Switching to synthetic oil...
07-12-2005, 11:31 PM
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Switching to synthetic oil...
I a going to get my oil changed tomarrow. I have always just gotten it done at the dealer with conventional oil. I have been thinking about changing to synthetic oil. I called them today and they said they will put in mobile 1 if I want.
Any suggestions?
Is Royal Purple better?
thanks guys.
Anything else I need to do?
Any suggestions?
Is Royal Purple better?
thanks guys.
Anything else I need to do?
07-12-2005, 11:42 PM
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how many miles you got on it? the thing with switching oils is that you might start using oil because synthetic oil is thinner then regular oil(at a molecular level). i made the switch at 35000 miles and its was fine, you might make the switch at 50000 and be fine also because i know honda motors don't ware pistons rings that fast and they also don't ware vavle gides so i think you should be fine. for the quality of oil i put it like this mobil 1 comes in 3rd, royal purple/amsoil comes in 2nd and redline comes in first, redline oil is the best oil hands down.
07-13-2005, 10:58 AM
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I switched at 100K kms and had no issues.
I'm using 5w20 Royal Purple now.
I switched from Mobil1 to RP on a previous car but didn't notice too much of a Diff.
RP was a much cheaper buy than Red Line.
I'm using 5w20 Royal Purple now.
I switched from Mobil1 to RP on a previous car but didn't notice too much of a Diff.
RP was a much cheaper buy than Red Line.
07-13-2005, 11:25 AM
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Royal Purple is quite a bit better than Mobile 1. They have similar price points. So go with Royal Purple. The film strength for Royal Purple is 20 times greater than Mobile 1.
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07-13-2005, 11:40 AM
#8
My friend is a tech at Acura and has his own motorshop where he works on NSXs all day plus other cars on the weekends, and he has tried redline and others and he said that redline was good but he prefered mobile one for the price, the price difference wasn't worth it. He uses mobile one on all of the cars that he works on at his shop.
07-13-2005, 12:57 PM
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I hesitate to throw in my opinion since I know that like religion and politics, there are strong feelings about motor oils, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
I work in the Paulsboro, NJ refinery that was once owned by Mobil (before it was Exxon-Mobil) and was bought a few years ago by Valero. (Valero has been buying up lots of refineries over the last several years.)
This refinery, even though it is now a Valero facility, is still one of the refineries that refines oil for Mobil (not all refineries have the units needed to make oil). We are across the street from a Mobil Lube Plant which takes our oil output and bottles it up into Mobil bottles for distribution. We are also next door to a Mobil research facility that has been testing and reformulating oil composition requirements (including Mobil-1) for decades. (Note that I don't know where the Lube Plant is getting the chemicals for their synthetic oils (Mobil-1).)
I have had close personal interaction with several of the engineers that have been researching oil for years, many of whom are doctors in their fields of varying specialities.
The scoop as I see it is as follows:
First, it pretty much doesn't matter which oil you use if you change your oil often enough. Oil with the latest API grade (SL back in March--I don't know if that has changed since then) will, as per most experts, protect for at least 5000 miles under typical conditions. Severe service may dictate more often.
Second, Mobil oils are great oils--as are MANY OTHER NAME BRANDS. The PHD engineers here at the Mobil Research facility are using Mobil-1 in their own cars. They get it at Walmart just like you and I. They run it in engines in their lab for thousands of hours and measure engine clearances before and after the tests. They have gotten wear down to negligable levels--as long as the oil is changed at appropriate intervals so as to avoid using "dirty" oil during the tests.
Third, I have been using Mobil-1 0-20 for 30,000 miles (changing every 7500 miles as per the owners manual). I have also had it analysed by blackstone labs just before oil changes. The analysis uses gas chromatographs to reveal all of the trace elements suspended in the oil so that one can determine how much ring, valve, bearing, etc. metals are contained in it--a high count in any of those would indicate corresponding wear on the rings, bearings, valves, etc. It also shows how much of the protective elements in the oil have been used up and the presence of extraneous matter that would constitute contamination.
Once I got the results back from Blackstone, I have had Terry Dyson (google him for more information) interpret the results. To make a long story short, my 0-20 Mobil-1 analyses have shown that I could keep using the oil for at least 10,000 miles if I wanted--the oil was very clean and fully functional at each 7500 mile analysis. I have continued to change my oil at 7500 miles simply because I don't want my dealer to be able to say that I haven't kept up a reasonable maintenance schedule.
