Synthetic Blends

Uh, yeah. It would

Even better to run at least half/half... oh he!!, why not just use ALL Mobil 1 at the change and top off with Dino if needed.

Which is why I never bought it... it's something Pennzoil might do. But Castrol beat 'em to it.

Why would anyone buy that stuff? Might as well go for a "bulk oil" change for $19 at your local rapid lube pit.

You could, or you could change the oil yourself with a high quality oil and filter for about $10-11. Im speaking Castrol, Valvoline, or a similar good dino oil.

With the new dino formulations, I dont believe the synthetics offer a great performance advantage and no price advantage.

I like synthetics. When you start in very cold weather, you don't get that sluggish effect you get from natural oil whose viscosity changes rapidly with temperture.

-Rich

If Blu-Ray and HD-DVD require players to be hooked-up to the internet to obtain "permission" for playback (like the DIVX horror of the late 1990s) people shouldn't buy or rent the players OR any of the disks. That incarnation of a high definition format MUST die.

Well that's pretty much way incorrect.

No, actually it isn't. This thread has been beaten to death, and few or none will change their opinions, and that is fine with me. Do what you like.

Actually it quite is. There is mounds of scientific proof from numerous places. Even Mobil has begun to lenthen drain intervals with their synthetic. Why did Calloway put it in his Vette? Take a look at some oil sample results sometime. This is not an opinion, it is proven fact that even the worst synthetics are more stable than the best conventional oils.

I have a friend that never changes his oil. Every 3,000 miles he puts on a new filter and tops it off with Mobil 1. He's done this for years now. This is probably equivalent to changing the oil every 15 to 30 K miles, depending on how much oil the filter holds.

John '69 Mach 1 390 Toploader Acapulco Blue ThunderSnake #59

Kind of a shame really. How many gazillion dinos gave their lives to become oil and your friend gets miserly... : 0 )

He probably never changes his underdrawers either. Only a fool treats an engine this way.

It is not a proven fact. This has been discussed a lot over in rec.autos.tech, and there are pro synths and pro dinos.

Apparently the facts are that the recent dino oil formulations are just as protective as, if not moreso than, the synths.

Many of us have searched for definitive tests for both oils and filters, and the data is difficult to come by. Lots of claims, but very little hard data.

One advantage of synthetics is the rather low viscosity necessary for equivalent lubrication, and this is advantageous in low temperature applications and arguably gives a small increase in fuel economy. The same low viscosity can also lead to seeping at gaskets, seals, etc...but not destruction of the elastomers.

The dino formulations reportedly give 'good as or better than' lubrication results when compared with the synthetics. With 5W30 or so, the viscosity effects are not even such a bad deal.

Anyone who would run his oil and filters for EXTENDED periods (over 5000 miles, or so) is looking for trouble, no matter what lubricant he uses. The recent spate of engine failures documented by a number of different manufacturers seems to be supporting evidence for this.

I know you have your mind made up, so we will both continue to view the facts as we each desire. My engines last...that is proof enough for me.

He seems to be pretty auto savy. Got about 10 cars from a Jeep to two Porsches and two motorcycles. Maybe, he'll learn better if he runs into a problem.

Well, I am pretty much oldfartish about maintaining my autos. I have only ever had one engine go bad on me, and that was a 66 428 CJ. The piston broke at only 17,000 miles, and Ford replaced the entire engine. That was no oil failure, however.

I have been researching the issue a lot of late, since I intend to sell my van and get something more fuel efficient, and more comfortable on the road. The deeper I get into the situation, I find that a lot of cars of late are having problems.

Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, as well as some American cars are having engine sludging (gellation) problems which have lead to engine failures. Toyota finally backed down, and took some responsibility for their problems, saying that the problem has been fixed, but also saying that the failures are essentially all related to poor maintainance of the vehicle (change the freaking oil). Toyota is recommending oil changes at less than 5000 miles.

One of the manufacturers appears to recommend dino oils instead of synthetics. Picked this up in the research, but dont remember exactly which it is.

