synthetic oil

Synthetic Oil = longer intervals between changes, but it more expensive. I use RP in my truck and in my Mustang and go 5K miles between oil changes.

Most newer cars and trucks use at least a sythetic blend or use synthetic from the factory.
 
I use synthetic oil and still change at 3000 miles.

For what its worth (I'm pretty anal about charting fuel economy) I have noticed just a little under 1 mpg increase (highway) on two previous cars (about 12k miles each way. This tells me if I get (a small but consistent) increase in mileage it is from reduced internal friction in the motor. Reduced friction, to me, is always a good thing when discussing parts.
 
Mr. Gloss said:
I don't believe synthetic oil is an advantage when one lives in a paradise like San Diego.

Just how many cold starts do you experience? :)
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Whats a cold start?:surfing

My van actually is taking a beating with it being completely loaded down and doing mostly around town driving .

I only get at on the freeway for a good drive a couple times a week.
 
I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one on TV, but I know some well respected mechanics and trust what they say. (One of those has posted in this thread).

Of all the vehicles I've owned, the first (and only) vehicle I ever used fully synthetic oil in is my truck. I've only done that because the previous owner had switched to synthetic at the first oil change.

Our Volvo which has 180k miles came from the factory will a semi-synthetic oil.

Mrs. Clean's VW Beetle TurboS uses regular crude and has @ 110k.

All of the above are serviced at 5k intervals.

All well known national trucking concern has their R&D division perform a cost/benefit analysis on the use of synthetic vs non-synthetic oils in their substantial fleet and found no cost benefit for switching to synthetic. It is worth noting their equipment and driving conditions are not similar to that of the commuter. They also go far beyond 5k service intervals.

Re changing over from non-synthetic to synthetic: According to my sources, this can present problems such as creating leaks where there were none.

And as well stated above, use an oil which meets (or exceeds) the specifications required by your vehicle's manufacturer and follow the specified maintenance schedule and you should enjoy many happy miles.
 
Mr. Clean said:
I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one on TV, but I know some well respected mechanics and trust what they say. (One of those has posted in this thread).

Of all the vehicles I've owned, the first (and only) vehicle I ever used fully synthetic oil in is my truck. I've only done that because the previous owner had switched to synthetic at the first oil change.

Our Volvo which has 180k miles came from the factory will a semi-synthetic oil.

Mrs. Clean's VW Beetle TurboS uses regular crude and has @ 110k.

All of the above are serviced at 5k intervals.

All well known national trucking concern has their R&D division perform a cost/benefit analysis on the use of synthetic vs non-synthetic oils in their substantial fleet and found no cost benefit for switching to synthetic. It is worth noting their equipment and driving conditions are not similar to that of the commuter. They also go far beyond 5k service intervals.

Re changing over from non-synthetic to synthetic: According to my sources, this can present problems such as creating leaks where there were none.

And as well stated above, use an oil which meets (or exceeds) the specifications required by your vehicle's manufacturer and follow the specified maintenance schedule and you should enjoy many happy miles.
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That is something that would make me decide against it! Thanks for mentioning it Mr Clean.
 
Has anyone ever seen a post anywhere that Dino oil changed on the interval does not do the job? I went thru the stage where I ran Mobil 1 and felt great I was "protecting" my engine more.

Now I just change on the reg interval and use a good Dino oil. If I was trying to run on extended interval, or was in extreme conditions, I'd use syn, but for my DD, I'll use Dino.

Many good quarts of syn, with lots of life left , are disposed of each year when changed on interval.
 
I was always under the impression that while synthetic oil will definately last longer, it still gets dirty at the same rate, which is why you should go too long between changes.

Whats a cold start
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Typically anytime your motor sets for a long time gravity will pull the oil from the top side of the engine and it will drain into the oil pan. Most of the friction that wears an engine occurs in the first 10 seconds after start up as a thin oil film may be all that is present. One of the advantages of synthetic oil, supposedly, is that the thin oil film will have far greater lubricity and thus protect better.
 
An excellent resource is BITOG, Bob Is The Oil Guy forum. Chemists and retired oil refinery persons are among those that provide frequent commentary. Blackstone lab is often used if ever interested in an oil analysis. Summary/Generally, 4K-5K mile (primarily city) change intervals- dino (base - group II or II+) oil is fine. Synthetics (base - group III or III+ hydro cracked) oils are for either longer change intervals 8K to 10K with some HWY mileage or personal preference. Could go on and on but do not want to bore everyone.
 
