With synthetic, the oil’s ability to do its job within the car engine is superior to mineral-based oil, the primary purposes of synthetic oils are to reduce engine wear during cold start-up and drive-away, and to avoid or reduce oil degradation, in a nutshell, synthetic oil is thinner, resists temperature extremes better and generally lasts longer. You likely won’t notice any difference in how your car performs, but the durability characteristic is the most important from a car owner’s perspective, as it translates to less frequent oil changes compared to conventional motor oil.