ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

Akshay1234 · 28th June 2007, 18:44

hey guys.. need help.

will shell helix ultra 15w50 work on my innova diesel. where in bombay shouldo get this??

also what do you recommend for a getz. which synthetic oil should i use and where can i get this? and how many litres do i need?

nitrous · 28th June 2007, 19:36

Akshay, if your getz has completed 10,000 kms, U can use 5W50 grade Synthetic oil from Mobil1 or OWS or Motul or any of the reputed brands. Don't forget to use an engine flush before u do the change.

Diesel engines' oil needs are different and so, if u can source Castrol GTX Diesel,it would be apt.

IMP · 28th June 2007, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

1. EDGE etc., are also good, if you are on a budget go for it
2. 40K is a new engine not old, esp in a modern car
3. De-carbonising is removing carbon deposits. I think they flushed your engine
4. Go for a good synthetic oil 15W40/15W50/20W50/10W40 etc., make sure higher number is 40 or 50.

I didn't say old, rather i asked whether it is advisable to go for a flush for an engine which has done 40k kms.

Decarbonisation is different as compared to engine flush, just found that out, just search for engine decarb in our forums.

Thx for moving the post to the right thread!

After reading through the thread, i have prepared a list of oils in order of preference given by members.

Correct me if i'm wrong guys.

1. Mobil 1 5W50 API SM,SL,SJ,CF
2. Shell Helix Ultra 15W40 API SJ/CF
3. Motul 8100 5W40 API SL/CF
4. Castrol Edge ???
5. Valvoline SynPower 15W40 API SL, SJ, or CF
and if you want to stick to sanely priced oils
1. Castrol GTX Magnatec 10W40 API SM/CF

Just check out this page, it allows you to select your vehicle, and it recommends an engine oil.

Choose the Right Motor Oil

I tried many cars that are available in india, and it recommended mineral for all cars. It also says "we do not recommend SynPower (aka synthetic) for your car"

This from a manufacturer! what do you think guys?

Cheers

Sam Kapasi · 28th June 2007, 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMP

Correct me if i'm wrong guys.

1. Mobil 1 5W40 API SM,SL,SJ,CF

and if you want to stick to mineral
1. Castrol GTX Magnatec 10W40 API SM/CF

Just two things IMP.

The commonly sold Mobil1 is 5W50.

And GTX magnatec is a semi-synth oil.

IMP · 28th June 2007, 19:57

Thanks for the info, sam. Didn't know it was semi synth.

razor4077 · 28th June 2007, 20:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMP

Just check out this page, it allows you to select your vehicle, and it recommends an engine oil.

Choose the Right Motor Oil

I tried many cars that are available in india, and it recommended mineral for all cars. It also says "we do not recommend SynPower (aka synthetic) for your car"

This from a manufacturer! what do you think guys?

Cheers

Did you select the right area in the US (this influences the climatic conditions)? I used that tool and it recommended SynPower for my car.

Car: Mitsubishi Mirage (aka Lancer in India) 1.5L, 2000 model
Zip code: 33607 (Tampa, Florida - coz it has a tropical climate similar to India)
Car been modded for performance? Yes
Other stuff - self-explanatory

Recommended fully synth for me.

IMP · 28th June 2007, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by razor4077

Car been modded for performance? Yes
Recommended fully synth for me.

I checked yes for "I consider my vehicle to be a high performance vehicle and/or I have made performance modifications to my vehicle" for 3-4 vehicles and it too recommended synthetic. But if you check no, then it recommended mineral. (Same zip code)

Modifications on your engine, mean more wear and tear on your engine, so maybe it recommends, synthetic. I selected an Audi RS4, and again checked no to "consider vehicle as high performance" and it still recommended synthetic.

OT: What mods do you have on your car razor?

Cheers.

razor4077 · 28th June 2007, 21:57

@IMP: Check this link. The modding process is currently in progress:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...t-phoenix.html

BUSA · 29th June 2007, 00:02

Guys which specification of Mobil1 Supersync should i go in for my Optra which is nearing its 40000kms service, the engine will be decarbed first. Which flush to use and mostly where in Bombay can i get them at a good rate, i heard the rate varies from 600 - 800, is shell cheaper?

tsk1979 · 29th June 2007, 01:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Just two things IMP.

The commonly sold Mobil1 is 5W50.

And GTX magnatec is a semi-synth oil.

