Should you use synthetic oil in your car

Synthetic oil used to be used primarily in high-performance cars and is now being used by more mainstream cars.

Take the popular Honda Civic as an example. A Honda spokesperson said the carmaker used synthetic oil in Civic because of its low viscosity, which means it is easier to flow than high-viscosity oil, which helps improve engine fuel efficiency. The faster the oil flows, the faster the engine parts rotate. Honda is not the only one. In the 2019 model year, approximately 70% of new cars are fully synthetic or blended.

Some brands, including Honda, do not particularly require synthetic engines, but the low viscosity oils required for these engines are only available in a synthetic format. Some brands use "synthetic blend" oils, which are a mixture of traditional and synthetic oils. He added that the mixture does not provide all the benefits of synthetic materials, but they are quite cheap.

In addition, many oil change ports offer synthetic oils as an alternative to conventional engine oils. According to Will Hixson, a spokesperson for the Automotive Oil Change Association, an annual survey of the National Oil and Lubricants News in 2018 showed that more than half of the owners chose synthetic materials or synthetic blends when changing oils.

Should you use synthetic oil? There are good reasons, but only if your car has specific needs. Synthetic oils have some advantages over traditional motor oils. It can withstand higher temperatures than conventional oils, which helps keep the engine running longer. Flows at cold temperatures to reduce engine wear during cold starts.

There is a disadvantage: the price of synthetic motor oil is two to four times that of ordinary motor oil. So unless your user manual specifies synthetic materials, you don't need it.

However, in some cases, the resistance of the synthetic oil to decomposition (the viscosity of the oil will decrease and decrease over time) helps to extend the life of the engine:

• If you travel short distances, standard oil may never warm enough to burn moisture and impurities that may accumulate. This may accelerate the collapse of traditional oil.
• If you live in an area that is very cold in winter or hot in summer, or if you use your car to haul or transport heavy materials, synthetic oil helps protect the engine from stress and does not break down as quickly as traditional oil.
• If your engine is old, it is easy to accumulate mud. This slimy residue forms when the oil breaks down, which can block the oil passage and cause the engine to die quickly. At the beginning of the 21st century, the engines of several car companies such as Chrysler, Toyota and Volkswagen were particularly prone to mud accumulation. Synthetic oil is unlikely to form such troublesome sludge.

While synthetic materials typically maintain better performance over longer mileages, regular oil changes are still important, and you should not exceed the manufacturer's recommended time interval, usually every six months or one year. Using synthetic oils in these situations will extend your oil life and require fewer replacements. This is also a major benefit to the environment, as waste oil is the main source of toxic waste in the water.