These days there are many ads that bombard the television screen and tout the advantages of synthetic oil. Even your local oil change stop may prompt you to use synthetic oil as opposed to the conventional oil that you have always used. But the rub is that synthetic oil is sometimes three times more expensive in comparison to conventional oil so what do you do?
First it is important to know what each type of oil is. Here is a breakdown of the two:
- Conventional Oil: Conventional oil, also known as regular oil is derived from crude oil that is pulled from the ground. Once the crude oil is taken out of the ground it is sent to an oil refinery and refined to be many types of oil based products. The thicker oils will be used in such products as roofing tar and the finer oil will be what makes conventional motor oil and gasoline. This thinner oil becomes what is known as the base stock for motor oil and the problem is that there are always going to be some impurities that cannot be removed.
- Synthetic Oil: Unlike conventional oil, synthetic oil gets its oil stock from a synthesized or artificial source. Because it is produced this way there are not going to be the impurities that conventional oils have. Additionally there are many other additives that go into synthetic oil that help to fight off sludge and other mineral deposits that are a natural byproduct of combustion such as that which occurs in an engine.
Some of the pros for synthetic oil are the fact that the oil is better for extreme cold and hot conditions, the oil will hold up better to thermal breakdown, and at least in theory the synthetic oil will increase the life of your engine. But with the good comes the bad and synthetic oil has its cons too. The biggest con would arguably be the high cost which is the number one deterant when it comes to picking synthetic oil or conventional oil.
It should also be noted that it is not suggested that synthetic oil be used in the first 5,000 miles of the engines life. This is known as the ‘break in’ period and you should stick to the manufacturer’s recommendation in regards to oil at first. It is also said that synthetic oil will only do its job if you use it from the get go (after 5,000 miles) and don’t wait until the engine has a lot of miles on it already.
There is no doubt that synthetic oil trumps conventional oil in quality. It is a better lubricant and has almost no impurities, which is probably why it costs so much more. It can stand up to extreme weather conditions and it is being recommended by more and more car manufacturers as the benefits are beginning to unfold. But if you are one of those people who get a new car every other year, then you may not want the added expense of the synthetic oil. However, if you buy a car and you plan on holding on to it for any extended period of time then you should strongly consider the use of synthetic oil each and every time you change the oil in your car. The bottom line is that it all comes down to your personal preference.
If you are on the fence about the entire issue then you can always opt for a synthetic blend which is part synthetic oil and part conventional oil. While not as cheap as conventional oil it is less expensive as a straight synthetic and really it gives you the best of both worlds.
