XXL

 

Thank you!

 

Tha t Consumer's Report test had taxi's continuously running.
Hardly any startups which as we all know causes engine wear.

Anyone who feels synthetic oil startups aren't beneficial to an engine is kidding themselves.

Put a Qt. of dino oil and synthetic oil outside overnight in 10 degree weather and see which pours faster.

 

Houckster, you wouldn't happen to be a "dealer", "retailer", "preferred customer" or any derivative thereof, would you?

It's too cold out right now to go to the duck pond and feed the ducks.

XXL

 

Have used syn. oil in 4 vehicles. Have observed less oil usage with syn. vs. dino. Currently my 2000 F-150 4.6 is not using oil at 84 K-miles with syn., when it used 1 qt. per 1000 miles with Motorcraft 5W-30 when it was new, changing every 3k, since I pull a trailer, through 52 k, when I switched to syn. Mileage has increased to 17 mpg. from 15 mpg. They syn. mfg. claims 35k oil changes, or 1 year, warranty in writing, with 2 filter changes, at 12,500 intervals (with their filter). I'm not going to make 35k before the year is out, so I will change then, but I have changed the filter at 6 months. The main reason for using the syn. is pulling the trailer. Cold starts are noticably quieter with syn. compared to Motorcraft. The mileage improvement is probably due to driving habits and clean injectors in the engine. The ASTM specs for the syn is <-76 F pour point, 460 F Flash point, 489 F fire point, Cold Crank SAV of 3107, VI of 188, HT/HS 3.5, 4 ball wear scar of .39 mm, total base number of 11.4. The specs dont mean that much to me, but I am happy with the syn. at 84 k-miles and no engine problems of any kind. I have changed the plugs at 83 k and they look ok, and they gap at about .07.

 

S'okay Matt, you can holster the artillery. Houkster's just religous about his oil to the point of zealotry!
Now don't get him started again!

 

Houckster, how many miles have you been using it for?

I would suggest a test. You send for an oil analysis, including TBN. This will tell if it's working as advertised, or not.

I could go on, about how Molybdenum Disulfide will gum up your lifters, or how Teflon turns into hydrofluoric acid when burned. But you'd tell me how it doesnt. No oil lasts forever. I believe an oil analysis will prove this.

 

Quack!

XXL

 

If you don't think that continuous driving in HEAVY stop and go driving with the A/C on full blast in July and August doesn't cause engine wear and is brutal to oil, I have some swamp land in Florida that I'd like to talk to you about.

That depends on the weight of the oil. Every oil has a certain viscosity at any given temperature. A 20w-50 syn will be thicker at 10*F than a 5w-20 dino.

But you are correct, a syn will maintain viscosity grade better than dino. If I lived where it got 10*F, I might consider a syn for the winter months. As I do not, your test has little meaning to me. Even if it didn, a 5w-30 dino is a better choice than a 15w-40 syn in my PSD in those temps.

 

I wasn't comparing different weights.
A 5w30 dino will not pour as fast as a 5w30 synthetic at 10 degrees or most likely at 20 degrees.
Thererfore winter start ups with synthetic oil is better as the oil circulates faster than dino.
If you don't believe that I have some swamp land in Florida that I'd like to talk to you about.
Winter startups cause more wear than stop and go driving with the A/C on full blast in July and August.

 

As I pointed out before, dino oil has it's religious zealots too. Possibly those who emit quacking sounds are the ministers of this religion.

RUSTY7OF100: I have used SynLube with two cars. The first was a Focus ZX3 which replaced my Ranger after a semi compacted it (and nearly me as well). On that car I had 18,100 on the SynLube before trading the car in for my Focus SVT which now has 10,500 on the SynLube. Sadly, I did not drain the SynLube from the ZX3. I would have been instructive to do an analysis on that oil. On both cars, oil consumption was between 50-60K MPQ of oil (projected of course based on replacement amounts of oil). Gas mileage and general engine performance was excellent on the ZX3. I only traded it in because of the underpowered engine.

