Conventional Motor Oil? Why?

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Why is conventional motor oil still produced? Don't all new vehicles spec at least synthetic blend and have been for about 10 years now? Just curious, not trying to start a debate (even though I know that will happen because this is BITOG).
 
So when we age we can tell our grandchildren about it.

"Back in my day son, we has this black slippery stuff called oil, and can you believe it, it came out of a hole in the ground. We use to pour it into our engine and change it every six months. None of these new fangled magnetic levitation superconducting bearings for us."

"MUM !!! Grandad didn't take his medication again !!"
 
In my experience there are a LOT of vehicles that do not require a synthetic oil, including new vehicles. Some manufacturers require certain specs or oil weights that are only available in synthetic as well. But off the top of my head the Chrysler Hemi & Pentastar V-6 require no such fancy specs that aren't met by Valvoline conventional. Granted with the widespread use of 0w20 those oils are generally at least a blend.

I have no issues using a conventional oil at reasonable OCI in modern vehicles. In fact a member here was having excellent UOA'S@10,000 miles on a ford V-8 on Mobil Super 5k. Thousands of vehicles are serviced with conventional every day at oil change shops.

With the modern SN spec for cleanliness and deposit controls I'd argue that there is less need than ever for synthetic oils in MOST applications. There are obviously exceptions to that in terms of HTHS and long drain interval requirements for European cars, but they're probably the exception and not the rule.
 
PYB is a great example as well as VWB as to why running a conventional oil is not a bad idea. Most applications where folks maintain a steady oci of 3500 to 5k miles often send in for an analysis only to get back a reccomendation for pushing another 1500 to 2k on that oil.
 
Originally Posted By: FlyNavyP3
In my experience there are a LOT of vehicles that do not require a synthetic oil, including new vehicles. Some manufacturers require certain specs or oil weights that are only available in synthetic as well. But off the top of my head the Chrysler Hemi & Pentastar V-6 require no such fancy specs that aren't met by Valvoline conventional. Granted with the widespread use of 0w20 those oils are generally at least a blend.

I have no issues using a conventional oil at reasonable OCI in modern vehicles. In fact a member here was having excellent UOA'S@10,000 miles on a ford V-8 on Mobil Super 5k. Thousands of vehicles are serviced with conventional every day at oil change shops.

With the modern SN spec for cleanliness and deposit controls I'd argue that there is less need than ever for synthetic oils in MOST applications. There are obviously exceptions to that in terms of HTHS and long drain interval requirements for European cars, but they're probably the exception and not the rule.


+1

A lot of new vehicle do not require synthetic or a synblend. This goes for my 2015 Hyundai. Heck it only requires API SM!!!

Now take into consideration that the average age of a vehicle on the road is 11+ years old. Half of the vehicles are 2006 or older and a lot do not require syn or synblend. SN conventional is a darn good product and better than a lot of Syn products of the past. There is no need to syn/synblend for a lot of vehicles.

We run 7,500 OCI in some of our fleet vehicles on conventional oil. We are moving to a synblend to cover more vehicles with less oil in our stockroom.
 
Conventional oil is still around because it's cheap, and because it's good enough to cover the needs of a lot of engines. Don't forget, most cars on the road are economy cars or fleet vehicles. Those applications have strong demand for cheap and forgiving maintenance regimes. Automakers know pretty well how to make that work, so there are a lot of engines for those applications that can run all day on a conventional oil.

Oils have gotten better, too. A conventional oil that meets modern specs is pretty robust.

There are also a lot of older vehicles on the road that are operated by people who can't or won't spend much on maintenance. Those folks create a huge market for oil that doesn't cost the better part of $10/qt.

Lastly, there are some weird applications, like Mazda rotary engines, which Mazda recommends NOT to use synthetics or blends in.

As thinner oils (xw-20 and below) become more prevalent, we'll be seeing fewer straight-up conventionals, and more synthetics and blends. It's hard to make a conventional oil that thin that won't cook off too easily. But conventional oils will be around for a while yet.
 
Plenty of miles are still logged on plenty of cars that oils like VWB or PYB, heck even Rotella T4, are even overkill for. I currently have conventional in one of mine, syn blend in one, and full syn in the other. VWB is currently the same price as Maxlife at my local Wal-Mart, but before that happened a couple months ago if I was doing a change in something that didn't have many miles on it and didn't need a higher spec oil (last one was a '12 Pilot with 80-something thousand on it) I'd use VWB.

Heck, I still have stuff I'd like to use 10w40 on, but WM has very few types in that grade now and I can't bring myself to pay 50% more for the same oil at Autozone, etc.
 
1 - It's cheaper, and people still buy it.
2 - Still the grand majority of cars on the road don't need synthetic oils to be able to run for tens of thousands of miles without issues.
3 - Modern conventional oils are great, and the real world difference compared with synthetics is barely noticeable, modern Turbo and direct injection engines certainly are better served by synthetic oils, but the average N/A Port injection gasoline engine will do just ok in regular driving conditions.
 
Originally Posted By: Fordai
Why is conventional motor oil still produced?

Why wouldn't it be? It meets/exceeds most OEM specs.

Quote:
Don't all new vehicles spec at least synthetic blend and have been for about 10 years now?

What nonsense is this?
 
Because my neighbor has 204K on her Honda Odyssey on lord knows how long intervals changed at the cheapest quickie lube place possible using conventional. Runs great, minimal consumption. That's why. Most of the synthetic users on this board don't need it either.
 
How far off is WVB or PYB from a synthetic?

Besides the correct viscosity for your application and the additive packs you/your manufacturer desire, I think oil is oil.

All major oil brands have gotten so good... is there really a clear cut distinction between conv. and syn?
 
That Mobil Super is what got BiL's Chevy to 400k ... and it was bulk at quick lube with the cheap Mobil filter
 
I just want to add my support for the majority of the rabble here although it's been said several times already.

Because a good conventional oil does its intended job and it is much cheaper.

On to similar questions:

Why does anyone still drink regular old water when we have vitamin water now?
Why are they still making ceiling fans when there is air conditioning?
Why do they still bother manufacturing manual toothbrushes?
etcetera.......
happy2.gif
 
So basically, I can use conventional motor oil in my vehicles as long as it meets the API category. Even though the owner's manual recommends synthetic blend?
 
Recommend does not mean required.

Warranty is based on spec required (API SM, Dexos, whatever) not type of oil UNLESS it states as such.
 
Originally Posted By: Fordai
So basically, I can use conventional motor oil in my vehicles as long as it meets the API category. Even though the owner's manual recommends synthetic blend?


Many conventional oils are synthetic blends- check the threads here
I ran 5w20 PYB for 8K OCI's on a new car. Held up great and with a great filter you really don't need anything else.
 
Originally Posted By: Fordai
So basically, I can use conventional motor oil in my vehicles as long as it meets the API category. Even though the owner's manual recommends synthetic blend?

No. If your manual recommends synthetic blend, stick with that (or a full synthetic).
 
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