i've been thinking of swiching to synthetic. how much better is it that regular oil? i think it will be better to use if it is going to make my engine last longer.

 

I just got my camaro in jan with 180,000+ miles on it. I switched to synthetic with it(previous owner got the cheap wal-mart oil changes) and I noticed a great diffrence. the engine smoothed out alot with the synthetic. I also noticed it gets better oil pressure with the 15w-50 Mobile1 than it did the 10w 30 dyno oil that was in it when I got it.

 

I started using AMSOIL in 1983. I have yet to wear out an engine that had AMSOIL in it. I can't say I still have any of the engines that I had in 1983, but my "newest" vehicle in my fleet is 11 years old.

 

The only bad thing is that if you have been running with regular oil for a long time (years), your engine might be pretty dirty inside. Synthetic oils "wash" your engine, and if its really dirty, you might end up glogging your oil passages.
If you can, clean the engine inside, or just change the synthetic oil more often in the beginning. Then you should have no problems. Im running with 5W/50 and never had any problems.

 

Been using dyno oil since 1986 and yet to wear an engine out.

 

i was thinking about changing back to synthetic in the 90 iroc i just bought. the previous owner said he ran synthetic for a while, but just recently had the oil changed and put regular oil back in. should i be worried at all about changing the car back to synthetic??

edit: i tried searching the boards, but i cant find the answer im looking for. can someone give me the down low on synthetic oil? i have heard many rumors like you have to flush the dino out before changing to synthetic and that you have to change synthetic more frquently than dino....

 

my engine is pretty new, its got about 1000 miles on it so far. i've been running valvoline 10w-40. i heard it has a lot of detergents in it for a regular so it shouldn't be to gumed up yet. i'm probably going to put a few hundred more miles on it to get it fully broken in with regular oil so i don't have to change the synthetic to much.

 

The idea behind synthetic oil was that it would run cleaner and have less build up on engine parts. The other side of the synth was that Jap racers and drifters wanted an oil that would hold up better at higher temps and mainly higher RPMs. THAT is the major deal with synth oil, the longer running at higher RPM. Hope that info helps a little in your choice!

 

Any time you'd like to compare oil analysis wear metals, let me know.

If you haven't worn out an engine with petroleum-based lubes, you haven't been driving long enough. When you've got a few more miles under your belt, let us know.

 

from what I have learned, and noticed is if there is alot of build up from the dino oil you may have to change the oil a little more frequently at first do to the fact the synthetic is cleaning the engine out. but once things have gotten cleaned out Ive heard you can go up to 6mo's 6000 miles b4 you need an oil change.

I didnt flush the dino oil out of my car b4 changing, and have had no problems, but the synthetic is getting alot of crud out of there. I changed my oil two weeks ago. had been 6wks since the last oil change(note:Ive only had this car 2mo's) and the oil was pitch black. even once the engine is cleaned out good I'll still change the oil between 3-4mo's.
on a personal note after running the car with synthetic for two mo's Id never think about going back to dino oil.

 

Whatever!:lala:

 

My 5.7L has been on dino oil all of its life. Just turned 200,000 miles last week. Still runs real strong! I just make sure to change the oil every 1,000 miles (for those boring sunday afternoons) so I don't get the build up that dino oil is put down for. I also do kinda a lot of short driving, so I like to keep fresh oil in it at all times. I guess that's why I've never had a problem. -89IRO

 

five7kid- come on man.....

 

Synthetic Oil reduces wear and the coefficent of friction, this is not a disputed fact. These two factors reduce wear and can give you a few more horsepower. These are proven facts. The question you have to ask yourself is this, Is it worth the added expense of synthetic? Cost/Benefit analysis.

For most people who really like or care about thier car the answer is yes, this is why Porsches and Ferraris run on Mobil 1 synthetic from the factory.

Will your car be reliable without synthetic? Yes, but it could run better with synthetic. On many dyno tests in Hot Rod and PHR when they switched to synthetic they picked up 5-10hp.

Oil is the life blood of your engine, choose accordingly.

 

I agree--- If I ever droped a new engine in my car, after break-in, nothing but synthetic would go in. But since my car is 200,000 miles old, I think it's a bit too late. And because I use potrolium based oil in my engine, that doesn't mean I don't take care of it. I can probably promise you that a baby my car more than anyone on this board.

