[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by gpa

How many kms did you cover on synth?

In the region of 30-35000 kms.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by gpa

However, now he wants to use a good grade mineral oil and has shortlisted Mobil Super XHP 10W40 and Shell Helix Super 10W40. Both of these are API-SL grade oils. He doesn't want to go for Castrol Magnatec as there is a lot of spurious stuff in the market. Authorized dealers for Mobil and Shell have quoted a price of ~Rs. 800 for a 4 litre can of the oils.

Shell Helix Super is 15W40, API SL.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by username

Hi Guys, My Swift VDi is due for 3rd service in a couple of days. I am planning to shift to Synthetic oil. I am a novice in choosing engine oils.

Please provide me with options that i can consider to buy.

Thanks in advance.

What is your main objective of switching to Synthetic oil?

I see not major benefits for the price you pay for Synthetic oil if you are using it as a means of transport. If you are going for a rally or you plan to go on a long drive and rev hard then you need to switch to synthetic.

Go for Mobil Devlac MX (the best Mineral oil for diesel engines in India) and you can get the same at 1/3rd to 1/4th the cost of Synthetic oil.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

What is your main objective of switching to Synthetic oil?

I see not major benefits for the price you pay for Synthetic oil if you are using it as a means of transport. If you are going for a rally or you plan to go on a long drive and rev hard then you need to switch to synthetic.

Go for Mobil Devlac MX (the best Mineral oil for diesel engines in India) and you can get the same at 1/3rd to 1/4th the cost of Synthetic oil.

Thanks DieselFan for trying to restore some sanity. I cannot think of any run of the mill car really requiring Synthetics.

What is more important is that irrespective of the oil ensure that you change it at least once a year, even if you drive only 100km a month..

[gpa]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

or you plan to go on a long drive and rev hard then you need to switch to synthetic.

Well said. If most of your driving is on the highway and if you have a style of driving where the engine spends a lot of time in the upper echelons of the rev band, then it is worth going for synthetic. In the Mobil stable you have - Mobil Delvac Super, a fully synth oil specially formulated for diesel engines.

[username]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

What is your main objective of switching to Synthetic oil?

I see not major benefits for the price you pay for Synthetic oil if you are using it as a means of transport. If you are going for a rally or you plan to go on a long drive and rev hard then you need to switch to synthetic.

Go for Mobil Devlac MX (the best Mineral oil for diesel engines in India) and you can get the same at 1/3rd to 1/4th the cost of Synthetic oil.

Thanks Diesel Fan... I dont rev the car hard... But, I do go for real long drives... Sometimes, driving continuously even for 5-6 hrs... During long drives, wont go beyond 130-140kmph. Some of those long drives could be countryside drives... meaning, driving at wide speed range (30 - 90kmph) continuously for 4/5 hrs.

I was told by my friends that Synthetic is a good option...

What would you guys suggest?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by username

Thanks Diesel Fan... I dont rev the car hard... But, I do go for real long drives... Sometimes, driving continuously even for 5-6 hrs... During long drives, wont go beyond 130-140kmph. Some of those long drives could be countryside drives... meaning, driving at wide speed range (30 - 90kmph) continuously for 4/5 hrs.

I was told by my friends that Synthetic is a good option...

What would you guys suggest?

username, if money is no object & you are willing replace the oil at recommended intervals, synth is best. The Value For Money vote goes to mineral.

Also, dont fall for an oil dealers jive about extended drain (as much as 25K-30k kms) with synth that may seem to justify the cost.

However, keep in mind most cars (bar a few high end machines) are designed to run on mineral oil and do not need synthetics for long engine life provided:

a) You use good quality mineral oil
b) Change oil+ filter regularly
and
c) Use the mfrs recommended grade of oil for your driving conditions including ambient temperature.

The debate about mineral and synth is ongoing here on TBHP with this thread exceeding 100+ pages. But in the end the choice is yours.

Cheers!

[gpa]

As a result of my earlier post on my friend wanting to switch to Mobil Super XHP (mineral oil) from Mobil 1 (fully synthetic oil), I was trawling the net to see what was the difference between Mobil's range of synth and mineral oil.

Came across data sheets for both the mineral and fully synth oil that clearly mentioned the differences between the oils. I have posted a screen shot of the comparison below.

