the street but shift their focus as much as possible toward track use. They may be appropriate for heavy use in a street car, but are generally expensive and unnecessary. Examples include Red Line (regular series), Valvoline VR1 and Motul 300V.
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

Last edited by gpshumway; 04-15-2015 at 05:39 PM.
gpshumway is offline   Reply With Quote