(BPT) — There was a time when you were considered a “responsible” vehicle owner if you changed the oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles and had your tires rotated every other oil change. It turns out that while it is good practice to maintain your vehicle on a schedule, breaking out of that traditional oil change mind set and utilizing premium synthetic oil can ultimately save you time and money.

What makes synthetic oil different from conventional oil? There are two components that determine how well motor oil will perform in your car. One factor is the base oil and the second is the combination of chemicals (additives) that are added to the base oil.

Mineral or conventional oils are by-products of refined crude oil. Refining helps reduce the impurities in the oil, but its end product has molecules that vary in size. This inconsistency in size can result in restricted flow when working its way through the engine. Synthetic oil molecules are manufactured and are all the same size and shape. This creates less friction in the engine and allows the oil to move throughout the engine smoothly resulting in better performance.

Additives added to the base oil are what give the oil the characteristics needed to do its job. Although additives are typically only 15 to 25 percent of the make-up of motor oil, they can impact a lubricant’s performance much more than the base oil. For example, mineral-based motor oil with a very good additive package can easily outperform synthetic motor oil with a mediocre additive package.

There is no easy way for a consumer to determine the quality of motor oil’s additive package. Price is often an indicator of quality since the more advanced additive technologies cost more to produce. Performance is the ultimate measure of additive package quality.

There have also been advancements in additive technologies that allow synthetic oil manufacturers to offer consumers a product that will allow them to go more miles between oil changes. By going 10,000-12,000 miles instead of three, depending on your driving habits, you could be changing your oil once a year instead of four times! This benefit of using synthetic saves the owner time and money, and reduces the impact on the environment with less oil waste that has to be disposed of.

So you decide to switch to synthetic oil, but even then not all synthetics are alike. For example premium synthetic lubricant manufacturer Royal Purple offers three different types of synthetic oils to meet a variety of consumer needs.

* Warranty compliance — This API licensed motor oil is for consumers who have newer vehicles and are concerned about warranty compliance in both gasoline and diesel engines.

* High performance — High Performance Street motor oil is ideal for vehicle owners who are no longer worried about warranty compliance and are seeking a higher level of performance and protection.

* High mileage — HMX is high mileage motor oil especially formulated with zinc and phosphorus and Royal Purple’s proprietary additive technology Synerlec in vehicles with 75,000 miles or more.