Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised.
Advantages of using synthetic motor oils include better low-and high-temperature viscosity performance, better (higher) viscosity index (VI), and chemical and shear stability, while disadvantages are that synthetics are substantially more expensive (per volume) than mineral oils and have potential decomposition problems.
Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials.
The actual synthesis process and composition of additives is generally a commercial trade secret and will vary among producers.
In general, the ratio of the synthetic base stock is used to define commodity codes among the customs declarations for tax purposes.
API Group I-, II-, II+-, and III-type mineral-base oil stocks are widely used in combination with additive packages, performance packages, and ester and/or API Group IV poly-alpha-olefins in order to formulate semi-synthetic-based lubricants.
API Group III base oils are sometimes considered fully synthetic, but they are still classified as highest-top-level mineral-base stocks.
A synthetic or synthesized material is one that is produced by combining or building individual units into a unified entity.
[23] The performance of automobiles is improved as net increase in horsepower and torque due to less internal drag on engine.