Synthetic oil is nothing new, but I had no idea it had been around for 50 years already! But it’s true, Mobil 1 came out in 1974 and was the first synthetic motor oil. Who knew? Apparently Lake Speed Jr. knew, but he should since he’s the most knowledgeable oil guy we know. Check out the story behind Mobil 1 and let us know what you think.

Video Description:

50 years ago Mobil released Mobil 1, the world’s first motor oil built from Polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic base oil. Since then, consumers have grown to either love or hate synthetic oil. However, the Mobil 1 products of today are vastly different than those of 50 years ago. In fact, the original Mobil 1 was just a single product – only one viscosity grade. Today, there are more than 10 different varieties of Mobil 1 in multiple viscosity grades. Let’s compare the original Mobil 1 to today’s Mobil 1 products to see the differences and similarities.

For a deeper dive into motor oil history, check out this video:    • From TAR PITS to SYNTHETICS: The Fasc…  

To learn about oil analysis, check out https://www.speediagnostix.com

For a deeper dive into the science of lubrication, check out my good friend Rafe Britton’s channel ‪@LubricationExplained‬

To learn more about Tribology, check out https://www.stle.org

Who is the @themotoroilgeek ? I’m a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Certified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst (I’ve maintained both of those for over a decade). I also worked for Joe Gibbs Racing for 12 years as their lubricant specialist. During that time, we worked with Wix Filters (one of our sponsors) to test and develop filters for our race engines. We also worked with Lubrizol and Chevron-Phillips Chemical to test and develop oils for our race cars. Following that, I was the head of R&D for Driven Racing Oil. During that time, I formulated and tested over 50 products. We also worked with Cummins, Comp Cams, Oak Ridge National Labs and General Motors on various R&D products. Those efforts are recorded in peer reviewed white papers published by SAE International and ACS Sustainable Chemistry journals. I also own and operate SPEEDiagnostix, which provides used oil analysis.