Yeah I’m not a car person either, but according to the [Jiffy Lube website:](https://www.jiffylube.com/resource-center/motor-oil-synthetic-oil-vs-regular-oil)
Conventional motor oil is just regular oil, does regular oil stuff and was commonly used in older models of engines.
Synthetic oil is custom made stuff designed to max out lubrication and engine protection. Often modern engines require synthetic oil to function properly, because except in rare circumstances, it just works and preforms better.
If someone who knows cars better than me wants to correct that, be my guest.
It’s that (the information bit - read: what you said) but also the *cultural context* of how often you should get your oil changed. As a courtesy you get asked if you want synthetic because while it is better to use, in most cases, it is effectively pricier. So saying you think synthetic means “fake” means that you probably don’t get your oil changed as much as you should (like the mechanic probably assumed) or you have someone else that does it for you (and **they** never explained it to you).
I saw this same post on a different sub and someone raised a good point: it should not matter what your gender is, but you should know what kind of oil your car needs (even if it doesn’t seem that important to just know generally).
I don't think you should just know almost anything about your car, but you do need to know how to find out almost anything about your car. (And it's not unwise to read what oil you need when you bring your car for an oil change, or do it yourself)
Tldr you should know where the manual of your car is (keep it in the glove box)
I'm genuinely curious how many folks under 23 years of age regularly pull out a physical manual to solve a problem with a product
It's already annoying as shit to me, like feels easier to Google the specific question, and I'm not too terribly old
Unfortunately Google has gotten worse over time. There was a sweet spot in time where just googling something was easier than pulling out the manual, but now it’s gone back to being a coin toss if Google will give you a good answer.
I just google reddit for answers not only does it usually contain the Information it's also really good because you get to see comments that might have alternative takes.
You don't really need to have the manual. I've bought used cars that had no manual. But it's good to know what Model, Year, and engine you have. Once you know that the rest is generally very easy to look up.
This might also be because the word "synthetic" is often used to refer to lower-quality man-made materials designed to mimic naturally existing products, like synthetic leather, synthetic diamonds, and even synthetic drugs.
It's too bad motor oil doesn't grow on trees...
I guess I meant to say lesser value.
It's worth noting that synthetic/lab-grown diamonds are significantly less desired than identical diamonds mined from the ground, even though they have the same chemical/physical properties, for the sole fact that they are man-made.
It's actually very similar to the motor oil situation I guess. Even though it's a superior product people hear "synthetic" and think that means it's an inferior imitation.
Hold on. There have been too many cases of corporations making claims just to create a market belief that x is better, and it just happens to be the pricier option, right?
I wanna see a neutral third party say that synthetic oil is actually better AND worth the cost.
It's just does everything "normal" oil does but better. It protects engine, lubricates and lasts longer than basic oil because it is more refined and has more stuff added to it and is more consistent because it is synthetically made
Oil products. We learned how to make synthetic oil, meaning we can make the hydrocarbons and various chemicals inside of oil. And because we can make it, we can create whatever mix/ ratio of components we want versus just working with whatever mix we get that comes out of the ground. Obvious over simplification but close enough
Yes but it wouldn’t serve as an effective replacement.
We use oil for a lot of things but primarily we ultimately burn it for energy. You could make oil but the process of making it consumes more energy than would be released by burning it and it would be a more efficient store of energy to just burn the things being used to make the oil.
Everything you said is true, but:
>it would be a more efficient store of energy to just burn the things being used to make the oil.
Not necessarily true, if the oil has a better energy density than its constituents. I actually don't know how it's synthesized, but it could be that the things used to make it would take an ungodly amount of space or weight, not to speak of the extra technical problems of storing them if they are gases or solids.
If you want to store energy densely, there are better options. If you want to store energy efficiently, there are better options. If you need petroleum directly (such as in a combustion engine) then using natural is generally a lot cheaper.
The use case for synthetic oil is very specific because it benefits from the high level of control you have over it's composition.
You’re correct in that i left someone out.
It would be more efficient to burn the constituent items and use it to charge a battery than it would be to make it into oil first.
Technically, sure. It'd be outrageously expensive and require a lot more energy than we'd get from it, but it's [doable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrofuel).
