On the below page it outlines how it is okay to use group III synthetics with autorx but not full synthetics. I was at walmart yesterday and it looked to me like the supertech synthetic is now a full synthetic - at least the bottle said it was a full synthetic, and said it was made from synthetic base materials. If this is true, does that mean we should not be using it with autorx?
There are very few (arguably) "TRUE" synthetics. You can usually tell by price. M1 EP is probably containing higher PAO content, while other offerings probably contain a lower percentage of PAO. It was a side effect of Katrina. They couldn't produce enough PAO to satisfy demand and resorted to blending Group III base stocks to make up for the short fall. They found out that it didn't slow sales and continued with the process. Now you don't know that any M1 offering is PAO or not, but you CAN (typically) tell by the price. The EP and 0w-40 are the highest priced products, and it's not due to demand.
That said, Ester based oils (Redline) are easy to identify ..as is AMSOIL PAO's(except the XL line). Mobil 1 should be avoided due to the unknown % of PAO.
Otherwise, check the typical price point and that will pretty much be a reliable guide. Super Tech will never EVER be a premier, leading edge blender. It will be a discount to the market in all ways on a consistent basis. There would be no reason for them to shave the marginal profits that they have with adding unneeded expensive base stocks.
Keep in mind that most synthetic oils are not marketed as "extended drain" oils and by far most are Group III and suitable for use with Auto-Rx in a totally seamless and transparent manner.
-- Edited by geeaea on Monday 4th of January 2010 11:52:58 AM
Thanks. I read through the backs of each of the bottles for each brand that stated "full synthetic" and none of them use the term PAO, and all of them say "100% synthetic". As far as I can tell, there is no way other than price to determine which is what.
Well, the list of oils is correct. All those producers claim full synthetic. It's a legal distinction. In Europe they do not allow Group III oils to be called synthetic. In the consumer realm, a few of us would tend to take exception to it and term a PAO or Ester based oil as a "REAL" synthetic. The PAO being more or less viewed that way since it is essentially made from hydrogen and ethylene gas. I think it was the first literal GTL oil. Now GTL (gas to liquid) technology means something different. Now they can take the flared off gas from oil production and turn it into usable product.
I used to use Rotella 5W-40 syn with Auto-Rx in certain applications since it was a confirmed group III oil at one time, but since the renaming to T6 and the newest formulation, I am thinking it may now have some group IV and V possibly, making it less than ideal for use with Auto-Rx.
