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OK, so from what I know now, there is difference between regular and synthetic oil.. Synthetic oils have additives that lower the viscosity, so are better in winter and have reduced amounts of sulphur (which apperantly can form sludge that can damage catalyst?). They often have lower chloride level, so are “better” for the environment and do not wear as much as regular oils. Then again, every oil looses the “cold-start” viscosity very quickly, so you should change oil and filter together twice a year. People who drive short distances and rarely, should you synthetic oils most of the time, in winter 0W or 5W. Otherwise, it doesn’t really matter as long as you change oil frequently. On “all-season” oils, they suck form one point of view. Winter oil should be 0W or 5W form most people, and summer should have higher viscosity for hot weather. Change oil according to season and you should be fine with either regular or synthetic. I would go for synthetic, because I don’t drive a lot.
Basically, synthetic oils are regular oils, without most of the “bad” things in them, that are not needed in the first place. Sure, this would make a huge difference for “heavy duty” engines or aircrafts, but for day-to-day cars, it doesn’t.
Synthetics are more expensive due to being modified more than others. This takes time and someone has to get paid for it, right?
I’m sure people are going to disagree with me, but you don’t need to change synthetic oil, the oil companies tell you that for you to spend more money. just change your filter at the regular intervals and top up the oil and that’s it. I haven’t changed the oil in my car in 8 years and my car has 200,000 miles on it, with synthetic in your engine the engine wears less and the oil doesn’t really break down, and what ever particles you do get gets picked up by the filter, so you just change the filter and you are good to go. i learned this from a teacher i had in school to become an aircraft mechanic (he was the engines teacher) he never changed the oil in his diesel jetta and he had well over half a million miles on it. he told me that they never change the oil on turbine engines except at overhaul, they just top them up and change the filters. so if synthetic doesn’t need to be changed on a jet engine spinning at 50,000RPM, and running at high temperatures in a -65degree environment, then it’s fine to not change it in your car. if you don’t believe me you can run synthetic and when it is time to change your oil keep the filter and get an oil analysis done you will see that the oil is still good and there is very little wear.
as for switching over to synthetic oil on a high mileage engine, I agree with ETCG, you are going to get leaks and noise, you need those worn passageways packed with sludge to keep the oil pressure up, and to keep the worn seals from leaking.
[quote=”Cabbey” post=46228]I’m sure people are going to disagree with me, but you don’t need to change synthetic oil, the oil companies tell you that for you to spend more money. just change your filter at the regular intervals and top up the oil and that’s it. I haven’t changed the oil in my car in 8 years and my car has 200,000 miles on it, with synthetic in your engine the engine wears less and the oil doesn’t really break down, and what ever particles you do get gets picked up by the filter, so you just change the filter and you are good to go.[/quote]
may i ask what oil you have in your car?
if its 100% synthetic (PAO or ester) i also heard that it doesnt break down and only gets dirty, but ive never heard of anyone NEVER changing it
most of the ‘synthetics’ on the market though arent true synthetics, they are blended group III (hydrocracked) oils
so bottles that are labelled full synthetic arent really fully sythetic? cant they get sued for that?
i think there was a case in the US where castrol got into some trouble with it
the real synthetics – as in 100% man-made – are very expensive
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=motul&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=motul+300v&_sacat=0i might add, im no chemist/expert, just read from internet. but there is HEAPS of online discussion re synthetic vs ‘synthetic’ oils. im not an advocate for true synthetic oils – i dont use them myself – they are way overkill. in fact, i dont even really care what oil, viscosity and regular changes is what is important for me
Royal Purple is labeled as a full synthetic. so is the gold bottle of quaker state. royal purple runs about 8.90 a quart at walmart quaker state is 28.00 for 5 quart bottles. these arent full synthetics? then whats the difference between these and semi synthetics like quaker state in red semi synthetic bottles?
[quote=”Lord Ihcalam” post=46236]Royal Purple is labeled as a full synthetic. so is the gold bottle of quaker state. royal purple runs about 8.90 a quart at walmart quaker state is 28.00 for 5 quart bottles. these arent full synthetics? then whats the difference between these and semi synthetics like quaker state in red semi synthetic bottles?[/quote]
royal purple is group IV so it is indeed a synthetic
ive not heard of the other one. (im from australia)
semi-synthetic is a blend
it might be worth reading these posts by someone from an aussie forum:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1631785&ux=458852
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1985443&ux=458852may i ask what oil you have in your car?
if its 100% synthetic (PAO or ester) i also heard that it doesnt break down and only gets dirty, but ive never heard of anyone NEVER changing it
most of the ‘synthetics’ on the market though arent true synthetics, they are blended group III (hydrocracked) oils[/quote]
i’m using royal purple in my car so it’s full synthetic, the dirt you see in the synthetic oil is the sludge getting cleaned out from the engine not the oil itself, after a few filter changes you see that it’ll become clear again, i use the fram filter for synthetic oil, and i tell you the oil is the same color as when it goes in.
here is a link if you ant an oil analysis done, run synthetic for a year then send off a sample, and see the results for yourself.
You are free to do with your car as you please, but please do not suggest people do what and entire industry tells you not to do.
You change your oil because it gets dirty, and no oil filter is 100% effective. You also change it because the additives, such as the detergent, do still break down.
The engineers who made cars, including cars that take synthetic from factory, know what they are talking about. So do the companies who make the oil and all the scientists they employ. So do most of the technicians who have to deal with people who hold the crazy beliefs you just posted.
Here is what Royal Purple has to say:
“Royal Purple suggests adhering to manufacturer’s recommended oil change intervals for vehicles under warranty using its API-LICENSED SAE engine oils. With Royal Purple HPS, drain intervals may be extended to 12,000 miles (20,000 Km) or one year, whichever occurs first in street-driven, mechanically-sound vehicles. For guidelines specific to your vehicle, we recommend contacting our TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.”
I run mobil 1 in my car with mobil 1 oil filters. I do the same for my families vehicles…why? I work on cars all day and the last thing I want to do is spend my weekend changing oil, I believe running synthetic oil increases the oil change intervals, but most of all it makes ME feel better. Of course this being said if your car says to put 5w-30 in it put 5w-30 in it. And getting off the subject here, I think fram filters are garbage. When a customer brings their own oil and filter in, and its redline oil with a orange fram filter i just kind of shake my head. Maybe we should have a oil filter debate. I think the type of oil filter you use plays a huge part. Cheap 4 dollar fram filter, 8 dollar wix filter or the 14 dollar mobil 1 filter???
[quote=”SpawnedX” post=46266]You are free to do with your car as you please, but please do not suggest people do what and entire industry tells you not to do.
You change your oil because it gets dirty, and no oil filter is 100% effective. You also change it because the additives, such as the detergent, do still break down.
The engineers who made cars, including cars that take synthetic from factory, know what they are talking about. So do the companies who make the oil and all the scientists they employ. So do most of the technicians who have to deal with people who hold the crazy beliefs you just posted.
Here is what Royal Purple has to say:
“Royal Purple suggests adhering to manufacturer’s recommended oil change intervals for vehicles under warranty using its API-LICENSED SAE engine oils. With Royal Purple HPS, drain intervals may be extended to 12,000 miles (20,000 Km) or one year, whichever occurs first in street-driven, mechanically-sound vehicles. For guidelines specific to your vehicle, we recommend contacting our TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.”[/quote]
i tend not to believe everything someone says when they are trying to sell you something, it’s in their best interest to sell you more oil, it’s how they make their money.
the oil does get swapped out just by changing filters and whatever the car burn so you are always adding fresh oil, the filter gets changed as normal so it’s still going to pick up most of the debris. but for the same reason you can’t put synthetic to break in an engine, because there is not enough wear to break in the seals. I do an oil analysis every year and the oil is indicated as good still.
as for the statement from royal purple, that is written by lawyers not engineers.
Like, I said, you are free to do whatever you want with your car, but stop passing bad advice to people here.
If you want to have longer engine life, and not come and see me at the dealership for a new engine at 41K miles because you thought changing just the filter was enough? Change your oil as recommended by the manufacturer.
If you want to test fate and hopefully be the 1 in a million who has no problems by just trusting an oil filter will do the trick, and then eventually be the person paying me 2500.00+ for a new engine, try this.
I, as a certified technician, advise everyone to change their oil and not just their filter. Detergents, anti-rust additives, etc. will break down. Why risk it on the hopes that a quart of new oil at a time is going to protect you. Cars are thousands of dollar investments, a proper oil change is the cheapest and most proven insurance you can buy.
[quote=”SpawnedX” post=46287]
I, as a certified technician, advise everyone to change their oil and not just their filter. Detergents, anti-rust additives, etc. will break down. Why risk it on the hopes that a quart of new oil at a time is going to protect you. Cars are thousands of dollar investments, a proper oil change is the cheapest and most proven insurance you can buy.[/quote]Exactly, The Additives package will not last. Nor will top up’s add enough to replace the existing additives.
Not to mention I’d rather get all the potential Vanish and Sludging agents like acids, that accumulate partially from burning fuel, out of my engine. The Dirt can’t be great for the engine ether.
The only way you get most of that crap and contaminates out is with an oil change, Ideally a flush too. you keep them away by doing it regularly.
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