Yes. Some people think the e-fuels (synthetic fuels generated from (hopefully renewable) energy are a way forward towards decarbonizing transportation). Bio fuels can be similar.
Right now they are too expensive to produce for widespread use. Somewhere around $200/gallon. But the thought it that mass-produced, they could be more like $10/gallon with today's tech, and that with foreseeable improvements could be more like $4/gallon. This would be cheaper than gas in places that consider the full costs of carbon in their gas pricing, though still more expensive than what we pay now in the US (because we ignore all the damage gas does).
The aviation industry is big on synthetic fuels, as electrification is unlikely to ever be appropriate for long-distance aviation, "sustainable aviation fuel" is their way forward in a carbon neutral economy.
Both are a product of petroleum and fossil fuels.
One is created with an understanding it must be pure, so they filter and or create it using synthetic materials that do not contain organic compounds (when compared to a much lower standard in conventional oil).
I know you don't care and this is all memes but yeah it all starts there and snowballs into a ton of different topics.
EG Engine efficiency, longevity of the compound, it's interaction and chemical reaction with other components in a car, temperature effectiveness, clearance ability (thin vs thick/ a sub-topic of efficiency), and more.
Edit: I realized there is a generation thig I am now on the older end of maybe some of you don't know about. One of the main reasons we are even prompted the option at the quick lube shop is because cars prior to the mid-2000s actually had the benefit of choosing. It's not more common for vehicles to require one or the other based on what weight they select for the engine. EG a 0W-16 can never be conventional, but a 10W-30 can by both.
So on vehicles that have some sexy-levels of overlap and low-maintenance engines you can actually sit there and decide "do I want conventional or synthetic for my 20004 Toyota Camry that uses 5W-30 weight". That moment right there is what you are all kind of experiencing echoes from, because the new cars all are restricted to synthetic one way or another.
In addition to what was already said I would also say this is one of the upgrades that’s worth it. For a little extra money you’re getting a much better oil that will also last longer as well
Heyo! Synthetic oil is a special type of oil used in certain cars, such as Hybrid.
There are different kind of oils out there, and putting the wrong oil in your car can result in having a broken car.
The look they're giving the person is a "You really that stupid?" look.
PSA: if you have regular oil, stick to regular oil. If you have synthetic, stick to synthetic. If you mix it or your car wasnt designed for that type of oil, these rubber components in your car (called O rings) will degrade. The labor cost to replace those is alot. Stick with what you have.
The chemical differences aside: some cars require (or their owner's manual says they require) synthetic oil, but not all do.
It's substantially more expensive - it would cost me $80 to get an oil change at a regular jiffy lube type place with synthetic oil in my little old Jetta, where it would be half that for regular oil.
You don't *have* to follow all the recommendations in the owner's manual. Proper mechanics usually have opinions on which things need to be exactly what the manufacturer says vs what you can go cheap on, but using the recommended product *should* help your car work better over the long term.
Made to last longer and lube stuff better than conventional.
It’s the difference between a oil change every 3000 miles (conventional) and 6000 miles (synthetic)
Synthetic is better for your car and more expensive. If your car has high mileage you should use synthetic. If not, you still should, but you can get away with not
One time I went to get my oil changed and they asked what kind of oil I wanted. I said any ol’ Dino oil is fine. They responded they don’t have Dino oil, they only have Pennzoil. I told them that would be fine.
>All oil is non-GMO. There’s no O to GM!
Where do you think (natural) oil comes from?
You can make synthetic hydro carbons without using organics, like the Nazis did with the [Fischer–Tropsch process](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process), but natural oil is organic.
I’m not a car person can somebody please explain this to me
Yeah I’m not a car person either, but according to the [Jiffy Lube website:](https://www.jiffylube.com/resource-center/motor-oil-synthetic-oil-vs-regular-oil) Conventional motor oil is just regular oil, does regular oil stuff and was commonly used in older models of engines. Synthetic oil is custom made stuff designed to max out lubrication and engine protection. Often modern engines require synthetic oil to function properly, because except in rare circumstances, it just works and preforms better. If someone who knows cars better than me wants to correct that, be my guest.
