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-   -   ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifying-car/17917-article-synthetic-oil-vs-mineral-oil-359.html)

Bought Mobil-1 Synthetic Oil (5W-40)for my Honda Amaze Petrol. Can't wait to see the results.

Can you share the pic of the can, I don't know of any 5W40 oils in Mobil1 series. Have you bought Mobil Super 3000 instead?

There is a Mobil 1 in 5w40 unfortunately it is Mobil 1 Delvac. Excellent for diesel cars but this guy has a petrol vehicle ..

Found it, It's Mobil1 FSX2 5W40. Seems like a new product in market.

Alright. I was under the impression, based on internet searching, that engine flush is recommended if you're changing your brand/type of engine oil.

Even I had Shell HX8 in my mind. Will probably get that only.. Thanks for the recommendation.

Unless your engine oil sump is full of sludge etc (like the dipstick comes out with sludge or soot particles sticking to it) you won't need a flush. Just drain all the old oil (leave the car to drain for a bit longer if needed), and pour in a good engine oil, take it out onto the highway.

I am using HX8 in my wife's i10 automatic, and the performance is quite acceptable for the use it is put to (local runabout for kids school drops etc).

It's a new one. And it clearly states its for Gasoline and Diesel. I don't buy stuff blindly.

Clearly states Gasoline on the website.

So a synthetic a3/b4 5w40 under Rs 2000.

On much the same lines as Shell Helix Ultra.

One doubt:

When I buy fully synthetic engine oils from MASS, they charge about Rs.1100 per liter and in Amazon.in the same brands costs very less for 3.1L cans. Why?

Will it be cheaper in MASS since they procure it in bulk?

Instead of buying this tier 2 Mobil product (Mobil1 is tier 1, note the difference in price) why don't you try Shell Helix Ultra? But I hasten to add that your car probably uses xW-30 or even xW-20. Please check the manual if xW-40 can be used.

Bro, flush is used when the engine has a lot of sludge. It is clearly visible under the valve cover. Flush is not the panacea it is made out to be. For e.g using a flush on high mileage old engines can cause issues with engine noise plus the risk of loose sludge blocking oil channels in the engine.

High amounts of sludge is normally caused by irregular oil changes, extended change intervals, combustion issues, engine wear and tear issues among other things.

While some sludge is to be expected, it is the normal by product of combustion, a normal oil change, using even good quality mineral oil, done at regular recommended intervals is ALL you need to keep the engine clean.

As for using a flush before changing from mineral to synth and vice versa is pure bunkum. In fact synthetics are more efficient than mineral oils in cleaning up sludge. If you MUST do a "flush", pour in mid grade mineral oil (for e.g. Shell Helix HX5) run the car for a few 100 kms and then drain and replace with synthetic.

TBH, leave well enough alone, just change the oil and filter with good quality parts.

Mobil1 FSX2 5W40 is a full synthetic oil, just like Mobil1 0W40. The price makes it looks inferior to 0W40 but it is not. Spec wise they are a match to each other in TBN, SAPS and P. In HTHS, noack and flash point FSX2 is superior to 0W40 but only marginal and pointing it out for the sake of it. 0W40 is superior to FSX2 5W40 only in kinematic viscosity at 40degC and MRV yield stress at -40degC, but that is expected since the latter is a 5W40 oil.

I bought three cans of FSX2 5W40 in July this year, at that time Mobil India didn't even have any details of FSX2 on their website, now they do.

If you said tier 1 to mean full synthetic (group 4 and 5) base stock then yes Mobil1 is a tier 1 oil, so is Motul 8100 and Amsoil. Shell Helix Ultra is a good oil but doesn't use a synthetic base stock like some other oils sold as full synthetics.

Yes, that what I meant G4 and G5, because the label "fully synthetic" has different interpretations depending on it is an EU or US manufacturer post the Castrol vs Mobil Corp case.

I have used 3 synthetics, Shell Helix Ultra (extensively, and this one is synthesized from gas for 'purer' molecules), Mobil1 20W-50, Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 and Amsoil Signature 5W-30 in various vehicles over the decades. I prefer Amsoil Signature 5W-30 over the others. Want to try Motul Xcess 8100 some day.

PS - wanted to ask, if FS2 and Mobil1 are the same in terms of SAPS, TBN, flash point etc what is the product differentiator other than price?

If you go by the price to determine whether an oil is synthetic or not then even Amsoil, which makes only true group 4 synthetic motor oil, cannot be considered as synthetic because the pricing is too good.

When you call them FS2 and Mobil1, its incorrect, they belong in the same product group Mobil1. The name of grey bottle lower priced product is Mobil1 FS X2 5W40 and golden bottle higher priced product is Mobil1 FS 0W40. FS stands for full synthetic.

Mobil1 FS 0W40, Mobil1 FSX2 5W40, Mobil Delvac1 5W40 are all manufactured in France and comes through Singapore. FSX2 says Made in Singapore made but its actually France (not all Mobil1 products are Euro made though some are made in USA the land where Group 3 can be called full synthetic). All Motul 8100 series are also made and bottled in France.

Now that the prices of synthetics have come down I like to try all properly priced true synthetics from reputed manufacturers (Mobil, Motul, Amsoil). I like Shell Helix Ultra knowing its a GTL group 3, but don't use it now because prices of other group 4 synthetics are now matching SHU.

I am not going by price alone but by what has been used in my cars and and my friends' vehicles as well. I don't experiment with engine oils frequently, once I like a product I stick to it as I did with SHU till 2018 regardless of whether it was G3, G4 or G5. Once Amsoil Signature, a product I used in the US in the early 2Ks, was released here I grabbed it.

Obviously Mobil1 with the "FS X2" nomenclature is a new introduction to India. Never heard of it before. Looks like the old Mobil1 has been superseded overseas but still produced and sold in India along with the venerable 5W-30 both with API SN and CF obviously targeted more at petrols and which makes them a less than optimal choice for today's high power diesels.

Here's a PDF product guide to Mobil's vast current product range for petrol and diesel engines, Anyway, the main difference other than viscosity (and possibly price) is the differences in level of zinc and phosphorus and lastly manufacturer approvals.

A bit difficult to understand the product differentiation here given Mobil's vague marketing speak so it's better to consult this guide for clarity.

Oil formulations can change and have changed without notice, so I always refresh before buying again even if its the same thing. For eg: Mobil1 0W40 is better now (spec wise) than it was a couple of years ago. Liquimoly Molygen was a synthetic oil previously, now the Liquimoly Molygen new generation is a semisynth but still the prices are high.

Of all synthetics I like Motul 8100 because my good experience with it in my highly tuned Crysta. They are closely associated with TRD. Still I watch the specs for any change and I try other oils otherwise I wouldn't know.