Oil (Synthetics)

[S2KNJ]

Just got an "S", this is my first small high revving car, great fun but crusing at 4,500 RPMs takes some getting used to. Would synthetic oil do this great engine justice and keep it revving high for a long time?

Andy

[Halo]

Word is, you should break in the car with regular oil, then switch to synthetic after a few thousand miles.

Honda engineering will keep this car revving high for a long time, as long as you change the oil regularly. every 3000 is not unreasonable.

The car isn't really a long distance cruiser (80mph @around 4500 or so).

[yulook]

I have an 04 as well but does anyone know what's in it when it arrives from the dealership? Is it Syn or reg?

[dispader]

Its got a Honda break in oil init from the dealer. The 00-03 manuals said to leave it in till 7500 miles then you can switch to whatever you like. A guy named roadrage on s2ki.com has written extensively on libricants for this car. Just check your manual before you change it.

[oilman]

A few words on synthetics, technical but worth the read.

The text is taken from an article (5 pages in all) entitled "Lubricating a Saburu" written by John Rowland (Chief Chemist of Silkolene) who has 40 years of experience as a Chemist not a Salesman. I have his permission to post this extract.

Building a good oil.

It is impossible to make a good 5w-40 or even 10w-40, using only mineral oil. The base oil is so thin, it just evaporates away at the high temperatures found in a powerful engine that is being used seriously. Although there are chemical compounds in there to prevent oil breakdown by oxygen in the atmosphere (oxidation) they cannot adequately protect vulnerable mineral oil at the 130 degC plus sump temperatures found in a hard working turbocharged or re-mapped engine.

The answer to this is synthetics. They are built up from simple chemical units, brick by brick so as to speak; to make an architect designed oil with properties to suit the demands of a modern engine.

The synthetic myth

The word ?synthetic? once meant the brick by brick chemical building of a designer oil but the waters were muddied by a court case that took place in the USA some years ago. The outcome was that the right to call heavily modified mineral oil ?synthetic? was won. This was the marketing executives dream; the chance to use the word ?synthetic? on a can of oil without spending much extra on the contents!

Most lower-cost ?synthetic? or ?semi-synthetic? oils use these ?hydrocracked? mineral oils. They do have some advantages, particularly in commercial diesel lubricants but their value in performance engines is marginal.

TRUE synthetics are expensive and in basic terms there are three broad catagories, each containing many types and viscocity grades:-

PIB?s (Polyisobutanes)

These are occasionally used as thickeners in motor oils and gear oils, but their main application is to suppress smoke in two-strokes.

The TWO important ones are:

ESTERS

All jet engines are lubricated with synthetic ?esters? and have been for more than 50 years but these expensive fluids only started to appear in petrol engine oils around 20 years ago.
Thanks to their aviation origins, the types suitable for lubricants work well from
-50 degC to 200 degC, and they have an added benefit. Due to their structure, ?ester? molecules are ?polar?; they stick to metal surfaces using electrostatic forces. This means that a protective layer is there at all times, even during that crucial start-up period. This helps to protect cams, gears, piston rings and valve train components, where lubrication is ?boundary? rather than ?hydrodynamic?, i.e. a very thin non pressure-fed film has to hold the surfaces apart.
Even crank bearings benefit at starts, stops, or when extreme shock loads upset the ?hydrodynamic? film.

Synthetic Hydrocarbons or PAO?s (Poly Alpha Olefins)

These are, in effect, very precisely made equivalents to the most desirable mineral oil molecules. As with ?esters? they work very well at low temperatures and equally well at high temperatures, if protected by anti-oxidants. The difference is, they are inert and not polar. In fact, on their own they are hopeless ?boundary? lubricants, with less load carrying ability than a mineral oil. They depend entirely on the correct chemical enhancements.

It is a fact that ?PAO?s? work best in combination with ?esters?. The ?esters? assist load carrying, reduce friction and cut down seal drag and wear, whilst the ?PAO?s? act as solvents for the multigrade polymers and a large assortment of special compounds that act as dispersants, detergents, anti-wear and anti-oxidant agents, and foam suppressants.
Both are very good at resisting high-temperature evaporation, and the ?esters? in particular will never carbonise in turbo bearings even when provoked by anti-lag systems.

So, in conclusion, Ester gives the best protection and Ester/PAO combinations have great benefits because they work well together. They are more expensive but worth it if you wish to do the best for your engine.

Cheers
Simon