Synthetic vs. conventional oil

Engine parts are in constant contact with each other. They’re also moving at high speeds. In the extreme environment of your engine, components can wear and break down. Your motor oil is the protective barrier between these components. As conventional oils break down, their ability to prevent engine wear diminishes. Synthetic oils, on the other hand, retain their wear protection properties for a much longer time, increasing engine life.

When your car sits for a while (let’s say overnight) the oil settles when you fire up the ignition, it begins flowing through critical engine parts to protect against friction. With conventional oils, it takes more time until they are able to flow smoothly through the engine.

During the cold winter months, or if you live in an extremely cold environment, this flow process takes even longer. Synthetic low viscosity oils, however, are engineered to flow quickly even at low temperatures, and they start protecting your engine right after you start your car.

When running, engines are hot. Really, really hot. Over time, the high temperatures in your engine can cause conventional motor oils to break down or evaporate exposing your engine to wear. Synthetic motor oils are engineered to resist these high temperatures, which is especially important if you’re driving in hot climates.

To meet consumer demand, automakers are building cars with smaller engines (for greater fuel efficiency) but adding turbochargers (to boost power). We already mentioned how engines run at high temperatures, which can break down conventional oils faster, but today’s turbocharged engines are even more aggressive. The shaft inside a turbocharger can spin upwards of 200,000 revolutions per minute, so it’s critical that your motor oil can get to that shaft and lubricate it properly very quickly.

Conventional oils can break down faster under these conditions and leave deposits on turbocharger components, which can lead to failure. Synthetic oils can protect these components much better than conventional oils, keeping them operating at peak performance and boosting your engine’s power. Find out more on how our engineers develop new products and continually refine the entire range of ExxonMobil products.