The Professional Expert

Brands of Oil, Synthetic Oil, and Additives

Brands of oil

If you go looking for advice, it seems that everyone has a favorite brand of oil, and everyone has a horror story about another brand. What this guy hates is that guy’s favorite. There are a lot of stories out there. 

In the end, there are only a few oil refineries, so the oil itself is pretty much the same. There are really only a few subtle differences in what kinds of additives the different companies use.

The guys who run the racing cars do not use the same oil you do. They spend a lot more money and change the whole engine every race. So I don’t think you can draw any conclusions from the logo on the racecar because that’s just about who paid the racecar owner. They are not doing the same kind of driving you are, anyway.

So for every day driving, brand doesn’t really matter. It is just a matter of personal preference.

Synthetic oil

Synthetic oil is not supposed to break down as fast as regular oil and is supposed to have better properties than regular oil. 

Any time a group of mechanics get together you can get a good argument going by asking which is better. 

The truth is, both kinds of oil (regular and synthetic) must pass the same series of tests to meet the American Petroleum Institute (API) specifications.  The API specifications meet all of the requirements for auto manufacturers.  One type may be “better,” but they are all good enough for your car.

It is more expensive than regular petroleum oil, but you might want to consider synthetic oil if you plan on keeping your car forever or at least 200,000 to 300,000 miles. Just make sure the oil meets the specifications listed in your owner’s manual.

Additives

If you go into an auto parts store (or the automotive department at your local big box store) you will see a variety of products to add to your engine oil.

There are the “oil treatments” like “STP Oil Treatment,” “Motor Honey” or “Rislone.”  These are essentially thickeners that will help reduce some of the noises an older, worn out, engine can make.  These also will reduce oil burning.  You can recognize oil burning by clouds of bluish smoke billowing out of your tailpipe every time you drive. 

The other type of treatment is a mixture of ground up Teflon suspended in oil.  “Slick 50” and some other brands mention either Teflon or PTFE to reduce friction.  Teflon is really good on cookware, but, in my opinion, has no place in your engine.  The oil filter will filter it out of the oil.  There is no reason to buy this.   

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss how you can do an oil change yourself…

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