Popular Science article in 1976 on synthetic oils

Status
Not open for further replies.
"With some of those big 1969 engines, we'd take off the oil pan, and take a knife, and cut out what's left of the oil and bounce it on the floor." Wow..

Thanks for the good read!
 
I've got that mag in my collection somewhere...good read.

All proof was the stuff smokey took to Indianapolis.
 
"Synthetic oil lowered octane rating..."

21.gif
 
Liked the old ads of cars , cigarette commericals, and an old one for a battery powered Renault.........thanks, great post.
 
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
"Synthetic oil lowered octane rating..."

21.gif




that was funny, I wonder if we today make similar claims off the cuff,,,naw,,we don't do that here now, we be so-fist-tie-catted , right??
 
Hello, Years ago I too read Popular Science religiously.
That magazine had me using GE silicone sealer and WD-40 before anybody knew what they were.
I noticed how frequently Mobil1's developers and data were cited. One reader pointed this out rather irately in the "letters-to-the-editor" section.
"That's because Mobil has been doing the lion's share of the research", was the response.

I wonder which company is/are the cradle of synthetic lube research today. Kira
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, Years ago I too read Popular Science religiously.
That magazine had me using GE silicone sealer and WD-40 before anybody knew what they were.
I noticed how frequently Mobil1's developers and data were cited. One reader pointed this out rather irately in the "letters-to-the-editor" section.
"That's because Mobil has been doing the lion's share of the research", was the response.

I wonder which company is/are the cradle of synthetic lube research today. Kira


M1 of course.
 
In 1978 I had a new Dodge 1/2 ton slant 6.I knew the owner of the local Mobil gas statiuon on US RT 1 in Bath, Maine where I bought most of my gas. He showed me this article and I decided to try M1 5-20(Only grade they had).
 
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
"Synthetic oil lowered octane rating..."

21.gif




Actually, that may have been true back then, considering the NOACK scores of dino oils available, the better cooling of some internal parts with synthetic, and the lower oil consumption when synthetics were used. Oil in the combustion chamber does add to pre-ignition problems.
 
The ads are more fun to read than the articles. What a difference 38 years can make.

In 1971 after a stint in the USMC, made a road trip that included a stop in North Carolina to visit my grandparents. My granddad showed me a box of PM and PS magazines from the 1940's. Fascinating to read about all the whiz-bang innovations to help the war effort at home and in the military. Hard to believe the 1976 article here is way older than any I saw back then.
 
I remember that issue. I also worked at a Mobil station during that time.

Reading the article, you can see how they hyped that synthetic oil could go 100,000 miles. A lot of folks bought into that. They thought you could change to synthetic and you'd never have to change your oil again... ever. That didn't work out.

The other issue that arose was oil consumption. Mobil 1 was 5W-20, at the time 10W-40 was the "standard" oil weight. The 5W-20 improved efficiency a little, as highlighted in the article and this was not too long after the oil embargo of '73. Everybody was looking for increased MPG. However, it also increased oil consumption. This was particularly a problem where someone had switched to Mobil 1 in a bit of a clunker that already had a little oil leak. All of a sudden, the little oil leak became substantial. The synthetics were 4-5x the cost of conventional oil and having a car that guzzled that stuff hurt.

So while the introduction of synthetic motor oil took off with a burst, by the late '70s it had mostly fizzled. People became disenchanted with it and most folks switched back to conventional motor oil.

It was ahead of its time.
 
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
"Synthetic oil lowered octane rating..."

21.gif


Actually, that may have been true back then, considering the NOACK scores of dino oils available, the better cooling of some internal parts with synthetic, and the lower oil consumption when synthetics were used. Oil in the combustion chamber does add to pre-ignition problems.


The article explains the reasons why this was possible and the conclusion was arrived at by the ex head of Ford lubrication but only in respect to his own Lincoln.
 
Originally Posted By: PhillyJoe
Great article, lots of information that is still relevant today.



Yes it doesn't read like it was 1976.

Interestingly one of the four types of synthetics identified was what we now call GRP III, at least that's how I interpreted it.
 
Originally Posted By: Apollo14
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
"Synthetic oil lowered octane rating..."

21.gif


Actually, that may have been true back then, considering the NOACK scores of dino oils available, the better cooling of some internal parts with synthetic, and the lower oil consumption when synthetics were used. Oil in the combustion chamber does add to pre-ignition problems.


The article explains the reasons why this was possible and the conclusion was arrived at by the ex head of Ford lubrication but only in respect to his own Lincoln.


Thanks for sharing. I was born in 72 and have no idea what the building blocks of the modern M1 consisted of. I tend to stay with M1 products as they have served me well and readily avail. Nice to see the history.

As a bonus, I'm in the middle of MadMen on Netflix!! Love the ads!
 
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
Originally Posted By: Apollo14
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
"Synthetic oil lowered octane rating..."

21.gif


Actually, that may have been true back then, considering the NOACK scores of dino oils available, the better cooling of some internal parts with synthetic, and the lower oil consumption when synthetics were used. Oil in the combustion chamber does add to pre-ignition problems.


The article explains the reasons why this was possible and the conclusion was arrived at by the ex head of Ford lubrication but only in respect to his own Lincoln.


Thanks for sharing. I was born in 72 and have no idea what the building blocks of the modern M1 consisted of. I tend to stay with M1 products as they have served me well and readily avail. Nice to see the history.

As a bonus, I'm in the middle of MadMen on Netflix!! Love the ads!


Here is more history of M1.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Synthetics/Mobil_1_History.aspx
 
Quite a bit of tech language will surprise and seem modern even from 100+ years ago. I didn't recall that Amzoil used a Plano, Texas address-I thought Superior, Wisconsin-even then. Most of these oils were available in Minneapolis early on, but were very expensive as I recall=much larger $ multiple from conventional than today. I was looking for a cold weather starting 'edge' and stayed with 'frost plug' engine heaters(ordered OE by many area dealers for inventory)My first use was Mobil 1 for with the oil cooled turbo on the 3.8 Buick engine.
 
before 1999 mobil I was all group IV PAO oil as were others. come 1999 + castrol looking for big profits starts selling group III oil as synthetic ska syntec. mobil + castrol go to court castrol wins WE LOOSE. as everyone scrambles to formulate a group III fake synthetic, now legally synthetic. today its Amsoils top of line oils + all of Redlines oil being real group IV + V synthetics in the USA
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top