I feel confident that (but don't have any experience with) the other specialty oils mentioned above (Amsoil, Royal Purple, Redline, etc.). They are also probably excellent and would probably give results as good as and maybe even better than Mobil-1. But Mobil-1 has performed excellently and is ubiquitous. Therefore, I use it.
In my opinion, if you want a synthetic, you should make sure it is not a "synthetic blend" (a cheaper blend of dino and synthetic oils). I don't have data on that as an issue, but a pure synthetic (like Mobil-1 and probably the others mentioned above) at least have less viscosity-creep and probably have other benefits as well.
I work in the Paulsboro, NJ refinery that was once owned by Mobil (before it was Exxon-Mobil) and was bought a few years ago by Valero. (Valero has been buying up lots of refineries over the last several years.)
This refinery, even though it is now a Valero facility, is still one of the refineries that refines oil for Mobil (not all refineries have the units needed to make oil). We are across the street from a Mobil Lube Plant which takes our oil output and bottles it up into Mobil bottles for distribution. We are also next door to a Mobil research facility that has been testing and reformulating oil composition requirements (including Mobil-1) for decades. (Note that I don't know where the Lube Plant is getting the chemicals for their synthetic oils (Mobil-1).)
I have had close personal interaction with several of the engineers that have been researching oil for years, many of whom are doctors in their fields of varying specialities.
The scoop as I see it is as follows:
First, it pretty much doesn't matter which oil you use if you change your oil often enough. Oil with the latest API grade (SL back in March--I don't know if that has changed since then) will, as per most experts, protect for at least 5000 miles under typical conditions. Severe service may dictate more often.
Second, Mobil oils are great oils--as are MANY OTHER NAME BRANDS. The PHD engineers here at the Mobil Research facility are using Mobil-1 in their own cars. They get it at Walmart just like you and I. They run it in engines in their lab for thousands of hours and measure engine clearances before and after the tests. They have gotten wear down to negligable levels--as long as the oil is changed at appropriate intervals so as to avoid using "dirty" oil during the tests.
Third, I have been using Mobil-1 0-20 for 30,000 miles (changing every 7500 miles as per the owners manual). I have also had it analysed by blackstone labs just before oil changes. The analysis uses gas chromatographs to reveal all of the trace elements suspended in the oil so that one can determine how much ring, valve, bearing, etc. metals are contained in it--a high count in any of those would indicate corresponding wear on the rings, bearings, valves, etc. It also shows how much of the protective elements in the oil have been used up and the presence of extraneous matter that would constitute contamination.
Once I got the results back from Blackstone, I have had Terry Dyson (google him for more information) interpret the results. To make a long story short, my 0-20 Mobil-1 analyses have shown that I could keep using the oil for at least 10,000 miles if I wanted--the oil was very clean and fully functional at each 7500 mile analysis. I have continued to change my oil at 7500 miles simply because I don't want my dealer to be able to say that I haven't kept up a reasonable maintenance schedule.
I feel confident that (but don't have any experience with) the other specialty oils mentioned above (Amsoil, Royal Purple, Redline, etc.). They are also probably excellent and would probably give results as good as and maybe even better than Mobil-1. But Mobil-1 has performed excellently and is ubiquitous. Therefore, I use it.
In my opinion, if you want a synthetic, you should make sure it is not a "synthetic blend" (a cheaper blend of dino and synthetic oils). I don't have data on that as an issue, but a pure synthetic (like Mobil-1 and probably the others mentioned above) at least have less viscosity-creep and probably have other benefits as well.
07-13-2005, 01:25 PM
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wow,
these are great posts guys...thanks.
I guess I will go Mobile 1 for now because of ease. I wanted to go with Royal Purple but I'd have to go get it right now. As I am pressed for time the Mobile 1 will be sufficient for now ...and I will have made the switch to synthetic. I can research this a bit more and decide when I don't need an oil change right away.
thanks again.
these are great posts guys...thanks.
I guess I will go Mobile 1 for now because of ease. I wanted to go with Royal Purple but I'd have to go get it right now. As I am pressed for time the Mobile 1 will be sufficient for now ...and I will have made the switch to synthetic. I can research this a bit more and decide when I don't need an oil change right away.
thanks again.
