Synthetic Oils vs. Standard Engine Oils?

Question

I am puttin a new 350 in a 79 Chevy K-20, would like to get some feedback on synthetic oils vs. standard engine oils, and what is the opinion on Lucas Oil Additive?

Answer 1

well I will cut and paste a previous answer about synthetic oils that was chosen best answer. And as far as the Lucas dont use it. It is meant for worn out engines as a quick fix for burning or leaking oil.
Here is the question I answered the other day:

Y is it better to use a full synthetic oil to your car? will it really make a big difference from ordinary one

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rwings8215
3 days ago

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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

the difference is that conventional oil comes from the ground (crude). And they purify it to a piont by taking all the wax and other impurities out to make it engine oil. Synthetic oil is man made at labs. THerefore there are no impurities or wax and is therefore a much cleaner product. The real question is do you need it. The answer is no unless you own a vehicle that requires it for warranty (Corvette, new cadillac, Pontiac GTO ext.). While it is a better product, you will not notice the benefits of it. You still have to change it at manufacturers request if you want to keep your warranty. If you have an older car and have any oil leakes it will find them and leak out much faster than conventional oil. And the cost is very high. Normal oil change at my shop is $28. Synthtic is $49. People think that because it is better oil they can go longer between changes. Ask any manufacturer and they will tell you that you can't. The reason is that there is still additive packages that get worn down. The road dust that enters your engine is the same with synthetic or conventional therefore getting dirty. Actually oil never breaks down like people say. What really happens is the additives wear out. Why do you think companies recycle oil. The oil is still good you just have to get impurities out and put new additives in. Additives are like sponges each molecule is designed to hold so much dirt, once that molecule is full it cant protect anymore. After a while all the molecules are "full" and therefore the dirt has nowhere to go but cycle throuhg your engine. I try to defer people from synthetic oil on a daily level.

Source(s):
own and operate 3 quick lubes for 18 years

Answer 2

The question depends on the age of the engine and the oil it used before, as well as the environment.

In general, there is nothing wrong with the standard oils. Like any products, the more costlier options (i.e., synthetics) are not necessarily giving you any more value. They just make companies more money from the portion of the market willing to pay the extra price ;)

Oil does many things in an engine. It lubricates obviously. It's a coolant. It protects parts from corrosion when the engine is not running. It traps particles (dirt) and carries them away from the bearings, etc. And when you drain the oil to change it, it's supposed to bring all the contaminants out with it. Optimizing an oil to do all of these well is the oil maker's never-ending challenge.

Synthetic oils are designed to be "slippier", so they lubricate better. However this same property also often means that when the engine is not running, the oil strips off the parts sooner, leaving them exposed to moisture --> corrosion. This is something oil makers have to battle in the formulations. For this reason, many aircraft engine manufacturers do not recommend synthetic oils for aircraft that are not used regularly.

For the same reasons, synthetics can have difficulty trapping the contaminants and particles and removing them from the engine when drained, another challenge for oil makers. Thus can leave junk in the engine that a standard oil would remove, leading to problems down the road. I think today the oil makers have a good handle on this. But in the early days it was disasterous. In aicraft engines, Mobil had to yank it's early synthetic oils off the market because brand new engines were seizing after a 100 hours (resulting in some flight incidents), because the gunk the synthetic was leaving in the engine when drained eventually clogged the oil passages, and the parts did not get lubricated.

I have also read, though never really confirmed, that an enginer that has a good deal of time on it should not be changed. That may be myth, so take with a grain of salt.

As for additives, similar to my comments on people paying for synthetics... Why bother? But in this case, I think the risks are much higher. Oil makers go to great pains to formulate their oil blends, both standard and synthetic. Adding another chemical mix into the soup just inherently screams Bad Idea. I suspect both oil and engine makers wouldn't hesitate to deny any warranty claims as a result. Let your oil do it's job as it's supposed to, and leave the additive gimmicks on the store shelves.

Long answer longer: I would use a quality "non-synthetic" oil and stick with it, skipping all additive products, and then your bases are covered. Change it at healthy intervals, along with decent oil filters.

Answer 3

Usually a straight mineral oil is used in a new engine for the first 500 or so miles. If you want it to last, run cooler with less friction use a synthetic oil. Next time you fly in a jet and look down on the engine, the engine is being lubricated by a synthetic oil. Up there you only want the best working for you.

Answer 4

Lucas oil additive? Lmao, the oil foamalizer more like it.


Synthetic oils stand up to higher heat, longer.....
They tend to actually thicken under heat rather then conventional that thins, and of course they usually have a lower cold cranking capability.
Run it from the start, no real need for special treament......
Synthetics today usually stick better to the metal that yesteryears syns.

Btw, since synthetic is hard to break down, this makes it able to take longer oil intervals, the additive pack doesn't get beaten down as quick either.

Answer 5

Synthetic oil is better than conventional oil, but do not break your engine in on it. Use standard motor oil until the engine has been broken in properly. I have been using standard motor oil with 1 qt of synthetic and I change my oil twice a year. Even then the oil comes out very clean. Synthetic oil is a little "slicker", will provide better wear protection, and probably help out with the fuel mileage a little.

Answer 6

lucas is good stuff get new motor broke in before you put it in though --pro long is good too as far as oil --change it my p/u has 220k on it and dont use a drop and is still not black when i change it every 2500 miles