Synthetic oil?

[DougsfastZ]

My car now has 83k on the clock up until this point has been running conventional oil. I didn't want to change the oil to synthetic because i had an oil leak and didn't want to make that any worse. Since I'll be changing the oil pan gasket, front and rear main seals and timing chain cover gasket, can I switch to synthetic oil? I don't want any more oil leaks but would like to run synthetic.

Thoughts?

Doug D

 

[novaderrik]

yes, you can and should run synthetic- especially with a turbo.
i've never had a car develop oil leaks or burn more oil after switching to synthetic- and most of them have had well over 100,000 miles on the clock. my 94 Caprice had 184,000 miles in it and the only side effect to switching to synthetic was a smoother running engine that got better fuel economy.

 

[xtremexnyc]

Lots of opnions about Dino and Synthetic oil. I run Mobil 1 Synthetic all the time and would say do it. Some others say stick with regular Dino oil and Synthetic is a waste of $$$. Search around alot of topics on this.

 

[87PoS]

I work at a shop and we do lots of oil changes. Too many in fact. We have many regular customers. We have seen cars with no prior leak develop a leak after switching to Synthetic Oil. We all agree that these cars would have gotten the leak soon with regular oil, just that the Synthetic always seems to creep out easier/faster. But we still think Synthetic is better.



Sorry if this rambled and didn't make sense. I just double dosed up on my prescription cough syrup and it's kicking in.

 

[Red Regal T]

Synthetic Is Better!

I think synthetic is better, and like everybody else, I don't know why. So I don't use it.

 

[RobsIron]

I've posted this before so here goes. Synthetic is far better than Dino. The Molecules in Dino are inconsistent in size..small..medium..large. Under stress and heat the smaller molecules burn off and viscosity is reduced resulting in less metal to metal protection. Synthetic has all Large Molecules. Also Dino has a lot of 'crap' in it like waxes, paraffins etc.

People put Thousands into a engine and spend $1.50 a quart for the life blood for it. Go with the Superior Technology whether you change it often or not.

If you got a leak...Fix It.

 

[TurboBuckeye]

I think synthetic is better, and like everybody else, I don't know why. So I don't use it.

I can't even make up my mind from one oil change to the next

 

[acoen]

Not only are the molecules larger and consistant in size, water, antifreeze and acids have a hard time mixing with synthetics. These fluids will not mix and will flash and be burned off through the PCV system, thus your oil stays cleaner longer. Synthetics also perform better in extreme conditions, involving extreme heat and pressure. I used to drive my 1990 Land Cruiser 6000 miles between oil changes and just change the filter every 2000-3000 miles. The oil would look like it had 2000 miles on it at 6000 miles. Wouldn't recommend you do this with a turbo car.

On the other hand I use conventional oil in my GN, I drive my GN 2000 miles a year and change the oil twice, it is not worth it to me nor is it advantageous to use a synthetic in my situation. But I used it before in several of my daily driver's and was impressed with the results.

It all has to do with what you can afford. I you can afford synthetic use it all the time, if not buy a high quality conventional oil and use it. If you change your oil regularly 2000-3000 miles you won't have trouble with either, synthetic is just a slightly better choice...It may not be worth the extra to someone who changes their oil every 2000 miles...IMO.

just my thoughts...

 

[Red Regal T]

Has anyone, besides the oil company salesman, actually seen these "larger molecules"? I know I haven't.

 

[TurboGN]

Has anyone, besides the oil company salesman, actually seen these "larger molecules"? I know I haven't.

I haven't either. The salesmen always take it to a level laymen can't argue on. The synthetics will probably be preferable during extreme freezing temperatures at startup, however, I'm not sold they reduce wear on critical bearing surfaces via superior lubricity or film strength. Mobil 1 states on the container that it is not for use in high performance applications. So what's the shadetree solution? Mix various brands/types, especially the ones on sale, and just pour it in.

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

if Mobil 1 is not for use in high performance applications then why the hell is it being used in NASCAR, NHRA, and SCCA? Regardless of the arguement, I will continue to use Mobil 1....mainly because I get it free from the oil guy who supplies my shop....and the bottle looks way cooler than havoline

 

[RobsIron]

if Mobil 1 is not for use in high performance applications then why the hell is it being used in NASCAR, NHRA, and SCCA?

And Every High Performance Car Manufacturer like Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo... Vettes and Vipers etc.

No need to be a Laymen..Educate yourself on a couple of the 1000s of articles and tests there have been in the past 15+ years.

Red, They have Oil salesmen at Wal-Mart? I do know they have.......Microscopes.

C'mon guys it ain't 1905..Its 2005.

 

[SPS]

i was talking to my carpet guy yesterday(who is an old friend) and he was showing me his 2000 gmc 1/2 ton truck. that sob had 276,000 miles on it! he told me he has used royal purple in it from day one. he started it up and it sounded like brand new! this is on the original engine! i was impressed to say the least. I just changed my dodge ram hemi last week to rp and i picked up 2 mpg, but i also had just changed from a flowmaster to a atr pitbull muffler the same day.

 

[TurboGN]

I've seen the bearings of lots of engines after the owners have run Royal Purple and Mobile 1 and I've seen the main rod bearing POUNDED. Exxonmobil owns almost as much of this country/world as Walmart and if they want their Mobil 1 brand recommended by a motor company then they'll get it. Trust me, the lubricity and film strength is NO BETTER. Quit watching so much TV!

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

one thing is for sure.....synthetics taste better than the dino oil!

