oscar
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That's right!
brace yourselves for a long, geeky but interesting discussion on all things oil
. here goes,
so we all hear about oils and additives, and we all know roughly how an engine works. the oil creates a small film of lubrication between metallic surfaces to prevent metal on metal contact, thus preventing clearances from increasing ... in an ideal world. the problem is that not many people have a clue about the additives themselves, what are they called and what do they actually do?
firstly, let's start by assuming that the catalytic converter does not exist and the API index does not exist and that emissions regulations do not exist. when you buy a brand new car, the engine requires a break in oil. this oil is much different from what you may deem a 'conventional' day to day oil. it is high on ''molybdenum disulfide'' and ''zinc dithiophosphate''. the molydbenum disulfide's principle role is to, shall we say fill in the rough edges in the engine to take up casting imperfections. it has a very high lubricity, and is also used in CV joints (this is why when the boot goes, and the grease goes ... kiss goodbye to the cv joint on your driveshaft). this is quite a large molecule and it generally does not play a critical role with bearings! the zinc dithiophosphate additive (zddp as it's known) is a surface modifier, critical for camshafts and bearing longevity. ZDDP and other extreme pressure additives are surface modifiers. They modify bearing and journal surface characteristics to allow lubricants to develop more "oiliness" (an old term) or lubricity and reduce the tendency to scuff and gall under heavily loaded boundary lubrication situations. Camshafts and lifters in high speed engines definitely fit this category due to the high velocities and accelerations required to open and close valves many times per second.
now, let's bring in modern emissions rules and API standards into play and let's see how this affects the modern motor oil! in the past 10 years, the amount of ZDDP had decreased by over 50% in your every day motor oil. for the sake of naming an example let's use elf sxr 5w40. the reason why it has decreased is because the scientists say that the zinc and phosphorous poisons the catalytic converter, coating it with a thin layer of zinc and phosphorous which reduces the performance of the catalytic converter and eventually kills it. okay, no arguements there! however, what cost does this have on your engine?
in the last 10 years, the API index standards which sets out the rules of oil production and maintains certified standards has made oil requirements strict. this is to meet emissions laws and regulations throughout europe and the rest of the world. you will see oils being marketed as improving improving fuel economy and all of that shite, but with that that improved fuel economy on a new car comes increased and premature wear due to the vital surface modifier additives being reduced greatly in quantity. if you buy a new car every 3 years, this won't affect you in the slightest. but if you hope to see your twingo one day turning into a classic in 25 years time ... you'll be lucky if it will make it through the next 7 years before the engine fails.
to me, it's much like a sea saw. you put more load on one side (fuel economy and emissions) ... and you take load off the other side (engine performance, thermal efficiency, protection and longevity).
if you run any kind of performance engine be it stock internals but you have installed higher lift cams and mapped the living hell out of the car but are still running stock bearing clearances + a catalytic converter, you are left in an impossible situation. you cannot go without those vital additives which only a select few racing oils still provide, as these oils are not API certified) ... yet if you go with these oils, your catalytic converter is going to die quickly APPARENTLY. yet if you go with a normal street use oil, your expensive cams are going to wear out faster than you'd expect. so what the hell do you do? (decat obviously but that's not the point of this discussion)
for your information, there are 3 companies in the world which make base oils (of which EVERY oil for every car is made from. so wether it's petronas, elf, mobil 1, millers, lucas, valvoline) it all comes from the same 3 companies and is ALL the same. the additives are made by 4 companies, and are essentially all the same. it's the blend of oils, for example 85% base oil starting point and the other 15% are the additives and detergents which makes certain oils different, with different properties for different applications .... so ignore marketing with regards to oil companies, especially millers ; it's all marketing, and marketing is another way to describe propoganda and all i'm going to say is that the ****'s were the best in the business at marketing. millers talk out of their arsehole with this new nanotech nonsense that they slever on and on about. they have not invented the wheel, infact they haven't mentioned in any detail what this 'polymer' is, and what it does differently from other oils. again, if 4 company's make and develop the additives in the entire world ... how is a small company like millers getting this special industry changing additive, and the big boys like mobil 1 (exon mobil, pretty much the biggest oil company in the world), castrol (BP) etc not getting this additive? because they are talking shit when they describe this fancy polymer. infact, technically the stuff that comes out of your backside is a polymer. ironic that, isn't it? it appears oil marketing folk really can polish a turd.
i think i'll leave it there. it's definitely an interesting discussion, and this one really is for the geeks on here but i'd like to hear your thoughts if you have any!
