Historically, engine oil was just a mixture of base oil and additives used to lubricate engine parts, reduce friction, clean, cool, and protect the engine.
However, modern synthetic engine oils are a complex mixture of base oils and additive components designed to perform a variety of tasks:
- Separating and lubricating moving parts
- Reducing engine wear
- Helping to prevent deposits from forming on internal engine components
- Removing and suspending dirt and contaminants in the oil until these contaminants can be removed at the next oil change
- Cooling engine parts
- Enhancing engine fuel efficiency
- Providing protection across a wide range of temperatures
- Operating hydraulics in variable valve timing
- Helping protect the emissions system
In other words, modern synthetic motor oil does a lot more than just lubricate. It's responsible for engine wear protection and engine performance enhancement as well as complete protection of all moving parts.
Engine oil is comprised of two basic components--base oils and additives. The base oils constitute 70-90 percent of the total and are created from natural gas or crude oil, while additives round out the remaining 10-30 percent and can be variety of things.