As you can see in the table below, the viscosity (in absolute terms) at 100º C for the mineral grade stands at 14.5 compared to 17.4 for the fully synthetic brew. Also interesting to note is the fact that the density readings at 15º C is 0.87 and 0.86 for the mineral and fully synth oils respectively. I reckon there will be no noticeable variation in performance due to these above factors even when driving in ambient temperatures of >40º C.

There isn't much of a difference between the 10W 40 mineral based oil my friend chose over the 5W 50 fully synth oil apart from the proprietary Super Syn anti wear agents added into the fully synth oil.

However, will the engine be able to manage oils of different grades (5W 50 and 10W 40) flowing through it? If I'm not mistaken the recommended oil grade for the Swift (P) is 20W 40.
Looking forward to your inputs.

Regards,
gpa

EDIT: The data sheet also claims that the 10W 40 conforms to API-SM norms

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

No worries, answering questions expands our understanding most of the time - please post the price of the Shell, I'd like to know how different it is from the Magnatec.

@ Sawyer:

Shell Helix Super 15W-40 costs between Rs.800-850 for 4 Litres (at Heera Oil Depot on Satara Road, Pune). The guy who answered the phone didn't have the price list handy, but did remember the approximate price. Aru Oil Depot had quoted a price of Rs. 1150 for 4 litres for Castrol Magnatec; I guess it'll be the same (or lower) at Hindustan Oil.

Since it's not that big a difference in price between Shell & Castrol, I think it'll be "VS MAX out, Magnatec in" for my Palio 1.6.

Cheers,
Vikram

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by gpa

Well said. If most of your driving is on the highway and if you have a style of driving where the engine spends a lot of time in the upper echelons of the rev band, then it is worth going for synthetic. In the Mobil stable you have - Mobil Delvac Super, a fully synth oil specially formulated for diesel engines.

gpa - Mobil Delvac Super is not a Synthetic oil but a mineral oil. The Diesel Synthetics from Mobil stable is Mobil Delvac 1 and Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel. These are the only two Diesel Synths I know of from Mobil and both are not easily available in india.
There are lots of Mobil Synthetic oil for Petrol cars that are not suitable for Diesel as they come with a CF rating while most diesels today need CG or higher.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by username

Thanks Diesel Fan... I dont rev the car hard... But, I do go for real long drives... Sometimes, driving continuously even for 5-6 hrs... During long drives, wont go beyond 130-140kmph. Some of those long drives could be countryside drives... meaning, driving at wide speed range (30 - 90kmph) continuously for 4/5 hrs.

I was told by my friends that Synthetic is a good option...

What would you guys suggest?

For your kind of drive Mineral oil is good enough. go for Mobil Delvac MX and you won't regret it. IMO - MOBIL DELVAC MX IS BEST MINERAL OIL FOR DIESEL IN INDIA.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

gpa - Mobil Delvac Super is not a Synthetic oil but a mineral oil. The Diesel Synthetics from Mobil stable is Mobil Delvac 1 and Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel.

DF,

Thanks for clearing up the discrepancy. Would like your inputs on the other Mobil Comparo post as well.

Thanks,
gpa

[sgiitk]

The Mobill Comparison does nothing to change my views. Use a good Mineral or at most a semi-synth. It does reveal that all Mobil oils incl. Mineral meet API-SM! The only advantage I can see with synths is that they have a wider viscosity range - so someone driving a few km from one point to another at a time mayl benefit from faster oil circulation at start-up. But then he/she is highly unlikely to be doing even 10,000km a year, so the supposed benefits may not be cost effective.

Also, with modern engines given any decent care expected to last well in excess of 150,000km how many of us will be hanging on to our cars that long? Not me for sure!

[gpa]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The Mobill Comparison does nothing to change my views. Use a good Mineral or at most a semi-synth. It does reveal that all Mobil oils incl. Mineral meet API-SM!

Thanks for your inputs.

What about the different grades in the engine? Will it harm the engine in any way if a 5W 50 is used instead of the recommended 20W 40 or 15W 40 for the Swift (P)?

[Gansan]

gpa,
If 5W50 does not harm an Alto which requires 20W40, I don't see how it can adversely affect a Swift.