Why are motor oil makers still selling blended synthetic/conventional dinosaur blended oils motor oils ?

This makes zero sense to me, except for perhaps marketing purposes for old men who are only "halfway" convinced they should make the switchover completely to fully synthetic motor oils ? If this is the truth then the oil makers are just serving a market demand, I get it, otherwise I don't get it at all.

One possible reason is that additive packages dissolve well into conventional carrier oil and assist blending with the synth. Whatever they refine and synthesize, they want to utilize, so probably some products don't make sense other than finding a way to sell what they have in abundance. They could likely make some very good and advanced products with conventional base stocks if they had to, which they seem to do with HDEO. They probably couldn't meet some of the most demanding standards such as Euro and Dexos, or any of the latest spark and compression ratings, but maybe they could come close.

uh. money. they cost less but still have benefits over many oil change intervals.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
Why are motor oil makers still selling blended synthetic/conventional dinosaur blended oils motor oils ?

Because people buy it and Walmart and auto parts stores order it from us. Also, it does have some modest advantages over straight dino oil.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
This makes zero sense to me, except for perhaps marketing purposes for old men who are only "halfway" convinced they should make the switchover completely to fully synthetic motor oils ?

When was the last time you saw an advertisement for dino/synthetic blend? For me, I can't recall seeing one in many, many years.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
If this is the truth then the oil makers are just serving a market demand, I get it, otherwise I don't get it at all.

That is the sales model for lubes whether its the flagship full synthetic or the entry level dino oil. Walmart and auto parts stores order it, and we blend up a batch. If they weren't selling it, their Corporate HQ algorithms wouldn't be ordering it.

While related, advertising and marketing are two different things. Just because something isn’t advertised, does not mean it isn’t being marketed. Standing in the oil aisle at WalMart and staring at all the varieties of oil offered is proof of that.

I guarantee there’s never been an advertisement for Mobil 1 ESP X2 with triple action formula and yet there it sits on the shelf.

For us dinosaurs that still run a two-cycle engine (Wankel), syn oil is anathema because it does not mix well with gas (via an injection pump drawing from sump oil), or fails to burn completely in the combustion chamber. Some in the community feel that the mixed oil formula represents an acceptable compromise between this purpose, and general oiling, although there is much controversy as one might imagine.

Because cheapskates thrifty people buy them, that's why. I even use the Walmart Super Tech brand (5W20) on occasion.

Dino/syn blends are a rip off to buyers.

What percentage of syn to Dino? 1%? 15? 50?

Manufacturers aren't required to give that info. I've read that the MSDS gives a general composition that suggests around 15% but the formula can and does change.

Another segment of consumers. About 10% of the market of "oil consumers" being a much larger percent of the "blend" consumers.

Classic vehicle engines (old iron) have greater tolerances and still require much shorter oil change intervals than full synth.

Many of the owners want the benefits of synth but at a lower price than using full synth and the fact of more frequent changes.

While both are miscible, and can be blended by the end user, people tend to want convenience or are un-educated about doing it themselves.

Hence, the market supplies.

I’ve watched several Motor Oil Geek videos on YT, and he will over educate you on engine lubricants and additives. He will disprove a lot of myths and ‘conventional’ wisdom.

Why do people still change oil at 3,000? Because that’s what they’ve always done and correlate that with never having an engine failure or “engine oil is cheaper than an engine.”

Habits are difficult to break even if they’re wrong and outdated.

To be fair, there really isn’t a regular conventional oil left on the shelf for purchase any longer with the latest SP rated oils. The latest specs are getting more difficult to pass and they would essentially be impossible to pass for a conventional only oil, so 99% of the oils sold today have synthetic blended into them.

So everything on the shelf is synthetic blend or synthetic.

Most synthetic uses the same exact Dino base oil as all the other conventional oils on the shelf too. The Dino oil goes through a synthesizing process. You can thank Castrol for that. Most of the oils sold today as synthetic would NOT be classified as synthetics if they were sold in the 80’s.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bubbatime, April 26, 2025 06:09 PM

Oil choice and change interval can become a religion.

Conventional oils are for cars that still need zinc and other additives.
I have to run diesel motor oil in my Corvette for the old flat tappet cam.

I use Driven HR2 in both of my cars.
It's got lots of vitamin ZDDP.

Because, my mom. It’s what dad had on the shelf when he passed away. Mom uses that as example of what she must stock. She asks for it so it gets restocked at the store the oil maker sees it is still selling. It ain’t broken why fix it.

Her son hasn’t bought conventional oil since 1981. Dad sludged 2 motors to death in that time. Filled them to the top with kerosene let them sit a week did it again and traded. Honey Badger of oil change

Refined base stocks from the ground are very pure and oxidatively stable. These are defined as group III or III+. Blending group III with group IV and sometimes with group V base stocks result in cost effective formulations.

Please consider avoiding debates about base oils. The current engine oil industry requirements ensure that what you purchase is more than adequate for your needs.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
I use Driven HR2 in both of my cars.
It's got lots of vitamin ZDDP.

Valvoline VR1 for my Midget
Seems to have the preferred ZDDP content for these motors, per the MG Forum folks.

Slight train of thought. How many miles between oil changes are our learned members running these days using the newest full and blended synthetics? I am running full synth Pennzoil and trying to go 8000 but wife still only wants 5000.
Thank you...

Until recently I ran the syn blend in my Tenere because the clutch feel was way better than it did with full syn.