I owned a VW Passat in Europe, and it came with synthetics. The car ran fine and held up well, BUT it seeped synthetic at various locations from day one. Seeping is not a big problem, especially here in Amerika, but in Europe if it turns into a leak (drip), you may fail your EU inspection, and that costs big money.

Finally, I bought a new lawnmower here with a Briggs motor, and after break-in, decided to change to synthetic. Should make the engine last forever, huh? NOT! In just a few hours, the engine began burning oil like crazy. The representative whom I asked about it said that Briggs had run into that problem, and synthetics had been linked with the demise of these engines.

So, despite all the hoopla and claims, I have gone back to what I know works. Use good oil and filter, and change often, if you care about your iron.. Doesnt cost much, and it works.

Use synthetics if you wish, but not in your lawnmower maybe. Or dont use them...the new dino formulations are excellent, and a lot cheaper.

Much as there are diehard bowtie supporters and blue oval supporters, there will be synth and dino supporters. I sort of wonder, for the average driver, whether it really makes that big a difference (driving conditions such as severe weather or dust/sand not withstanding).

I've used both, and have yet to lose an engine aside from having an oil pump seize after a rebuild was installed... because the installed didn't get all the bits of seal out.

IMO, the only people that might benefit from using synthetic oil are people that live where temperature extremes are common. Syn. reportedly holds it's stated viscosity better than dino when it is extremely cold or hot. No benefit for anyone else, as far as I can see. I don't go for the extended service interval argument, either. Dirt, moisture and other impurities get into the engine regardless of which oil you use and the longer they are left in, the more damage they do. Some people claim better fuel mileage with syn. Maybe, maybe not, but it would have to be a LOT better to offset the higher cost. Then there's the *feel good* factor. I guess it's worth whatever you're willing to pay. ;-)

Dave

I don't go for the extended service... but, having lived in the desert with it's blowing sand and dust so fine it gets into everything, I can see the merit of cheaper oil changed more often.

I've also lived in Minnesota, and so far north in Maine we went south to cross into Canada, and know when the temp drops, the less you have to work the engine to start, the better. Batteries can drain in minutes if you forget the lights, let alone be grinding a starter. In Maine, I removed the battery when I got home and took it into the house. So slick might be expensive, but invaluable. Some of those places did have provisions for block heaters. Even apartments with sockets on a post for each assigned parking space. Every little bit helps in such places.

The initial 428 that came out in '66 was not a CJ. It had heads and intake similar to a 390. In '67 there was a 428 PI. The 428 CJ debutted in the '68 model year replacing the 427 as Ford's performance engine. The 428 SCJ came out in the '69 model year.

I don't use synthetics. I change oil and filter every 3,000 miles and use dinolube. I've never had a problem, so why spend more $ to fix (?) it. I think it's just good marketing.

My friend's the synthetic believer.

Here's a debate I had with my pro synthetic buddy. Todays engine is the product of *decades* of research, development, and modifications to make the most efficient yet low cost source of power (and torque) for the automobile. During almost that entire time, dinolube was not just the standard, hell, it was the only reasonable option, so it's fair to say that today's engine has been optimized when running dinolube. Why pay a lot more to change to synthetic to tweak some perceived benefits and possibly suboptimize other critical areas that jeopardizes all that *experience* based on so little data?

I just changed the 141K Taurus 3.0 at 18,000 mi. w/ Mobil 1 & a 400S Motorcraft filter. It was down 1 qt. in that entire mileage(never added). At 10K the oil was barely dirty, so I didn't change it, then got too busy until last weekend. Love that Mobil 1... but 10K is much more reasonable & responsible.

I also use Mobil 1 in all the lawn & garden equipment. 2 1994 lawn tractors, wood splitter, Troy Bilt tiller, - all Briggs powered - & a Tecumseh powered snow blower, & several other smaller motors, all older... no problems ever. The cost of small engine replacement can be daunting compared to automotive replacements - I don't like to take chances.

From a chemical & physical perspective, synthetics are far superior, but please don't let science get in the way of anecdotal evidence... which is all you will get in usenet discussions.

Rob