Once again, these are nice anecdotal statements but are opinion based without any factual data at all. My engine is still running so everything must be good. That is nice as most people don't understand what is happening inside and don't really realize that differences in oil has significant determination on life expectancy of the engine and how it will function during that life. Eat cheap food and get sick quicker. Eat healthy food and live a better quality of life and much longer. The statement that "Oil is oil" is like saying tires are just tires, brakes are just brakes shift solenoids are just shift solenoids, radiators are just radiators and fuel is just fuel! What does that even mean?
There are significant differences in tires, brakes, shift solenoids, radiators, fuel......and oil. Since we don't make the other things, we focus our energies on fuel and oil and that we do extremely well! Without actual data to prove what is happening....statements like my Dad used this and it is fine when oil is so significantly different from even 3 years ago let alone in the 1950s. This is like saying my Father used an IBM 3600 with punch cards as a computer in his company and that was good enough for him. He would not use that machine today and wouldn't have used it then if a better product was available which was better and cost effective!
We have gone since the 1950s from:
SB oil- Obsolete -CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1951. Use in more modern engines may cause unsatisfactory performance or equipment harm.
SC oil- Obsolete -CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1967. Use in more modern engines may cause unsatisfactory performance or equipment harm.
SD oil -Obsolete -CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1971. Use in more modern engines may cause unsatisfactory performance or equipment harm.
SE oil -Obsolete -CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1979.
SF oil -Obsolete -CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1988. May not provide adequate protection against build-up of engine sludge.
SG oil -CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1993. May not provide adequate protection against build-up of engine sludge, oxidation, or wear.
SH oil - CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1996. May not provide adequate protection against build-up of engine sludge, oxidation, or wear.
SJ oil - For 2001 and older automotive engines.
SL oil - For 2004 and older automotive engines.
SM oil- For 2010 and older automotive engines.
SN oil-Introduced in October 2010, designed to provide improved high temperature deposit protection for pistons, more stringent sludge control, and seal compatibility. API SN with Resource Conserving matches ILSAC GF-5 by combining API SN performance with improved fuel economy, turbocharger protection, emission control system compatibility, and protection of engines operating on ethanol-containing fuels up to E85.
People today get SN oils even if the engine is older. The trend in oil today is to become multi-vehicle capable which means the spec for the most recent superceeds the need for previous specs because they no longer want to make a bunch of oil specs so some guy on a computer says backwords compatible when it really is insufficient. People don't know enough and so feelings.....not fact....dictate along with opinions like what we are getting here!
In a 7 quart system that is 1.75 gallons of oil. This must be pumped through the engine to take away heat. 30% of your heat is taken away by your oil! Oil is blood for your engine.
If your engine is moving up to 20 quarts per minute that means that at pressure between 50 and 80 psi you are moving your entire oil volume through the system...and filter....2.86 times per minute.
The size of the molecule that can absorb heat matters. How that molecule reacts to the heat, what additives it moves with it and when does it drop the additives never to pick them up again etc.
Small molecule oils pump faster but can't carry a lot of heat. Larger molecules pump a little slower but can carry much more heat at one time along with consistent additive suspension (solubility). The term thermal and viscosity shear is a real factor in an engine! Shear is tearing the molecule apart based on pressure and heat without the ability to come back together again. The additives fall to the bottom, are used up and the oil starts causing wear and sometimes very quickly. Without oil analysis you really don't know what is going on.
The lack of magnesium causes the engines to have build up problems. Typical off the shelf oils have between 5 an 19 ppm magnesium
Zinc in ZDP is anti-rust and anti-scuff but in minimum amounts so more scuff and rust occur especially where moisture is prevalent
Acidic phosphorous is your anti-wear and it is acidic to start with and the SN spec is 600 to 800 ppm with most oils. This is low for continual wear protection. I have seen some more recent samples of this in the 485 range. This is the new trend.
We don't think this is a good trend and work to produce materials that are significantly better for a little more money up front but a longer drain interval instead.
People don't care because they don't know and just depend on their oil supplier to do an adequate job. The problem is that most people don't know is that the distribution chain is also to blame for the problems.
$6.95 quart of oil has 40% profit for the retailer - cost them $4.17. Sub-wholesaler needs 30% profit so he paid $2.92. Wholesaler paid $2.04 and the manufacturer who tells the Tribologist (like me) to make the very best oil he can but including the packaging, bottling, labeling, and contents is $1.53 cost with a 25% profit built in. From the $1.53 to the $6.95 is $5.42 of transportation, warehousing and profit. This is the wrong way to make a lubricant and the reason that we are seeing camshaft failures and oil burning issues with these cheap thin low quality high profit margin oils.
We think we have a better way of doing it more like going to Home Depot or Lowes to get a specific paint color and type for the exact application you are painting. Not everyones paint but specifically your paint for your specific application. We make lubricants with the same idea with real good magnesium...diesel quality, and real Zinc (ZnDDP) and neutral not acidic phosphorous for extreme anti-wear and a great calcium carbonate in a molecule that is like a beach ball and not a ping-pong ball.
This really doesn't have to be hard but with the attitude of oil is oil the opinions and feelings will get us nowhere but repairs and early wearing out!
Regards,
Brian
BND Automotive LLC:driving:
440-821-9040
www.bndautomotive.com