I was wondering what the general thought is on using synthetic oil, such as Mobil 1? I wonder how it effects an explorer that has been running on regular motor oil then switches to synthetic oil?
Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?
bill
It's better to switch to synthetic sooner than later. With higher mileage engines I've heard that switching to synthetic isn't too good because the viscosity at high temperatures will just make it slip past the rings and burn (assuming moderate to heavy ring wear).
I started putting Mobil 1 5w20 (or was it 5w30?) in my 96 Explorer when it had 68k on it. I sold it this year at 127k and by then was still running strong.
It's a toss up, if you plan on keeping the car, synthetic is nice to put in. On the other hand, if you don't plan on keeping it, some would think it's a waste of money, others use it as a piece of mind anyway.
I haven't had any problems with Mobile 1.
I switched to Mobil 1 very late with my 92 Explorer (160K). It's at 191K now, still running great.
The old 88 Bronco II has had Mobil 1 for at least 8 years. It's now at
201K, runs like new.Neither burns any oil at all... ;-)
Synthetic is great, but it isn't going to do anything magical for you that Dino lube won't, if changed regularly.
Since the synthetic proponents always need to cite a vehicle's longevity..
We had a Company van (Chevy Astro). As most work vehicles, it was treated pretty darn hard, and was finally retired when the trans went.
it had 218,000 miles on it, and only ever had Dino lube. And always the cheapest crap that was available at a quickie lube place.
The company gave me the van, and I slapped a rebuilt tranny in it, and it drove great ! Still started right up, and idled smooth.
Bottom line is, if you want to use it, USE IT ! it's not a bad oil, but I doubt that you will realize any actual benefits from it on a daily driver ..
Thanks for the thoughts! I have purchased 2000 limited V8 AWD at 67k. It has been running with the mobile 1 since approx. 50k. I will continue to use the 5w30 Mobile 1 in it. I feel better about it than I did at first. I hear that it is not a good idea to switch back and forth so...
anyhoo thank you everyone for your thoughts about the Mobile 1!
bill
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