Synthetic or natural motor oil?

[sydemoid]

I have used almost every single main motoroil out there... here is my verdict on road driven experiences. (Yeah on a 1992 Nissan Stanza.... oil sucker supreme!)

Mobil 1 synthetic... not bad at all, but if you are planning on pushing the limits, it requires changes atleast every 3500 mi.

Redline synthetic.... stuff works, but it liquified after 2 months.... I know the KA24E is notorious for destroying oil molecules.... but damn!

Valvoline.... eh, plain Jane for my taste.

Royal Purple.... pricey, but the best damned oil I poured into that car!

On the Solara, I used Mobil 1, but added Lucas Oil Synthetic additive to the mix... car runs smoother that way, and it seems to help the top end open up easier.

Currently running Castrol Full synthetic with the Lucas additive.... it seems to let things run harder easier, which I like, but it worries me, because each engine's journals are only meant to go so fast... so I have been pretty conservative in my romps at night.

Either way you look at it, it boils down to what needs you have. I will most likely be returning to Royal Purple, it left a lasting impression. Mobil 1 for the price, is not bad at all. And from what I see, Castrol is good stuff.

my 2 pennies.

[Sebas007]

I'm here since long enough to know that the only place in the world that not use the metric system is USA...I was staying very very conservative when saying 10K miles....QuickSEV6 just confirm it with this
http://www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/motoroils.pdf

You may find other source easy with google that telling the same...to many peopleare ignorant about synthetic oil...even older people...a man was blasting my father at his job because he was saying that my father was a fool saying that synthetic oil has to be changed at longer interval...I would tell him to buy a new brain and type google.com to do his own research.

Mobil1 Synthetic does recommend about 5,000
miles, rather than the 3,000 you use with dino oil and better for the engine... 10,000+ is usually either an oil that's designed as "extended life" WITH a special filter (most oil change places and dealerships don't carry it), or just a hoax/false advertising by the manufacturer that claims that their cars are so reliable that you can do so, but that's just a claim for the mechanically inept to spend more money repairing parts that get excessive wear from the intervals.

By the way, doesn't Canada use KM instead of miles? Hope that's not a source of confusion.
3,000 miles = 4,828.03 KM = usually $20 for a basic oil change = $0.01/mile
5,000 miles = 8,406.72 KM = usually $45 for a synthetic oil change = $0.009/mile

$0.009 X 3,000 miles = $27, so it's not that much more if you think about it that way.

[QuickSEV6]

Mobil 1 synthetic... not bad at all, but if you are planning on pushing the limits, it requires changes atleast every 3500 mi.

That defeats the purpose of buying a synthetic. If you are going to change your oil that frequently, you might as well get a cheaper oil. Dino oil can last that long anyways. Besides, my Solara owners manual recommends an oil change interval of every 5,000 miles and that is with dino oil.

Redline synthetic.... stuff works, but it liquified after 2 months.... I know the KA24E is notorious for destroying oil molecules.... but damn!

Isn't it a liquid when you buy it?

Valvoline.... eh, plain Jane for my taste.

Royal Purple.... pricey, but the best damned oil I poured into that car!

On the Solara, I used Mobil 1, but added Lucas Oil Synthetic additive to the mix... car runs smoother that way, and it seems to help the top end open up easier.

Currently running Castrol Full synthetic with the Lucas additive.... it seems to let things run harder easier, which I like, but it worries me, because each engine's journals are only meant to go so fast... so I have been pretty conservative in my romps at night.

Either way you look at it, it boils down to what needs you have. I will most likely be returning to Royal Purple, it left a lasting impression. Mobil 1 for the price, is not bad at all. And from what I see, Castrol is good stuff.

my 2 pennies.

I don't mean any offense to you, so please don't take this as an insult. I would be willing to bet large sums of money that you could not tell the difference of what kind of oil is in your car. If someone else did the change for you and didn't tell you the brand, there is no way you would feel any difference in the car. I think it's all in your head.

[RDKamikaze]

Synthetic. Mobil 1 is what my dad uses (the one where you change every 15k miles) along with the fitler from Mobil 1 that you change every 15k miles. He's a traveler, so he likes it.

I use synthetic in my car as well, but I use Castrol Synthetic. the stuff is amazing and works great for a daily driver/occasional racer like me .

[PXLpainter]

Synthetic. Mobil 1 is what my dad uses (the one where you change every 15k miles) along with the fitler from Mobil 1 that you change every 15k miles. He's a traveler, so he likes it.

15K mi???

*tick-tick-tick.... BOOM!*

[Stevarian]

I just visited the Mobil 1 website, and they have a regular Mobil 1 synthetic, and an extended life version. They say the extended life oil only needs to be changed every 15,000 miles or after one year. I couldn't find a recommended interval for the regular Mobil 1, so I assume it would need to be changed per manufacturer guidelines, which in the case of the Solara is every 5000 miles.

[PXLpainter]

Mobil 1 is every 5-6K for most engines. I've gone a little over 6K before (not intentionally) but the oil is still viscous and clear at the time of the change... and I just use whatever the stock oil filter they use at Oil Can Henrys.

Extra-fine oil filters can clog really easily and need to be changed more often, so with longer-life synthetics, its good to not block the flow too much.

