Synthetic Oils, Lets talk.

[SVTDice]

So do you use them, And if not. Why? Oils and Lubes is one of my specialtys I’ve been doing research on it for a very long time so I just want to know what everybody thought is on them. Just for pure discussion. What you think of them, Worth it or not, Etc.

Topic

[college man]

This ones for Dave,

You can switch to synthetic fluids at anytime. whether the vehicle has 1 mile or 100,000 miles on it. just make sure the vehicles are sound. synthetics
will not cure problems. So get on the synthetic train. Welcome!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave]

Thanks College Man for the note, my truck has almost 215k miles on it, not too bad me thinks.

[mckrishes]

The best thing to do is to try it and see what happens. Let us know.

[Dave]

You bet I will, just gotta wait for pay day though, synthetic is priceier than regular oil.

[SVTDice]

This is true, However most high quality synthetics you can run the oil for longer, IE 7500 Miles vs 5000 Miles, Etc. So sooner or later, It is worth it.

[Dave]

I agree, it is just gonna have to wait (unfortunately) until I get paid

[Brian Peterson]

I’ve used only Mobil 1 in all of my cars since about 1990. I change the oil every 10,000 – 12,000 miles and use a good filter. This way, I can change the oil once a year in most of my cars- on a really nice day in the spring or summer! Except for one vehicle, I only have bought used cars. I haven’t had a single problem with an engine-lubricated part in that time. The cars have had up to 200,000 miles on them before, usually, getting totaled by one of my kids.

I’d like to clear up one misconception; for the same viscosity grade (say 5W30) a synthetic oil is thinner than a mineral oil only at low temperatures when you want it to be thinner and it is unlikely to leak out of anything because of low viscosity. At high (operating) temperatures, the synthetic will be thicker (higher viscosity) than the mineral oil. That is one of the benefits of a decent synthetic- a flatter viscosity with temperature curve. This is one of the reasons that they can have a slight gas mileage benefit. Can also make for easier starting on very cold days. When Mobil 1 first came out, there were some problems with leaks, not because the oil is thinner, but because the original formulation did not swell rubber seals as good as does mineral oil. A reformulation fixed that problem supposedly. I haven’t had any leakage problems.

At a rental house, I used to have an extremely old push lawnmower that burned oil and smoked like crazy. I put Mobil 1 in it and the smoking stopped and the burning slowed way down- I think because of the lower volatility. I started putting my used Mobil 1 in it and that worked fine.

The longer drain interval makes up for much of the cost difference and the convenience of scheduling when I want to do the change is a bonus. Lower volatility, easier starting in the winter, and better protection in case of overheating/blown head gaskets etc. are additional benefits. If I have a shop change my oil, I buy the oil and bring it to them. $25 at Walmart vs. $50 or whatever they will charge you at a shop.

[Brian Peterson]

I’ve used only Mobil 1 in all of my cars since about 1990. I change the oil every 10,000 – 12,000 miles and use a good filter. This way, I can change the oil once a year in most of my cars- on a really nice day in the spring or summer! Except for one vehicle, I only have bought used cars. I haven’t had a single problem with an engine-lubricated part in that time. The cars have had up to 200,000 miles on them before, usually, getting totaled by one of my kids.

I’d like to clear up one misconception; for the same viscosity grade (say 5W30) a synthetic oil is thinner than a mineral oil only at low temperatures when you want it to be thinner and it is unlikely to leak out of anything because of low viscosity. At high (operating) temperatures, the synthetic will be thicker (higher viscosity) than the mineral oil. That is one of the benefits of a decent synthetic- a flatter viscosity with temperature curve. This is one of the reasons that they can have a slight gas mileage benefit. Can also make for easier starting on very cold days. When Mobil 1 first came out, there were some problems with leaks, not because the oil is thinner, but because the original formulation did not swell rubber seals as good as does mineral oil. A reformulation fixed that problem supposedly. I haven’t had any leakage problems.

At a rental house, I used to have an extremely old push lawnmower that burned oil and smoked like crazy. I put Mobil 1 in it and the smoking stopped and the burning slowed way down- I think because of the lower volatility. I started putting my used Mobil 1 in it and that worked fine.

The longer drain interval makes up for much of the cost difference and the convenience of scheduling when I want to do the change is a bonus. Lower volatility, easier starting in the winter, and better protection in case of overheating/blown head gaskets etc. are additional benefits. If I have a shop change my oil, I buy the oil and bring it to them. $25 at Walmart vs. $50 or whatever they will charge you at a shop.

[Vic Sorlie]

Forgot to include quote, but you can switch from mineral to synthetic – as long as the engine is in good mech shape. I recommend flushing the oil system prior to remove deposits and varnish. Any synthetic oil will clean deposits as you run it, and those could load up the filter and put it in bypass. Circulating unfiltered oil could cause high oil consumption; in this case change the filter and top up.

[Vic Sorlie]

Forgot to include quote, but you can switch from mineral to synthetic – as long as the engine is in good mech shape. I recommend flushing the oil system prior to remove deposits and varnish. Any synthetic oil will clean deposits as you run it, and those could load up the filter and put it in bypass. Circulating unfiltered oil could cause high oil consumption; in this case change the filter and top up.

[Author]

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