 

I think people tend to get a little too cought up in all this synthetic oil talk. I mean come on guys look at the cars we are driving. We aren't spinning that many RPMs. Now I'm not saying dino oil is better than synthetic, but when you look at it, dino oil really offers plenty of protection for the kind of driving that most people do. Like I said earlier, if I put a brand new engine in my car, I would probably use synthetic, just for the added security. I guess what I am saying is, if you have a high milage engine, forget about the synthetic, just stick to what the engine was designed to use! Choose for yourself.

 

Its your choice, but I wouldnt say that. my car has 186,000+ miles on it. I switched to synthetic(aprox 184,000 at purchase), and I noticed a big diffrence. I wouldnt dare think about going back to dino in her(yes I refer to my car as her

 

Come on where?

I have this thing about supporting 5 people on one income, along with a horse, two dogs, 2 cats, 4 fish, etc., etc., etc., and the fleet of vehicles we keep to do all the things the above are constantly doing. Spending money in the wrong places is not in my best interest. I would spend more using petroleum oil in our "fleet" than I do by using AMSOIL. And, with all the above to keep happy, I don't have time to be changing oil every 3000 miles and rebuilding engines when it can be avoided by using a better lubricant.

And, I started using AMSOIL when I was in college with wife and child to support at the same time.

I will make no apologies for using, or recommending the use of, AMSOIL. I have no incentive for keeping a good thing from others, either.

 

There's no need to flush when changing to synthetic.

Synthetic oil does seem to be proven to be better for the engine etc, the performance benefit on dyno testing in numerous magazines - Hot Rod, MMFF etc is well documented.

The peace of mind regarding reduced wear at start-up etc is nice, but whether or not you feel the expense is justifiable is a personal issue.

 

one last question...can you use your standard oil filter with synthetic like fram etc.........

 

Dragon- you've kinda got a point, but I've got a small oil leak, and they say once you go to synthetic it can get worse. One other reason is when my dad told me when him and his co-workers put synthetic oil in an engine normally ran with petroleum-based oil, it blew! Five7kid- thanks for letting me know your life story. I never asked you to apologies for anything. Let's not get too sensitive here. I never said synthetic oil is bad. It's just that when you say dino oil doesn't offer enough protection, you're full of it! If you are towing a large load or driving a race car around town, then I would say synthetic (started after break in). Oh, and I can take 20 minutes out of my day to change my oil every 1,000 miles! Stick to your synthetic man, there is nothing wrong with that, doesn't bother me or anyone else here. :lala: -89IRO

 

No problems with going back and forth, except for the lack of protection when "going backward"to mineral oil. There should also be no need to "flush" the engine before changing to synthetics unless the engine has been neglected. If that were the case, you should flush the engine even if changing to mineral oil.

If you want the skinny on synthetics, go to the Penton Publications/Plant Engineering web site and look up the lubrication article. After reading the data and following some of the links, you'll understand why some equipment manufactureres will not warranty their equipment unless synthetics are used. It really doesn't matter on a piddly-àss $60,000 Corvette or $120K Ferarri or Porsche, but a $3-million+ forge that has a lubrication failure can not only ruin equipment but put a company out of business.

See all those M1-A1 tanks rolling across the desert? Guess what they are using for lubricants... They NEED that equipment to work. You can jump out and walk without fear of being harassed (unless you're in Paris).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yeah. Me, 5-7, and a bunch of others with a few more miles (and inches) under our belts have been there. Apparently (in some eyes), we don't know what we're talking about. If you use mineral oil, be absolutely certain you adhere to the change intervals religiously. 2,500 miles is about the point where the fortifiers are gone (turned into sludge), which means you don't have long before the oil is broken down and useless.

 

OK....... what's your take on "blends"?

I recently read somewhere (can't remember where. I read too much ) that using "blends" still retains 75% of the advantages of synthetic.

I can't say I'm one to get 'gun-ho' about putting a $5 qt of oil in my car either, especially since it's a slow-ace, stock 305. I would however consider using ~$2.50 qt to see what type of effect it has.

