I am seeing advertising for annual engine oil changes using synthetic oil (lubricant).

Is this wise or even possible?

Please do not reply with opinions. I’m looking for replies backed by science and/or statistics.

Thanks, --Spike

 

would depend on many variables...

how many miles / engine revolutions are driven in the year
conditions driven through
overall engine health
filter capabilities & capacities

I put between 7000 and 8000 miles on my pickup oil as directed by Blackstone Labs who have trended my oil sampling the last 6 or 7 oil changes. They said I could go up to 9000 miles based on their analysis.

Would I do this in my nissan, no ... never

 

Dino Lube vs. Synthetic

3 inches tall vs. Full Size

3,000 miles vs. once a year

The Debate will always rage on...

Use YOUR best judgement, internal motor lubricants and "snake oil" advertising claims go hand in hand, keep the stuff fresh and changed when it needs to be, you'll do just fine...

 

This isn't a group of petroleum engineers, so don't expect too much. Engine oil serves two main purposes - 1) lubrication 2) suspending dirt and particulates so they can be filtered out.

In my non-professional opinion, the second function might be a problem in a car driven in a dirty/dusty environment, and especially a car with one of those sh!tty aftermarket (i.e. K&N) air filters, which let all sorts of grit into the engine. Oil is cheap enough, so I'm happy to pay ~$35 every 5K miles for 5 quarts of Mobil 1 0w40 and an M1-110 filter. For me, that actually works out to be about once a year, anyway. And a pair of NAPA Gold or OEM Nissan paper air filters maybe every second oil change.

 

You could have just said engineers...

I would add it plays a role in cooling internal components...

 

Petroleum engineering is a specialty, and while I agree engine oil is a coolant, I mentioned its two main purposes, trying to keep things simple.

 

I’m assuming the manufacturer recommends an annual lubricant change for a “healthy” engine in a car driven “average” miles (around 12k annually) on pavement (and infrequently on gravel or dirt).

 

I do oil changes based on mileage not necessarily 365 days...and yea, mostly daily driver for work and side business...

 

Depending on which oil you use, regardless of whether it's dino or synthetic, check out the performance reviews on whichever oil you decide to use on the website BobIsTheOilGuy. It's the internet's Holy Grail on all things oil-related.

 

It's the internet's collection of subjective opinions very often not back up by anything and UOA reports only really good for the person that posted it.

As for the yearly oil changes it dependent on your car and your driving habits. A good synthetic designed for long change intervals should be just fine with the right engin and person driving.

The reason for the year is that just diurnal temperature cycling can introduce moisture and other contaminants into the crankcase.

Do a UOA for the car using Dyson(testoil), blackstone(fuel dilution is supposedly not accurate), polaris(NAPA?). You're making sure the oil has enough base left to neutralize the acids created in combustion and the viscosity is still within the manufacturer's recommendations.

 

You're going to get better information off that website and the posted users UOA reports describing their mileage and comparisons between oils than you're going to get off of here. It's the least subjective oil site on the web.

 

As I was told by an API engineer and I am paraphrasing oil is oil. Synthetic, I believe on a molecular level, the molecules are all about the same size. "Regular" oil is just that, regular. All synthetic starts with regular oil. "Synthetic" is better.

 

I do it....but I use Amsoil which is rated to last a year, and I drive less than 3,000 miles a year. My car is a summer only car, if you drive it year round do not wait a year.
I drive my car hard and still shows no signs of having any ill effects, by doing what I do. I am a mechanic for a living so if there is the slightest change I would notice it most likely.