Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 01:15:02 -0500
From: "Gary Hedlin" <ghedlin@theramp.net>
>The most logical way to look at this is is by the oil raitings... 10w30
>refers to the specifications of the oil. Synthetic oil could not have
10w30
>or anything like that printed on the label unless it met those
>specifications. ITS AS SIMPLE AS THAT. Synthetic oil has to meet the same
>specs as dino oil....They just use man made ingrediants rather than organic
>(which petrolium is)
It's really not that simple. Yes, for an oil to carry a rating it's got to
meet the specifications. What the numbers on the can (or should I say
bottle, showing my age!) do not tell you is how much better the oil is (if
any better) than the rating on the can. Synthetic oils will exceed the
ratings by a good margin.
>The major thing that makes any oil loose viscosity is dirt. Dirty oil does
>not lubricate as well as clean...we all know this. As far as I know,
>synthetic oil has nothing in it to prevent it from getting dirty.
Nope, dirt in the oil has little or no effect on the viscosity. As long as
the particles are smaller than 25 microns they have no effect on the ability
to lubricate. It's the break down of the additives in the oil that cause it
to lose it's effectiveness. Again, the superiority of synthetic oil is that
little or no additives are required to get the lubricating properties in the
oil.
Dave Clement
99 Dakota SLT+ CC 4x4
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