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synth oil... (fwd)

This came through on the RX-7 list.  FYI
>
>Here is another comment on the Dino vs. Synth discussion that pops up
>here with clockwork repetition ...
>
>Jeff, you want to put this in the FAQ?
>
>[Standard disclaimers -- if you use it & Mazda doesn't like it, it's not
>*my* fault   :-) :-) ]
>
>John M. Feiereisen (feiereis@domain.elided) wrote:
>
>(Forwarded by rali@domain.elided from the NEDoD mailing list)
>
>: Nothing shuts an engineer up quicker than hard data.
>: 
>: Keep in mind as you read this that I used to develop lubricating oil
>: *additives* and not the finished oil.  All the people I used to work
>: with were of the mind that the base oil is merely there to carry the
>: additives.  Of course, we'd whip up finished oils using these
>: additive packages to carry out engine tests and field tests.  Even the
>: senior engineers pretty much all used high quality naturals in their
>: personal vehicles.  We all have always believed that oil cleanliness
>: and a decent additive package were the foremost concerns in oil
>: performance.
>: 
>: In the quest for knowledge (not to mention I just dumped a shitload
>: of work on my prof's desk and can screw off for the next week), I
>: decided to try out one of those newfangled search engines over at our
>: engineering library.  I did a search on synthetic oils and got quite
>: a few hits.
>: 
>: Now, try to keep your cheering down.  Don't bother to light up the
>: flame units as traffic on the internet is already getting pretty
>: high and I think the following could have the most profound impact
>: on the net since Robert Morris 'accidentally' released his virus.
>: 
>: I was wrong.  (feel free to replace 'wrong' with the adjective of
>: your choice)
>: 
>: One of the hits on my literature search was:
>: 
>: Synthetic Automotive Engine Oils  PT-22
>: (selected papers through 1981)
>: Prepared under the auspices of the Fuels & Lubes committee of SAE.
>: 
>: An underlying theme ran through all the included papers:
>: * improved wear (data)
>: * improved oxidation (data)
>: * improved deposits (data)
>: 
>: Most of the papers included experimental data (bench, engine, and field
>: tests.  A number of the papers seem to indicate that while the wear
>: properties of the synthetic base stocks are somewhat better than the
>: natural base stocks, they respond *much* more to additization than the
>: naturals, resulting in *significant* performance benefits (yes, yes, at
>: pressures and temperatures lower than those at the cores of neutron
>: stars).
>: 
>: A number of them also mentioned that the dispersancy of the synthetics
>: was not significantly different than the naturals.  (I guess additives
>: are good for something)  Never underestimate the importance of a good
>: dispersant.
>: 
>: Virtually all the papers mention the cost effectiveness issue.  Whether
>: synthetics are cost effective in your application depends on  lot of
>: factors.  Since only about 2% of the crude can be made into base stock
>: for lube oils, a lot of work is going into less expensive processes
>: for making synthetics, which can be synthesized from much more of the
>: crude.  Thus the price of synthetics is dropping (relative to the
>: naturals) and is expected to drop much more in the future.
>: 
>: Still, I feel that since the oil makers are really only concerned
>: about getting API certifcation, they probably tend to dose their
>: synthetics lighter than their naturals.  If it makes SH/CE (or
>: whatever) why waste the additive?
>: 
>: Hell, I might even try Mobil-1 in my Nighthawk at the next oil change.
>: 
>: This is the last you'll hear this washed-up lubrication engineer
>: say anything disparaging synthetic oils.  Again, try to contain
>: your enthusiasm.  If you're looking at a color terminal you might even
>: be able to see the redness in my face.
>: 
>: (I'm lucky I don't live in Singapore!  :-)   )
>: 
>
>Reto
>-- 
>R A Lichtensteiger	rali@domain.elided
>System Administrator	Horizon Research Inc	(617) 466-8304
>                        Waltham MA 02154
>
>"The system has been practicing a noncomputational lifestyle ever
>since the boot disk became I/O challenged."
>