Thread: thinking about going synthetic

I have been using full synthetic Q power for the last 2 years. I usually add the lucas full synthetic additive. My last oil change I went to royal purple because of the speed channel special when they dynoed after the royal purple was added. I have heard all good about it so I decided to try it.

Purple is good no doubt, but I have been using Mobil 1 Full Syn since it came out back in the day. I used it for 5 years on my only GP GT and now on my GP GTX with no issues, and you save a good chunk of change in the process.

I have been told that you want to have 30 - 40k miles on the engine before switching to synthetic cause it takes a long time for the rings to wear in on newer motors, but use your own judgment on that....

I've ran Mobil 1 for the last 2 years no problems.... It does seem a little quieter of an engine with the synthetic, but that is not a fact, just my opinion

Originally Posted by 02BlueGT

I have been told that you want to have 30 - 40k miles on the engine before switching to synthetic cause it takes a long time for the rings to wear in on newer motors, but use your own judgment on that....

Im not trying to start anything but I just want to point out that there are cars that come from the factory pre-filled with synthetic motor oil, as do a good number of European vehicles. Synthetics do not really hamper the break in of an engine.

The only reason that you would want to delay using synthetics in a new vehicle is because on the factory fill, you will get a lot of contamination and leaching of gaskets and so forth and you want to get that factory fill out of there pretty quickly. This goes for the tranny too to some degree, Trannyman would be a better source on that. But for you with new trucks and so forth, dont forget about the differentials and transfer cases also that break in.

If you do an oil analysis on a new vehicle you will see a significant spike in wear metals along with silicone. This will level out over time. But you want to do your break on the factory fill and perhaps run one complete oil change interval on whatever fluid is recommended by the factory then after that you can switch over to what you want to use. If you switch over to higher cost synthetics too early, you'll just have to change it out long before its time because of the break in contamination, but it doesnt really hamper the break in process.

forgot to say it has 59k on the ticker. I have used castrol gtx in all of my rides in the past but I want to synthetic now.

Scotty is spot on. That break in period is old school. Newer engines don't require the type of break-in period that engines years ago did.

As far as Royal Purple goes, it is the only oil I've ever used that made an instant difference in MPG and cooler operating temps. That said I only run it occasionally now due to cost and I've heard that RP isn't the best oil to run in a car that's driven infrequently. Someting about an acidic buildup, although that's just what some people have said. I quit using RP in my car back when it was only being driven a few miles on the weekend.

Originally Posted by IndeedSS

I've heard that RP isn't the best oil to run in a car that's driven infrequently. Someting about an acidic buildup, although that's just what some people have said.

That acidic build up will occur with any car using any oil that is not driven frequently. More specifically, one that is driven in such a manner that the oil does not get up to temperature for a specified period of time.

The acidic build up is caused by moisture getting into the oil and it will react with other contaminants and accelerate oxidation and thickening of the oil. In the same manner, those of you that do extended warm up times, particularly in the winter and then only make short trips are flooding your oil with fuel contamination that is in many ways worse than the moisture contamination. The fuel will thin out the oil in short order. Only 2% fuel contamination in motor oil is considered abnormal and I have seen that much fuel in a motor oil before and have seen it drop the oil two grades thinner. Which leaves your motor severely unprotected during high load times.

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

those of you that do extended warm up times, particularly in the winter and then only make short trips are flooding your oil with fuel contamination that is in many ways worse than the moisture contamination.

So does this mean doing a remote start and leaving it for 10 minutes then going and driving about 30 minutes is not okay, or is my scenario okay? What is considered a short trip?

I've ran Valvoline Conventional 10w30 in my car since day one and i've had no problems. Infact several in my family have taken motors to the 400,000+ mile mark with Conventional Valvoline oil. I like changing my oil oil every 2,500-3,000 miles OR (since it ain't a DD anymore) every 4-6 months. Oil doesn't stay fresh forever and can contaminate. I don't feel comfortable leaving oil in a vehicle 5,000+ miles, I never have. Call me old fashion, but as much as I like to change my oil, Synthetic would be a big waste of money for me for the Motor. The tranny, that would be another story. Oil is cheap and easy to change, and for me its piece of mind.

I'm not saying Synthetic is bad at all, I have no problems with it at all. I just think conventional can be just as good if used right, thats all i'm saying. For someone like me with his religious maintence schedule, conventional is right for me.

Also, highway miles are always better than street miles. My car was always a highway daily until recently. Anytime I drive it though, I like to take long trips with it.