07-13-2005, 07:01 PM
#11
Suzuka Master
Originally Posted by civicking
how many miles you got on it? the thing with switching oils is that you might start using oil because synthetic oil is thinner then regular oil(at a molecular level). i made the switch at 35000 miles and its was fine, you might make the switch at 50000 and be fine also because i know honda motors don't ware pistons rings that fast and they also don't ware vavle gides so i think you should be fine. for the quality of oil i put it like this mobil 1 comes in 3rd, royal purple/amsoil comes in 2nd and redline comes in first, redline oil is the best oil hands down.
07-13-2005, 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted by russianDude
I think this was true years ago, now syntheic oils are tested to be fully compatable with engine seals and conventional oils.
07-13-2005, 09:38 PM
#14
Originally Posted by resedaruss
I hesitate to throw in my opinion since I know that like religion and politics, there are strong feelings about motor oils, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
I work in the Paulsboro, NJ refinery that was once owned by Mobil (before it was Exxon-Mobil) and was bought a few years ago by Valero. (Valero has been buying up lots of refineries over the last several years.)
This refinery, even though it is now a Valero facility, is still one of the refineries that refines oil for Mobil (not all refineries have the units needed to make oil). We are across the street from a Mobil Lube Plant which takes our oil output and bottles it up into Mobil bottles for distribution. We are also next door to a Mobil research facility that has been testing and reformulating oil composition requirements (including Mobil-1) for decades. (Note that I don't know where the Lube Plant is getting the chemicals for their synthetic oils (Mobil-1).)
I have had close personal interaction with several of the engineers that have been researching oil for years, many of whom are doctors in their fields of varying specialities.
The scoop as I see it is as follows:
First, it pretty much doesn't matter which oil you use if you change your oil often enough. Oil with the latest API grade (SL back in March--I don't know if that has changed since then) will, as per most experts, protect for at least 5000 miles under typical conditions. Severe service may dictate more often.
Second, Mobil oils are great oils--as are MANY OTHER NAME BRANDS. The PHD engineers here at the Mobil Research facility are using Mobil-1 in their own cars. They get it at Walmart just like you and I. They run it in engines in their lab for thousands of hours and measure engine clearances before and after the tests. They have gotten wear down to negligable levels--as long as the oil is changed at appropriate intervals so as to avoid using "dirty" oil during the tests.
Third, I have been using Mobil-1 0-20 for 30,000 miles (changing every 7500 miles as per the owners manual). I have also had it analysed by blackstone labs just before oil changes. The analysis uses gas chromatographs to reveal all of the trace elements suspended in the oil so that one can determine how much ring, valve, bearing, etc. metals are contained in it--a high count in any of those would indicate corresponding wear on the rings, bearings, valves, etc. It also shows how much of the protective elements in the oil have been used up and the presence of extraneous matter that would constitute contamination.
Once I got the results back from Blackstone, I have had Terry Dyson (google him for more information) interpret the results. To make a long story short, my 0-20 Mobil-1 analyses have shown that I could keep using the oil for at least 10,000 miles if I wanted--the oil was very clean and fully functional at each 7500 mile analysis. I have continued to change my oil at 7500 miles simply because I don't want my dealer to be able to say that I haven't kept up a reasonable maintenance schedule.
I feel confident that (but don't have any experience with) the other specialty oils mentioned above (Amsoil, Royal Purple, Redline, etc.). They are also probably excellent and would probably give results as good as and maybe even better than Mobil-1. But Mobil-1 has performed excellently and is ubiquitous. Therefore, I use it.
In my opinion, if you want a synthetic, you should make sure it is not a "synthetic blend" (a cheaper blend of dino and synthetic oils). I don't have data on that as an issue, but a pure synthetic (like Mobil-1 and probably the others mentioned above) at least have less viscosity-creep and probably have other benefits as well.
I work in the Paulsboro, NJ refinery that was once owned by Mobil (before it was Exxon-Mobil) and was bought a few years ago by Valero. (Valero has been buying up lots of refineries over the last several years.)
This refinery, even though it is now a Valero facility, is still one of the refineries that refines oil for Mobil (not all refineries have the units needed to make oil). We are across the street from a Mobil Lube Plant which takes our oil output and bottles it up into Mobil bottles for distribution. We are also next door to a Mobil research facility that has been testing and reformulating oil composition requirements (including Mobil-1) for decades. (Note that I don't know where the Lube Plant is getting the chemicals for their synthetic oils (Mobil-1).)
I have had close personal interaction with several of the engineers that have been researching oil for years, many of whom are doctors in their fields of varying specialities.
