The final word: Conventional vs. Synthetic oil
 

I've read many a thread on these boards that have discussed the numerous benefits of synthetic oil versus conventional (aka "dino") oil. Among a few of these benefit include reduced wear on engine parts and cleansing of sludge that has built up in the engine over time. Based on what numerous people have said, I decided that I would switch to synthetic for my LG4.

I can't say I'm seeing any noticable difference between dino oil and the synthetic when I am driving around. I have noticed, however, that the oil is extremely dark brown (almost black) just after 1000 miles of switching to synthetic, where as the conventional oil was just starting to turn a dark brown after 3000 miles--the regular oil change interval. I can't say for certain that the extreme difference between the colors is because the synthetic is "cleaning" the sludge from my engine, but I can say that I haven't driven the car any more or any harder than I did with the dino oil there, and the engine itself, at 153,000 miles, was not given the proper care and maintenence throughout all of its life (or at least as far as I know). I feel that I am doing my car a great service by switching to synthetic oil, if not for the cleansing effect it may have, than just for the reports of almost no engine wear that Vader and others have given about engines that have been using synthetic oil.

However, even after preaching this to my friends, they still swear by dino oil and tell me that engine problems caused by synthetic oil outweigh any benefits it may have. They tell me many of the numerous fallacies that I have heard on the board already:

Synthetics burn faster than regular oil, causing lack of lubrication if not refilled.

Synthetics will always cause the engine to leak oil, because it is thinner than dino oil.

Synthetics don't lubricate as well because they lose viscosity when heated.

Engines with high milage will break if you switch to synthetic.

Engines that have used conventional oil throughout their life cannot use synthetic oil because of (insert bull**** reason here).

Synthetics are only designed to be used with engines that came from the factory with synthetic oil.

Along with that is the fact that my friends all see my car sends out billows of white smoke when I start it for the first time each day (which I believe is a sign of a headgasket on its way out) makes them think my Mobil 1 10W-30 is the cause of all my car's problems. I try to tell them it's not the oil burning because if it was, the smoke would be a blue-ish tint, but they tell me I have it backwards... that coolant is blue and oil is white.

Anyway, perhaps I'm just trying to show up my friends or trying to make them convert from their old ways, but it would be great if this thread could be the final word on the benefits of synthetics over conventional oils and the fallacies that always seem to be said when someone asks about switching to synthetic oil.

Re: The final word: Conventional vs. Synthetic oil
 

You gotta get new friends:)

Don't get me wrong... my friends are quite car knowledgable and I have learned almost as much about cars from them as I have learned here and on my own. However, they are unwilling to depart from ideas they believe to be true. They are just stubborn and don't want to be proved wrong.

But I digress... I didn't really want to talk about my friends and their personalities.

I switched my 305 over to mobil 1 10w30 at just under 200,000km's. I've used nothing but synthetic since then, including 5w50, 15w50 and right now 5w30. It's got almost 260,000km's now and it has never leaked any. Oil stays looking clean and only burns about half a quart in 8000km's which is when I change it. The engine has never made the slightest noise, even a lifter tick or anything and still has lots of power for a 305. Ran 15.5@88mph and I've beat the crap out of it since I bought it 70,000km ago.

I also switched my winter car (86 Caprice 305) over to synthetic and it does leak and burn some oil, but hasn't seemed to start leaking/burning any more than it did before. It still has 150psi every cylinder so its just the valve seals and valve cover gaskets that need replacing.

I think there are definite benefits of synthetic with it lubricating better to provide less friction, and thus freeing up more power and a longer engine life!

Anyways, my motor has the original ~80k miles on it and I'm not going to bother switching to synthetic until I drop the new engine in this winter (well, that's the plan, we'll see if I can afford it).

The new engine will have 0 miles on it, and I will run that one with synthetic for as long as I own it, but as for my current motor, I really don't care about the benefits of synthetic for it. To me, with this motor, its not worth the extra money at the register. My last oil change cost me like $9 in parts (Mobil Drive-Clean 10W-30 and AC Delco filter). I can change my oil every 1000 miles with this stuff and it'd be the same cost as changing synthetic every 3000 miles :-D

But yes, your friends are incorrect about the smoke issue; you are right. My car spews out a nice big puff of smoke at startup, and its my valve seals, but I'm not going to mess with them until I re-do the heads completely for the 355.

The final word, :search: .

:lmao: Just had to do that.

Your friends on the other hand http://www.birdforum.net/images/smilies/kos.gif, well tell them to stop smoking, put the crack pipe down and slowly back away. They really don't believe that synthetics lose viscosity before conventional oils do they? :rolleyes: Lordy, they need some help. Maybe you should tech them to read.http://www.nethirdgen.org/forum/graemlins/shrug.gif

:huh:

I think theres a break in period for a new engine in which you have to run dino juice a few hundred miles before switching.

If it's a flat tappet most agree with a break in for the first two oil sessions (break-in and first 500 mi). If it's roller there is some debate. IIRC the majority say it's ok from the get-go. I would still break it in with dino just as the flat tappet motor. Just because GM thinks it's a good idea doesn't make it so.
:imo:

I've run synthetic as the intial fill in several roller motors I've built.... no problems here. Including the one I'm driving right now.

Flat tappet motors are a different matter; those need for the lube to be somewhat less than ideally effective during initial break-in.

Personally I think the majority of the anti-synthetic hype is all just paranoia and preference for the familiar, rather than any sort of rational or logical thought process. Superstition vs science, if you will.

Some cars come from the factory with Mobil 1, it's not a problem running it on the first fill. Synthetic is just simply better oil, period.

Vader > * On this subject. Search for his posts.

Every "statement" made by your "friends" was wrong.

The synthetic turned dark because it was desolving all the crude left in the engine from broken-down petroleum oil.

Mobil 1 had "issues" with leakage and consumption in the early days. They seem to have worked those problems out.

I've switched over several (probably more than a dozen) 100k+ engines to synthetic. No failures.

I switched the Camaro over at 123k in 1999. It's got 164k trouble-free daily-driver (and a few "high performance") miles on it now.

Yep, switching over a high-mileage, not-made-for-synthetic engine will "ruin" it.

You certainly need more informed friends.

I'll let that be the last word before more misinformation gets tacked on to this thread.