 

[noslo6]

The problem with todays oils is the lack of EP additives (extreme pressure). EP additives have been largely removed in all SL rated oils because they have a tendency to lightly coat the internals of a catalytic converter. The EPA stepped in and now they have been removed fromt he OTC oils you can buy at autozone, orielly's etc. The only oil I know of that you can buy that still has EP additives is Valvoline Racing Oil. Not the one on the counter but one specifically made for racing and has no API service rating on it. It also says on the bottle "Not Street Legal" while the other Valvoline Racing Oil is. You can order it from Autozone or Napa or Orielly's or Summit, but it is typically not on the shelf. Another way to add the EP additives to your oil is to buy a bottle of GM's EOS (engine oil supplement). This can be added to conventional or Synthetic and provides the missing ingredients (zinc & phosphate components) to provide the extreme pressure protection to the bearings & cam. This is what is killing our camshaft lobes too. All of todays modern engine use roller cams thus do not have the demand for the extreme pressure additives in the oil. Our flat tappet cams rely on a strong film of oil to stay alive. I got alot of this info from the GS magazines. They did several articles about this a while back.

 

[Blown&Injected]

Like Red, I agree it is better but do not believe I will continue to use it.

Better is relevant. Is it better to the point that it makes a notable difference? I have never noticed a difference in any oil change ever except for the young days long ago when I tried 20w50 and in cold weather it would take way too long to flow.

I do not believe the oil is better enough to save an engine, or component, had it been using synthetic instead of conventional.

The space shuttle is "better":
faster, more sophisticated, more expensive, more powerful... than any other vehicle in all of history, but it does not mean it will get one to the next city better then walking or driving.

Or maybe a better analogy is the gold that is plated on RCA jacks on A/V equipment. Platinum is a "finer" metal but does anybody believe that plating RCA jacks with platinum will make any difference over any other metal?

Just because one can afford the oil does not make it a better oil of even make for a good argument for its use.

There seems to be some flap about Mobile 1 changing their formula, presumably to a cheaper oil, and flap about what actually make the grade to be labeled as "synthetic". It seems that Castrol is using conventional oil that has been "tinkered with" (tech term used in the petro chemical industry ) and calling it synthetic oil. Google the terms and one will find lots of talk about it.

Went 1/4 million h-a-r-d miles on my GN using what ever brand name conventional the parts store had on sale and I went 5k between changes - NO Oil Related Failure, original turbo. The only oil problem were leaks typical for any car that old and hard used. A bit of blue smoke on throttle after extended coast down. Car otherwise ran very good but with the company car I just got, it was time to take it off the road for some crank it up mods.

I bet any and all oil except heavy stuff in cold weather is fine but I will use a brand name like Valvoline 10w30 - more oil, less modifiers.

 

[RobsIron]

I've seen the bearings of lots of engines after the owners have run Royal Purple and Mobile 1 and I've seen the main rod bearing POUNDED. Exxonmobil owns almost as much of this country/world as Walmart and if they want their Mobil 1 brand recommended by a motor company then they'll get it. Trust me, the lubricity and film strength is NO BETTER. Quit watching so much TV!

Nobody here has said that Synthetics will 'save' your engine. No oil can prevent damage from constant abuse.
My point is if you have a High Dollar High Performance High Revving High Heat Engine..go with a better lubricant. Dino has a bunch of crude crap in it that has nothing to do with Lubrication.
Synthetics not just Mobile 1 have been proven to be more efficient than dino by giving Better Performance and Mileage. Switching to Syn can give you those results. LESS FRICTION.

Friction is Bad.

I think I saw that friction is bad on TV...So I could be wrong.

 

[TurboGN]

Nobody here has said that Synthetics will 'save' your engine. No oil can prevent damage from constant abuse.
My point is if you have a High Dollar High Performance High Revving High Heat Engine..go with a better lubricant. Dino has a bunch of crude crap in it that has nothing to do with Lubrication.
Synthetics not just Mobile 1 have been proven to be more efficient than dino by giving Better Performance and Mileage. Switching to Syn can give you those results. LESS FRICTION.

Friction is Bad.

I think I saw that friction is bad on TV...So I could be wrong.

You're saying synthetics are a better lubricant that result in "LESS FRICTION". Can you actually prove this or did you simply watch TV then sleep in a Holiday Inn Express?

 

[WeSS]

synthetic oil

I owned a 2000 ss camaro. (unfortunately) Like most I modded it put in long tube headers, full exhaust, tuning,etc. Then came the 3200 vig stall. Kdk performance did the work. They talked me into running amsoil synthetic in the transmission to lower the heat from the stall converter. The first trip to the track at WOT the transmission started slipping. Checked into it & gm stamps on the 4l60e dex III only. Kdk said the car was aboused so that was the problem. 28,000 miles on the car is not abused. I did some looking. Talked to a couple other shops that build LS1 cars & they said for me to have a T tec flush & refill with dex III. We put in the regular valvoline fluid & took it back to the track & went 12.44 @ 108 with a 1.69 60 ft. I sold the car & they friend who bought it from me now has 68,000 on the clock. He has also added a big cam & head package. Trans is still working great.

I ran synthetic in my 87 gn back in the day. It had 21,000 when I bought it. It caused tons of leaks IMO. The car was mostly stock. Low boost. I switched back to regular valvoline oil & changed it every 2,500 miles. The oil leaks slowed down. The motor lasted until around 180,000 miles then we pulled it for a rebuild of a high performance nature. I prefer to just run regular oil. I have 200,000 on the clock on my oem motor in my T & it has regular oil in it. I wonder if the synthetic really does help