RickMN

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> I many be coming late to the party, and I'm not going to diss Amzoil--it's a good product. But Amzoil isn't a refiner (as far as I know). They buy base synthetic oil on the open market. The same is true of Royal Purple. Then these two oil blending companies add their proprietary blends of additives. Engine oil is made with about 25% additives. They are: dispersants to keep crud in suspension so they can be carried off to the filter, anti-foaming agents, pour-point depressants to prevent the oil from thickening at low temps and viscosity improvers to maintain viscosity as load and temps change, as well as, anti-corrosives, detergents, and anti-wear agents. It’s the anti-wear agents that have gotten the most “press.”
In the past many synthetic and traditional oil companies used zinc/phosphorous combos to protect against wear. One additive, Zinc Dialkyl Dithio Phosphate (ZDDP) has been used. But ZDDP has been proven to leave deposits in catalytic converters and the EPA has been leaning on oil makers to reduce or eliminate it. So oil companies have reformulated in order to meet the newer GF-5 standards.
To meet the new GF-5 standards, blenders will use more Group III base oils that’ll allow them to sell 0W-20 and 5W-20 multi-viscosity oils. To tackle the zinc issue, they’ll incorporate polyalphaolefin and molybdenum disulfide. The new lower starting viscosities will gain better fuel economy. But it doesn’t come without a higher price tag. ZDDP costs about $1-lb. But molybdenum costs around $22-$38-lb. It’s high right now because of the overnight demand.
It’s important to note that some off-brand oil companies keep reporting their results based on now-obsolete testing procedures—the engine sequence test. The new testing procedures are known as the Sequence VI-D test to measure fuel economy. It requires testing on late model engines, as opposed to older engine designs. The new test also looks at emission control system protection, testing how much phosphorous remains in the used oil. And the newer oils must meet different test for seal compatibility.
Then there’s the “Dexos-1” issue. That’s the oil GM will require on 2011 vehicles. While fuel economy is one of the drivers in the Dexos design, it’s really more about “oil robustness.” Simply put, GM wants an oil that’s consistent throughout its life. That’s because the GM Oil Life monitoring system will determine when to change oil based on the number of cold starts, engine RPMS, engine load, etc, etc. These are all the factors that affect engine oil life. If you can’t depend on the oil to be consistent throughout its life, then you can’t come up with an oil life monitoring system.
Then there’s the whole oil filter issue. Most cheapo oil filters are designed to last 3,000 miles. Open them up and you’ll find cardboard end caps, cellulose filter media, and nitrile anti-drainback prevention valves. That’s what you get for $3. But that won’t cut it for synthetics that are designed to last longer between fills. If you slice open the higher end filters, K&N, Mobil 1, and Fram’s extended guard, you’ll find metal end caps, silicone anti-drainback valves, and synthetic glass filter media. The cost? $8 and up. However, these high end filters are tested and rated for 7,000 to 10,000 miles. Just a note here: If you take your vehicle into a quick oil change place and ask for synthetic, the chances are almost 100% that they’ll install a $3 filter. Yup—same filter for regular and synthetic oil. In other words, you may want to bring your own filter. And by the way, if you’ve read that bogus “Oil Filter Study” that disses Fram, you might want to read this story that pretty much rebuts the entire piece of fiction.
Finally, I’d like to address the issue of Magnuson-Moss. Some people have mis-stated the act. If a car maker specifies an oil like GF-5 or Dexos, that’s just a specification. As long as those oils are available on the open market, Magnuson Moss does NOT apply. Manufacturers are allowed to specify the type of oil. They do not, as one of the forum members implied, have to give you the oil for free.