brace yourselves for a long, geeky but interesting discussion on all things oil
. here goes,so we all hear about oils and additives, and we all know roughly how an engine works. the oil creates a small film of lubrication between metallic surfaces to prevent metal on metal contact, thus preventing clearances from increasing ... in an ideal world. the problem is that not many people have a clue about the additives themselves, what are they called and what do they actually do?
firstly, let's start by assuming that the catalytic converter does not exist and the API index does not exist and that emissions regulations do not exist. when you buy a brand new car, the engine requires a break in oil. this oil is much different from what you may deem a 'conventional' day to day oil. it is high on ''molybdenum disulfide'' and ''zinc dithiophosphate''. the molydbenum disulfide's principle role is to, shall we say fill in the rough edges in the engine to take up casting imperfections. it has a very high lubricity, and is also used in CV joints (this is why when the boot goes, and the grease goes ... kiss goodbye to the cv joint on your driveshaft). this is quite a large molecule and it generally does not play a critical role with bearings! the zinc dithiophosphate additive (zddp as it's known) is a surface modifier, critical for camshafts and bearing longevity. ZDDP and other extreme pressure additives are surface modifiers. They modify bearing and journal surface characteristics to allow lubricants to develop more "oiliness" (an old term) or lubricity and reduce the tendency to scuff and gall under heavily loaded boundary lubrication situations. Camshafts and lifters in high speed engines definitely fit this category due to the high velocities and accelerations required to open and close valves many times per second.
now, let's bring in modern emissions rules and API standards into play and let's see how this affects the modern motor oil! in the past 10 years, the amount of ZDDP had decreased by over 50% in your every day motor oil. for the sake of naming an example let's use elf sxr 5w40. the reason why it has decreased is because the scientists say that the zinc and phosphorous poisons the catalytic converter, coating it with a thin layer of zinc and phosphorous which reduces the performance of the catalytic converter and eventually kills it. okay, no arguements there! however, what cost does this have on your engine?
in the last 10 years, the API index standards which sets out the rules of oil production and maintains certified standards has made oil requirements strict. this is to meet emissions laws and regulations throughout europe and the rest of the world. you will see oils being marketed as improving improving fuel economy and all of that shite, but with that that improved fuel economy on a new car comes increased and premature wear due to the vital surface modifier additives being reduced greatly in quantity. if you buy a new car every 3 years, this won't affect you in the slightest. but if you hope to see your twingo one day turning into a classic in 25 years time ... you'll be lucky if it will make it through the next 7 years before the engine fails.
to me, it's much like a sea saw. you put more load on one side (fuel economy and emissions) ... and you take load off the other side (engine performance, thermal efficiency, protection and longevity).
if you run any kind of performance engine be it stock internals but you have installed higher lift cams and mapped the living hell out of the car but are still running stock bearing clearances + a catalytic converter, you are left in an impossible situation. you cannot go without those vital additives which only a select few racing oils still provide, as these oils are not API certified) ... yet if you go with these oils, your catalytic converter is going to die quickly APPARENTLY. yet if you go with a normal street use oil, your expensive cams are going to wear out faster than you'd expect. so what the hell do you do? (decat obviously but that's not the point of this discussion)
for your information, there are 3 companies in the world which make base oils (of which EVERY oil for every car is made from. so wether it's petronas, elf, mobil 1, millers, lucas, valvoline) it all comes from the same 3 companies and is ALL the same. the additives are made by 4 companies, and are essentially all the same. it's the blend of oils, for example 85% base oil starting point and the other 15% are the additives and detergents which makes certain oils different, with different properties for different applications .... so ignore marketing with regards to oil companies, especially millers ; it's all marketing, and marketing is another way to describe propoganda and all i'm going to say is that the ****'s were the best in the business at marketing. millers talk out of their arsehole with this new nanotech nonsense that they slever on and on about. they have not invented the wheel, infact they haven't mentioned in any detail what this 'polymer' is, and what it does differently from other oils. again, if 4 company's make and develop the additives in the entire world ... how is a small company like millers getting this special industry changing additive, and the big boys like mobil 1 (exon mobil, pretty much the biggest oil company in the world), castrol (BP) etc not getting this additive? because they are talking shit when they describe this fancy polymer. infact, technically the stuff that comes out of your backside is a polymer. ironic that, isn't it? it appears oil marketing folk really can polish a turd.
i think i'll leave it there. it's definitely an interesting discussion, and this one really is for the geeks on here but i'd like to hear your thoughts if you have any!