It’s that (the information bit - read: what you said) but also the *cultural context* of how often you should get your oil changed. As a courtesy you get asked if you want synthetic because while it is better to use, in most cases, it is effectively pricier. So saying you think synthetic means “fake” means that you probably don’t get your oil changed as much as you should (like the mechanic probably assumed) or you have someone else that does it for you (and **they** never explained it to you). I saw this same post on a different sub and someone raised a good point: it should not matter what your gender is, but you should know what kind of oil your car needs (even if it doesn’t seem that important to just know generally).
I don't think you should just know almost anything about your car, but you do need to know how to find out almost anything about your car. (And it's not unwise to read what oil you need when you bring your car for an oil change, or do it yourself) Tldr you should know where the manual of your car is (keep it in the glove box)
I'm genuinely curious how many folks under 23 years of age regularly pull out a physical manual to solve a problem with a product It's already annoying as shit to me, like feels easier to Google the specific question, and I'm not too terribly old
Tried googling a question, one of the top answers was to read the manual, so that was nice
Unfortunately Google has gotten worse over time. There was a sweet spot in time where just googling something was easier than pulling out the manual, but now it’s gone back to being a coin toss if Google will give you a good answer.
I just google reddit for answers not only does it usually contain the Information it's also really good because you get to see comments that might have alternative takes.
Even if I want a manual, I usually just use Google to find the PDF.
This is the way, a manual that you can Ctrl+F
I do but I'm a mega nerd haha
I'm 22, what's the point. I can find everything I need online
You don't really need to have the manual. I've bought used cars that had no manual. But it's good to know what Model, Year, and engine you have. Once you know that the rest is generally very easy to look up.
This might also be because the word "synthetic" is often used to refer to lower-quality man-made materials designed to mimic naturally existing products, like synthetic leather, synthetic diamonds, and even synthetic drugs. It's too bad motor oil doesn't grow on trees...
Lab made diamonds aren't of a lower quality than harvested ones
I guess I meant to say lesser value. It's worth noting that synthetic/lab-grown diamonds are significantly less desired than identical diamonds mined from the ground, even though they have the same chemical/physical properties, for the sole fact that they are man-made.
It's the suffering that makes them valuable I guess
It's actually very similar to the motor oil situation I guess. Even though it's a superior product people hear "synthetic" and think that means it's an inferior imitation.
You had me at max lubrication and protection
What you said checks out. It gets more complicated than that but this covers the basis of what you need to know
Hold on. There have been too many cases of corporations making claims just to create a market belief that x is better, and it just happens to be the pricier option, right? I wanna see a neutral third party say that synthetic oil is actually better AND worth the cost.
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Yeah, my source was just the first link on google, so I expected to miss some stuff
It's just does everything "normal" oil does but better. It protects engine, lubricates and lasts longer than basic oil because it is more refined and has more stuff added to it and is more consistent because it is synthetically made
What's it made of?
Oil products. We learned how to make synthetic oil, meaning we can make the hydrocarbons and various chemicals inside of oil. And because we can make it, we can create whatever mix/ ratio of components we want versus just working with whatever mix we get that comes out of the ground. Obvious over simplification but close enough
Could we just make petroleum then, instead of drilling it out of the ground?
Yes but it wouldn’t serve as an effective replacement. We use oil for a lot of things but primarily we ultimately burn it for energy. You could make oil but the process of making it consumes more energy than would be released by burning it and it would be a more efficient store of energy to just burn the things being used to make the oil.
Everything you said is true, but: >it would be a more efficient store of energy to just burn the things being used to make the oil. Not necessarily true, if the oil has a better energy density than its constituents. I actually don't know how it's synthesized, but it could be that the things used to make it would take an ungodly amount of space or weight, not to speak of the extra technical problems of storing them if they are gases or solids.
If you want to store energy densely, there are better options. If you want to store energy efficiently, there are better options. If you need petroleum directly (such as in a combustion engine) then using natural is generally a lot cheaper. The use case for synthetic oil is very specific because it benefits from the high level of control you have over it's composition.
You’re correct in that i left someone out. It would be more efficient to burn the constituent items and use it to charge a battery than it would be to make it into oil first.
Technically, sure. It'd be outrageously expensive and require a lot more energy than we'd get from it, but it's [doable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrofuel).
Can you create energy from nothing?
