instead of a full synthetic? What are the pros and cons?

Thanks!

 

dont be cheap

 

nope

 

LOL! Yeah... I expected that response!

Any adverse effects switching from Syn back to Dino? I've always heard that it's not a good idea to go back after you switch.

 

Unless you tear down a hundred engines that ran dino juice, a hundred that ran semi, and a hundred that ran synth every 10k for 100k+ and measured wear, you wouldn't know. You could follow oil consumption and oil analysis on your own car, but you still wouldn't know if the oil you used or the change intervals affected anything. And it doesn't matter which you use if you change it often enough and you're not modded enough to require additional cooling capacity.

What you read on this and every other board is mostly unscientific cr4p. If you take your engine apart, you may find a bit more wear - but I've seen a lot of engines go 150k+ on dino changed every 3k before they needed any long block work at all.

BTW, the change interval is much more important than what you're changing. Synth retains lubricity much longer than natural, so you can go 7500 - 15k between changes. Plain ol' oil needs changing every 3k with ordinary driving to maximize engine life. You can switch from one to the other and back whenever you like - but I don't know why anybody would do that unless you buy whatever's cheapest that day. Pep Boys runs some promotions that make synth almost free - I got $3 off each bottle in a case of Mobil1 last month and $30 off a case of 6 a few months before that.

 

just go full synth and call it a day.

 

Thanks for the comprehensive response...! I've read so much BS on this sort of thing and I wanted get some additonal opinions. And we all know what opinions are worth.... they are like A-holes... every one has one LOL!

Much appreciated!
Chuck

 

Thanks. Quantitative testing on, say, synthetic vs regular motor oil is difficult to find. The only unbiased testing that I have seen is the Consumer Reports New York taxi cab tests. And I’m sure that you know the results.

People have a way of believing what they what, and will not be dissuaded by science.

 

I've always used Mobil 1 (with the red cap) in my Z. I change the oil myself and it only costs me about $16-17 per oil change when you count the 5 quarts of oil and then the oil filter. It's still cheaper than taking the car to a quickylube place where you'll pay $25-40 for the cheapest oil.

 

Can I highjack for a sec....

Any problems switching over from normal oil to synthetic? My Z has 100,000km's (60,000 miles)

 

Did you read the comments by aveZ insanity?

 

Yep: in short, they found no differences at all among oils, except that Mobil 1 and Pennzoil synth flowed a little better at very low temperatures. They recommended changing conventional oil at 7500 for normal driving.

There was no more difference in average wear measurements between engines using different oils than there was among engines using the same oil. They found no wear sufficient to cause any operational problems after 60k of New York City cab usage with conventional oil changed every 3k. They found no difference in wear whether the oil was changed every 3k or every 6k. And they found no benefit from Slick 50 or STP.

I've built a couple dozen engines and done several dozen tear-downs and rebuilds, almost all on my own race cars. I measure everything and record it. Although my sample size is smaller than theirs, my findings are the same.

 

The Motul full synthetic 5W40 is a great oil. We run it in most of our customer's cars and have great feedback. It is also not as expensive as one would think. PM me if you are interested. We sell it here!

 

From a lubrication standpoint, I understand conventional and synthetic oils are comparable according to the tests I've read. Under more demanding race or extreme conditions, synthetic tends to be superior at high temp's. Some engines are prone to sludging and synthetic is less likely to clump or sludge as well.

If you keep your car 2-3 years then get a new one I'm not sure the type of oil really matters. On the other hand, if you want to drive it for a decade and squeeze all the life you can from it, go synthetic.

I'm not sure I would pay $50+ for a synthetic oil change but since I do it myself, it's a no brainer.

 

I use Royal Purple fully synthetic. While it may not be necessary, it sure makes me feel better knowing I'm putting the best I can in my engine. It doesn't hurt. Shoot, if you can't afford $45-$50 on an oil change (Royal Purple is about $5-$6/qt) every 3k to 4k miles, then you're spending too much money elsewhere...IMO. In the long run I think you'll be glad you spent the little extra dough on the good stuff (oil, that is).

 

Redline 10W40 ftw!