Synthetic Blend Oil vs Full Synthetic Oil: What’s the difference?

There are many types of motor oils. As you may know, motor oil is the blood of any car, and it is important to change your car's oil regularly. You may already know that synthetic oils are better than conventional oils, but you may not know the difference between synthetic blend and full synthetic oil.

These two types of oil are different, and this article will explain the differences between synthetic blend oil vs. full synthetic oil.

What is Conventional Oil?

For starters, let's look at what conventional oil is and how it plays its role in car engine maintenance.

Conventional motor oil is made from crude oil and contains impurities. It lubricates your engine by covering the parts of your machine that move quickly and protects them from damage.

Because it contains impurities, conventional motor oil breaks down more quickly than synthetic motor oil; therefore, it needs to be changed more often. Conventional oil starts to build up deposits in your engine over time, causing "engine sludge." This sludge can shorten the life of your engine.

Engine oil is exposed to all types of weather conditions. Conventional oil can break down and evaporate when the temperature is very high, leaving engine parts running at high speeds without lubrication. This can damage the internal components of your vehicle.

In addition, conventional oil can thicken and become less fluid in freezing temperatures. As the engine warms up, the oil may not reach critical parts in time, which will cause damage.

What Are Synthetic Blend Oils?

Synthetic blend oil contains some conventional and some full synthetic oil. Most mixed oils contain about 10% to 25% synthetic oil.

The idea behind making synthetic blend oil is to give some of the benefits of synthetic oil while still keeping the inexpensive component of conventional motor oil. Synthetic blend oils are a little better than conventional when it comes to extreme temperatures, but they don't have all the benefits of full synthetic motor oils.

What’s a Full Synthetic Oil?

Full synthetic oil use a synthetic base stock, is uniquely designed molecule by molecule without petroleum, and contains additives designed to slow degradation.

The additives in full synthetic oil help make the oil last longer and lubricate your engine more effectively. Synthetic oil will perform better in both hot or cold weather. The artificial oil flows and coats engine parts more quickly in the winter, while it breaks down less rapidly in the summer; thus, protecting your engine from damage.

Full synthetic oil will help your engine last longer. Your engine will stay cleaner because of the lack of impurities in the oil. This will keep your engine running clean for years to come. Synthetic oil is also better for the environment.

Modern technology and chemistry are still working on making synthetic oil. Short-term, synthetic oil is more expensive than synthetic blend oil. However, using synthetic oil has long-term benefits, such as a longer-lasting car and fewer oil changes.

Comparing Synthetic Blend Oil vs. Full synthetic Oil

Here are some factors to consider to help you choose which type of synthetic oil works best for your car:

Ingredients

The term "full synthetic oil" refers to a product made entirely of synthetic chemical compounds, such as synthetic oil. Base oil is made up of fully refined crude oil or refined petroleum that has been made into fuel. The process involves changing the basic structure of hydrocarbon atoms to make this base oil, keeping the best molecules in the process.

On the other hand, conventional oil is the main ingredient in synthetic blend oil. It's made with a mix of traditional and new oil compounds.

Cost

People pay more for full synthetic oil because there is more scientific work that goes into it. It's also cheaper to use synthetic oil blends if you still want the lubricating benefits of synthetic oil but don't want to spend a lot of money.

In comparison: synthetic oil is made in a lab with chemicals, therefore it costs a lot to make. However, it is of high quality and performs the best.

Brands

There are many different brands of synthetic oil blends. The amount of conventional motor oil and synthetic base stock oils in each one varies from brand to brand. So, some semi-synthetic oil blends may be better than others.

Make sure that the synthetic oil brand you choose has a good base stock. There are some manufacturers who will try to sell lower-cost versions of full synthetic oil that are made with lower-quality base stocks.

If you're not sure, our team of experts at North Fulton Auto Center can help you figure out which is best for your car. We also advise referring to your car’s owner’s manual, which will detail exactly what the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle.