Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
Howdy. I looked at the Oil Extreme website and would like to explain a few things. I'll follow the same format as the website.
Base Stocks:
Group I base oils are high aromatics, low viscosity index oils. Higher aromatics means more prone to oxidation, while low viscosity index means it thins out when the temperature goes up. These are still used in probably half the engine oils on the market today. They aren't "bad" and all their handicaps can usually be made up for with additives. Group II base oils are low aromatics, so some of the "warts" are removed. Oil Extreme is a little off in that there are also Group III base oils, which are mineral oil based, very highly refined and are essentially the same performance as synthetics. Castrol, Shell, and others use Group III base oils in their synthetic oil products. To give them the benefit of the doubt, Oil Extreme might be using Group II+, a subcategory of the base oil description system, which is almost like a synthetic. But to claim it's better than synthetic can't be true, since Group III exists, is better than Group II, and is used by others in their synthetic.
Additive Package:
An API approved standard additive package is not descriptive. A standard passenger car oil package is about 9% of a quart, a standard diesel oil package is about 16% of the quart. Makes a big difference.
Extreme Pressure:
Calcium carbonate is a pure form of limestone, so this is either an inaccurate description or if accurate, it's a powder used in concrete and paper mills to make smooth paper.
Asperities:
Asperities are the peaks, not the valleys, when talking about surface roughness. Oil also fills in the valleys, which is why engines have lasting for thousands, not tens, of miles. More Total Base Number (TBN) is fine, although it's there to reduce the formation of sulfuric acids that form. The sulfur comes from the fuel, and that's why diesel engine oil is high TBN - diesel fuel had lots of sulfur (although the government is now requiring it to be reduced.) High TBN in a passenger car with gasoline is sort of a so-what. High TBN relates directly to longer drain in a diesel, but not a gasoline engine.
Link to "Calcium Petroleum Sulfonate":
Calcium sulfonate and overbased calcium sulfonate have been used for many years. It doesn't "hurt" friction, but as another active material, it does compete for metal sites. Too much of this and friction modifiers and anti-wear additives can't get to the metal. To claim that reduced tolerances increases the odds of extreme pressure needs is inaccurate. Reduced tolerances come from parts being rounder or smoother, and therefore less chance of point contact or extreme pressure.
I'm impressed with the technical description of the other additive chemistries (ZDDP, chlorinated paraffins, etc. ) Got this right.
It is not technical feasible to claim the no-harm features of the oil industry's testing if the molecule has been changed. Just because it looks similar on paper doesn't count. Graphite and diamonds are both carbon....
Detergency may be improved, dispersancy is another feature that calcium sulfonates can't claim.
Racing testimonials aren't what the public thinks. NASCAR teams such as Ganassi use off the shelf products and they almost won the series until Marlin broke his neck. And the oil is only used once, for 500 miles, and then the engine is gone over. And the oil temperature is maintained by the three gallon dry sump and lots of coolers...
Thin Film Technology:
Shearing molecules happens often already. Shear breaks down viscosity index improvers, the standard anti-wear additives, the traditional friction modifiers...
Conclusion:
There's no data to show improved extreme pressure performance. Car companies don't think you need it, otherwise they would have engine tests that the oil majors could pass only if they had EP additives in the oil. If you want more TBN, more calcium sulfonate, more additive, a synthetic-quality base oil, you can get Mobil Delvac 1, Shell Rotella T Synthetic, and others. Sorry, they don't come with the big claims...
Apologize for typos...
Base Stocks:
Group I base oils are high aromatics, low viscosity index oils. Higher aromatics means more prone to oxidation, while low viscosity index means it thins out when the temperature goes up. These are still used in probably half the engine oils on the market today. They aren't "bad" and all their handicaps can usually be made up for with additives. Group II base oils are low aromatics, so some of the "warts" are removed. Oil Extreme is a little off in that there are also Group III base oils, which are mineral oil based, very highly refined and are essentially the same performance as synthetics. Castrol, Shell, and others use Group III base oils in their synthetic oil products. To give them the benefit of the doubt, Oil Extreme might be using Group II+, a subcategory of the base oil description system, which is almost like a synthetic. But to claim it's better than synthetic can't be true, since Group III exists, is better than Group II, and is used by others in their synthetic.
Additive Package:
An API approved standard additive package is not descriptive. A standard passenger car oil package is about 9% of a quart, a standard diesel oil package is about 16% of the quart. Makes a big difference.
Extreme Pressure:
Calcium carbonate is a pure form of limestone, so this is either an inaccurate description or if accurate, it's a powder used in concrete and paper mills to make smooth paper.
Asperities:
Asperities are the peaks, not the valleys, when talking about surface roughness. Oil also fills in the valleys, which is why engines have lasting for thousands, not tens, of miles. More Total Base Number (TBN) is fine, although it's there to reduce the formation of sulfuric acids that form. The sulfur comes from the fuel, and that's why diesel engine oil is high TBN - diesel fuel had lots of sulfur (although the government is now requiring it to be reduced.) High TBN in a passenger car with gasoline is sort of a so-what. High TBN relates directly to longer drain in a diesel, but not a gasoline engine.
Link to "Calcium Petroleum Sulfonate":
Calcium sulfonate and overbased calcium sulfonate have been used for many years. It doesn't "hurt" friction, but as another active material, it does compete for metal sites. Too much of this and friction modifiers and anti-wear additives can't get to the metal. To claim that reduced tolerances increases the odds of extreme pressure needs is inaccurate. Reduced tolerances come from parts being rounder or smoother, and therefore less chance of point contact or extreme pressure.
I'm impressed with the technical description of the other additive chemistries (ZDDP, chlorinated paraffins, etc. ) Got this right.
It is not technical feasible to claim the no-harm features of the oil industry's testing if the molecule has been changed. Just because it looks similar on paper doesn't count. Graphite and diamonds are both carbon....
Detergency may be improved, dispersancy is another feature that calcium sulfonates can't claim.
Racing testimonials aren't what the public thinks. NASCAR teams such as Ganassi use off the shelf products and they almost won the series until Marlin broke his neck. And the oil is only used once, for 500 miles, and then the engine is gone over. And the oil temperature is maintained by the three gallon dry sump and lots of coolers...
Thin Film Technology:
Shearing molecules happens often already. Shear breaks down viscosity index improvers, the standard anti-wear additives, the traditional friction modifiers...
Conclusion:
There's no data to show improved extreme pressure performance. Car companies don't think you need it, otherwise they would have engine tests that the oil majors could pass only if they had EP additives in the oil. If you want more TBN, more calcium sulfonate, more additive, a synthetic-quality base oil, you can get Mobil Delvac 1, Shell Rotella T Synthetic, and others. Sorry, they don't come with the big claims...
Apologize for typos...