Can You Mix Synthetic Oil with Regular Oil?

Car maintenance is one of the most complex tasks out there. That’s why many people neglect their automobile’s health and we, for one, are against that. It is necessary to give a car the care and attention it deserves.

Picking out the perfect motor oil for the engine is part of good car maintenance. There are plenty of debates among car owners: BMW v Audi, Auto v Manual, AWD v 4WD, the list is endless.

Naturally, there is a famous debate when it comes to engine oils as well- synthetic oil vs regular oil. Synthetic oils beat regular oil in every category except price. Synthetic blends offer those benefits at a lower price. Mixing the two oils at home isn’t a wise choice.

In this article, we attempted to give our take on this conversation. Along with that, we discussed an option for those looking for a mix between synthetic oil and regular oil.

But before all that, we would like to cover a very important topic.

What's Inside:

Why Choosing The Right Type Of Engine Oil Important?

Before we cover the differences among the types of motor oil, it is a good idea to explain why it even matters. The wrong type of engine oil can let you down in these 3 areas-

Engine efficiency
Durability
Cost

1. Engine Efficiency

As a lubricant, the oil determines how well the components of the engine work together. Synthetic oils, for example, tend to give your engine a better boost as the chemically manufactured stuff smoothens the interactions a lot more.

2. Durability

Oil changes are tedious and some of us want to avoid them at all costs. For these people, we suggest going for a type of motor oil that is resistant to extreme temperatures, chemical degradation, and oxidation.

3. Cost

Last but not least, it is crucial to factor in the economic side of things. The price ranges differ greatly for the types of oils. You can save a fast buck by choosing a cheaper oil.

Synthetic Oil Vs Regular Oil: Which One Works Best?

So now that you know why choosing the right type of oil is so important, it’s time to understand what is the right type of engine oil for your car. Is it synthetic oil or regular oil?

1. Price

There is a clear winner here. Synthetic oil is expensive. Regular or conventional oil is around half the cost of its synthetic counterpart. Interestingly, regular oils also improve fuel economy on the highway. In other words, synthetic oil is going to create a crater in your pockets.

2. Performance Of The Engine

But that crater may be worth it as the difference in performance is notable. As we already mentioned, the synthetic option just flows better. The parts of the engine undergo less stress. So, along with performance, it also improves the protection of the engine. Synthetic oil increases the lifespan of the engine.

3. Resilience

Synthetic oil is a durability champion. There is not a single category in which regular oil does a better job when it comes to durability.

For starters, it does a great job against the elements. The viscosity does not change much at different temperatures. If you live in a region where the temperature changes frequently, synthetic oils are a must.

Synthetic oil is also less prone to chemical degradation. As they are chemically manufactured oil, they’ve been altered to make sure that they don’t decompose easily.

Lastly, they are less likely to oxidize. All oil oxidizes eventually but this process is much slower for synthetic oil than it is for regular oil.

4. Maintenance

As synthetic oil is much more durable, the frequency of oil changes is much lower. To be precise, regular oils require a change every 5000 miles whereas synthetic oils can go well over 10,000 miles.

Putting a period to these distances is difficult as it depends on how much you use your car. But if we had to guess, it would be around 6 months for conventional oils and at least a year for synthetic oil.

Category	Synthetic Oil	Regular Oil
Price	Loser	Winner
Engine Performance	Winner	Loser
Resilience	Winner	Loser
Maintenance	Winner	Loser

Why Commercially Sold Synthetic Blends Are The Best Option?

As you can see, synthetic oil is vastly superior to regular oil but the price difference is so significant that the former simply isn’t viable for many of us. Mixing the two oils won’t do much good as you can’t transfer the benefits of synthetic oil just by diluting it in regular oil.

Commercially manufactured mixtures, however, do the trick. Synthetic blends are an excellent balanced option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do Engines Need Oil?

The oil acts as a lubricant for the metals of the engine to operate together smoothly. It reduces the friction and ensures that the aforementioned parts don’t scratch or damage either.

Where Can I Buy Synthetic Blends?

Buying engine oil is no easy task. As made clear from this article, even choosing engine oil is a lengthy process. We suggest going to a trusted dealer to make the purchase. If you are buying online, ensure that product is exactly what you are looking for and only buy from reputable sites.

How Is OIl Thickness Calculated?

If you’ve tried to buy oil, we bet you’ve seen numbers such as 5W–30 and 10W–30, these numbers show the viscosity of the oil.

The number with the W shows the thickness of the oil at zero degrees Celsius. The other number shows thickness at 100 degrees Celsius. The higher these numbers are, the thicker your oil is at any given temperature.

Does The Brand Of Engine Oil Matter?

Yes. Unlike other products, motor oil is one where you can’t take a risk. Using the wrong even just for one instance can greatly damage your engine, and so, we recommend going for big brands like Castrol, Mobil, and Shell.

Final Words

All in all, synthetic oil vs regular oil is a choice that needs to be made carefully. Synthetic oil blends offer a good middle ground. However, mixing the two on your own will not offer the same benefits.