Motul formulated both the 6100 Synergy and the 4100 Power using the “Technosynthesis technology” which employs a mix of synthetic and mineral oil, using ester as a synthetic oil base. These oils can be used with both the diesel and gasoline engines naturally or turbo aspirated, multivalve, with carburetor or injection, with or without catalytic converters.
Synergy has a decent number of detergents to clean the engine while having viscosity modifiers to resist temperature-caused changes in its kinematic viscosity. It has age-resistant technology to allow a long oil change interval along with antioxidants, preventing the oil from getting oxidized which reduces the oil consumption rate and sludge production. It can resist the high temperature break down to decrease its volatility and have a respectable amount of anti-wear additives to reduce wear.
While Power has an enormous amount of calcium which single-handedly makes it a top-of-the-line oil for sludge removal. It has a remarkable tendency to resist oxidation at a high temperature, which makes it fuel economical. It performs better in both hot and cold temperatures in terms of kinematic viscosity. There are a lot of base additives present in this oil, prolonging its oil drain interval. This oil contains a lot of anti-wear additives to protect the engine from wear-causing friction.
Table of Contents
Overview Table
| Descriptions | Motul 6100 Synergy | Motul 4100 Power |
| Nature of oil | Semi-synthetic | Semi-synthetic |
| Used in Engines | Diesel/Gasoline | Diesel/Gasoline |
| Available Viscosities | 5W-30, 5W-40, 15W-50 | 5W-30, 10W-40, 15W-50 |
| ACEA | A3/B4 | A3/B4 |
| API | SL/CF | SL/CF |
| Oil Drain Interval (Km) | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| Cost (5-liter bottle) | 61.99 $ | 39.85$ |
Comparing the Total Base Number
Every oil has bases acting as anti-corrosives as they prevent the acids from damaging the metallic parts of engines. Their quantity is measured in the form of Total Base Number where a higher number shows greater base reserves, meaning that oil could be used for a longer duration of time.
We found a higher base reserve in Power, allowing it to achieve a remarkably longer oil change interval up to 25,000 kilometers while a significantly lower base reserve of Synergy is only effective for a shorter duration of a maximum of 15,000 kilometers. Hence, it will provide a higher oil change frequency which is undesirable for the end-users.
| Engine Oils (15W-50) | Total Base Number (mg KOH/g) |
| Motul 6100 Synergy | 7.9 |
| Motul 4100 Power | 10.4 |
Economical Value
Considering the better performance of Power, it should have been highly priced but that is not the case. It could be bought for a lower price of 39.85 US dollars while Synergy is much higher priced at 61.99 US dollars (Both these prices are for 5-liter bottles). Power is good at sludge countering, wear reduction, fuel economy, hot and cold temperature viscosities, and oil change intervals. It is most certainly a highly attractive choice since it’s light on pocket and more efficient oil.
Impact on Catalytic Converter
The performance of the catalytic converter is off sited by the ash which is produced as a result of oil burning. The ZDDP compound present in the oil is responsible for generating this ash. Therefore, an oil having a lesser quantity of zinc and phosphorus will not much negatively impact the performance of the catalytic converter.
Synergy has a lower quantity of ZDDP since its phosphorus and zinc values are tested to be lower than its competitor. This causes the following oil to produce a minimal amount of ash when burnt. Hence, it is a more appropriate option to be used with the engines having catalytic converters.
Sludge and Foam removal
One of the major factors in deciding the oil’s performance is its cleanliness. Detergents and dispersants are added to the oil to clean the deposit off the surface and keep them trapped inside the oil. From here they could be cleaned by the oil filter or could be removed during oil drainage. If not, then these deposits can combine to form sludge, causing blockage against oil flow.
Calcium is the main detergent used in both these oils, but its quantity is higher in Power, in comparison to that in Synergy. Magnesium and sodium are also present, but their quantities are neglectable compared with that of calcium. As a result, Power is declared as a better cleaning oil whereas the anti-foam ability of both these oils is at par with one another.
Comparison of Fuel Economy
An oil exhibiting the characteristics of lower vaporization will have a lesser oil consumption rate, leading to a better fuel economy. This trend in oil can be observed through its flash point temperature since the oil which evaporates slowly will have fewer vapors formed and to gather enough of those to be ignited (for an instance) more heat is needed.
Here, in this comparison, the Power has a higher flash point temperature, hinting at its lesser vaporization characteristics. It means that this oil’s consumption rate will be slightly lower, allowing a better fuel economy.
| Engine Oils (15W-50) | Flash point Temperature (° C) |
| Motul 6100 Synergy | 224 |
| Motul 4100 Power | 228 |
Wear Protection
One of the major roles of the oil inside an engine is to make it work smoothly without any friction which leads to wear and tear. For this purpose, the oil has anti-wear additives present in it which form a layer over the metal parts. This layer gets brushed away as the metal cross over each other and just as it does, it gets replenished by other anti-wear additives. This process is continued until the oil runs out of anti-wear additives.
Synergy has lesser concentrations of phosphorus and zinc along with a decent amount of boron, whereas there is no barium and molybdenum available in it. These additives make it an average oil in the competition of friction reduction.
While in the case of Power, it has higher values of zinc and phosphorus along with molybdenum. There is also a decent amount of boron present (lesser than its counterpart) while barium is not found in it. All these anti-wear additives combine to perform better, regarding wear prevention.
Performance in Hot Conditions
The kinematic viscosity of an oil is measured by dividing its dynamic viscosity by density. It shows the resistance an oil puts up against free-falling under gravity. Whereas the ratio of Kinematic viscosities at medium and higher temperatures is its viscosity index which shows the resistance of an oil to adhere against the temperature-driven changes in terms of its viscosity.
Power has higher kinematic densities measured at intervals of forty and a hundred degrees Celsius, despite having a lower density noted at an initial temperature of twenty degrees Celsius. However, Synergy is better at resisting the temperature-induced viscosity changes, therefore, its viscosity index is higher.
| Engine Oils (15W-50) | Density @ 20° C (Kg/m3) | Kinematic Viscosity @ 40° C (cSt) | Kinematic Viscosity @ 100° C (cSt) | Viscosity Index |
| Motul 6100 Synergy | 0.876 | 143.4 | 19.6 | 157 |
| Motul 4100 Power | 0.869 | 154.7 | 19.8 | 148 |
Performance in Cold Conditions
Pour point temperature is the temperature below which the liquid will freeze but it also tells a lot more about the characteristic of oil in cold temperatures. The oil that has a lower pour point temperature will perform better, since it has more Pour Point Depressants (PPDs) which resist wax crystals formation, making the oil less thick as it gets cold.
The lower pour point temperature was found for Power which froze a lot of degrees lower after its competitor froze, ensuring better performance in cold conditions.
| Engine Oils (15W-50) | Pour Point Temperature |
| Motul 6100 Synergy | -33 |
| Motul 4100 Power | -42 |
Quick Summary
- Both these oils are classified as semi-synthetic and are useable in all types of gasoline and diesel engines.
- Synergy has an edge over its counterpart in the case of catalytic converter performance.
- A higher quantity of calcium makes Power better at reducing sludge build-up.
- A lower oil consumption rate was recorded for Power.
- Power has better anti-wear additives and that too in higher quantities.
- In hot conditions, Power performs better regarding kinematic viscosities but has a lower viscosity index.
- Power freezes lately in cold weather, indicating that it thickens less as the temperature decreases.
- TBN of Power is higher than its peer, granting it a lower oil change frequency.
- Power is cheaper and performs better than the other oil.