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Oil is among the essential components of a truck. It is not only responsible for the operations of your engine, but it also helps in cooling, protecting, and lubricating your vehicle’s diesel parts. Running your engine on low or dirty oil can result in a lot of mechanical trouble. This is why changing your truck’s oil regularly is a requirement for proper diesel engine care. Before changing oil, you must first know the two different kinds of oil you can use for your vehicle: conventional and synthetic oil.
What is conventional oil?
Conventional oil is the old-age standard oil used for older models of vehicles. This type of oil is derived from refined crude oil. Its most significant advantage is its cost, compared to synthetic oil, conventional oil is much more pocket-friendly.
While it is true that most cars these days are using synthetic oil, you must note that older vehicles are built for conventional oil use. Traditional oil flows slower than its synthetic counterpart, which means it offers more protection and better lubrication for trucks with older engines.
Although conventional oil offers great things for older vehicles, there is also a reason why it is not advised to use this kind of oil for modern types of trucks. As years progress, machines also improve, and some parts of the new engines are built with tighter tolerances than older engines.
Additionally, conventional oils are more susceptible to wear and chemical degradation when faced with harsh conditions, such as low or high temperatures. Conventional oils have a higher viscosity which means proper circulation is significantly reduced when used in newer engines, it can even become clogged in small areas of your truck’s engine.
What is synthetic oil?
Synthetic oils are made by combining base oil, powder additives, and carrier oil, they are basically man-made. This combination aims to produce an oil that behaves similarly to conventional oils. Most synthetic oils begin with highly refined crude, pumped from the underground, the same source as traditional oil. However, their difference is their level of refinement. The refinement processes and the ingredients used in synthetic oils are much better and can offer more help in lowering the friction, reducing engine sludge, and increasing your engine’s performance.
You might be wondering where synthetic oils are used. Back in the day, synthetic oil was once only used in high-performance trucks. But in the present, you can see even mainstream vehicles using this type of oil.
But before you use synthetic oil for your vehicle, you must first know the two types of synthetic oil. Synthetic oils are classified into a synthetic blend or semi-synthetic and full synthetic oil.
Mixing conventional and synthetic oils will produce synthetic blend oil. This type of synthetic oil works just like traditional oil, but it offers better protection for your vehicle’s engine. On the other hand, a full synthetic oil uses synthetic oil as a base and additional chemicals to ensure that your engine will run at its highest performance. Polyalphaolefin, castor waxes, and paraffinic oils are just among the additives used to create a full synthetic oil.
Additives, such as mentioned above, can be mixed in various proportions depending on the manufacturer's preference for performance or protection levels. But most companies prefer an equal additive mixture.
Conventional vs. Synthetic Oil: What is better to use?
When it comes to your vehicle’s performance, this is where you can see a huge difference between conventional and synthetic oils. Conventional oil, once used, is way thicker and sludgy compared to synthetic oil. Synthetic oils are proven to protect the engine due to additives, lowering friction levels and cleaning deposits from the engine, which contributes to fewer emissions and better fuel and oil economy. You can also expect longer intervals in changing oil, reduced engine drag, more predictable oil effectiveness, and quicker engine start time when you use synthetic oil for your vehicle.
Overall, synthetic oil is considered the best oil for your vehicle as it is designed to make your engine’s performance better. The only downside to synthetic oil is it is more costly than conventional oils.
Choosing the best oil for your truck
The most recommended oil for vehicles is full synthetic oil. So if you have the budget, this is the best type of oil you can choose. But if you have a concern about budget, you can go with a synthetic blend.
Alternatively, you can rotate between a full synthetic and non-full synthetic every other oil change. Changing your car oil now and then will not damage your vehicle; just make sure to record the mileage, the next oil change date, and the type of oil. On top of that, viscosity grade and oil specification are two of the most crucial factors you should consider in choosing the ideal lubricant for your vehicle.
Diesel performance shop
You have to look for a reliable diesel shop like Pure Diesel Power for your diesel engine performance upgrades or needs.
Pure Diesel Power has been proudly providing diesel mechanics and enthusiasts with the necessary performance parts and accessories they might need since its establishment in 2006. We, as a team, take pride in offering our clients top-quality customer service before, during, and after the sale.
For more information about Pure Diesel Power, you can reach us from Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm CST. Please call us at 715-254-1833, email us at [email protected], or visit us at 2600 South Galvin Ave, Marshfield, WI 54494