Wrong Magnatec is not a synthetic oil, its a mineral oil, atleast thats what the company brochure says for 10W40 which is available in India.
Highly refined mineral oil (IP 346 DMSO extract < 3%). Proprietary performance additives.

As for motul mobil etc., API-SM synthetic oil better than API-SL since API-SM is a newer standard.

IMP · 29th June 2007, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUSA

Guys which specification of Mobil1 Supersync should i go in for my Optra which is nearing its 40000kms service, the engine will be decarbed first. Which flush to use and mostly where in Bombay can i get them at a good rate, i heard the rate varies from 600 - 800, is shell cheaper?

The most recommended, and widely available spec is 5w50. i'm planning to get it for my optra also. Also, engine decarb is different from engine flush. If you are getting the engine decarb done, you still have to get the engine flushed, before you pour synthetic in the car. You can read about engine decarb here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...html#post54682

BUSA · 29th June 2007, 15:20

@ Imp ya i am aware what engine decarb is, got my engine decarbed at 20000kms too, i just said that next service i will get engine decarbed and then add systhetic oil, any pointers on the following.

Quote:

Guys which specification of Mobil1 Supersync should i go in for my Optra which is nearing its 40000kms service, the engine will be decarbed first. Which flush to use and mostly where in Bombay can i get them at a good rate, i heard the rate varies from 600 - 800, is shell cheaper?

Sam Kapasi · 29th June 2007, 15:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Wrong Magnatec is not a synthetic oil, its a mineral oil, atleast thats what the company brochure says for 10W40 which is available in India.

Tsk, I am not wrong. I did not say Magnatec was synthetic, I said it's semi-synthetic. In India GTX Magnatec is described clearly as a semi-synthetic oil.

The castrol website also describes GTX magnatec as a "Part-synthetic" oil.

Here

There are more sites that discuss it too. The GTX variant is mineral, Magnatec is sold as a semi-synth and Edge as aSynth.

nitrous · 29th June 2007, 15:49

Sam is right.
And Castrol also markets a product called "Syntec" in the US which is a fully synthetic oil.

tsk1979 · 29th June 2007, 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Tsk, I am not wrong. I did not say Magnatec was synthetic, I said it's semi-synthetic. In India GTX Magnatec is described clearly as a semi-synthetic oil.

The castrol website also describes GTX magnatec as a "Part-synthetic" oil.

Here

There are more sites that discuss it too. The GTX variant is mineral, Magnatec is sold as a semi-synth and Edge as aSynth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

Sam is right.
And Castrol also markets a product called "Syntec" in the US which is a fully synthetic oil.

I went to the Castrol UK site.
There is says Castrol Magnatec 10W40 is "highly refined mineral oil with additives". This is the castrol web site, no some third party vendor!
Another funny thing is that this oil is about 10% more expensive than GTX, thats it while edge costs 4 times as much.
I also found a Castrol UK link for 0W30 Castrol magnatec which is Synthetically engineered oil with chemical name being "Alkyl Phenol"

28th June 2007, 18:44	#361
Akshay1234 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,265 Thanked: 12,317 Times	hey guys.. need help. will shell helix ultra 15w50 work on my innova diesel. where in bombay shouldo get this?? also what do you recommend for a getz. which synthetic oil should i use and where can i get this? and how many litres do i need?
	() Thanks

28th June 2007, 19:36	#362
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Akshay, if your getz has completed 10,000 kms, U can use 5W50 grade Synthetic oil from Mobil1 or OWS or Motul or any of the reputed brands. Don't forget to use an engine flush before u do the change. Diesel engines' oil needs are different and so, if u can source Castrol GTX Diesel,it would be apt.
	() Thanks

28th June 2007, 19:57	#365
IMP BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 123 Thanked: 30 Times	Thanks for the info, sam. Didn't know it was semi synth.
	() Thanks

28th June 2007, 21:57	#368
razor4077 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,882 Thanked: 298 Times View My Garage	@IMP: Check this link. The modding process is currently in progress: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...t-phoenix.html
	() Thanks

29th June 2007, 00:02	#369
BUSA Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,130 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Guys which specification of Mobil1 Supersync should i go in for my Optra which is nearing its 40000kms service, the engine will be decarbed first. Which flush to use and mostly where in Bombay can i get them at a good rate, i heard the rate varies from 600 - 800, is shell cheaper?
	() Thanks

29th June 2007, 15:49	#374
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Sam is right. And Castrol also markets a product called "Syntec" in the US which is a fully synthetic oil.
	() Thanks