oilman

Indeed it's the Sales Blurb on the bottle to avoid. What's in the bottle is more important and that's the Chemists job! Cheers Simon

I don't think Mr Rowland has an axe to grind at all, he's a chemist not a salesman! I think that what he says is very pertinent. If I did a survey on this forum (or any other) asking who is using synthetic oil and what one we would find 90% of people are not using synthetic at all! Now, that's pertinent when we are talking about the true quality of a product that you just paid good money for because it was labelled synthetic. Get the point now? Cheers Simon

A word of caution – You get what you pay for! Below is an article written by John Rowland, Silkolene/Fuchs Chief R & D Chemist for 40 years. Quote: Costs of synthetics vary considerably. The most expensive are the “Ester” types originally only used in jet engines. These cost 6 to 10 times more than high quality mineral oils. The cheapest synthetics are not really synthetic at all, from a chemists point of view. These are in fact specially refined light viscosity mineral oils known as “hydrocracked”. These have some advantages over equivalent mineral oils, particularly in lower viscosity motor oils such as 5w-30 or other oils with a low “W” rating such as 5w-50 etc and they cost about 1.5 times more than good quality mineral fractions. We use several different grades of this base oil, where appropriate. This is the “synthetic” which is always used in cheap oils that are labelled “synthetic”. Yes it’s a cruel world, you get what you pay for! Now, you may ask, why are these special mineral oils called “synthetic”? Well, it was all sorted in a legal battle that took place in the USA about ten years ago. Sound reasons (including evidence from a Nobel Prize winning chemist) were disregarded and the final ruling was that certain mineral bases that had undergone extra chemical treatments could be called “synthetic”. Needless to say, the marketing executives wet their knickers with pure delight! They realised that this meant, and still does, that the critical buzz-word “synthetic” could be printed on a can of cheap oil provided that the contents included a few percent of “hydrocracked” mineral oil, at a cost of quite literally a few pence. So, the chemistry of “synthetics” is complex and so is the politics! The economics are very simple. If you like the look of a smart well-marketed can with “synthetic” printed on it, fair enough, it will not cost you a lot; and now you know why this is the case. But, if you drive a high performance car, and you intend to keep it for several years, and maybe do the odd “track day”, then you need a genuine Ester/PAO (Poly Alpha Olefin) synthetic oil. This oil costs more money to buy, because it costs us a lot of money to make, very simply, you always get what you pay for! Unquote: This article is something that all car owners should read and understand before buying oil and I’ve posted this with Johns permission. Cheers Simon

Sadly you're right, there's advice and there's proper advice. You can't beat good technical advice backed up by proper explanations that's why we decided 2 years ago that most of what we read on the internet was "pub talk" with no foundation or technical knowledge. That's why we're here! Cheers Simon

I'd look at Silkolene PRO S 10w-50 as a good option. http://www.opieoils.co.uk/TechSpecs/PRO ... 0Wheel.pdf Cheers Simon

10w-40 or 10w-50 Cheers Simon

How modded and what type of use? Cheers Simon

Unfortunate name but German and the owners of Silkolene these days as well. Cheers Simon

The PD engine requires a PD specific oil. We usually recommend this one as they do 15,000,000 litres factory fill with VAG per annum! http://www.opieoils.co.uk/TechSpecs/tit ... 05w_40.pdf Cheers Simon

The Magnatec 10w-40 is what they call a hydrocracked mineral oil, its still a mineral multigrade but of the purist form, they are allowed to legally call this synthetic, yet in the true sense of the word it is not. True synthetics are made from PAO base stocks made in a lab and designed for the purpose. For the VR, you can go for a good 5w-40 full synthetic or if the car is modded and used on the track then a good 10w-50/15w-50. CHeers.

