Home
What's new
Latest activity
Authors
Store
Latest reviews
Search products
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New listings
New products
New profile posts
Latest activity
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
Cart
Cart
Loading…
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Search titles only
By:
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Change style
Contact us
Close Menu
Forums
Mustang Forums
2012-2013 Boss 302 Mustang
Something to consider when the oil change topic happens here
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="mustangc" data-source="post: 10974907" data-attributes="member: 87570"><p>Can UB recap his credentials for those of us who haven't read all of the oil threads in the various forums?</p><p></p><p>As for my earlier questions, my intent wasn't to bash synthetics or argue over which oil is best. I, too, use synthetics in all of my high performance cars. I just wanted a basic understanding behind the buzzwords. I confess I am not petrochemist myself, so I was asking simple questions in search of simple answers.</p><p></p><p>I found out that PAO's (Group IV base stocks) are made from simpler hydrocarbon chains. As I suspected, these molecules are themselves harvested from fossil fuels. From a manufacturing standpoint, these smaller hydrocarbon chains are most commonly formed by steam-cracking lighter petroleum distilates or natural gas.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>So, to my original question regarding 'highly refined petroleum' vs. 'true synthetic', Even 'true synthetics' are derived from the processing of fossil fuels. The biggest difference I could find is that, Group I-III stocks utilize the molecular strands that are physically refined but not chemically altered after they leave the ground. To produce Group IV base stocks, petrochemical companies actually break down the molecules themselves into simpler hydrocarbon chains and reconstruct them into longer polymers similar to those found naturally in petroleum. Doing this enables the chemists to engineer the exact characteristics needed, and to make sure every molecule is identical.</p><p></p><p>So, the quick answer is that Group I-III stocks are physically separated and refined (but retain the original molecular chemistry), while the 'true synthetics' in Group IV are chemically broken down at the molecular level and then reconstructed. The result is more control and consistancy at the molecular level.</p><p></p><p>The way I'd explain it to my son is: imagine you need a pair of shoes. You can go to the mall (which I would compare to crude oil). From there, you could narrow your search to the shoe store (highly refined petroleum) for a nice pair of shoes off the shelf. However, if money were no object, you could go to the leathersmith and recieve a custom designed pair of shoes made just for you (akin to the full synthetic). Both pairs of shoes may even be made with leather from the same cow, but with the custom shoes, he's choosing the exact subcomponents - style, material, and fit - for his exact needs. Will the storebought shoes work well enough? Sure. Will the custom shoes fit better? Absolutely. Can even custom shoes be spec'ed out poorly? Yep.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mustangc, post: 10974907, member: 87570"] Can UB recap his credentials for those of us who haven't read all of the oil threads in the various forums? As for my earlier questions, my intent wasn't to bash synthetics or argue over which oil is best. I, too, use synthetics in all of my high performance cars. I just wanted a basic understanding behind the buzzwords. I confess I am not petrochemist myself, so I was asking simple questions in search of simple answers. I found out that PAO's (Group IV base stocks) are made from simpler hydrocarbon chains. As I suspected, these molecules are themselves harvested from fossil fuels. From a manufacturing standpoint, these smaller hydrocarbon chains are most commonly formed by steam-cracking lighter petroleum distilates or natural gas. So, to my original question regarding 'highly refined petroleum' vs. 'true synthetic', Even 'true synthetics' are derived from the processing of fossil fuels. The biggest difference I could find is that, Group I-III stocks utilize the molecular strands that are physically refined but not chemically altered after they leave the ground. To produce Group IV base stocks, petrochemical companies actually break down the molecules themselves into simpler hydrocarbon chains and reconstruct them into longer polymers similar to those found naturally in petroleum. Doing this enables the chemists to engineer the exact characteristics needed, and to make sure every molecule is identical. So, the quick answer is that Group I-III stocks are physically separated and refined (but retain the original molecular chemistry), while the 'true synthetics' in Group IV are chemically broken down at the molecular level and then reconstructed. The result is more control and consistancy at the molecular level. The way I'd explain it to my son is: imagine you need a pair of shoes. You can go to the mall (which I would compare to crude oil). From there, you could narrow your search to the shoe store (highly refined petroleum) for a nice pair of shoes off the shelf. However, if money were no object, you could go to the leathersmith and recieve a custom designed pair of shoes made just for you (akin to the full synthetic). Both pairs of shoes may even be made with leather from the same cow, but with the custom shoes, he's choosing the exact subcomponents - style, material, and fit - for his exact needs. Will the storebought shoes work well enough? Sure. Will the custom shoes fit better? Absolutely. Can even custom shoes be spec'ed out poorly? Yep. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Mustang Forums
2012-2013 Boss 302 Mustang
Something to consider when the oil change topic happens here
Top