Originally Posted By: Riqrat
Whether a legless snake or not, these lab tests appear to me to suggest (perhaps even prove) that motor oil can be improved upon with the right additives.
I read so many posts where someone says "just change oil regularly" or "all additives are snake oil". That just seems to be a very limiting viewpoint. To say that current modern MO is as good as it ever will be so live with it is really to say 'why bother then talking about MO on a forum?'. Change oil every x miles and case closed. Hogwash!
Sure 100k is okay, 200k is darn good, 300k is great, 400k is fantastic! If we can make any change that would make 400k okay, 500k darn good, 600k grat, etc., then that's worth doing.
Those lab tests really intrigue me. The science is suggesting that an additive to MO can affect the tribofilm resulting in less friction (ie. improved performance and mpg with less heat) and less wear (increased service life). I think simply labeling any and all additives to MO as snake oil is short sighted.
I have one brand new car (600mi) and two older (129k and 178k). The 129k Ford is an unknown as we just bought as first car for daughter. It would be great if there was an additive that could help get her 100k + use out of it without knowing how regular the previous owner changed MO. It would be nice to get another 300k out of the 178k Odyssey that has had its MO changed every 5k religiously since we bought at 80k. And I'd like to get 500k out if the new Elantra. Ridiculous? Maybe. But there was a time, most of us recall, that just getting 100k was considered fantastic. Improvements in engine design no doubt played a major part in this, but also the lubrication packages we use are way better including the addition of synthetics. Happily them scientists and designers didn't just sit on thei laurels and say it cannot be improved.
So when an additive hits the shelves, why immediately call it snake oil?
The lab reports provided in the prior post were quite revealing. They even stated that "molybdenum disulfate w/ fullerine-like microstructure has exhibit low friction" suggests that there could be something to the "Moly" additives we see sold. And we also hear of "nano" applicants, nano being a form of "microstructure"?
It is quite revealing that Consumer Reports tested Prolong on two identical cab engines to prove it does nothing as far as running on no oil/water as opposed to simple MO (unfortunately no test stated whether it provides less friction/wear in engine that is kept lubricated and cooled normally, which is what is most important). So we can certainly say Prolong does jack for dry engine operation in spite of their claims to the contrary.
Meanwhile, what about Bestline? I cannot find anything here or elsewhere that has debunked their claims. Rather than assume it is snake-oil, shouldn't each additive be seriously tested (and not on those timken thing's) before passing closed-minded judgment?
I found a webpage (wish I could recall location) where this guy (engineer) has tested over 179 MO's. The differences are hugh! This suggests that just changing MO every x miles without consideration of brand/formulation is foolish and a waste of money. My vehicles use 5w-20. The top listed oil in his test for this weight turned out to be Quaker State Ultimate Durability with an "impressive" rating based on some 'pressure' rating. Good to know! If this oil tested better than other MO's of same weight, and thus likely will provide my engines with better protection, then clearly not all MO's are equal, not all additive packages are equal, and thus it appears that changing or modifying additive packages, or simply increasing the package components without changing existing components (ie. metal treatments) is something that can in fact increase life and performance once determined viable.
Sorry for long rant. It is born out of reading so many off-handed "snakeoil" replies or the old fall-back "just change MO regularly" as in 'discussion over' to stunt real discussion on possible innovation and solutions we all really want.
Facts:
1. Not all 'quality' MO's are equal and thus will affect friction/wear differently resulting in different EOL profiles (with all maintenance actions being equal).
2. Labs have determined that MO's can be improved upon with the inclusion of certain additives that reduce friction/wear which in turn would improve performance and life of engine.
Interesting. What additives would you consider useful for possibly increasing engine life? MoS2 and Biotech Engine Protectant seem to get some good reviews here. My only fear with MoS2 is vehicles that aren't driven everyday, sitting for a few weeks at a time having it fall out of suspension and settling in the bottom of the oil pan.