For those who believe my comments are motivated by some hope of income: read my signature line. I derive no income or any benefit for my comments.

As far as oil analysis goes. I once tried to get Blackstone to send me one of their analysis kits. I asked if they had worked with SynLube before. They never sent the kit. I would not have placed too much faith in an analysis from this company because they are not familiar with the product. SynLube has a section of their website dedicated to discussing some of the questions which arise from oil analysis results.

Years of marketing by the conventional lube providers has had its impact. It has given the general public a rather hard expectation of what an oil can do and convincing folks that there's something better out there is very difficult to do, especially for a small and uncapitalized company like SynLube. Consequently, SynLube's claims to be so superior to conventional lubes makes them sound like they are selling a bogus product (quack!). If they halved their claims, it might be easier to take them seriously. Maybe. The Mobil 1 people might agree about the durability of the public's expectations for oil. For all their advertising, Mobil never established their synthetic as a profitable line.

In the end, people here as elsewhere will chose to believe what they want. I have tried to present clear, cogent reasons why I believe SynLube is a better product and that is really all I've wanted to do. I will feel no anger, resentment, or frustration if people say: "Thanks but no thanks."

 

I have never questioned that syn is "better" than dino, and I have every reason to believe you when you say that SynLube is the best syn. of all.

My point has always been that except in extreme circumstances (which most people will never experience in their lifetimes) dino will perform just as well as syn, so the benefits of syn are never really enjoyed, despite the hefty price tag.

This conclusion has been documented and confirmed over the last few decades by millions of people driving hundreds of millions of miles on dino with no oil-related engine problems.

 

Hockster,
You wrote:
"I would not have placed too much faith in an analysis from this company because they are not familiar with the product. SynLube has a section of their website dedicated to discussing some of the questions which arise from oil analysis results."

I'm curious to know, how would their (Blackstone's) "familiarity" with SynLube affect the UOA testing and subsequent reporting of emperical data?
I'd expect wear metals, silicone, additive package, etc. to be something determined thru emperical analysis and familiarity with the product would not enter into the equation.


Also:
"Having a large safety margin is very reassuring to me. In city rush hour traffic in the middle of July when it's boiling outside and that A/C feels so good, I don't want to worry about whether the oil is boiling and my engine is building up deposits. The true synthetics are just fine at 300 degrees and dissipate heat more quickly than dino oil. Read the ecstatic comments on this Board about how wonderful Marvel Mystery Oil is at getting rid of sludge deposits and it will not be hard to conclude that dino oil is not always adequate for some situations we encounter. With SynLube, I'll never have this problem. Neither will users of Amsoil or Mobil 1."

Neither will I using Chevron Supreme 10W30 in 100 deg Alabama summer heat with A/C running in stop and go traffic. I have UOA numbers to indicate such is the case.


Also:
"I use a synthetic lube (SynLube) because I believe it provides a better long term value to me. I like not having to change my oil and I like the better gas mileage I get. I know I'm getting better gas mileage because I know what other folks are getting on their very similar vehicles."

I note you said "believe" it provides better long term value. Not trying to be nit-pickey but, do you believe it, or do you know it? If you know it, how do you know it?



Here's the BOTTOM LINE for me on this SynLube question:
I have UOA from my truck (currently 2000 model at 112,000 miles) that shows the Chevron Supreme 10W30 is doing great at 5,000 mile drain intervals. Also, no signs of slude, gunk, crud, or any other signs of failure or shortcomings. I can change my oil and filter for $10, so that's $200 for 100,000 miles of operation and fresh oil and filter very regularly. Plus the opportunity to keep tabs on what is going on underneath my truck. You said you don't like to change your oil. I do. It keeps me in touch with it.