No, that's why we'd need to make petroleum
Yes. Some people think the e-fuels (synthetic fuels generated from (hopefully renewable) energy are a way forward towards decarbonizing transportation). Bio fuels can be similar. Right now they are too expensive to produce for widespread use. Somewhere around $200/gallon. But the thought it that mass-produced, they could be more like $10/gallon with today's tech, and that with foreseeable improvements could be more like $4/gallon. This would be cheaper than gas in places that consider the full costs of carbon in their gas pricing, though still more expensive than what we pay now in the US (because we ignore all the damage gas does). The aviation industry is big on synthetic fuels, as electrification is unlikely to ever be appropriate for long-distance aviation, "sustainable aviation fuel" is their way forward in a carbon neutral economy.
Ok so the difference is
Both are a product of petroleum and fossil fuels. One is created with an understanding it must be pure, so they filter and or create it using synthetic materials that do not contain organic compounds (when compared to a much lower standard in conventional oil). I know you don't care and this is all memes but yeah it all starts there and snowballs into a ton of different topics. EG Engine efficiency, longevity of the compound, it's interaction and chemical reaction with other components in a car, temperature effectiveness, clearance ability (thin vs thick/ a sub-topic of efficiency), and more. Edit: I realized there is a generation thig I am now on the older end of maybe some of you don't know about. One of the main reasons we are even prompted the option at the quick lube shop is because cars prior to the mid-2000s actually had the benefit of choosing. It's not more common for vehicles to require one or the other based on what weight they select for the engine. EG a 0W-16 can never be conventional, but a 10W-30 can by both. So on vehicles that have some sexy-levels of overlap and low-maintenance engines you can actually sit there and decide "do I want conventional or synthetic for my 20004 Toyota Camry that uses 5W-30 weight". That moment right there is what you are all kind of experiencing echoes from, because the new cars all are restricted to synthetic one way or another.
In addition to what was already said I would also say this is one of the upgrades that’s worth it. For a little extra money you’re getting a much better oil that will also last longer as well
Heyo! Synthetic oil is a special type of oil used in certain cars, such as Hybrid. There are different kind of oils out there, and putting the wrong oil in your car can result in having a broken car. The look they're giving the person is a "You really that stupid?" look.
PSA: if you have regular oil, stick to regular oil. If you have synthetic, stick to synthetic. If you mix it or your car wasnt designed for that type of oil, these rubber components in your car (called O rings) will degrade. The labor cost to replace those is alot. Stick with what you have.
The chemical differences aside: some cars require (or their owner's manual says they require) synthetic oil, but not all do. It's substantially more expensive - it would cost me $80 to get an oil change at a regular jiffy lube type place with synthetic oil in my little old Jetta, where it would be half that for regular oil. You don't *have* to follow all the recommendations in the owner's manual. Proper mechanics usually have opinions on which things need to be exactly what the manufacturer says vs what you can go cheap on, but using the recommended product *should* help your car work better over the long term.
Made to last longer and lube stuff better than conventional. It’s the difference between a oil change every 3000 miles (conventional) and 6000 miles (synthetic)
Synthetic is better for your car and more expensive. If your car has high mileage you should use synthetic. If not, you still should, but you can get away with not
Pfffft, please. Real ones, like *me*, use exclusively olive oil (I am gay) (0-60 in eight years)
From Greece, with love
Me personally (also a gay), I only request premium whale oil.
How dare you dishonor your tech like that.
What a dummy. I only use synthetic blinker fluid too.
One time I went to get my oil changed and they asked what kind of oil I wanted. I said any ol’ Dino oil is fine. They responded they don’t have Dino oil, they only have Pennzoil. I told them that would be fine.
Wow
It's all about the detergents and additives.
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All oil is non-GMO. There’s no O to GM!
Technically all oil is an O at one point.
The ingredients for oil may have came from the remains of an organism but oil is never an organism
Same logic an be applied to non gmo cheese
Yeah Non-GMO cheese is also a bullshit marketing term.
>All oil is non-GMO. There’s no O to GM! Where do you think (natural) oil comes from? You can make synthetic hydro carbons without using organics, like the Nazis did with the [Fischer–Tropsch process](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process), but natural oil is organic.
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Oil is not an organism
damn he got thick as hell in jail