Since oil changes are crucial and routine parts of automobile maintenance, car owners should know the differences between conventional oil and synthetic oil. There has to be something different between them other than the price, right? Well, synthetic oil generally also performs better and helps more with engine protection. Keep reading to learn more.

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Conventional oil

Standard or conventional oil is designed to do its basic due diligence. Oil is basically the blood of your car and the engine is the heart. Your engine needs oil to function and conventional oil is perfectly capable of getting the job done most of the time. The biggest downside of conventional oil, perhaps, is its longevity, or lack thereof. No petroleum-based motor oil is good for the environment, but conventional oil’s lifespan means that it more of it is required more often, therefore impacting our planet more.

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Synthetic oil

Synthetic oil has the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, which conventional oil couldn’t possibly do. Conventional oil would break down if exposed to extreme heat while synthetic oil stays perfectly intact. Now, what about longevity? Synthetic oils can last three times longer than conventional ones. That means you can dump up to 24 fewer quarts of oil per year, which in turn helps out our environment a bit. Synthetics have also shown they produce less resistance in the engine. This often results in increased horsepower and higher engine efficiency.

So basically, synthetic oil is the way to go… if you want to spend the money. Routine oil changes with conventional oil are usually between $20 and $30, but synthetic oil can almost triple that price. It’s really up to you, but if you’re asking for advice, we’d say that a synthetic oil change is worth the extra cost.