[QuickSEV6]

Here, this should answer all questions.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

[WXman]

OK... for all you who have responded in favor of synthetic oil, what are you basing your opinion on? Has anyone inspected the crankcase/pistons/valves after using both oils and verified their findings? What benefits are there of using synthetics especially if you have to change it every 5,000 miles or so (yes, I know some synthetic last longer).

I have used regular oil on every car I've owned and I've never had a problem. Others have expressed the same opinion regarding the use of synthetic oil, yet the synthetic costs more. What big advantage will I get if I spend the extra $$ on synthetic and is it worth the extra cost?

[onefiend]

What big advantage will I get if I spend the extra $$ on synthetic and is it worth the extra cost?

Synthetic won't break down and become sludge. It's worth it if you get oil changes between 5,000-10,000 miles. If you get oil changes done with synthetic every 3,000 miles you're wasting your money.

[sydemoid]

Mobil 1 synthetic... not bad at all, but if you are planning on pushing the limits, it requires changes atleast every 3500 mi.

That defeats the purpose of buying a synthetic. If you are going to change your oil that frequently, you might as well get a cheaper oil. Dino oil can last that long anyways. Besides, my Solara owners manual recommends an oil change interval of every 5,000 miles and that is with dino oil.

Redline synthetic.... stuff works, but it liquified after 2 months.... I know the KA24E is notorious for destroying oil molecules.... but damn!

Isn't it a liquid when you buy it?

Valvoline.... eh, plain Jane for my taste.

Royal Purple.... pricey, but the best damned oil I poured into that car!

On the Solara, I used Mobil 1, but added Lucas Oil Synthetic additive to the mix... car runs smoother that way, and it seems to help the top end open up easier.

Currently running Castrol Full synthetic with the Lucas additive.... it seems to let things run harder easier, which I like, but it worries me, because each engine's journals are only meant to go so fast... so I have been pretty conservative in my romps at night.

Either way you look at it, it boils down to what needs you have. I will most likely be returning to Royal Purple, it left a lasting impression. Mobil 1 for the price, is not bad at all. And from what I see, Castrol is good stuff.

my 2 pennies.

I don't mean any offense to you, so please don't take this as an insult. I would be willing to bet large sums of money that you could not tell the difference of what kind of oil is in your car. If someone else did the change for you and didn't tell you the brand, there is no way you would feel any difference in the car. I think it's all in your head.

No offense taken, I did all the oil changes myself, and if you have as much seat time as I do in a car, you would notice the difference in how the engine behaves with specific viscosities.

[crispone]

Been running Mobile 1 synthetic for about 20 years in everything I own. The "sheer" charactersitics are dramatically different between dino and synth oils, specifically in how a motorcycle shifts.... addtionally, the upper temperature threshold before breakdown is higher in a synthetic oil than an organic oil. (Haven't ya heard the commercials? )

Doesn't matter what anyone else says to me... I've read enough reports that support what I have experienced.

Synthetic oil is superior to organic oil. Period.

In my motorcycles, I change the oil with each rear tire... that's between 1500 and 2000 miles. (usually about 1,650 or so...) In the spring, I run the engine up to temp and then drain my oil in my bikes, even if they have very little miles on them.... (condensation, etc... and the introduction of acids from just before I let it sit through much of the winter here in Ohio... I don't need my oil compromised in ANY way in any of my hard pressed vehicles.) Mobile 1 15/50 in my '89 turbo Supra for the life of the car. Never had an oil related issue in anything.

Pick your poison, gentlemen....


-crisp

[siennasc98]

I do the oil change/filter on my 1998 Sienna XLE. I use Mobil 1 5W-30 since the 1st oil change on 3/28/98.
This morning I removed the (LH) valve cover to check the sparkplug hole seals, camshaft/gears and signs of sludge.

The head components are still in excellent condition @ 115K miles.



The gear teeth have minimum wear marks.



$35 every 3-5 months is a cheap insurance that the oil is providing good lubrications to all of the engine's vital moving parts.

[funboy102]

haha, nice... finally, pics to go with this thread

[crazygreek]

I do the oil change/filter on my 1998 Sienna XLE. I use Mobil 1 5W-30 since the 1st oil change on 3/28/98.
This morning I removed the (LH) valve cover to check the sparkplug hole seals, camshaft/gears and signs of sludge.

The head components are still in excellent condition @ 115K miles.

I'll have to agree. A year before I traded in my 92 Camry LE for the Solara. (Should have kept the thing) The valve gaskets were starting to leak. Took it in to have them replaced, as soon as took the covers off the mechanic called me to come up and take a look. When I got up there there were three or four guys looking over my car. I was thinking great what's this going to cost me... They were all amazed at 120,000 mile the engine not only looked spotless but the all the inards were assembly line perfect. No discoloration, no sludge, nothing. He had asked me what kind of oil I used and told him, only the best MOBIL ONE Synthetic. I asked him why the valve seals were leaking he said probably because the guy who had the car before you used regular oil and there was some sludge build up. When you started putting the synthetic in it loosened up the sludge and caused the leaks. So word to the wise. After you engine breaks in first or second oil change use synthetic, personal I've used MOBIL 1 in all three of the cars I've owned and never once had engine problems and I drive my cars like I'm on the track. That include the Solara. But I would never change back once you start using synthetic. Someone told me it was bad to keep switching oild even to switch brands is bad. That helps to build up the gunk. Just my 2 cents.