I went to get an oil change and decided to have Mobil 1 synthetic oil be added. My only reason I chose synthetic is for cold weather startups. Time is everything to me and I want to drive off within a few minutes without worrying about premature engine wear. Besides that, is there any other benefits with this oil. I ask because I "think" I felt a difference in performance afterwards when I was driving back home.

 

Some people think its smoother than regular. However its probably more that you just got your oil changed and are now experiencing the new oil in your engine.

A benefit is that synthetic oil tends to last longer. So instead of 3000 miles, you can change it every 5000.

 

That difference you felt is "legit". Synthetic oil like mobil 1 are Group IV oils which contains PAO's or Polyalphaolefins. These molecules are same in size, unlike conventional oils, which have all different sized molecules(think of a basketball court filled with baseballs, basketballs, tennis *****, golf ball...etc) The advantage of synthetic oil is that it flows better at start-up and thus protects your engine better, since 90% of wear in an engine is at start-up. I have a few buddies who i have convinced into synthetic oils and the first response from them was also "My car feels a lil bit peppier" Synthetics also protect your engine from sludge as they keep the engine cleaner and since it flows better thus cooling it better too so your engine temps are reduced which also reduces wear.