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Hot, Hot, Hot
by Ed Newman
AMSOIL
Director of Advertising
This article appeared in National Oil &
Lube News, May 2006
When you think about, it’s amazing that
we put so much faith in motor oil.
We demand a lot. As technology advances,
the demands we place on lubrication increase. For example, we all want
better fuel economy, so we’re using lighter oils. However, we also want
engines to produce more power per cubic inch. To add power, we’re
putting in turbochargers which raise the engine temperature and put
higher stress on our oil.
That’s not the only stress. We value
cleaner air, so cleaner exhaust emissions place more contamination in
the oil and increase temperatures. We’ve cut aerodynamic drag, a plus
for vehicle owners, but murder on oil. By minimizing the air flow over
the engine and drivetrain, temperatures also increase. What’s more, with
smaller sumps we have less oil to do the big job it has to do.
According to a recent study conducted by
the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), temps under the hood have
increased by more than 30% since 1985. Our vehicles are increasingly
complex and powerful machines. And increasingly hot. To keep them
running smoothly, we’re demanding that lubricants do more and last
longer. And above all, they must deal with the heat.
Synthetics offer many advantages,
including longer lasting equipment, fewer repairs, better performance,
better fuel economy and cleaner exhaust emissions. They even last longer
than other lubricants. But one of the biggest drivers in the switch to
synthetics is the way they deal with heat.
THE ROLE OF MOTOR OIL
Before you can understand why synthetic lubricants continue to grow in
popularity, you need to grasp the many roles lubrication has in our
vehicles.
First, and most important, is reducing
friction. Lubricants reduce friction by creating a film between two
surfaces. Many parts don’t need much separation, but that separation
counts. Even the thinnest film cuts down contact. In most cases it
eliminates it.
Lubricants perform other jobs, too. They
must carry away harmful contaminants or prevent contaminants from
sticking to engine parts and bear them to the filter. Lubricants also
help cool the engine, not only by reducing heat from friction but also
by absorbing heat from contact areas and transporting that heat to
another location where it can’t harm sensitive engine parts.
We also rely on lubricants to seal
pistons, piston rings and cylinder contact areas, prevent corrosion and
transfer energy, as in hydraulic equipment or valve filters in an
automotive engine.
We depend on our vehicles to perform well
in all conditions. Lubricants cannot fail or our vehicles will suffer.
Today’s vehicles run with reduced oil
viscosity, more horsepower, turbocharged engines, cleaner emissions,
improved aerodynamics and increased operating temperatures. They perform
all this under the watchful eye of a public demanding that vehicles run
cleaner because of environmental concerns. We put stress on our
lubricants.
THE ADVANTAGES OF
SYNTHETICS
Synthetic lubricants help solve the problem of heat through their
design. Because of their uniform structure synthetic molecules slip
easily across one another. Because they’re created from pure chemicals
they contain no contaminants or molecules that don’t help the
lubricating process.
Contrast that to refined lubricants which
contain odd-shaped molecules that don’t slip past each other as easily.
This creates additional friction. Less friction means less engine wear
and better heat control and fuel efficiency. Synthetics outperform
refined lubricants because they reduce friction.
Reducing friction means reducing heat, a
significant challenge in today’s high performance automobiles. Today’s
vehicles produce more power and higher loads, pushing operating
temperatures above the vehicle’s optimal range. High temperatures cause
engine wear and failure.
Synthetics help control heat not only by
reducing friction, but also by transferring heat more effectively than
conventional lubricants. Again, the advantage lies in the synthetic
molecule. Synthetics transfer heat more efficiently, reducing the
possibility of engine problems.
It’s interesting that the appeal of
synthetic motor oils was initially due to their low pour point in frigid
temperatures. Over time, the technology proved to have far more
advantages than first imagined. As spring turns to summer, you’ll want
to keep your customers’ engines cooler with synthetics. That’s a hot
idea, and a way to be cool yourself while earning a few extra dollars
and helping your customers at the same time
Ed Newman is the Director of Advertising for
AMSOIL
INC.
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