I used to believe that mixing the two would seem useless, but since I read that (above), it's leaned me more toward trying it. I wish I could remember where I read it because it was a reputable publication (not magazine) that I found more believable than CHP or Car Craft. Heck, it may have been something one of ya'll wrote.

So is it true, or somewhat true?

 

I would say either stick to the petrolium based if you have a stock 305, or you can go with full on synthetic if you want. Take one or the other, there is no in-between. -89IRO

 

It's just I found some cheap Wal-Mart stuff that's a 50-50 blend that I may consider using just because it's ~$1.70/qt. IMHO, that's cheap enough for me to try.

 

Synthetic hater? WTF are you talking about? Lets learn how to read dude.

 

I know how to read just fine. It's not my problem you can't take a frikkin joke. By me saying "synthetic hater" was a sarcastic reference on how the OTHER guys on here felt about your remarks.

 

there is a inbetween


they sell it at just about any autoparts store


it's a synthetic blend


but then the question comes.... how much syntehtic is really in there

 

My "remarks"- you mean my opinions? No, I will tell you right now, sythetic oil is a waste for a 200,000 mile engine like mine, come on guys, let's hear it! For a new engine it would be a no-brainer to use synthetic oil. And yes, I know about the in-between, sythetic "blends", I was just saying why not just go wilth all synthetic, I don't see the point in a blend. Oh and AJ, next time how about we make it so you don't edit what your original post is to make yourself look better! LOL! -89IRO:lala: :lala: :lala: :lala: :lala:

 

You can use any brand oilfilter you like,but do change it together with every oil change!
So you will have the best bennefit from the new oil and filter.
My suggestion is to use synthetic oil,together with the AC Delco Ultraguard Gold UPF 1218 oilfilter.(WWW.ACDELCO.COM)
Milage is not a matter,as long as the engine is in good condition,also engine flushing is a waste of time and money,modern synthetics can do the job by themselve!
If you are still worried,make the second synt.oil change somewhat earlier,but it's not realy necesary.
More oil info can be found at the several Castrol oil websites
(WWW.CASTROL.COM) or look at the REDLINE website (WWW.REDLINE.COM)

 

I'm sorry,the Redline website is WWW.REDLINEOIL.COM

 

Yeah, I got my AC Delco 1218 filter yesterday, it is listed for trucks but there is no way I'm puttng in the dinky 454 filter that replaced the PF-25. As for the oil, I think I'll be sticking to the conventional oil in my car. My dad had too many bad experiences using synthetic in motors that normally ran conventional oil. Plus, I'ver heard some bad things about using synthetic in a high milage engine, like cloged oil passages, and more leaking problems. Oh yeah, and I have to add about a quart of oil to her like every other month, so synthetic might make this worse. My car has been very well taken care of all its life, and still runs extremely strong, though, it has 200,000 miles on it. These are risks I'm not willing to take when I depend on my car every day. Synthetic oil is a great thing, but just not for me right now. You guys can argue with me all you want, but it isn't going to happen. Thanks for all the help.

 

I think www.castrolgtx.com would be a better link for that info.

 

I took it out because obviously you took it offensively.

I'm not sure about you, but I don't enjoy offending people. That's why I PMed you.

Forget it.

 

Yeah, LET'S forget it. It's all good.

 

that is what I use right now in my car
20w-50


most of the rotary people, (and if I remember right rotary puts quite a bit more work on the oil then a piston motor does) they use either castrol GTX, redline, amsoil

amsoil is the one they pick as top dog
only problem a lot of rotary guys have with synthetic is since the motor is designed to burn oil they need something that burns VERY CLEAN.

some people have even saidthings like there turbo is spooling a little quicker with a synthetic.
now sure you don't ahve a turbo on your car. but still it shows that there is less friction I would think

 

Rx7speed- I know nothing about rotary engines except that early in the morning this guys wakes me up with is loud *** little roatary truck. Those things have their own distinctive sound. But yeah, I know nothing about them, so I don't really know what you're talking about. -89IRO

