The Difference Between Synthetic and Mineral Oil in Cars, Which is Better?
For those of you who often use cars, it is essential to know the difference between synthetic and mineral oil. Changing the engine oil of a car has become a ritual every 6 months for many people. If you have a newer car, you will usually be advised to use synthetic oil by the technician at the workshop.
It will be very different if you use an older car; usually, technicians recommend you use mineral oil. So what exactly are synthetic and mineral oils? What are the differences between synthetic and mineral oils in cars, as well as their advantages and disadvantages?
What are Synthetic and Mineral Oils? What’s the Difference?
Initially, the oil used by many cars was mineral oil. Mineral oil is made from petroleum. Of course, there are many processes involved from petroleum to become the mineral oil used by cars.
Over time, technology in the automotive world has continued to develop, leading to the discovery of synthetic oil from chemical engineering conducted by researchers. Synthetic oil is made with a purpose. Synthetic oil is designed to address the shortcomings of mineral oil, which is prone to oxidation and evaporation when the engine is hot.
Another difference between synthetic and mineral oils is their viscosity levels. Mineral oil has a higher viscosity compared to synthetic oil. Synthetic oil tends to be thinner than mineral oil because synthetic oil has uniform molecules.
Of course, this is an advantage of synthetic oil, which can distribute the heat generated by the engine evenly. This is also what makes synthetic oil less prone to evaporation and oxidation.
Read Also: Don't Get It Wrong, This is the Difference Between Transmission Oil and Differential Oil
Which is Better, Synthetic or Mineral Oil?
From the previous explanation, you can probably guess which is better, between mineral oil and synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is certainly better than mineral oil for newer cars. With synthetic oil, the heat generated in your car's engine will be distributed evenly and dissipated quickly.
In addition, the use of synthetic oil lasts longer compared to mineral oil because synthetic oil does not easily evaporate and oxidize.
However, in terms of price, mineral oil is cheaper than synthetic oil. Especially if your car is older, it is usually more suitable for mineral oil, which has a thicker viscosity.
Which is better really depends on what kind of car you have, whether it is a newer model or an older one, especially cars made before 2000.
Read Also: 6 Recommendations for Good Car Oil Brands for Long Journeys
Understanding Oil Codes
To distinguish between synthetic and mineral oils, you can look at the oil codes. For synthetic oil, you will usually find codes like SAE 0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30, 10W-40. For mineral oil, you will typically find codes like SAE 15W-40, 20W-40, 20W-50. What do these codes mean?
The W in the code stands for winter. The number before the W indicates the viscosity of the oil. The lower the number, the lower the viscosity. The number after the dash (-) indicates the viscosity value at the highest temperature that occurs in the engine.
Therefore, you can see from the oil codes listed on synthetic and mineral oils that the numbers for synthetic oil are lower than those for mineral oil. This is because synthetic oil has a lower viscosity.
That’s some of the differences between synthetic and mineral oils, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. If you are unsure which oil is suitable for your car, you can ask a technician at the official Daihatsu workshop. There, you will find satisfactory answers from professional technicians.
