Synthetics

May take on SYN is that they are best used in new vehcle or newly rebuilt ones and that you should not change the diet of older vehicles with it.SYN are better in extrem cold (below 20 below and extreme heat (above 100) but othersie morderm comventional lubs do quite well with regular servicing. SYN motor oil still gets dirty and gritty and needs to be changed as well even if it has not broken down vicosity wise.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Bill,

I will agree with SnoMan with one minor quibble: I've changed to synthetic lubricants in older vehicles and had no problems doing so. It was not necessarily because I believed that they'd work better; I just happen to keep synthetics on hand and did not feel like stocking conventional lubricants in addition.

The only real disadvantage is price - if you tend to leak/burn lubricants due to vehicle age it's 2 to 3 times more expensive to keep the case filled. Likewise oil change intervals - if you're inclined to stretch them because of the added cost of the synthetics you may be better off with a conventional lubricant.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

Well...

Synthetics work very well. They do not cause leaks in high mileage equipment, but may clean away the crud that is plugging up worn sealing surfaces, and then the leak happens.

Go syn. If you want the best, look at [url=

Formulations[/url], a supberb boutique product, Red Line, Amsoil (excellend despite the hype), Royal Purple for differentials and transmissions, and Mobil 1. Specialty Formulations is putting out some manual transmisson fluids that shift better than anyone else's. They also maybe the only full syn ATF blended to Toyota T-IV spec. (Amsoil and others have their universal ATF for T-IV.)

No concern with synthetic grease. It is the usual thickner material, often lithium complex, with syn oil added instead of conventional oil. It may live longer when very hot and move better when very cold.

Syn engine oil does live longer. Most of the "dirt" in oil is from the breakdown of the oil itself. Syn oil oxidizes more slowly, so it lives longer. Oil analysis confirms this.

Ken

I have been using Ams/Oil since it came on the market and have put over 100,000 on two s-10 and also use it in my wife's and daughters cars and NO problem at all. My S-10 is

4/4 pickup

weather without

viscosity.

before I

Well...

Synthetics work very well. They do not cause leaks in high mileage equipment, but may clean away the crud that is plugging up worn sealing surfaces, and then the leak happens.

Go syn. If you want the best, look at [url=

a supberb boutique product, Red Line,Amsoil (excellend despite the hype), Royal Purple for differentials and transmissions, and Mobil 1.

Specialty Formulations is putting out some manual transmisson fluids that shift better than anyone else's. They also maybe the only full syn ATF blended to Toyota T-IV spec. (Amsoil and others have their universal ATF for T-IV.)

No concern with synthetic grease. It is the usual thickner material, often lithium complex, with syn oil added instead of conventional oil. It may live longer when very hot and move better when very cold.

Syn engine oil does live longer. Most of the "dirt" in oil is from the breakdown of the oil itself. Syn oil oxidizes more slowly, so it lives longer. Oil analysis confirms this.

Ken

Mobil one kind wrote the book on SYN oil and I do not know were you can the claim of too much wax from??? I have used different oils for the last 35 plus years in vehicles I have kept for a long time running syn since new and dino oil and have exceeded 200K easily with both kinds of oils. THe only vehicle I have left that I still use mobile one in on a long tierm test is a 89 4x4 burb that I bought new and used Mobile one in it since it was new. It now has over 180K miles on it and uses no oil between changes even today and I have always changed it around every 3500 to 4500 miles (depending on usage). THat same vehicle has had regular ATF fluid and it was serviced about every 25K or so with a filter and fresh top off (never flushed) and it still work like new . I alo ran a 2.0 Camary well past 200K on dino oil too and it was using abou 1 quart every oil change when it was retired in a wreck. (I have little doubt that it would have easily made 300K plus) . The moral here is it is the maintaince that gets you long service life more than the oil type being SYN or regular.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

OK! Heard from a bunch of you and I'll switch to the syn gear oil as I rebuild the major components. I suspect that poly bushing lube I now use is also synthetic.

Suprisingly nobody suggested syn motor oil lasting longer (less breakdown) than dino but keep replacing the filter at regular intervals. Also not much comment on syn grease. I'm playing with that now as I go thru the drivetrain. I'll try to remember to keep ya posted with my opinions. Thanks ~ Bill

Mobil one kind wrote the book on SYN oil and I do not know were you can the claim of too much wax from??? I have used different oils for the last 35 plus years in vehicles I have kept for a long time running syn since new and dino oil and have exceeded 200K easily with both kinds of oils. THe only vehicle I have left that I still use mobile one in on a long tierm test is a 89 4x4 burb that I bought new and used Mobile one in it since it was new. It now has over 180K miles on it and uses no oil between changes even today and I have always changed it around every 3500 to 4500 miles (depending on usage). THat same vehicle has had regular ATF fluid and it was serviced about every 25K or so with a filter and fresh top off (never flushed) and it still work like new . I alo ran a 2.0 Camary well past 200K on dino oil too and it was using abou 1 quart every oil change when it was retired in a wreck. (I have little doubt that it would have easily made 300K plus) . The moral here is it is the maintaince that gets you long service life more than the oil type being SYN or regular.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com