I always post information that I think will be of interest to car owners from time to time. I have plenty more where that came from ;) I am a fan of synthetics (good ones) and of course sell them. Cheers Simon

Magnatec is a mineral oil, this is a proper synthetic. There is no comparison in quality I'm afraid. Prices are as follows: 5L £39.99 10L £69.99 20L £122.99 Cheers Simon

Synta is cheap because it's not in the same league but if the car is modded or used on track, Synta's not the oil, Pro S is. Cheers Simon

It is a top oil and is no more expensive than Castrol RS or Mobil1. The red colour is a dye. Glad you like it, shame more haven't discovered its benefits ;) Cheers Simon

Viscosity Index Improvers. An oils viscosity will decrease as the engine temperature rises. Viscosity Index Improvers are added to reduce this thinning. They are a key addative in the production of multigrade oils. VI Improvers are heat sensitive long chain, high molecular weight polymers that minimise the viscosity loss of the oil at high temperatures. They work like springs, coiled at low temperatures and uncoiling at high temperatures. This makes the molecules larger (at high temps) which increases internal resistance within the thinning oil. They in effect "fight back" against the viscosity loss in the oil. "Shearing" The long chain molecules in VI Improvers are prone to "shearing" with use which reduces their ability to prevent the oil from losing viscosity. This "shearing" occurs when shear stress ruptures the long chain molecules and converts them to shorter, lower weight molecules. The shorter, lower weight molecules offer less resistance to flow and their ability to maintain viscosity is reduced. This shearing not only reduces the viscosity of the oil but can cause piston ring sticking (due to deposits), increased oil consumption and increased engine wear. Like basestock quality, VI Improvers also vary in quality. As with many items the more you pay, the better the finished article and more expensive, usually synthetic oils are likely to incorporate better VI improvers. All other things being equal the less VI improver an oil contains, the better it will stay in grade by resisting viscosity loss. Which oils require more VI Improvers? There are two scenarios where large amounts of these polymers are required as a rule. Firstly in "wide viscosity span" multigrades. By this I mean that the difference between the lower "W" number and the higher number is large for example 5w-50 (diff 45) and 10w-60 (diff 50) are what is termed as "wide viscosity span" oils. Narrow viscosity oils like 0w-30 (diff 30) or 5w-40 (diff 35) require far less VI Improvers and therefore are less prone to "shearing". Secondly, mineral and hydrocracked (petroleum synthetic oils) require more VI Improvers than proper PAO/Ester (Group IV or V) synthetic oils as they have a higher inherent VI to begin with, this is due to differences in the molecular straucture of the synthetic base oils compared to mineral oils It is a fact that many synthetics require significantly less VI Improver to work as a multigrade and are therefore less prone to viscosty loss by shearing. Cheers Simon

This offer is now CLOSED! Thanks to those who ordered. If you would like our latest price list which includes oils by Silkolene, Mobil, Castrol and Motul, Brembo Brake Kits, Denso Spark Plugs, Purolator Filters, DNX Performance exhausts, Car Care products and Splitfire Performance Gauges then please email us at mailto:[email protected]. Our "online" shop will be live towards the end of this month so look out for an announcement on this in a few weeks time. Cheers Guy

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LAST ORDERS PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This offer ends on Friday 7th October at midday. Be quick or you'll miss it! Call Guy or Simon on 01209 215164. Cheers

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REMINDER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This carriage free offer ends in 1 week. To order your oil, filters and spark plugs call GUY on 01209 215164. Don't delay, order today! Cheers Simon

This offer ends at midday on the 7th October. You need to call 01209 215164 to order, payment by credit/debit card. Cheers Simon

