speedlife

one of the chief engineers at my work says the benefits of syn oil is best when the weather is cold for cold starts and thats all. also syn are thinner and tend to burn easier. do you guys use syn in your s2k and do you tihnk its better?

Gernby

Is this guy a petrolium or automotive engineer? I have been using synthetics in my cars for years. My last two cars had over 140K miles on them before I sold them, and their engines were still very strong. In fact, I didn't have a single engine problem on either of them. One of them was autocrossed and tracked for years.

I don't think the benefit of synthetic oil has anything to do with cold starts, but if it did, that alone would be worth it. Most of the wear on the engine occurs during a cold start. From what I understand, synthetic oils don't break down over time like standard oils, and maintain their viscosities better at high temps.

speedlife

syn oils start better when cold because they remain more viscous during low temps

Gernby

High viscosity would be a bad thing during a cold start. If anything, you would want a very low viscosity, so that the oil can get flowing faster. If the oil is thick (high viscosity), the engine will take longer to lube itself. That is why you are now seeing multi-weight oils like 5W-30 and even 0W-30, so that the oil will be really thin at low temps.

speedlife

doesnt viscous mean fluid?

Gernby

Viscosity is defined as "the property of resistance to flow in a fluid or semifluid" (www.webster.com).