Whats the deal with "High Milage" conventional and synthetic motor oils???/

[crazy charlie]

Seems like every type and every weight motor oil now come in "High milage" option.
Just an advertising gimmick??? Can it be different?? I dont really think so..Charlie

 

[stresspoint]

i believe it has more detergents in it to dissolve some of the sludge some high mileage engines can get. seemed appropriate to me when i was informed of this .
probably just a gimmick, it does in general not cost any extra so why not go with the flow .

 

[matt167]

When it first came out it was a semi synthetic. Then later high mileage synthetic came out. It doesn’t hurt anything. My daily beater has 180k on it and I use it if that’s what’s available. The biggest thing is I change oil at 4k miles

 

[Pmt133]

Without working for the company, it is really hard to say exactly what the difference is but... typically different or more detergents and in a lot of cases the viscosity is a little on the higher side for it's stated weight among some things.... You will notice most of the high mileage oils won't have all the same OEM endorsements on them that their normal counterparts do. In some cases that is because it can no longer meet all the criteria. In others it is because they just don't have it certified. They tend to be aimed at a different market.

I have and always will maintain that routine oil change intervals at a reasonable mileage with basically any modern certified oil will allow the engine to outlast everything around it. There really isn't a need for it if you do that. Not saying it doesn't have it's place, but rather there is really no need if you do simple maintenance.

 

[airshot]

According to a friend that works at an oil refining company, a small amount of additive is added to high mileage oils that are supposed to make seals swell and slow down/eliminate leaks and extra detergents to help clean.

 

[stresspoint]

i recon it may just be recycled oil being hyped.
that could possibly the reason it does not meet standards
not that recycled oil is a bad thing , i have used it in many car engines and they were happy to run on it.

 

[dingbat]

High Mileage Oil: A Practical Guide

Do you need high mileage oil for you vehicle? Read about when to switch to high mileage oil, differences between high mileage oils and more.

www.machinerylubrication.com

 

[Sprig]

According to a friend that works at an oil refining company, a small amount of additive is added to high mileage oils that are supposed to make seals swell and slow down/eliminate leaks and extra detergents to help clean.

^^^^^ This. And higher viscosity to reduce metal to metal to metal wear. I have never used it. I go mostly by the motto if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it. The most important thing you can do is change your oil at regular intervals and use the correct viscosity. What ever oil I use in a part vehicle I stick with it as long as I have the vehicle. I’ve never ever had any problems based on the oil I use.

 

[airshot]

i recon it may just be recycled oil being hyped.
that could possibly the reason it does not meet standards
not that recycled oil is a bad thing , i have used it in many car engines and they were happy to run on it.

High mileage motor oil is not recycled oil, it is same as regular oil but has additives to swell seals and extra detergents for cleaning.

 

[Scott06]

Seems like every type and every weight motor oil now come in "High milage" option.
Just an advertising gimmick??? Can it be different?? I dont really think so..Charlie

typically additives that will condition seals that may be getting dry and brittle, some components to fight sludge build up.

I have used them in my engines but hard to say if it does any better than the non high mileage version. Biggest thing is just change the oil...

 

[DarrinT]

It is my understanding High Milage oil also contains zinc which helps reduce wear in older engines
I probably picked up that nugget from ‘Bob Is The Oil Guy‘ site

 

[racerone]

It is on the shelf because folks buy it.----Oil / lubrication is not well understood.-----Glad I did not have to change the lubricant on the cutlass bearing on my sailboat.