CARRIAGE FREE Oil Offer! Here are the prices which include vat and are carriage FREE delivered to your door within the UK Mainland by Amtrak. Only the products listed below and the listed quantities are included in this offer and we cannot offer others. With some products we have a limited stock so once they are gone, they are gone so it will be on a first come, first served basis. To order, please call Guy or Simon on 01209 215164 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Payment must be made at time of order by debit/credit card. This offer is open From 9.30am 22nd September until Midday 7th October. MOTUL 300V 5w-30, 300V 5w-40 and 300V 10w-40 (2L size) 6L = £46.99, 8L = £59.99, 10L = £71.99 300V 15w-50 (4L or 2L size) 4L = £29.99, 6L = £44.49, 8L = £52.99, 10L = £65.99, 16L = £100.99 8100 0w-40 (5L size) 5L = £31.99, 10L = £56.99, 20L = £105.99 8100 5w-30 (5L size) 5L = £23.99, 10L = £41.99, 20L = £76.99 8100 5w-40 (5L size) 5L = £30.99, 10L = £54.99, 20L = £101.99 6100 10w-40 (5L size) 5L = £19.99, 10L = £33.99, 20L = £61.99 BMW SPECIFIC 5w-30 LL01 (5L size) 5L = £26.99, 10L = £46.99, 20L = £85.99 FORD SPECIFIC 5w-30 WSSM2C913 A/B (5L size) 5L = £23.99, 10L = £41.99, 20L = £76.99 VW SPECIFIC 5w-40 VW505.01, 505.00 and 500.00 (5L size) 5L = £25.99, 10L = £45.99, 20L = £84.99 Motul Gear 300 75w-90 (1L size) 1L = £9.49 Motul Gear 75w-90 (1L size) 1L = £6.99 Motul 90PA LS (2L size) 2L = £8.99 Motul RBF600 DOT4 (0.5L size) 0.5L = £5.49 Motul Brake Fluid DOT 5.1 (0.5L size) 0.5L = £4.99 FUCHS/SILKOLENE PRO S 5w-40, 10w-50 and PRO R 15w-50 (5L size) 5L = £32.49, 10L = £60.99, 15L = £87.99, 20L = £109.99 XTR 10w-40 (4L size) 4L = £14.99, 8L = £24.99, 16L = £43.99 XTR 5w-30 (5L size) 5L = £23.99, 10L = £40.99, 20L = £64.99 Turbolene DX 15w-40 (5L size) 5L = £16.99, 10L = £24.99, 20L = £44.99 Titan Supersyn SL 0w-30 (4L size) 4L = £25.99, 8L = £43.99, 16L = £78.99 Titan Supersyn SL 5w-40 (4L size) 4L = £23.99, 8L = £39.99, 16L = £71.99 Titan Supersyn SL PD 5w-40 (4L size) 4L = £25.99, 8L = £43.99, 16L = £78.99 Silktran SYN 5 75w-90 (1L size) 1L = £8.99 Syn Gear 75w-90 (1L size) 1L = £4.99 Boa 90LS (1L size) 1L = £5.99 Titan ATF4000 Dexron III (5L size) 5L = £16.99 Pro Boost (1L size) 1L = £9.99 CASTROL RS 0w-40 (4L or 1L size) 4L = £27.99, 8L = £48.99, 16L = £92.99 RS 10w-60 (4L or 1L size) 4L = £28.99, 8L = £50.99, 16L = £97.99 Performance 10w-40 (1L size) 5L = £20.99, 10L = £35.99 MOBIL Mobil1 0w-40 (4L or 1L size) 4L = £29.99, 8L = £58.99, 16L = £111.99 Mobil1 15w-50 (1L size) 12L = £85.99 TOTAL Quartz 7000 10w-40 (1L size) 5L = £18.99, 10L = £30.99 Technical Details on all Oils: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/lubricants.htm DENSO IRIDIUM POWER SPARK PLUGS If you wish to add your Denso Iridium Power Spark Plug Order to your oil order then please state at the time of ordering. SEE our offer on this Forum. http://www.globaldenso.com/cgi-bin/glob ... -maker.cgi OIL FILTERS We are now offering PUROLATOR OIL FILTERS so please check the reference you require here by clicking on the “catalogue enquiry” tab and then the PUROLATOR tab and looking up your car. http://194.207.37.7/webcatansa/webforms/frmmain.aspx Cheers Simon

