What does synthetic oil do for my car that regular oil does not?
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Thermal breakdown-as oil gets hot, wears out it starts to break down and evaporate. This evaporative loss is why your car uses oil (unless it’s actually smoking out the tailpipe)
Synthetic oils, which are not man made unlike popular belief. Synthetic oils use the same base stock as conventional oil, but the additives are synthetic. Additives are the viscosity modifiers, anti wear additives, corrosion inhibitors etc.
All motor oil’s have these things.
The additive package being synthetic means it stands up to the heat better and does not break down as quickly, this also means it lasts longer.
The reason we change the oil is because it becomes contaminated and the additives wear out.
All oils are NOT created equal, a dollar store full synthetic may not be any better than a major brands least expensive conventional oil.
Engine sludge is formed when the additives evaporate and condense on cooler engine parts, kinda like frost in a freezer.
Remember, these evaporate when they break down.
Varnish is also bad and again happens when the additives break down and stain the engine parts. But it is not as bad as sludge, sludge build up blocks oil passages and prevents oil from lubricating parts of the engine.
All oils sold in the US must meet minimum SAE standards for protection, but those are the minimum.
Synthetics come in three groups, group 1, group 2 and group 3. Group 3 being the best and most expensive.
Group 1 would be Mobil 1 and similar brands.
Group 2 would be Castrol and similar brands.
Group 3 would be Royal Purple.
Most Amsoil is not SAE certified, read the back of the bottle to know for sure.
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