Back to all

The Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Gahanna Basic Guide To Synthetic Oil

July 23, 2018

Synthetic motor oil has been around for a long time, and more and more new vehicles are leaving factories with synthetic in their engines. But a lot of drivers don't really know much about it.

Let's start with conventional oil – the kind folks are used to. Conventional oil is made up of naturally occurring hydrocarbon chains, which means its molecules are long and have various lengths. Like a pile of pencils, some of them new and some of them used.

Synthetic oil is man-made. Its molecules are more uniform and regular in shape – more similar to marbles than pencils. Some synthetic oil starts with a petroleum base that's modified and others are entirely synthesized from other materials.

Synthetic motor oil works better in both hot and cold temperatures. It's more chemically stable so it doesn't readily evaporate or break down in the high heat produced inside your vehicle engine. This means it resists turning to sludge, which is a real engine killer.

Remember that marbles and pencils thing we were talking about? Well, that makes synthetic oil slipperier than conventional oil which means less friction in your engine. Your vehicle engine runs cooler, wears less and lasts longer. You also get a boost in power and maybe even an improvement in fuel economy.

Synthetic oil also lasts longer so you change it less often – which is great for the environment. With longer oil change intervals, you need an oil filter specifically built for the longer service life of synthetic oil. Talk with your friendly and knowledgeable Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Gahanna service adviser about synthetic oil and synthetic blends – they might be just what you need to improve engine performance and extend the life of your vehicle.

Give us a call.

Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Gahanna
115 N. Hamilton Road
Gahanna, Ohio 43230
614-337-8080
http://www.tuffygahanna.com

More articles from Tuffy Gahanna

Conventional or Synthetic? (Switching to Synthetic Oil)

March 30, 2025

If you keep up on technology trends, then you may be intrigued about synthetic motor oil. It was introduced in the 1960s when Mobil came up with it. Mobil's oil was different from conventional motor oil because it was first broken down to its basic molecules. Then, Mobil removed additional imp... More

When Metal Meets Metal (Wheel Bearings)

March 23, 2025

What part of your vehicle has little metal balls inside that are lubricated and allow you to cruise on down the road? They are wheel bearings, and automotive designers might argue they are human beings' second greatest invention of all time (the first is, of course, the wheel!). You have a wheel... More

It's Brake Time (Brake Calipers)

March 16, 2025

Race car drivers have demonstrated the advantages of disc brakes, so most modern vehicles use them. Sometimes just the front wheels have disc brakes, but many vehicles now have them all the way around. A major component of the disc brake is called a caliper. It works by squeezing brake pads ag... More