A true synthetic is a Group IV oil, meaning they start off with a higher quality base stock. Most synthetic's that claim to be are merely severly hydrocracked Group III oils. Quaker State and Royal Purple are examples of this. The true synthetics are Amsoil, Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum.

 

If you are talking about the hydrocracked petroleum amsoil, pennzoil, castrol, valvoline all those oils are hydrocracked which is considered synthetic, hydrocracked petroleum synthetics are a group 3 oil, even though mobil1 has a group 4 oil it still doen't test as high as quaker state group 3, or amsoil group 3 hydrocracked petroleum. So they really are synthetic. Thereisactually a federal courtordered that all oils above group 1 are consideredtrue synthetic. group 4 is a Polyalphaolefin which is different, but not really any better. So they are both true synthetic.

 

Amsoil is a Group IV oil and always has been. Group III oils can be called synthetic because of the law, but in reality they aren't.

 

actually amsoil has a group 3 oil, and a group 4 oil.

 

Their ASL name is Group IV...
http://www.technilube.com/sections/comps/synth_diff.htm

 

I always have had trouble quaker state. I had a '76 trans am that built from ground up used nothing but quaker state. Seemed as if it was losing power tore into and it was gummed up.

 

I post this because I saw it recently that The "Q" is on sale everywhere, the suppose to 4 dollars per quart was on sale for as low as 1 dollar per quart. So, I just wondering what is going on with that brand. And also, I am sure my car leak, but if that much as leak from my car I should notice it, I am afraid that it was just burn out. The worst part is I still have 6 quarts left from my last purchase and I put it in my 06 scion tc, it burn in that car too. Not as bad as my neon, maybe 1/8 of a quart in a month (1000 miles driven) but that is bad enough on a car that is 15 months old with 17000 miles on it. So I just want to tell my story so that everyone that is using the Q could keep an eyes on their car.

 

I rebuilt that engine3 times - and I put new seals/gaskets/bearings/rings/oil pump/etc when I rebuilt it

The 1st time because it had 100k+ on it and it had bad compression. and that is when I bought the car cheap!! the previous owner swore by Q and said every oil change she had done on it was with Q

after the 1st rebuild and ran Q and it required a rebuild at 50k and had crude build up and at 2900 would require a oil change.

I rebuilt it again at another 50k (again I was driving it very hard) and had crude build up again and spun a bearing - probably due to lack of Oil circulating due to the crude build up

I rebuilt it again at another 30 or 40k and the oil was gooey and had crude up and the cracks and corners and the bottom of the pan - this time I changed to Castrol - drove the car another 100k with the only issue was at 2900+ miles - you must change the Oil - I had wrecked the car and sold the engine to a friend who drove it for awhile until he over heated the engine when the water pump went out.

Damn I miss that car - I had a lot of good memorys in that car!

 

I change my oil every month reguardless of miles. Just to make sure everything is good. Longest I've ever went without changing the oil is probably 3 months. Quaker state hasn't sludged my engine up, I don't know why it would in others and not mine, but thats what my dad uses and hes never had a problem. I occasionally use mobile 1 if it is cheaper. The quaker state gives me better gas mileage and smoother idle. Maybe its just my engine that does good with it. I think most of the new oils are all good if you change them when they need it.

 

I have not used Q since the late 80's - back then it was junk - but I heard that Q has improved drastically - but that too was a while ago!

When I rebuild a engine I will run Castrol in it for the 1st 500 Miles - then I convert over to Red Line Synth