While the exact chemical formulation and concentration of these additives vary significantly between brands—particularly between economy brands and premium synthetics—the fundamental chemistry allows them to coexist without separating or causing chemical reactions that would ruin the lubricant's integrity. This base stock is then combined with a complex mixture of additives, which include detergents to clean the engine, dispersants to keep contaminants suspended, and anti-wear agents to protect metal surfaces.
Risks of Mixing Different Oil Brands in Engines
While mixing a brand meeting API SP with another meeting API SN is generally acceptable, mixing a standard mineral oil with a full synthetic is perfectly fine and will simply create a blend with performance characteristics somewhere between the two. This occurs when conflicting additives precipitate out of the solution, reducing the effectiveness of the detergents or anti-wear agents.
Potential Downsides of Mixing While immediate engine failure is unlikely, mixing different brands is not entirely without consequence. You might also dilute the specialized formulation of a premium synthetic oil if you mix it with a conventional oil, negating some of the performance benefits you paid for.
Understanding the Risks of Mixing Different Oil Brands in Engines
Synthetic oils are engineered to be backward compatible with conventional mineral oils. Because additive packages are proprietary, blending oils can sometimes lead to a phenomenon known as additive dropout.
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