Just wondering what every body thinks of syntheic motor oils, my dad swears by Castrol SynTec oil, what are the pros and cons of it and switching to it on high milage engines, 03 envoy with 117 K miles. He claims it inproves milage and makes it run smoother, is the extra cost worth it??? And is there a problem switching to it???
I would think twice on a high mileage engine. Probably leak more. Or leak if it didn't before.
If he claims his mileage improves by more than 0.5 mpg I would wave an orange BS flag.
No way, no how.
is the extra cost
Most folks think so. I agree.
I really doubt it, give it a try. It may have less of the additives that make your rubber seals swell, compared to dino oil.
Synthetic oil will clean out your engine. It will dissolve all the sludge build up which may cause it to start leaking or burning a little. If you do switch to it, change the filter only at about 1/2 your change interval the first time.
If I were you, I would leave well enough alone and stay with whatever you have been using. Modern engines with good maintenance almost never have lubrication related failures no matter what kind of oil is used.
Randy
Greetings,
I use synthetic motor oil for one reason in particular, and that is the resistance to breakdown at high temperatures. I have a turbocharger on my truck (it's a diesel) and the bearings can get very hot. Standard oil can break down when heated to those temps and cause the bearings to coke up, but synthetic is less prone to that problem - and turbos can get quite expensive if you don't take care of them. Other folks like synthetics for their cold flow properties, especially on start-up and in colder climates (not really an issue here in sunny Central Florida, but it's cheap insurance nonetheless).
Can you get good service from a motor that receives regular maintenance and routine oil changes with dino oil? Yes. Will you get better mileage by switching to synthetic motor oil? Not enough to be noticable if you are using the same grade and weight/viscosity synthetic as dino oil. Does synthetic oil increase the life of your motor? It could but just because the oil isn't breaking down under high heat like regular oil, it still collects suspended particles (mostly carbon) that can cause wear if the oil isn't changed regularly. If you are looking to get the most out of a synthetic motor oil then you should also use a top-of-the-line oil filter as well and not some cheap Wally Mart brand that they sell 2 for $3.50 on sale.
Just my two cents worth - Jonathan
Do the switch if that's what you want to do. Some common misconceptions are that it will clean your engine out causing higher oil consumption and leakage - bunk
The same things were said when high detergent oils first came out but the military switched its vehicles over with no problems.
The detergent in oil does not clean an engine; it is really a detergent-dispersant because it keeps the dirt in suspension and prevents it from "plating out" onto engine parts (forming sludge). Synthetic oil has a much better flow characteristic at low temps and if you have poorly installed gaskets, it may seep past them.
I've switched vehicles over to synthetic oil at anywhere from 35,000 to
154,000 miles and never had a problem. I have a truck that I switched at 86,000 miles and it currently has 197,000 miles on it. I get about 4,000 miles to a quart of oil (city) and 2500 miles to a quart on the highway. I get good fuel mileage but I can't say whether or not it's because of the synthetic oil. Group: alt.trucks.chevy Date: Mon, Apr 24, 2006, 11:35am (EDT+4) From: craig snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (Craig=A0M) Just wondering what every body thinks of syntheic motor oils, my dad swears by Castrol SynTec oil, what are the pros and cons of it and switching to it on high milage engines, 03 envoy with 117 K miles. He claims it inproves milage and makes it run smoother, is the extra cost worth it??? And is there a problem switching to it???%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "Sometimes, when you're up to your butt in alligators, it's hard to remember that the intial objective was to drain the swamp." ~ Unknown ~
I have been using Ams/Oil since 1974 and just love it. Have put over a hundred and seven K on two S-10"s and have no trouble. No oil burning and NO problems. Change oil every
The same things were said when high detergent oils first came out but the military switched its vehicles over with no problems.
The detergent in oil does not clean an engine; it is really a detergent-dispersant because it keeps the dirt in suspension and prevents it from "plating out" onto engine parts (forming sludge). Synthetic oil has a much better flow characteristic at low temps and if you have poorly installed gaskets, it may seep past them.
I've switched vehicles over to synthetic oil at anywhere from 35,000 to
154,000 miles and never had a problem. I have a truck that I switched at 86,000 miles and it currently has 197,000 miles on it. I get about 4,000 miles to a quart of oil (city) and 2500 miles to a quart on the highway. I get good fuel mileage but I can't say whether or not it's because of the synthetic oil.Group: alt.trucks.chevy Date: Mon, Apr 24, 2006, 11:35am (EDT+4) From: craig snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (Craig M) Just wondering what every body thinks of syntheic motor oils, my dad swears by Castrol SynTec oil, what are the pros and cons of it and switching to it on high milage engines, 03 envoy with 117 K miles. He claims it inproves milage and makes it run smoother, is the extra cost worth it??? And is there a problem switching to it???
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "Sometimes, when you're up to your butt in alligators, it's hard to remember that the intial objective was to drain the swamp." ~ Unknown ~
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