ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

[TRAUMASURG]

Originally Posted by R2D2

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!

I think this topic is beaten to death .I agree as quoted above.

[gpa]

So it was finally done. My friend switched to Mobil Super XHP 10W40 on his Swift (P) after running on Mobil 1 5W50 for the past 30,000 kms.

We went to pick up the car from service this evening and the difference was very obvious. Smoother revs from the engine. We did a drive on the BLR-Mysore NICE road which was about 15 kms from the service station and the car zoomed on the open road. No engine clatter and a smooth performance all the way upto the redline with the engine note not even being strained.

IMHO, this oil is really worth the money. He is planning on sticking to 5,000 kms oil changes henceforth. At ~Rs. 900 for a 4 litre can, it makes a lot of sense. He is driving to Chennai tomorrow and said he will let me know how the oil performs in the Chennai heat.

Regards,
gpa

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by TRAUMASURG

I think this topic is beaten to death

Sigh! You can say that again! :( It's getting repetitive.

May I request all new comers to this thread to do a search. I am sure most questions/queries would have been answered somewhere in the 100+ pages. If not, please feel welcome to ask for help/info/clarifications.

Cheers!

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by gpa

So it was finally done. My friend switched to Mobil Super XHP 10W40 on his Swift (P) after running on Mobil 1 5W50 for the past 30,000 kms.

We went to pick up the car from service this evening and the difference was very obvious. Smoother revs from the engine. We did a drive on the BLR-Mysore NICE road which was about 15 kms from the service station and the car zoomed on the open road. No engine clatter and a smooth performance all the way upto the redline with the engine note not even being strained.

IMHO, this oil is really worth the money. He is planning on sticking to 5,000 kms oil changes henceforth. At ~Rs. 900 for a 4 litre can, it makes a lot of sense. He is driving to Chennai tomorrow and said he will let me know how the oil performs in the Chennai heat.

Regards,
gpa

Hmm..smoother engine with mineral oil. This turns the great synth v/s mineral debate right on its head.

GPA, remember Mobil1 is 5W which means it is thinner at ambient than Super XHP which is 10W. I too experienced valve train chatter in my OHC with Mobil1 but it subsided greatly once the engine (and oil) was at operating temperature. Could this be the reason why you thought the engine was smoother (I assume it was at start up)?

Did your pal change over to mineral only coz of the cost benefits? I'd choose synth everytime over mineral if it were not for the cost. But I will try synth again some day.

Rgds,

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by gpa

So it was finally done. My friend switched to Mobil Super XHP 10W40 on his Swift (P) after running on Mobil 1 5W50 for the past 30,000 kms.

We went to pick up the car from service this evening and the difference was very obvious. Smoother revs from the engine. We did a drive on the BLR-Mysore NICE road which was about 15 kms from the service station and the car zoomed on the open road. No engine clatter and a smooth performance all the way upto the redline with the engine note not even being strained.

IMHO, this oil is really worth the money. He is planning on sticking to 5,000 kms oil changes henceforth. At ~Rs. 900 for a 4 litre can, it makes a lot of sense. He is driving to Chennai tomorrow and said he will let me know how the oil performs in the Chennai heat.

Regards,
gpa

What this reaffirms to me is that it is all in the head! After a good service and an oil change, most cars run smoother, and the mind is quick to ascribe this to what the brand marketing has prepared it very well to do. A regularly changed, genuine, and current generation mineral oil is all that an engine needs. As is decent food, rest and exercise is what the body needs - all the supplements and vitamins advertised so effectively are not necessary for a normal healthy person.
This applies to 90% of the performance aftermarket auto industry - all it does keep the mind engaged, pockets emptied, while doing nothing good for the car. All the flushes, cleans, additives, synthetics are just that - snake oil! Get gulled by it if you have spare cash lying around. Better to use it to fuel the car instead!

[gpa]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Mobil1 is 5W which means it is thinner at ambient than Super XHP which is 10W. I too experienced valve train chatter in my OHC with Mobil1 but it subsided greatly once the engine (and oil) was at operating temperature. Could this be the reason why you thought the engine was smoother (I assume it was at start up)?

Did your pal change over to mineral only coz of the cost benefits?

If you take a look at the comparo below, you will see that the 5W50 is only slightly thinner than the 10W40 in terms of viscosity at ambient temperatures, so IMO, it would not make a noticeable difference when in the engine.