The scoop as I see it is as follows:
First, it pretty much doesn't matter which oil you use if you change your oil often enough. Oil with the latest API grade (SL back in March--I don't know if that has changed since then) will, as per most experts, protect for at least 5000 miles under typical conditions. Severe service may dictate more often.
Second, Mobil oils are great oils--as are MANY OTHER NAME BRANDS. The PHD engineers here at the Mobil Research facility are using Mobil-1 in their own cars. They get it at Walmart just like you and I. They run it in engines in their lab for thousands of hours and measure engine clearances before and after the tests. They have gotten wear down to negligable levels--as long as the oil is changed at appropriate intervals so as to avoid using "dirty" oil during the tests.
Third, I have been using Mobil-1 0-20 for 30,000 miles (changing every 7500 miles as per the owners manual). I have also had it analysed by blackstone labs just before oil changes. The analysis uses gas chromatographs to reveal all of the trace elements suspended in the oil so that one can determine how much ring, valve, bearing, etc. metals are contained in it--a high count in any of those would indicate corresponding wear on the rings, bearings, valves, etc. It also shows how much of the protective elements in the oil have been used up and the presence of extraneous matter that would constitute contamination.
Once I got the results back from Blackstone, I have had Terry Dyson (google him for more information) interpret the results. To make a long story short, my 0-20 Mobil-1 analyses have shown that I could keep using the oil for at least 10,000 miles if I wanted--the oil was very clean and fully functional at each 7500 mile analysis. I have continued to change my oil at 7500 miles simply because I don't want my dealer to be able to say that I haven't kept up a reasonable maintenance schedule.
I feel confident that (but don't have any experience with) the other specialty oils mentioned above (Amsoil, Royal Purple, Redline, etc.). They are also probably excellent and would probably give results as good as and maybe even better than Mobil-1. But Mobil-1 has performed excellently and is ubiquitous. Therefore, I use it.
In my opinion, if you want a synthetic, you should make sure it is not a "synthetic blend" (a cheaper blend of dino and synthetic oils). I don't have data on that as an issue, but a pure synthetic (like Mobil-1 and probably the others mentioned above) at least have less viscosity-creep and probably have other benefits as well.
well put. the type of synthetic oil probably doesn't make a difference with normal oil change intervals. i use mobil 1 because it is readily available everywhere. i am sure rp and redline are good, but not as readily available.
07-13-2005, 09:41 PM
#15
Suzuka Master
Originally Posted by civicking
i'm not syaing the selas but the rings/ valve guides ware a little more with regular oil and if you switch to synthetic it will burn the oil becasue the oil will squeak by the rings and valve guides over time.
07-13-2005, 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by russianDude
I dont think its true, they claim that synthetic oil is fully compatable with conventional oil. in factm you should be able to mix two together.
07-13-2005, 11:03 PM
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From the Mobil 1 website:
Question:
Switching to Mobil 1 in High-Mileage Cars
I have a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 350SD, and at the 135k-mile service, the dealership switched to 5W-40 synthetic oil. It has been using 15W-40 all along. Recently I purchased a 1995 Volvo 960 with 98k miles on it. I believe the previous owner was using 10W-30. I want to prolong the lives of both cars by using synthetic oil. However, two repair shop people had advised me that synthetic oil is good only if you start using it when the car is relatively new, and that I should not switch to synthetic oil when the car has more than 50k miles. If this is true, what's the reason behind it?
--Elton Woo,Piscataway,NJ
Answer:
There is simply no factual basis to this myth. You can switch to Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil at any age or mileage and, as long as the engine is in good mechanical condition, you should reap all the benefits that you would experience in a new car. In fact, switching a car from mineral oil to Mobil 1 at higher mileage can help reduce engine sludge and other harmful deposits that may have accumulated over the years. That's why highly regarded companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche recommend the use of Mobil 1. One thing you should be aware of it, however, is that your Mercedes diesel and your Volvo may require different viscosities of Mobil 1. Check your vehicle's owner's manuals for more information.
Hope this helps!
Dave
Question:
Switching to Mobil 1 in High-Mileage Cars
I have a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 350SD, and at the 135k-mile service, the dealership switched to 5W-40 synthetic oil. It has been using 15W-40 all along. Recently I purchased a 1995 Volvo 960 with 98k miles on it. I believe the previous owner was using 10W-30. I want to prolong the lives of both cars by using synthetic oil. However, two repair shop people had advised me that synthetic oil is good only if you start using it when the car is relatively new, and that I should not switch to synthetic oil when the car has more than 50k miles. If this is true, what's the reason behind it?
--Elton Woo,Piscataway,NJ
Answer:
There is simply no factual basis to this myth. You can switch to Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil at any age or mileage and, as long as the engine is in good mechanical condition, you should reap all the benefits that you would experience in a new car. In fact, switching a car from mineral oil to Mobil 1 at higher mileage can help reduce engine sludge and other harmful deposits that may have accumulated over the years. That's why highly regarded companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche recommend the use of Mobil 1. One thing you should be aware of it, however, is that your Mercedes diesel and your Volvo may require different viscosities of Mobil 1. Check your vehicle's owner's manuals for more information.
Hope this helps!
Dave
07-14-2005, 12:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Dave
From the Mobil 1 website:
Question:
Switching to Mobil 1 in High-Mileage Cars
I have a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 350SD, and at the 135k-mile service, the dealership switched to 5W-40 synthetic oil. It has been using 15W-40 all along. Recently I purchased a 1995 Volvo 960 with 98k miles on it. I believe the previous owner was using 10W-30. I want to prolong the lives of both cars by using synthetic oil. However, two repair shop people had advised me that synthetic oil is good only if you start using it when the car is relatively new, and that I should not switch to synthetic oil when the car has more than 50k miles. If this is true, what's the reason behind it?
--Elton Woo,Piscataway,NJ
Answer:
There is simply no factual basis to this myth. You can switch to Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil at any age or mileage and, as long as the engine is in good mechanical condition, you should reap all the benefits that you would experience in a new car. In fact, switching a car from mineral oil to Mobil 1 at higher mileage can help reduce engine sludge and other harmful deposits that may have accumulated over the years. That's why highly regarded companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche recommend the use of Mobil 1. One thing you should be aware of it, however, is that your Mercedes diesel and your Volvo may require different viscosities of Mobil 1. Check your vehicle's owner's manuals for more information.
Hope this helps!
Dave
Question:
Switching to Mobil 1 in High-Mileage Cars
I have a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 350SD, and at the 135k-mile service, the dealership switched to 5W-40 synthetic oil. It has been using 15W-40 all along. Recently I purchased a 1995 Volvo 960 with 98k miles on it. I believe the previous owner was using 10W-30. I want to prolong the lives of both cars by using synthetic oil. However, two repair shop people had advised me that synthetic oil is good only if you start using it when the car is relatively new, and that I should not switch to synthetic oil when the car has more than 50k miles. If this is true, what's the reason behind it?
--Elton Woo,Piscataway,NJ
Answer:
There is simply no factual basis to this myth. You can switch to Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil at any age or mileage and, as long as the engine is in good mechanical condition, you should reap all the benefits that you would experience in a new car. In fact, switching a car from mineral oil to Mobil 1 at higher mileage can help reduce engine sludge and other harmful deposits that may have accumulated over the years. That's why highly regarded companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche recommend the use of Mobil 1. One thing you should be aware of it, however, is that your Mercedes diesel and your Volvo may require different viscosities of Mobil 1. Check your vehicle's owner's manuals for more information.
Hope this helps!
Dave
07-14-2005, 11:31 AM
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Use what you feel comfortable with and matches your driving style and conditions. However,
make certain you change your FILTER at EVERY oil change, what ever interval that would be.
I use Pennzoil dino 5w-20 in my CL-S and change it and the filter every 3,500 to 4,000 miles. In my ZR1 I run Redline 10w-40 but only change it every 2 or 3 years now that it is no longer drag raced. That 2 or 3 years adds up to maybe 1,500 miles or less. But the sitting could cause harm, so that is why the frequency of change.
Good oil and a good filter changed accordingly add up to a longer engine life. Also, as a former drag racer, do not belive the hype about Royal Purple and even Redline. They are good synthic oils but are no magic pill to give you an added tenth in the qtr mile, etc.
make certain you change your FILTER at EVERY oil change, what ever interval that would be.
I use Pennzoil dino 5w-20 in my CL-S and change it and the filter every 3,500 to 4,000 miles. In my ZR1 I run Redline 10w-40 but only change it every 2 or 3 years now that it is no longer drag raced. That 2 or 3 years adds up to maybe 1,500 miles or less. But the sitting could cause harm, so that is why the frequency of change.
Good oil and a good filter changed accordingly add up to a longer engine life. Also, as a former drag racer, do not belive the hype about Royal Purple and even Redline. They are good synthic oils but are no magic pill to give you an added tenth in the qtr mile, etc.
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