Why is synthetic oil so expensive

Conversely, mineral or conventional oil is made using refined crude oil. A drop of conventional oil under a microscope shows millions of molecules all with different shapes, sizes and structures. Synthetic oil can be fully synthetic or a synthetic blend and be derived from multiple base types.

Full synthetic oils use a synthetic base stock, are uniquely designed molecule by molecule without using petroleum and include additives meant to help the degradation of the oil. A synthetic blend is a mix of conventional motor oil and synthetic base stocks. Adding the synthetic base stock to the conventional mineral oil gives you a little bit more protection than just using the conventional oil by itself.

There are multiple types of synthetics with distinctly different properties and applications. However, most synthetics used in automotive service are polyalphaolefins PAO. For simplicity, the primary reference to synthetic oils in this article will relate to PAOs. However, synthetic oils are often marketed as having superior performance when compared with conventional oil. This superior performance may only relate to certain properties but not others.

It is possible that some formulations of conventional mineral oils may exhibit superior performance on certain properties. There have been numerous studies over the years comparing synthetic oil to conventional mineral oil. Most notably the American Automobile Association AAA used certified labs using American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM standardized test methods to examine differences in engine oils marketed as conventional versus those marketed as full synthetic.

Among other things, AAA found that, on average, synthetic oils outperformed conventional oils by 47 percent in the conducted tests. The selected tests evaluated several important physical, chemical and performance properties including shear stability, deposit formation, volatility, cold-temperature pumpability, oxidation resistance, and oxidation-induced rheological viscosity changes.

Synthetic oil is quickly becoming the new normal, with nearly 70 percent of new cars in the model year getting either fully synthetic or a synthetic blend oil, according to Consumer Reports. Even as the number of new cars requiring synthetics continues to increase, it remains important for consumers to follow manufacturer recommendations for their vehicle when it comes to changing their oil.

The advancement of synthetic oil has put the microscope on conventional oil. Even though conventional oil lubricates your car's engine adequately in most cases, there are some possible disadvantages to using it. These disadvantages may or may not be realized or noticed depending on various factors like marginal fluidity at extremely low temperatures, thermal and oxidative stability prolonged chemical stability at high temperatures and viscosity protection against wear and friction at high engine loads and temperatures.

So, what are the advantages of switching to a synthetic as opposed to a conventional motor oil? When looking at the pros and cons, synthetic lubricants can offer meaningful advantages.

The following are some of the most significant advantages synthetics PAOs generally have over conventional engine oils. Note, the list below assumes that the additive package would be similar between the two options which is rarely the case. Most synthetic lubricant formulations for automobiles would have a superior additive package making the comparison more complex.

In other words, is the superior performance the result of the synthetic base oil or is it due to the superior additive s or a little of both? When it comes to the price of synthetic or synthetic blends, it's not always black and white. A quart of modern semi- or full-synthetic oil usually costs somewhere between four and 10 dollars, although some special blends can cost even more," Calkins explains. You may also make up for some of the extra costs by changing your oil less frequently.

When it comes to the cost of an oil change, the change frequency of synthetic oil is longer, with most brands recommending an oil change at around 5, to 7, miles up to 25, miles depending on some brands.

Conventional oil changes are recommended at anywhere from 3, to 5, miles. It's important to note, if you're going to use a synthetic oil for longer oil change intervals, you should upgrade your oil filter to one also with a longer service life to match that of the synthetic oil. For those who only use their vehicles for short local trips, moisture can gather.

Impurities can collect because traditional oil never gets hot enough to burn them off. And that can break down traditional oil. Those who live in areas that have extreme winters or summers or who do a lot of hauling and towing, synthetic oil can resist breakdown and actually protect the engine better than traditional oil. In older engines that collect sludge, the residue forms when traditional oil breaks down. The sludge blocks oil passages and eventually chokes out and kills your engine. Reduced degradation when towing or hauling heavy loads.

It also contains superior additives that are meant to help prevent degradation of the oil over time. Other synthetic oils start out as a petroleum product, like conventional oil, but undergo a special refining process that changes the molecular structure to meet certain criteria, such as operating at high temperatures and lasting longer than conventional oils.

High-performance vehicles, especially those equipped with turbochargers, which require oils that can withstand high temperatures, are more likely to call for synthetic oil. However, automakers are moving toward wider use of synthetic oils or synthetic-blended oils, which are usually less expensive.

However, when seen in a long run, the overall maintenance costs while using synthetic engine oils are not much more over while the conventional engine oils. This is down due to the fact that conventional engine oils demand a higher frequency of replacements over the synthetic engine oils.

In simpler words, the synthetic engine oils can be used for more kilometers between two service intervals when compared to the conventional engine oils and this is a key element to know when you compare synthetic engine oils vs conventional oils. And because of all the benefits they offer, synthetic engine oils are much more preferred by all the car manufacturers at their authorized workshops in their servicing practices, over the conventional engine oils.

So the next time you take your car for a service , do give synthetic oils a serious thought! Synthetic engine oils offer more advantages over the conventional engine oils, due to better viscosity and lubrication properties.