SO, last question: How long do you plan to keep your vehicle for which you have invested in SynLube? If you don't plan on 300,000 miles, I'd say (my opinion) you are wasting your money. We know today's dino oils are capable of getting a motor welllll past 200,000 miles.

I'm not saying SynLube, Mobil1, etc. are not good oils. They are. I'm just curious about investing so much cash in oil UNLESS you are SURE it is indicated for your driving circumstances and it WILL add performance and longevity beyond what a good dino oil would provide, AND you plan to keep the vehicle with the expectation of 250,000 - 300,000 mile life.

Thanks.

 

I don't suppose it should make a difference but it's Houckster, not Hockster.

SynLube contains elements that Blackston does not typically encounter with conventional oils such as colloids. Also the additive package that is used for this oil uses additives that extremely high quality and do not get used in conventional oils. SynLube has a section on its website that discusses some of the questions that come up when someone submits a sample to a lab that doesn't have experience with SynLube. Typically, items like Fe (iron) and silicone will get flagged but this is a function of the additives used for this oil. Also, unlike conventional oil, SynLube is not a Newtonial fluid so again, they might be confused by what they see.

With regard to the oil boiling under extreme temperatures you stated:
I can only accept your statement. I have no means to disprove it and am glad you have had success with the Chevron oil.

With regard to knowing whether SynLube provides a long term advantage to me, I believe it does. When I had my Ranger I could change my oil but with my Focus, it really has to be up on a rack. Once it's there, I have to trust the guy who drains the oil that it will be done right. I also have to be sure they use the right oil and the the right amount of it. Sometimes, I'm not real confident that everything is going to be done right but let's assume that I never have a problem with the procedure though that's a bit of a stretch. Around here, an oil change is going to cost about $20-25 and for the type of driving I do, 3K mile intervals is about the limit for me. Consequently, that's 33 oil changes over the course of 100K miles or $825. If I want to use my own choice of oil and filter, say Mobil 1, then I'm looking at $50 for oil and filter including $15 for installation, therefore $825 at 6K intervals. At the end of that period, I have also generated 82-165 quarts of waste oil (and 15-33 oil filters)which will probably never be recycled even though I would deliver it to the proper recycling center. Few people buy recycled oil, especially when virgin dino costs less. In contrast, SynLube cost me $160 initially and during the time I will use the oil, there will be two filter changes and the consumption of 1.5 quarts of Service Fill at a total cost of $260 dollars with maybe a third of a quart of waste oil and two oil filters. I would expect a time savings of roughly 45 minutes per change which is significant to me. So is the savings of approximately $565.

Under ideal conditions, you will spend $200 for your oil maintenance while I will spend $260. For that extra $60, I believe my engine will be absolutely protected no matter what. I also will have saved about 25 hours of work and avoided all that waste oil and in your state of Alabama, waste oil is considered a toxic waste. Generally the most you can hope with your waste oil is that it will be safely disposed of and won't hurt anything during the several hundred years it will remain dangerous.

What about gas mileage? I also know I am getting better gas mileage which is not to be disregarded either. My car is rated at 21/25 and for all types of driving (the vast majority of which is city/suburban driving), I'm getting just under 27 MPG. Assuming 24 MPG with conventional oil, which is being generous, during 100K miles I will use 393 gallons less (at 26.5 MPG) that at an average price of $1.59/gallon (premium) means a savings of $625 dollars. I believe SynLube would provide you with even more significant savings.

Because of the reduced internal friction SynLube provides, I will avoid changing the timing belt since the reduction of friction will double the life of the belt. That's another $200-$300 which is probably conservative. Some folks I know have paid $500-$800 for this maintenace.

Though I have not had to have an emissions inspection yet, I firmly believe that in another two years when my first inspection is due, my emissions will be significantly less than comparable cars.

 

I have been ordained a minister of The Brotherhood of Common Sense, therefore, I quack at the biggest threat to this message board:



Spam it up, Spamster!

We fear neither canned meat nor sales pitches!

XXL