Prices are going up and all our oil suppliers have announced increases from 1st October! We are currently working on our new price lists. For a limited period ONLY we will be offering a selection of our oils "Carriage FREE!" We are just working out the final list and prices but this will be our "best offer" yet. If you're interested then please indicate on this thread. Prices to follow soon. Cheers Simon

These are some other products that are worth checking out and around 30% cheaper than the Redline as they're not imported from the States. http://www.opieoils.co.uk/TechSpecs/SIL ... 0Wheel.pdf http://www.opieoils.co.uk/TechSpecs/Mob ... o_3178.pdf Cheers Simon

You only have to ask ;) Cheers Simon

The point is that you get what you pay for. Synta is a cheap oil and if that's what you want then fine, can't argue but.... If the car is modded of doing trackdays, don't be a fool as you need a proper fully synthetic oil that will stay in grade when stressed. The PRO S is a "race" oil that can be used in road cars but it's built with extreme applications in mind like 10 track hours! http://www.opieoils.co.uk/TechSpecs/PRO ... 0Wheel.pdf Consider what you're expecting the oil to do before you make your choice as it's the engines first line of defence. You should also read this if your car is modded or used on track! If you are "modding" your car and adding BHP then consider your oil choice carefully as the stock manufacturers recommended oil will not give you the protection that your engine requires. A standard oil will not be thermally stable enough to cope with higher temperatures without "shearing" meaning that the oil will not give the same protection after a couple of thousand miles as it it when it was new. Let’s start with the fundamentals. An engine is a device for converting fuel into motive power. Car enthusiasts get so deep into the details they lose sight of this! To get more power, an engine must be modified such that it converts more fuel per minute into power than it did in standard form. To produce 6.6 million foot-pounds per minute of power (ie 200 BHP) a modern engine will burn about 0.5 litres of fuel per minute.(Equivalent to 18mpg at 120mph). So, to increase this output to 300BHP or 9.9 million foot-pounds per minute it must be modified to burn (in theory) 0.75 litres. However, fuel efficiency often goes out of the window when power is the only consideration, so the true fuel burn will be rather more than 0.75 litres/min. That’s the fundamental point, here’s the fundamental problem: Less than 30% of the fuel (assuming it’s petrol) is converted to all those foot-pounds. The rest is thrown away as waste heat. True, most of it goes down the exhaust, but over 10% has to be eliminated from the engine internals, and the first line of defence is the oil. More power means a bigger heat elimination problem. Every component runs hotter; For instance, piston crowns and rings will be running at 280-300C instead of a more normal 240-260C, so it is essential that the oil films on cylinder walls provide an efficient heat path to the block casting, and finally to the coolant. Any breakdown or carbonisation of the oil will restrict the heat transfer area, leading to serious overheating. A modern synthetic lubricant based on true temperature-resistant synthetics is essential for long-term reliability. At 250C+, a mineral or hydrocracked mineral oil, particularly a 5W/X or 10W/X grade, is surprisingly volatile, and an oil film around this temperature will be severely depleted by evaporation loss. Back in the 1970s the solution was to use a thick oil, typically 20W/50; in the late1980s even 10W/60 grades were used. But in modern very high RPM engines with efficient high-delivery oil pumps thick oils waste power, and impede heat transfer in some situations. A light viscosity good synthetic formulated for severe competition use is the logical and intelligent choice for the 21st century. Cheers Simon

Silkolene Comes in 5L tubs, 10L is £72.99 incl carriage to your door. This is an ester/pao proper synthetic race oil. http://www.opieoils.co.uk/TechSpecs/PRO ... 0Wheel.pdf Oil is cheap when you compare the rest of the running costs on your car per annum but it's you engines first line of defence! Silkolene Pro S is good for 10 track hours or 9000-12000 miles. Cheers Simon