Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | Sputterbug, I wish I could give you an answer on what to use but I don't have any information on those lubes. There are differences in the quality of base oil within a group and different formulations (types of additives and percentages) but it's difficult to say who is 'best.' Remember the base oil does the lubricating and provides the film strength to keep metal parts from contacting. Oils range in percentages but to give you a reference 90-95% of oils general is made of the base stock. Additives are mixed in to enhance certain oil characteristics and to make up for some areas it lacks in. You have antiwear additives (Zinc's/ZDDP, Boron, etc) and additives that make the oil last longer by slowing oxidation. But still it's the base oil that does the lubricating. So for me when I had to compare oils for my 2 stroke, Mercury oil and Amsoil Synthetic were the same price per gallon, I know I was getting a good base oil with the Amsoil. My motor did not call for any special single product so I knew I could venture outside their recommendations as long as it was a TW-3 oil. I'm not promoting Amsoil just giving my reasons why I use it. They are the only ones I know that make a PAO oil and it sells for a comparable price to other. Going with a synthetic means getting a better base oil but at a price. One warning though before everyone goes out and buys a PAO oil for their rigs. The PAO's require a co-base oil to add solubility for the additive package, well these co-bases will usually be an Ester. Esters are VERY GOOD cleaners, more so than the just detergents/dispercants used in conventional oils, so if you have higher miles on your rig (truck/boat) I would be cautious when switching to a PAO synthetic. If you have leaks it will clean those areas and make it leak worse. The new synthetics are very compatable with seals so that is not a concern but they will remove varnishes and sludges that could plug a filter or an oil passage. If your vehicle wasn't on a regular oil maintenance schedule I would maybe reconsider switching oils. As you can tell I get a little excited over this stuff (ya, I'm a geek) but I hope that some good has come out of this post. A good source for oil information is Noria. They have many publications and all their magazines are free. Interesting stuff! |
