Well, it's been over a year and a half since I posted the above, and I've had ample opportunity to become better informed regarding the role of base stocks and additives in today's oils. Much of my acquired wisdom is attributable to all you fine people who post in this forum. I've been able to listen to many thoughtful opinions on the subject and have followed up on several great references and links to other relevant sources of information that have been provided.

Right now, I am of the opinion that additives are more vital than base stock. Not to minimize the benefit of a good baseoil, but from all that I've come across, you simply cannot get away in today's day and age without your engine oil having a healthy dose of additives. This I think will always be true, but I will admit there are some factors which could cause me to re-evaluate my position in the next few years.

For example, I think the tide could be beginning to turn, or at least ebb, with the coming of the new API standards which (as I understand it) drastically reduce and/or prohibit some of the more popular additives from being used in future formulations. This in turn is forcing the oil companies to step up to the plate and make better grade stock(s).

I was inspired to resurrect this thread as a result of the following thread, which I think supports both (1) my position on the overwhelming importance of additive packs in today's motor oils, and (2) my feeling that things could be shifting more toward baseoils becoming the key “ingredient” as time goes by:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=330499

and the link to the excellent article that jschira provided:

http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_artic....cfm?x=b11,0,w

 

The ticket is the best base oils AND best additives . They have to work good together though .

Sometimes you get what you pay for , sometimes not . 8 bucks a quart for Redline ? No , not for me . I would give 8 bucks a quart for Synergyn though but I don't have too ........ it's only a little over 5 bucks

 

So if basestock is most important, why not go with whichever basestock you deem best then just dump in a couple of Synpower treatments?

I'll be happy to see the "next installment" from you, Flash. I would certainly love to learn which answer is the "right" one.

 

It seems not to be a matter of "which". As in "Dad to Mother": "Love/Marriage, Horse/Carriage", "You can't have one without the other". Why not leave it to the oil engineers?

 

Leave it to the engineers? Since when are we willing to do that?

 

I'd go for the additive package, though for a somewhat different reason then stated above. I think most of the motor oils sold in the US are based on a very small number of base stocks by a handful of producers, so IMHO the variation in basestocks between comparable oils is usually very small. Comparable obviously means same weight, and synthetic vs. synthetic blend vs. non-synthetic, since they have to use different basestocks.

Unlike basestocks, there are a lot more additives and there should be a much bigger variation between various brands and specialty oils. (i.e. high mileage, SUV, sports car, etc.) So it's usually the additive package that differentiates between comparable oils that are most likely using the same set of basestocks. Of course, in the case of a "synthetic", there's also a PAO vs. highly processed dino juice (a fake, IMHO) difference.

 

So how do we apply all of this? What reasoning would dictate somehow obtaining the various components, then mixing them together in some experimental ratio? Would a UOA after a given number of miles/hours reveal anything meaningful vs. a UOA of commercially available motor oil? Is this after all, an exercise in fantasy? (Especially considering the tremendous variation in engine types and operating conditions)

 

Because there's an Oil and Lube forum!

Back to the topic, I think additives are more important. Look at everything additives do. Prevent wear, improve flow rate vs. temperature, hold contaminants in suspension, neutralize acid, clean parts, prevent foam, the list goes on.

What does the base oil do? Hold the additives and create a hydrodynamic boundary layer. According to flash, synthetics dont hold their additives as well as conventional oils.

My 110.24 Zimbabwe Dollars.
($0.02)

 

Which synthetics? And what actually "dont hold" mean in this context? Is there a possibility of separation, perchance?

 

Our shop mechanics add a product called Duralube about half-way between OCI's. I think that it's an additive to "boost" the weakening additives already in the oil.

 

If I'm not mistaken, (which I ALWAYS am, according to my ex'S) DuraLube contains Chlorine (Bleach), which is slippery as heck, but too harsh for longevity of an engine.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Glenn

 

I'm mot sure what do you mean about "Chlorine", but I'm fairly sure that Duralube can't contain neither Cl2 (gaseous chlorine) nor HOCl (bleach) .

There are many chlorinated compounds, some can be corrosive, others don't, and some can be corrosive after they decompose because of high heat or water, for instance.

I can't imagine duralube containing anything outright corrosive, or something that can easily decompose to HCl and something else.

 

Thanks for the chemistry lesson...I could very well have DuraLube confused w/another one of the supplements...I did mention that I could be wrong...and you ABSOLUTELY know more about these chemicals than do I.

Thanks again - Glenn - PS And I apologize if I mis-spoke

 

You may not necessarily wrong since I don't know what's in Duralube -- it's just that common sense dictates that they won't put in anything that can harm the engine under normal operating conditions.

Normally, gases (SO2, NOx, HCl) that can make acids with water will leave with the exhaust gases, but acidic byproducts can form when the car is used for only short trips, so the oil can never reach the operating temperature and water can condense in it.

 

I think it means that the film strength is too high to allow the additives to get in the high pressure areas to do their work. This applies to PAO's AFAIK. The way I understand it, conventional oils hold their additives better since the base oil isn't as uniform as a synthetic. Maybe Flash will clarify this a little?