Lubricants couldn’t perform the tasks they do without additives. Additives are combined with base oils to create finished products.  Additives are very complex and different packages can be used to get different effects from a lubricant.  However, these additives can be broken down into three main categories:

Oil Modifiers – Improve the performance of the base oil

-Viscosity Index Improvers (VII)

-Pour Point Depressants (PPD)

-Seal-swell controllers

Oil Protectors – Reduce the rate at which undesirable changes take place

-Anti-Oxidants

-Metal deactivators

-Anti-foam agents

Surface Protectors – Impart entirely new performance characteristics to a lubricant

-Antiwear and extreme pressure additives

-Corrosion inhibitors

-Detergents

-Dispersants

-Friction Modifiers