Also when I said the engine was smoother, I was referring to the overall responsiveness of the engine all the way up to the redline.

He changed over to mineral mainly due to the cost benefits and was certain than a good mineral oil changed frequently will out perform even the best synth brew.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

What this reaffirms to me is that it is all in the head! After a good service and an oil change, most cars run smoother. A regularly changed, genuine, and current generation mineral oil is all that an engine needs.

You are right Sawyer. Which is why he is planning on sticking to changing this mineral oil more frequently rather than change the oil once every 10,000 kms.

[Spotty91]

Contacted Chevron/Caltex India by mail. Got a call back from Mr.Vikas from Chevron saying that they don't have any retail dealers in Mumbai/Thane. But they can organise a can of oil for me since one of their executives is coming to Thane. Now that's service plus I will be assured that I will be getting genuine stuff.
They have a fully synthetic oil for Rs 1100/ approx for a 4 liter can. The name is Havoline Energy which also supposedly improves Fuel Efficiency by 6%.
But the grade they have is 5W30 (API SL) compared to the 15W40 (API SG) recommended by Fiat for use in my Palio 1.6 GTX. The lower temperature starts will be better but what about the viscosity at higher temperatures.
Any views please on how good this Oil is. Has anybody used it?

[amit_mechengg]

^^^ quite cheap. if the oil is of good quality its worth everything.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Spotty91

Contacted Chevron/Caltex India by mail. Got a call back from Mr.Vikas from Chevron saying that they don't have any retail dealers in Mumbai/Thane. But they can organise a can of oil for me since one of their executives is coming to Thane. Now that's service plus I will be assured that I will be getting genuine stuff.
They have a fully synthetic oil for Rs 1100/ approx for a 4 liter can. The name is Havoline Energy which also supposedly improves Fuel Efficiency by 6%.
But the grade they have is 5W30 (API SL) compared to the 15W40 (API SG) recommended by Fiat for use in my Palio 1.6 GTX. The lower temperature starts will be better but what about the viscosity at higher temperatures.
Any views please on how good this Oil is. Has anybody used it?

Frankly, I suggest you stick to a nW40 grade oil as thinner oil is not recommended for the Palio 1.6.

Regards,

[nitrous]

Sir, xW40 is a squeeze in my opinion. 5W30 is an absolute NO-NO for Thane conditions.

[degenr8]

I was reading through this thread to find any information on HKS oil but did not find any .

My car swift P is due for its oil change so I was my doing a search on options available and I came across HKS

I saw HKS 10W30 100% mineral oil and price was 2700 for 4 lts and HKS synthetic oil was 4+ (I guess 4700) for 4 lt tin(in the below image i have highlighted the tins which i saw) .

Is this oil so expensive and why are they so expensive?

One more thing which is the best suited mineral oil for swift P 10W40 or 15W40?

Please let me know .Thanks

[Gansan]

Never heard of this oil before. If your car's spec is 15W40, better buy the Shell Helix Super 15W40, API SL mineral oil. Retails for Rs 915 / 4Litres in Chennai. I am currently using it for my Alto.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by degenr8

One more thing which is the best suited mineral oil for swift P 10W40 or 15W40?

degenr8,

MUL recommends MGO 20W40 oil for the Swift (P) which is archaic in its specs and you have made a wise decision to go in for a higher spec oil.

As for the best suited mineral oil, I have just posted a report few pages behind on a friend of mine who used the 10W40 Mobil Super XHP mineral oil in his Swift (P) so you can go for that, else the 15W40 oil suggested by Gansan is also very good!

HKS is not a common brand of oil and I can't recall anyone who has used it. You are better of sticking to Mobil or Shell.

Its a simple theory--Better to stick to a known devil than an unknown angel!

Regards,
gpa

[degenr8]

Thank you Gansan & gpa


I went and searched for both 15W40 and 10W40.
Unfortunately the guys selling Shell Helix Super 15W40 were all closed so I bought
Mobil Super XHP 10W40.

[manson]

I am not entirely sure what oil the previous owner of my bike fed it with, but the manual for my CBR 954 suggests a 10W40 grade oil, but then that rating is definitely derived keeping Japanese conditons in mind.
Would it be better to move to a 15W50 grade from Motul in synthetic or semi synthetic form? Another option is Mobil 1 that is rated at 5W50, or the Petronas 10W40 semi synthetic oil?

manson.