If you own a diesel-powered vehicle, you may be wondering what types of oil you can use and which is the best. In general, we can narrow it down into three. If you will ask:
The three types of diesel engine oil are: full synthetic, synthetic blend, and conventional. The full synthetic does not come from crude oil, so it has no impurities like conventional oil. On the other hand, a synthetic blend is a mix of conventional oil and a brand’s synthetic base oil.
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What Are Types of Diesel Engine Oil?
All manufacturer brands of diesel engine oil make either of these three types. Some variations make brands differ from each other, like viscosity, application, and additives. Still, all diesel engine oils in the market fall into either of these three types:
- Full Synthetic Diesel Engine Oil
- Synthetic Blend Diesel Engine Oil
- Conventional Diesel Engine Oil
Many consider the engine or motor oil as the blood of every vehicle. With the best one you can get, you can ensure a smooth performance for years.
Since you can find the best oil, you can also encounter the typical ones. Due to the many variations of diesel engine oil in quality, you must understand all the types you can get. If you aren’t aware of the types of oil, you may end up picking an oil that’s not suitable for your engine.
In this article, we’ll give you a walk-through of each type that you can find in the market today. This way, you’ll know which is better than the other, and get the best deal according to your preference.
Now, let’s get into each one and find out the best brands of these types.
Full Synthetic Diesel Engine Oil
As I said earlier, the full synthetic is a type of diesel engine oil consisting of a complex and unique molecular structure.
This motor oil comes with additives to give optimal protection and performance. It’s different from regular motor oil since it has no impurities, which most conventional oil has.
The best brands use a proprietary blend of anti-wear and cleaning additives. With all these benefits, it makes your motor or engine run at its best.
In general, there are synthetic oils meant solely for diesel engines. Both gasoline and diesel engines have the same base oils but different additives since they differ in properties.
Below are ten of the best full-synthetic diesel engine oils you can get from the market:
- Royal Purple High-Performance Synthetic Oil
- Shell ROTELLA Full Synthetic Diesel Oil
- Mobil 1 Extended Performance Synthetic Oil
- Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic Motor Oil
- Mobil 1 High Mileage Synthetic Oil
- Castrol GTX Magnatec Full Synthetic Oil
- Liqui Moly Synthoil Premium
- Valvoline SynPower Full Synthetic Oil
- Castrol Edge Advanced Synthetic Oil
- Valvoline High Mileage Synthetic Oil
Synthetic Blend Diesel Engine Oil
This type of diesel engine oil comes from both conventional oil and a brand’s synthetic base oil. The combination results in better protection to the engine while improving the performance.
Besides protection, this oil also gives extended drain capability in modern diesel engines. While a full synthetic oil sounds better, this type of oil still offers better performance than conventional oil.
In general, you can say oil is a synthetic blend when it is a mix of conventional motor oils and synthetic base stocks. Due to the added synthetic base stock, you’ll get more performance and protection.
In total, it gives a better performance than using a typical oil. Below are five of the best synthetic blend diesel engine oils you can get in the market right now:
- Delo Synblend Diesel Oil
- Shell Rotella T5 Synthetic Blend 15W-40 Oil
- Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 10W-30 synthetic blend oil
- Shell Rotella T5 10W-30 Ultra Synthetic Blend
- Mobil Delvac Super FE 10W-30
In general, we can see both types as better versions than the following type, which is conventional.
However, the full synthetic oils are often better seen as a grade of motor oil. On the other hand, the synthetic blend is somewhat a semi-refined type of oil.
The synthetic blend is a mixture of both traditional the more advanced oils. While you get the benefits of the synthetic, you also get the impurities and varying molecular sizes of the conventional.
In short, the benefit of the synthetic blend is a cost over-benefit decision. It comes between conventional and full synthetic oils.
Now let’s take a look at the conventional diesel engine oil.
Conventional Diesel Engine Oil
This type of diesel engine oil is a lubricant derived directly from crude oil. It offers excellent properties that allow engine lubrication even at high temperatures. Moreover, it provides stability over long periods.
However, as stated earlier, the benefits you’ll get from conventional oil are lesser. If you would use a synthetic blend or a fully synthetic one, you can get better results.
For instance, among the benefits you won’t get from conventional diesel engine oil are:
- Improved lubrication
- Better stability
- Reduced breakdown
- Fewer deposits
Still, when it comes to price, conventional oils would be much affordable, at the expense of lesser but tolerable performance.
Summary
In general, there are three types of diesel engine oil that you can find in the market today. These are full synthetic, synthetic blend, and conventional.
The full synthetic is the kind of diesel engine oil that’s premium and pricey but offers the best performance and benefits.
The synthetic blend is a mixture of synthetic base stock and conventional oil. Thus, it’s also known as semi-refined.
Lastly, conventional oil offers the most affordable options. However, you will only get fewer benefits, unlike the first two.
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