SYNTHETIC OILS
VS
MINERAL OILS

The Big Deal FULL SYNTHETIC OR MINERAL

WHAT MAKES SYNTHETIC OIL BETTER THAN MINERAL?

Synthetic Motor Oil

To understand synthetic motor oils, let’s first look at the origins of motor oil.

Conventional oils come from crude oil that comes from the ground. Crude oil is made up of a mixture of molecules forming chains and rings of different sizes and shapes. Long chains of carbon atoms produce thick viscous fluids that flow slowly whilst shorter chains produce fluids that flow more freely.

In an oil refinery, Crude is first separated by vacuum distillation into a series of fractions or viscosity ranges. The fractions intended for base oil production are processed further using various combinations of refining processes becoming the basis for lubricating oils whilst thick tangled masses of carbon chains become asphaltic materials used in roofing tar and road works. The very short chains and ring compounds of carbon are volatile and can be refined to produce gasoline and other products.

While petroleum refining is an advanced science, small amounts of contaminants like sulfur and reactive hydrocarbons cannot be completely removed from petroleum, ultimately ending up in motor oil base stocks. The crude must undergo a variety of refining processes* removing the undesirable wax, sulphur and nitrogen compounds before yielding base stocks suitable for use in engine oil. Unsaturated hydrocarbons must be extracted or converted into more stable molecules.

Refining processes*

• Hydrotreating - converts some of the unsaturated hydrocarbons to saturated hydrocarbons to help improve yield prior to solvent extraction. This process also helps remove large portions of sulphur and some nitrogen compounds.
• Solvent Extraction - separates the naturally-occurring saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.
• Hydrofinishing - removes some of the nitrogen and sulphur compounds, improves color, oxidation and thermal stability of base stock.
• Hydrocracking - a sophisticated process in which molecules in the base stock fraction are rearranged into the desirable saturated hydrocarbon molecules. The yield of saturated molecules is much greater than that achieved with hydrotreating and solvent extraction.
• Hydroisomerization - when used along with hydrocracking, can transform the molecules of the base stock fraction into the most stable form possible.
• Additives - Motor oil needs to perform a variety of functions under a wide range of engine operating conditions. Therefore, several additives or combinations of additives are incorporated into the formulation :

All motor oils are made up of base oils and additives. In general, fully synthetic motor oils contain non-conventional, high-performance fluids. Synthetic blends usually use some non-conventional, high-performance fluids in combination with conventional oils. Mineral oils use conventional base stocks.

To meet the demanding requirements of today's specifications (and our customers' expectations), United Oil Synthetic Specialists uses highly refined base oils-including polyalphaolefins (PAOs) - along with specialized packages of additives which even include s.oxymolybdenum dithiocarbamate. Each United Oil synthetic viscosity grade uses a unique combination of synthetic fluids and selected additives in order to tailor the product to its specific application.

“We not only supply superior lubricant products to the service industry, we ultimately cater to motoring enthusiasts, who having spent considerable time and money upgrading their vehicles performance are looking for that dependable, unique motor oil to protect their investment”, says Goran Gorgioski, Managing Director of United Oil Synthetic Specialists (USS). “Quality and performance are our primary focus and the foundations of every USS lubricating oil product. With access to the internet consumers are very smart these days, seek out and demand the best for their expensive vehicles, and have the ability to do their own research. United Oil Synthetic Specialists (USS) is here to help consumers achieve that goal in any way possible. We are proud of our products and have the technical competency to help you get the answers you need”. 

For the ultimate in high temperature protection, durability and all-round performance, synthetic oil is the way to go. Unfortunately, synthetic motor oil costs more than ordinary petroleum-based oils. They cost more because synthetic oil requires much more processing and refining but ultimately improve the oil's performance in virtually every aspect. Synthetic oil is used in every commercial and military jet engine in the world, as well as in all spacecrafts.  That's because synthetic oil outperforms petroleum oil at high temperature extremes, low temperature extremes, and everywhere in between. Today experts agree, synthetic oil excels in all applications !

Synthetic oil has superior temperature resistance. Synthetic oil can safely handle higher operating temperatures without oxidizing (burning) or breaking down. The upper limit for most mineral based oils is about 100 to 120 degrees C. Synthetic oil can easily handle temperatures in excess of 170 degrees C. This makes synthetic oil well suited for turbocharged and supercharged applications as well as high rpm and high output engine applications.

Synthetic oil has better low temperature performance. Superior fluidity means Synthetic oil flows freely in a wider range of temperatures (including sub zero and hot desert conditions), pouring easily in temperatures below freezing where ordinary oils turn to molasses. This makes for easier cold starts and provides faster upper valve train lubrication during the first critical moments when most engine wear occurs.

Synthetic oil ultimately improves engine performance. Synthetic oils tend to be more slippery than conventional motor oil. This improves fuel economy, cuts frictional horsepower losses and helps the engine run cooler. Synthetic oils will certainly make a noticeable improvement.

It makes sense to assume that Synthetic oil will allow longer oil change intervals helping alleviate the added cost. Because synthetic oil resists oxidation and viscosity breakdown better than conventional motor oil and does not break down or sludge up as fast as conventional motor oil. Some suppliers of synthetic motor oils say that oil change intervals can be safely extended to over 20,000 km’s, but this would only be applicable in optimum driving conditions. In today’s environment it may be more applicable to talk about hours of operation instead of kilometers traveled.

CAUTION: For vehicles under warranty, extending the normal oil change interval is NOT recommended because failing to follow the OEM maintenance schedule can void your warranty.

Synthetic oils are available in the same grades as ordinary motor oils (5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30 & 10w40) as well as "extended" grades such as 15W-40, 5W-50, 10W50 and even 10W60.

So who should use synthetic oil? Premium Synthetic oil is best suited for:

• Turbocharged or Supercharged engines.
• Performance or high output engines.
• Vehicles which run for prolonged periods of time.
• Vehicles used for towing (especially during hot weather).
• Vehicles that are operated in extremely cold or hot climates.
• Vehicles operated in stop and go driving conditions (especially city grid lock).
• Anyone who wants the ultimate lubrication and protection.