Total Kar; Cars, Trucks and Mechanics

Synthetic oil is far superior to conventional petroleum oil. When we look at the five basic properties of oil, lubricate, cool, clean, seal and absorb shock. Synthetic oil wins in all categories. So let’s start with a little history.

One of the first and foremost introductions of synthetic oil is from the Germans, World War II. Since they had virtually no petroleum, they were forced to come up with alternate’s means of lubrication for the machines of war.  In actuality they designed a better lubricant than the petroleum they were missing.

Now let’s look at the differences.

First: Lubrication- Superiority in synthetic oil is down to the molecular level. Basically petroleum oil is nature made and the structure of the molecules is uneven in size and position.  Synthetic oil was designed in a lab by scientist and the molecules are all the same size and the same position. This uniform molecular structure, gives the synthetic oil better lubricating properties because it gives more surface area for the parts to ride on, thus causing less friction and heat. The result of which is less wear and more power.

Second: Cooling- Synthetic normally flows more freely than conventional petroleum oil. In turn this allows the synthetic oil to carry heat away from engine parts faster than conventional. The other factor here is synthetic oil reduces friction heat to start with.

Third: Cleaning- Synthetic oil additives and base have better cleaning properties than conventional, partially due to their ability to resist acid build up from the engine, in turn not breaking the oil down.

Forth: Sealing- Synthetic oil normally aides in prolonging engine seals. Synthetic oils have very good cleaning capabilities, in some cases on higher mileage engines, we have seen synthetic oil clean the sludge out of a worn seal (we didn’t notice the seal was worn before because the sludge was holding the worn seal together).

Fifth: Absorb Shock- Engines are dynamic machines with a lot of moving parts. A lot of shock and load can be put on the components. The synthetic oil has a better film between moving parts, this more uniformed structure of the oil allows better support on the moving part and in turn helps in absorbing shock and distributing the load.

I personally run Amsoil in my vehicles, I have tested it extensively and I am impressed.  I run Amsoil in my turbocharged as well as my regular truck engine. It works exceptionally well in Diesel engines. I also have Amsoil synthetic in my transmission and rear differential. I have picked up 3-5 miles to the gallon and I have more power. Why, because synthetic oil frees up parasitic load (friction) the engine, transmission and rear differential uses to turn, in turn I get the extra power from the engine. I know when you spill it on the floor; it is a lot slicker than conventional oil, so be careful.

Well I hope this helps with any questions you may have had, drop me a line if you have a question.

Thanks for stopping by…

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Q: I drive a 2008 Acura turbo RDX. Acura recommends the higher octane grade gas. Can I go to the lower octane too? Does Turbo make a difference in gas selection?

A: I have to agree with Acura here… minimum octane rating for your engine (2.3 liter 4 cylinder with 240 horsepower) is 91.

Premium fuel is part of a turbocharged gasoline engine. Understand this; it is not that your engine won’t run on lower grade fuel, it will, however you won’t get proper performance from your engine with a lower grade gas. You will have less power and you will not be able to gain RPM as easily. This will make the engine actually use more gas to get the same performance as with a higher grade gas.

The biggest problem however will be the fact that you may also get unwanted noise from your engine (knocking or clattering). Your engine has a “Knock Sensor” that will sense this and it will attempt to adjust ignition timing to eliminate or reduce the knock. Long term knock can be damaging to your engine.

So though you might think you save money by buying lower grade gas, you in fact will do the opposite, you will end up spending more on gas and on possible engine repairs.

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When you go to the gas station to fill up your car, there is always the choice of three different levels of octane gas, from low to high. Why are there different levels, and which one does my vehicle need?  These are good questions. First let me explain a bit what it is, octane…

When gas is sprayed into the engine, the heat of the engine turns the gas in to a vapor. The spark plug sets of a spark to ignite this vapor. Sometimes however, the gas mixture detonates to early, when this happens you often hear an extra sound, called a ‘knock’.  Octane is an additive put into gasoline to control unwanted knocking. The higher the level of octane, the less likely knocking occurs.

Why then three different levels of octane and not just one level; high?

Higher octane fuel burns slower, which in turn gives more thermal energy, so you should get more power from higher octane fuel. But the byproduct of a hotter engine is more carbon waste and it won’t clean your engine out, just the opposite…

Then, why not one level; low?

Lower octane actually burns cleaner; however, if hauling heavy loads, especially on hilly or mountainous terrain, your car or truck won’t perform as good as it does with higher octane level. The three different levels are to suit the different needs.

Most all vehicles today are engineered to run on the lower octane rating, after all, less emission is supposed to be the main motivation for the engineering of today’s cars and trucks. In normal situations I run a lower level octane, to spare my engine and the environment. However, if I need just a bit more performance I will run a higher octane level.

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