Originally Posted By: Wilhelm_D
Originally Posted By: OilMeBob
I thought that I heard that Mobil 1 stopped being a true synthetic years ago and is now really just an upper quality conventional oil.
A few years ago a post on this very website set off an internet frenzy about Mobil 1. Here are the facts:
1 - In the US extremely hydrocracked petroleum oil (aka "Group III") is considered a synthetic motor oil.
2 - As the price of polyalphaolefin stocks (PAO, "Group IV") rose due to an increase in its use in transmission fluids and other applications, most oil companies began to reduce the level of PAO and increase the level of Group III in their synthetic motor oils.
3 - Depending on the Group III stock used, results may be indistinguishable in every practical measure from a PAO. If there is a difference, it is in pour points which are below any normal requirement but higher than a PAO. If you want to start a motor in -50F, seek a Group IV or V.
4 - In a fully formulated motor oil, it would be difficult to distinguish a PAO from a Group III solely on the basis of used motor oil analysis. You can get PAO performance from a properly formulated Group III, with the exception perhaps of performance in arctic weather conditions.
5 - Mobil 1 motor oils have varying levels of PAO and Group III depending on the application and viscosity. In general their formulas which begin with "0W..." have a higher percentage of PAO. Also their motorcycle oils have a higher percentage of PAO.
6 - Occasionally one hears that "Mobil hauled Castrol into court for false advertising" when Castrol called their Group III synthetic. This is unmitigated hogwash. Mobil approached the Better Business Bureau for a clarification as to whether or not Group III was synthetic. The answer was "yes". From that moment forward every oil company in the US called Group III synthetic.
7 - Mobil 1 motor oils are typically a blend, with some Group V (often alkylated napthlenes), Group IV (PAOs), and Group III. The exact ratios depend on the application.
8 - It besmirched the reputation of this website, and led to the loss of some excellent posters, to begin the "bad Mobil" drum roll. In some applications it would be difficult to find better used motor oil analyzes than the Mobil 1 formulas. In particular some of the Toyota engines seem made for Mobil 1.
I use a variety of brands and formulas, but among them is Mobil 1, and that is based on performance, not rhetoric.
I think you left out Katrina. XOM was so swimming in excess capacity for PAO that they marketed Delvac 1 at a discount under the T&SUV label. Post Katrina that capacity was radically reduced. That product disappeared in its rebadged form and never quite returned at the same price point. It was also at that time that XOM posted a well worded disclaimer/public notice that they were using other constituents in their formulations due to the event, but that performance criteria was not/were not compromised (iirc).
Anyone remember those events
My belief is that they saw no loss in market share due to the evolution, and saw no reason to return to a more expensive formulation where it would yield no additional profits.