 

just talking about the oil

not really the motor

a rotary motor even though it has less moving parts uses the oil to cool the motor down more so then a piston motor. it would be the equiv of pumping oil through your pistons (not squirting it on the bottom like some cars but THROUGH the entire piston) as well as using it to lube the bearings, then you have the matter of the apex seals (like a piston motors rings) which have nothing in them to really lube them so oil gets injected into the intake manifold to take the ride. where your piston motors instead have a system to put a little oil on the cyl walls and yet keep it out of the combustion chamber. I just know a rotary seems to have be harder with oil and make it want to break down a lot faster then a piston motor does for some reason

but yeah if you are running with no cats and get rid of the stock exhuast... a.k.a. header and straight pipe to the mufflers.... they are loud

 

RX7SPEED,

If you're looking for a clean burning oil,synthetic oils are your choice for sure!!
For instance,synthetic two stroke oil burns so clean,the engine often doesn't smoke at all!!
But I also don't know much of the lubrification of rotary engines,but they do burn some more oil than piston engines,they are designed to do that.
Why don't you ask at Castrol or Redline for their advise?
I have to say I like the sound of a rotary engine a lot,reminds me of a highly tuned two stroke!
I remember watching the European Superbike Races some 10 years ago,when Norton raced their Rotary F-1 racing bike.....man,the sound of that bike was like music for the ears!!
To bad they changed the rules,so rotary's were banned out.

 

at one point the synthetic wasn't the cleanest burning due to the higher flash point but a lot of that has been solved.

right now I just run a castrol synthetic blend till I get my turbo motor in (if I ever get it in anymore ) but once I get that in ther I am prolly going to run amsoil

 

out of curiosity which is the best synthetic oil? Im using Mobil1 15w50. are any of the other synthetic brands better or are they all pretty much the same?

 

From reading what everyone has to say, Amsoil is the best you can buy, but most people use Mobil 1 since it's easy to get. Someone said the "other guys" oil like castrol, valvoline, and Pennzoil aren't as good as Mobil 1 and Amsoil. I think Lucas and Redline might make synthetic oil too, but it may just be for racing. If Lucas made it, I would THINK that would be the best you could get your hands on. -89IRO

 

amsoil so far seems to be the best

if I couldn't get that stuff I would go with either redline or castrol syntec

 

Dragons91RS:
Each and every one will tell you their own favourite brand or some horror story (rumour usually) about one brand or another. Choose which ever you like the sound of most! I personally use Mobil1 - but as for your question regarding are they all pretty much the same well...... for roads use ~ more or less but for racing cars the choice is deemed very important by some. The cost of some can be incredbly prohibitive - someone I know who used to do mechanic work for a GT1 team says they used very high tech synthetic oil that cost over $160 a gallon!

For a road car the most important thing is to change the oil and filter at regular intervals - most seem to say for our cars every 3000miles.

 

Thank You!!! (Every change no more than 1,000 for me with new AC filter.)

 

1k per oil change is way overkill. There are MILLIONS of engines surviving on dyno oil changes at 3k.

Heck the factory recommends oil changes every 7.5k and they warranty the engine for up to 100k miles.

 

1k per oil change is way overkill.

That's nice. You do what ever you want with your car, and I'll take care of mine the way I want to. Yes, I know even 3k is can be too often in some cars, even 5k is good a lot of times. I guess it depends on your definiton of "too often". But you see, when I have a V8, with 200,000 miles on it, and I do a lot of short driving, I like to keep fresh oil in her! Plus, oil is cheap, filters are cheap, and changing oil is a breeze (just a little messy), so I don't see how anybody can say that 1K miles is "too often." Have a nice day!:lala: -89IRO

 

89IRO - just curious if you change your oil ever 1K, how much it would cost? most people justify synth oil changes in that they can run them as long as 2 regular oil changes to make up on the cost. Im just curious if changing every 1K makes it almost the same price as say a synth change every 5K???


Also I run Synth (Mobil1 5W30) in my stock 305, with just under 100K, and noticed great improvements in idle and startup.


Amsoil seems to be the choice synth but is hardest to find.
Mobil 1 is the easiest and therefore most widely used, on the boards anyways.
Redline comes inbetween the other two, you can find it but it is usually special order or only certain speed shops.

 

I use nothing but Mobil 1 and I think it runs better with it than regular oil before I switched. Synthetic is it and that is all.

 

I just found out yesterday Mazda does not recomend synthetic oils, and if you use synthetic in a Mazda rotory engine it voids the warranty. any idea why that is?