Wow.....there is so much misinformation being spread thats it no wonder people tend to be so confused about the differences between synthetics and conventional lubricants.
For anyone interested in this topic, I highly suggest doing as much research as possible before deciding or coming to any conclusions. And.....places like
https://bobistheoilguy.com/ is a great website to begin your journey with forums dedicated to such specific topics.
That said, let me just say that there are many applications best suited for conventional lubricants, and there are many applications best suited for synthetics. You also may unknowingly be using one or the other since OEM lubricants typically dont state either way unless you know what to look for in the specs.
If I may though, please let me throw in some fun facts you may or may not already know which tend to be the most common reasons why people use synthetics, and some of the fallacies some readily spew claiming their knowledge about lubricants.
Keeping this simple: Lubricants biggest threats are thermal breakdown from oxidation and polymer shearing.
Oxidation is when the oil temperature gets hot enough that the smaller oil molecules contacting oxygen leave the base with those oxygen molecules in a state of evaporation. Oxidation happens to all petroleum based oils too at approximately 140*F, and the rate of oxidation doubles every 10* the lubricants temperature increases. Oxidation results in all the larger oil molecules remaining and the oil getting thicker and thicker. The problem is that you cant get away from oxidation because oil needs to run hot enough in order to burn off water molecules which has found its way into the lubricant from condensation. You just dont want oil to get too hot because thats when oxidation destroys lubrication values and increases oil viscosity, leaving behind sludge and varnish.
Viscosity is controlled by adding polymers to the lubricant which act like springy coils suspended within the lubricant. When the lubricant is cold the coils are wound up allowing easier flow, and when the oil heats up the coils unwind preventing the oil from thinning. Shearing is when those viscosity polymers are damaged by the pressures and friction the lubricant goes through, over time offering less and less in maintaining the correct viscosity based on temperature.
We change oil generally because oil collects contaminants over time which remains suspended, unless caught in the filter, and also because oxidation and shearing changes the oils molecular structure. The more abuse the oil goes through, obviously the more often the lubricant needs to be changed.
Now its very important to understand that synthetics are NOT a man made lubricant product but rather a premium draw from the crude oil fracking process which results in the most symmetrical fluid contained on a molecular level. Then lubricant manufactures add their own proprietary additives which give them their "marketed advantages" over that of the others. Also, most synthetics available to the everyday consumers are just a petroleum based product.....very similar to the bottle of conventional sitting next to it. The misnomer that synthetic lubricants are some highly secretive NASA like space goop create in a laboratory full of white coat scientists is just plain false.....
But because synthetics are made up of the most symmetrical molecules drawn during that fracking process, that symmetry works at fighting oxidation by lessening the chances of the lubricant molecules leaving as the oxygen molecules have a harder time pulling them away. And when some of the lubricant molecules do oxidize, the remaining molecules are still of similar size. This maintains viscosity and allows the polymers to remain more protected while the lubricants are running at hotter temperatures, thus perform their tasks longer as the oil remains in a more constant state of viscous condition for more miles. Also.....because of all that, the polymers used in synthetics can offer better low temperature flow characteristics while colder than most conventional lubricants.
Point is that conventional and synthetic lubricants offer the EXACT same protection unless they're used in applications which would be subject to extreme cold climates or subject to extreme heat situations. Disclaimer: The extreme heat can also be within the engine as well and not just ambient. Meaning, some high HP engines need the advantages of synthetic at the point of contact and some gear lubricants need synthetics during the extreme hypoid action as thats where the heat is most intense. Lastly.....synthetics dont "cling" to anything better than conventional lubricants either. There are some synthetics which charge the lubricants molecules in order to help them stick to the metal surfaces magnetically, but this is not common marketing.
So with ALL that said, again, I high advise someone interested in this subject to gain their means of information based on many varying sources, because trying to gain your information from people who obviously have some strange religiously passionate view on lubricants proves worthless to all. And trying to learn informational things from the companies who manufacture the lubricants tends to be pointless as they will always use the mind warping tool called "marketing" to claim why their product is best.....which we all tend to strangely fall for and walk away being their guinea pigs. :thumbsup: