MSO4Matt

Can you go back to regular after using synthetic, can you go back to regular after using blends. What do the hard driving formulas offer that others do not. My Integra went 240K no prob on regular valvoline, my dealer says use at least a blend for this new v-tec, what do you folks think?

01tl4tl

YOu can switch back and forth without concern
Many prefer a FULL Synthetic
NOTE some makers of synthetic have changed their formula to a lower quality mixed semi synthtic and sell it in the same bottle- I'm looking at you Mobil!

Penzoil Platinum is the newest thing in FULL Synth with adaptive molecules for heat, shearing and load stress- I did my research and went with it and a K&N filter
PP has been out a few years and won the SEMA award for best technology product

subinf

You can switch back and forth.

I use the Pennzoil synthetic, mainly because I don't pay for oil changes. Otherwise I'd probably be putting in regular oil, maybe a blend.

erick3

what?!?!?!?!? i've been using mobil 1 since day 1!!!! those weiners!!!!

Indy Paul

I've switched from Mobil 1 to Pennzoil Platinum and the cost of my oil changes has been cut in half! Of course it helps that the Advance Auto Store down the street has had it on sale, buy one, get one free, the last two times I was due an oil change! I have also mixed brands with no problems. I use straight synthetics and normally buy the 6-pack case of what's on sale, which leaves me one quart left over. After 5 changes, I have enough spare quarts for the next oil change!

6spMike

Has anyone had, or heard of, an oil-related problem lately (in the last 5 years or so)?
It seems that oils/engines have gotten good enough that the synthetics are unnecessary, except for maybe turbo motors, because that 100,000 rpm turbo is hard on the oil.
But, if synthetic makes you feel better, then it's probably worth it.
Just my

Kostyan

if you switch you gotta flush out the engine, which I heard may cause premature wear to all seals etc...why f*** with your car, dont listen to anybody, just put what's recommended in the service manual.

mishar

Flushing is thing of the past. It was necessary when oils didn’t have detergent additives. Not listening to anybody is evergreen, but not really productive one. Especially when you have outdated recommendations.

lil12002

how often are you synthetc guys changing your full synthetic oil?

ankur914

[QUOTE=mishar]Flushing is thing of the past. It was necessary when oils didn’t have detergent additives. [QUOTE]


+1 Flushing is no longer required.

wasupdog

iTrader: (2)

change mine every 5k, but 85% of my driving is straight up stop n go <40mph traffic.

subinf

between 3-4k

Indy Paul

I change mine at about 4K miles.

lil12002

all you 3-5k mile guys thats with synthetic? i thought synthetic gives you more than 3k miles?

rbf351

shows you what your dealer really knows, the TL's have the same version of VTEC that they have been using since it has come out. I-VTEC is the new version which we do not have

Indy Paul

It's usually closer to 4K when I change mine. I figure the engine deposits the same amount of crap in synthetic oil as it does in dino oil, so I keep the change interval the same. Synthetics will protect better than dino oil in extreme tempertures, that's why I use it.

01tl4tl

Mobil and others changed its recipe recently, so you guys were getting the pure stuff before- just not anymore

There are so many advantages to synth its worth the extra dollars
Using Seafoam at the time of change will clean the passages- a good thing anytime

Have oil analysis done for $20 at next change and it will tell you all about
the life left in the oil- then you can adjust
Remember short trips and stop and go driving are as hard on the oil as hard driving

DO NOT MIX BRANDS
Each has their own additives and MAY not like each other
This should never be an issue for us because who here adds oil betwen changes? not me

lil12002

where could one get the oil tested? and how could i do that if i dont change my oil, and take it to a shop?

subinf

Some shops have their own oil analysis machine. If no local shops have one, you can send you oil off to get analyzed. Make sure your mechanic fills a little bottle with the oil being drained out of your car.

lil12002

ok but my question is where exactly would i send the oil? any web sites or locations? or where could i look for in my area?

SodaLuvr

www.dysonanalysis.com or buy an Oil Analyzers kit from Amsoil for $20 if you're cheap.

I don't find much use in oil analysis anyway unless you drive a GM V6 with leaking intake gaskets or are attempting to significantly extended oil drains past the OEM service interval.

All oils that are API rated can be mixed just fine. The performance will not be optimal, but its certainly OK. I mix oils all the time because I buy whatever is on sale. For instance, I just topped up my engine with QS...right into a 4k mi old fill of Maxlife.

Indy Paul

When I mentioned mixing oil, I was referring to my truck, and it only happens every 5th oil change. Normally I buy oil by the six-pack and the truck only uses 5 quarts, so one's left over. When I have five I use them. I also generally stick with one brand, lately it's been Pennzoil, prior to that it was Mobil 1. So, the next oil change I do that will have a mix will probably consist of 2 quarts of Mobil 1 and 3 quarts of Pennzoil, all are full synthetic oil. Our TL is leased and the dealership we purchased from gives a free oil change and tire rotation every other oil change, so my wife will probably have all the oil changes done by the dealer. The truck is easier to do an oil change than a car because I can actually get under the truck without a lift!

HiTEC

To each his own, but I use Mobil One and I go by the MID, which seems to put me at about 5500-6000 miles for an oil change. I used to waste my money synth and change every3k miles, but that's a total waste imo. I'd change at 3k if I was running dino oil, but not synth. Like I said though... to each his own.

01tl4tl

Am I the only one who drives the %*## out of their car?
I know many of you run these things redlined and in SS mode
as a normal way of driving. Thats a lot of abuse on the oil

Thats why oil analysis is helpful to monitor your engines health
Oil is the engines blood and testing will reveal early signs of problems.

I must disclose that I work with airplanes and race cars so we do this as a matter of course.
The airplane gets oil change every 50 hours of run time!!!

Moderator fsttyms1 uses blackburn? labs I believe- is that right Kris?
Try an internet search for them
They send a test kit for free, any shop can catch a sample from the oil stream as it drains
You mail it to them with 20 bucks and get a detailed report, search on here and there are scans of the printout

Sure you can mix and match, and with other cars and the truck I have.
With the TL- I am just fanatical about its maitenance and appearence

OMG- Bugs on the bumper - must go wash car now

ankur914

Ive heard of a Blackstones Lab.....maybe thats the one you are referring to???

MisterFubar

iTrader: (1)

I've used Blackstone in the past and I'll probably use them when I take a sample for my filter change on my TL. They are a great company to deal with.

I'm running full synthetic now and I plan on doing about 15k between oil changes. I'll let the MID cycle once and pull a sample and change the filter. As long as that sample comes back good I won't change the oil until the MID tells me to the second time. Should be between 14-16k miles.

I'm not out racing my TL every weekend but it does see redline quite often and it's fair share of stop and go driving.

ankur914

Out of curiousity, what Full Synthetic Oil are you running??

HiTEC

I personally don't think driving your TL hard or redlining your engine is going to destroy your synth oil. It would be a different story if we had a turbo and the oil was having to cool bearings on a glowing orange turbo or something.

MisterFubar

iTrader: (1)

I go back and forth, Mobile 1 currently because it's cheap and readily available.

Yes I know they recently switched up their formula and it may not be the best synthetic, but it's good enough.

MisterFubar

iTrader: (1)

I personally agree with everything you just said.

People have been draining and throwing away perfectly good oil for years. 3-5k oil changes is overkill on ALMOST every car on the road.

ankur914

I heard the same thing...Amsoil is supposedly better than Mobil 1?, but Im hesistant to buy that stuff. Mobil 1 is still better than any conventional/mineral oil out there, i think......

SodaLuvr

Just throwing this out there...

If synthetic oil truly lasted longer, then why is the Oil Life Monitor calibrated identically for both synthetic oil and conventional oil equipped GM vehicles?

If synthetic oil lasted significantly longer, then why didn't GM find so in its internal tests when it did the early validation of its Oil Life Monitor?

subinf

Duh, synthetic is better because it costs more

mishar

There are two tings determining oil life: viscosity and additives. Under high pressure and temperature oil hydrocarbon molecules tend to break. That causes oil viscosity to go down so it doesn’t lubricate well anymore. Various additives improve oil’s ability to clean engine and protect against corrosion. They are consumed in the process. When they are all gone oil becomes like one our grandfathers used in their cars.

Synthetic oil has artificially synthesized molecules more resistant to temperature and pressure. That makes it last longer under extreme conditions. Under normal conditions regular oil won’t break and oil life is determined by amount of additives left in it, so it will last just as long as synthetic.

Conclusion: if you are driving fast for a longer time, push it to the red line often, it is good to use synthetic oil. If not, regular is just as good as synthetic. And do not change oil before it ask for it. You are just vesting time and money and hurting environment.

Indy Paul

I use synthetic oil in my truck, but maintain the same change intraval as standard oil. My reasoning is similar to what mishar explained above, but I still believe the engine deposits just as much crap in the oil regardless of whether it synthetic or not. I choose to use synthetic because of it's properties of not breaking down as quickly as regular oil under harsh conditions. But, for the sake of the cleanliness of my engine's internal parts, it gets a fresh crankcase full of synthetic oil and a fresh filter every 4K miles. It may be over kill, but it makes me feel better and I'm sure it had no ill effects on my engine!

The dealer does the oil changes on the TL because it's leased and every other oil change is free!

weedeater

First let me say this: it's your money to spend, so do what ever you want.

There was a 'national magazine' that did a test of several different motor oils in real-world driving. The cars were all taxi's, doing stop-and-go driving in big cities. The test was run over several months during both hot and cold weather. Oil analysis was run across all the oil samples, and I think the test went for over 10kmiles, but I'm not sure.

The general results were:
1. 3kmile oil changes were a complete waste of money.
2. since the advancement of cleaner engines and better oil formulations, oil stays good longer than it used to.
3. 6kmile oil changes were recommended after the test using dino oil.
4. synthetic provided NO ADDITION PROTECTION during 6kmile period.
5. synthetic was recommended ONLY IF the vehicle is subjected to frequent cold weather starts (0F or lower) OR if the vehicle had a turbo.

Now, having said all that, there is a rumor that these engines tend to run a bit hot internally which could lead to sludge buildup if the oil isn't changed often enough. Hence the average 5kmile change period versus 7.5kmile. If you're worried about that, then a good synthetic is a way to go.

If you're not worried about that, then a good quality dino oil is just fine with a 5kmile or MID change interval, depending on how you want to run your life.

Right now I haven't switched to synthetic, but if I do it will be Amsoil or Redline. I'll leave it in for around 15kmiles, and change the filter every 7.5kmiles retopping the oil level. I used Amsoil in another turbo car for 12 years and had good luck with it. My mechanic who happened to look in the motor said it was clean as a whistle inside.

As always, YMMV.

SodaLuvr

Both true and false. It is correct that synthetic oil is much more resistant to thermal breakdown compared to conventional oil...why else does GM factory fill the Corvette with Mobil 1...it's to eliminate the need for an external oil cooler. Synthetic oil's main advantage is the added thermal resistance...but most of us will never reap such benefits as our oil temperatures in day to day driving will never reach a point where conventional oil's protection will be compromised. The additive pack in synthetic oil is a bit better but that isn't always the determining factor for oil life as contamination plays a major role and both oils are equally subject to it.