| Author |
Message |
steve skinner (Bgmotorsport)
New member
Username: Bgmotorsport
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 9:05 am: | |
Hi guys, maybe i can shine some light on your question. A true 100% synthetic oil is manufactured form man made base stocks and additives.
There are only 2 manufactures of 100% synthetic oils that i know of that you can buy off the shelf, and i sell one of them. By the way, the other is not a high street name. The high street Oil companies say they are 100% synthetic but they still use refined crude oil as a base stock and flood that with 100% synthetic additives. What they don'y say is the base stock still breaks down at c/120 ( the temperature the oil is refined at ) and still leaves burnt carbon deposits in the areas you dont need. These oils are know as polyolefins and synthsised hydrocarbon. Sure the high street companies make special brews for F1, but they are not commercialy available. These oils are classed as hazadous because of there low flash point. My oil however, can be flown any where in the world as it is not hazadous. Our oil is ester based. 2 esters are used, low chain alcahol and fatty acid. To this we add various plastics and chemicals thus producing a true 100% synthetic oil. |
Tazio Nuvolari (Nuvolari)
Member
Username: Nuvolari
Post Number: 325
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 7:26 am: | |
Thank you Hans. I am a little clearer on it now. Now I have to admit that I bearly scraped by high school chemistry so my next question is how do they seperate and then mix the molecules required to make a good lubricant? |
Hans E. Hansen (4re_gt4)
Intermediate Member
Username: 4re_gt4
Post Number: 1749
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - 2:20 pm: | |
I have heard that the complex syn oil molecules are built up from simpler hydrocarbon molecules, possibly from something like methane or propane.
This contrasts from 'dino' motor oil, which is 'extracted' from crude. Crude consists of a complex mixture of zillions of chemicals. Only a few are desirable for motor lubrication.
It's sort of like building a house. You could either start with a REALLY big chunk of wood, and carve away until you are left with a house, or you could build it piece-by-piece from uniform size and shape boards. Not really an accurate analogy, but you get the drift.
Having said that, one of the oil companies (Castrol?? Valvoline??) claims to have a 'pure' distilate from crude that is chemically identical to the 'assembled' molecules that others (Mobil) are using. Mobil is trying to claim that the competitor's oil is not a true synthetic. I don't have a clue as to whether that's true, personally. |
Tazio Nuvolari (Nuvolari)
Member
Username: Nuvolari
Post Number: 324
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - 1:43 pm: | |
Perhaps someone could answer for me a simple question I do not have the answer for. I know that regular engine oil is made from crude oil which is a product of fossil remains however I am interested to know what is synthetic oil made from? I see bottles with 100% synthetic on them and I have often wondered what the oil was made from. Does it contain any fossil remains? I appologize to the knowledgable if this is a stupidly simple question but I really would like to have it explained to me. |