Benefits of Synthetic Oils

If you're considering synthetic automobile oils, you may be wondering what the point is. Aren't there plenty of perfectly good motor oils derived from natural petroleum? Since the regular stuff seems to work just fine, why would someone go to the trouble of making synthetic oil to begin with?
It's a fair question. But as it turns out, developing synthetic automobile oils wasn't a complete waste of scientists' time. The best synthetic motor oil can provide significant advantages over conventional oils, especially in modern high-performance engines.
Synthetics' biggest advantage is that they're designed from the ground up for their specific purpose. Conventional oil is slippery and, for a long time, that was enough. But as modern engines have gotten more complicated, they've placed tougher demands on their lubricants. Modern engines are built from specialized materials to reduce weight. They run to tighter tolerances. And they run faster and hotter.
Out of the ground, petroleum is a stew of different hydrocarbons used for everything from gasoline to plastic. Enormous refinery complexes go to a lot of effort to sort out different types of molecules. It's like trying to take apart a bowl of vegetable soup.
The refining process gets rid of most of the things that don't belong in a motor oil, but a lot of molecules remain. From your engine's point of view, these leftover hydrocarbons are useless at best and at worst actually troublesome.
These other molecules can gum up the oil, they can cause it to lose viscosity at low temperatures, and at high temperatures they can break down into a chemical sludge that interferes with the oil's lubricating properties. Synthetics have none of these issues. In especially demanding high-performance applications, the best synthetic motor oil can make all the difference.
Even for everyday driving, synthetic automobile oils can offer some pretty significant benefits. You'd be surprised where you'll find high performance engines these days. As car makers push the envelope on weight and fuel efficiency, the engine of the regular family car is getting more sophisticated and more demanding.
So whether you're racing the Baja or driving the kids to school, the best synthetic motor oil can keep your car running better longer, improve your gas mileage, and reduce your emissions. In general, they just help your car do what it does better.