WHAT OIL !!!
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what is modern? post 2000? my engine is 1992, it definatley runs worse on fully synthetic 5/w 30.
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Id say your car is modern, mines a 98, but its still built from the same components.
Fully Synthetic lubricates better, and maintains its viscosity better at low and high temperatures. I remember reading about cars going from semi to synth and it being a bad idea due to the wear on the piston walls/oil seals, but I cant remember the source, so Im not going to detail it any further. Ive asked Oilman at Opie if he could clarify this thread further.
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He said fully synthetic can cause problems in the engine and burn off far quicker than semi through the pistons, will ask him again and give full explanation
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FS doesnt evaporate as much as petroleum based oil, that sounds similar to the thing I read, it was something to do with molecule length I believe, think semi has longer but unmatched molecular lengths, so doesnt lube as good as the matched lengths in FS, think the FS has shorter molecules and so it seaps past the oil rings on a worn engine, pretty sure thats right, its what I remember anyway, but time couldve distorted what was actually written.
The reason I went for A3 is that A3 is a long life oil, A1 is a for fuel economy, and my reasoning is/was in long life oils have more base stock in it, which gives better lubrication.
Im also dead certain I read somewhere that the fully synthetic molecules are electrostatically charged, so cling to surfaces for a much longer time, guessing thats why castrol says magnatec clings to your engine from the moment you turn the key, even though its probably all fully synth oils do it
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Fully synthetic oils are made of equally sized molecules which helps them avoid being burned off. In mineral based oils the molecules are all different sizes, so the smaller molecules evaporate easily and burn off, leaving the larger molecules which makes the oil thicker.
Ester based oils are the ones that stick to the metals of the engine and they are the best oils available. Magnatec only has enough of an ester content to use for advertising purposes, it's a pretty basic oil in comparison to many synthetics.
These articles will explain more about oils
http://www.opieoils.co.uk/t-technical-info.aspx
Cheers
Tim
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Thanks for replying oilman. What Fully Synthetic oil would you recommend that is economically viable to use as a regular oil service component? Is castrol edge any better than magnatec in its ester formula or is there a better one at a similar price? Many Thanks
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Magnatec is not a proper ester oil, it's a semi-synthetic/basic synthetic, with a little ester added, basically for marketing purposes as there isn't enough to make it useful. The Edge is a far better oil, although that isn't ester based, but it is a genuine PAO synthetic, unlike the Magnatec which is mineral based.
If you want a good oil that is well priced, Fuchs Supersyn is a good choice at £27. If want to go better than that, the Gulf Competition is £34 at the moment and that is a top end oil. The best way to save a few quid with servicing is to leave it longer. The oils I mentioned above are fine for 10k/annual servicing, so no need to change at 3k like a lot of people do.
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Thanks oilman, maybe good to recommend a few for each engine type we all use
1.5 + 1.6 - 4 cylinder
1.8 V6 K8
2.5 V6 KL series
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For all of them, if standard, I'd say a 5w-30 is the normal choice, but a 5w-40 would also be fine. If not standard or if it gets used on track, ask us.
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Feel free to contact us here for any oil recommendations or any oil related questions you may have.
Alternatively complete our oil recommendation form and we will get back to you asap. You can also give us a call on 01209 202949 Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.30pm or just drop us an email to sales@opieoils.co.uk
Cheers
oilman
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Thanks oilman
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Feel free to contact us here for any oil recommendations or any oil related questions you may have.
Alternatively complete our oil recommendation form and we will get back to you asap. You can also give us a call on 01209 202949 Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.30pm or just drop us an email to sales@opieoils.co.uk
Cheers
oilman
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5/30 or 5/40 are the best choices for these V6 engines, the 4 cylinders 10/40. That's years of various owners clubs and specialists in these cars recommendations.