Why is there so much hype about selecting synthetic gear oil? Regular oil has been good enough for a hundred years or more.. I’ll explain why in this day and age it’s crucial to use synthetic gear lubricants.

Application-Associated Benefits when selecting synthetic gear oil

The following application-associated

Perhaps you've felt like a child in a candy store when wanting to choose synthetic gear oil out of a glitzy pamphlet? How frequently would you have paid for someone to teach you how to choose the best type of synthetic gear oil? Continue reading... In this 3 part series we’ll look at the subject in depth.

Just like synthetic lubricants in any application, synthetic gear oil is typically used when crude based gear oil has reached the performance limit and can no longer satisfy the application demands; for instance, at very low or high temperatures, higher than normal loads, extraordinary ambient conditions, or if they fail to meet special conditions such as flammability.

Although additives can enhance several attributes of crude based oils,

Possibly the initial motor oil performance enhancers were actually Motor Oil viscosity index modifiers: Remember STP...? In those times they were simply identified as motor oil additives.

What's a motor oil Viscosity index modifier?

(VI) is a popular technique of calibrating a fluid's change of viscosity with regards to temperature. The greater the VI, the lesser the relative change in viscosity with temperature. VI improvers (also called viscosity modifiers) are additives that improve the viscosity of the fluid all through its useful temperature range.

Viscosity modifiers are polymeric molecules that are sensitive to temperature. At low temperatures, the molecule chain shrinks and does not effect the fluid viscosity. At higher temperatures, the chain unwinds