Todd Helme said:
I was always under the impression that while synthetic oil will definately last longer, it still gets dirty at the same rate, which is why you should go too long between changes.

It depends on the oil your using ,but I know Toyota says with their synthetic you can go 10,000 between changes instead of the recommended 5,000.

Yours being a newer vehicle I would be surprised if you really needed to change yours at every 3,000.
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ca.detailchick said:
It depends on the oil your using, but I know Toyota says with their synthetic you can go 10,000 between changes instead of the recommended 5,000.

Yours being a newer vehicle I would be surprised if you really needed to change yours at every 3,000.
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:exactly:

When I switched to full synthetic years ago I extended my oil change intervals from the traditional 3,000 to between 6,000 & 7,000 miles. Even at the this mileage the used oil is still a brownish rather than black....:bigups

Changing with less mileage is really is somewhat extravagant....
 
BobbyG said:
:exactly:

When I switched to full synthetic years ago I extended my oil change intervals from the traditional 3,000 to between 6,000 & 7,000 miles. Even at the this mileage the used oil is still a brownish rather than black....:bigups

Changing with less mileage is really is somewhat extravagant....
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Awesome Bobby!:bigups
 
Re changing over from non-synthetic to synthetic: According to my sources, this can present problems such as creating leaks where there were none.
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True but only under certain conditions......for instance a very high mileage engine that has been neglected as to proper oil change intervals has a potential for leaks. The crud that has formed around seals & gaskets would be removed or lessened over time with synthetic (superior cleaning) and the possibility for a leak exists. It was the crud itself that was keeping the seal(s) from leaking. It is extremely rare for this to happen and is not the norm as it once was in the very early life of synthetic oils as a whole.

Another thing I thought I'd mention is that you CAN switch back & forth from synthetic to standard oil or mix the two if you wish. A lingering myth, and totally false, is that once synth is used you must continue with it.

Bobistheoilguy member #407
 
True , it s not the synth oil that does that , it s some issue that s already there in the motor that causes that . I you put dino oil back in there , which is more dense , you ll mostly not have leaks , but wont repair leaking seals , gaskets & so on .

But it can go on & on & on on this debate .
 
sprocketser said:
. I you put dino oil back in there , which is more dense , you ll mostly not have leaks , but wont repair leaking seals , gaskets & so on .

But it can go on & on & on on this debate .
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Oh really? Hmmm... Then would one conclude that it isn't the relative weight or viscosity of the oil but whether or not the oil is synthetic or petroleum based? Thinking that's not really what you meant to say. ;)
 
Most synth oils have cleaning agents also in there , which also contribute to leakings in there , I knew it was coming along . lol
 
sprocketser said:
Most synth oils have cleaning agents also in there , which also contribute to leakings in there , I knew it was coming along . lol
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I'll buy that, though some Dyno oils (i.e. Castrol for instance) have significant amounts of detergents as well. There is not necessarily a direct correlation between viscosity and lubricity when comparing these two groups of oils .
 
True man , it can be lots of stuff right ! if one s believes are setted in , one can t change them right ! each his own I guess .
 
One more thing , synth oils are more slick , which doesn t help either for leaks right .

Where I worked as an over the road truck driver on big trucks my boss was using synth lubes on everything except the engines because they took too much oil between oil changes , lost oil , should ve have piston rings swapped & way too expensive on 300 to 500k miles big trucks , it s why because he would ve put in synth oils in them , of which in these particular cases , was rings issues .
 
sprocketser said:
One more thing , synth oils are more slick , which doesn t help either for leaks right .
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Now you're speaking my language. The "more slick" you mention is the "lubricity" of which I spoke. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse :horse: here, but you could have a lighter weight Dyno oil and it could very likely still be "less slick" than a synthetic oil of a higher viscosity. It's akin to saying that because water is thinner than a quart of 5W-30 it should lubricate better. My point was simply there is no direct correlation between the two when comparing between types of oil.

Oil consumption (oil getting past the rings) is one of the biggest complaints people have when putting a synthetic oil in an older engine. Often times the oil they're losing is both going out the tail pipe and right by the seals. No question in my mind that under the right circumstances changing to a synthetic is not in the car or its owner's best interests. On the other had introducing a synthetic after initial break in may well prevent wear from taking place. Therefore the tolerances stay tighter longer and it doesn't become that leaker/burner I just mentioned.
 
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