Regular vs. synthetic blend vs. full synthetic

[Rod1]

Manufacturer recommendation, why do people think that they know best than the people that actually made the car.

 

[Merlotte's]

Royal Purple oil and filter

Seems a bit overkill if you ask me. Akin to fucking your wife of five years with a condom.

Anyone ever use K&N's oil filters? I like the design but cost has kept me away.

 

[jefferz]

Every 5,000 miles or 6 months for me.

Newer cars are actually recommended by their manufacturers to go 7,500-10,000 miles between each synthetic oil change.

That "every 3,000 miles" myth perpetuated by Jiffy Lube really needs to die. Millions upon millions of gallons of engine oil are wasted each year needlessly because people wouldn't read their damn car manual.

The 7-10k is subjective also. You have to contribute in if you drive gravel, played in sand, temperature extremes, how hard you've worked your motor, etc

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

Seems a bit overkill if you ask me. Akin to fucking your wife of five years with a condom.

Anyone ever use K&N's oil filters? I like the design but cost has kept me away.

I've read a few legitimate studies online about K&N and theyre essentially high end snake oil. On a scale of 1-10, K&N charges you at a 9 but their product is actually a 5. That goes for both the oil and air filters. Money is best saved elsewhere.

Amsoil and Royal Purple oil is good but completely unnecessary for street cars.

The best cheapest oil filter on the market is Purolator and theyre still made in the USA I believe. WIX is the 2nd best but I think they may be outsourcing now. Napa brand is next.

 

[madizm2]

Seems a bit overkill if you ask me. Akin to fucking your wife of five years with a condom.

To each their own but I've had good experiences thus far with RP compared to other brands like Valvoline and Mobile1 when running in the desert. Plus, I was able to get RP while it was on sale.

 

[Ruprecht]

Must be a bike thing

For oil its Schaeffers filters are fleetguard

Do not trust AMS to 25k. It looks horrible at 25k

Not an issue with newer bikes that I know of, but the "Back torque limiter" clutch design is pretty marginal in my '97 TL1000S.
I could have gone for a heaver clutch, but switching the oil was easier, cheaper and isn't a pain in the arse around town.

 

[Merlotte's]

I've read a few legitimate studies online about K&N and theyre essentially high end snake oil. On a scale of 1-10, K&N charges you at a 9 but their product is actually a 5. That goes for both the oil and air filters. Money is best saved elsewhere.

Amsoil and Royal Purple oil is good but completely unnecessary for street cars.

The best cheapest oil filter on the market is Purolator and theyre still made in the USA I believe. WIX is the 2nd best but I think they may be outsourcing now. Napa brand is next.

Damn. I've been using K&N products for fifteen years or so. Air filters anyhow. Good thing you only have to buy one per life of the vehicle I guess.

To each their own but I've had good experiences thus far with RP compared to other brands like Valvoline and Mobile1 when running in the desert. Plus, I was able to get RP while it was on sale.

I see. Extreme heat does call for quality oil.

 

[quatin]

Manufacturer recommendation, why do people think that they know best than the people that actually made the car.

Only a few luxury cars specify synthetic oils. Most other cars just have a recommended oil weight not synthetic or conventional. Even then, manufacturer recommendations for oil weight is based off a bunch of different criteria you may not care about.

IE Toyota will tell you to put 5w-20 oil in a Corolla to boost the MPG by a small %, just to increase the average MPG of their sedan class offerings to pass some EPA regulation. Putting 5w-30 oil in a Corolla may actually prolong engine life.

 

[jefferz]

The consensus among mechanics is pick an oil type and stick with it. Never swap back and forth. Synthetic oil tends to reach deeper into crevices than mineral oil. So if you used mineral oil, there could sections in your engine that never got good oil flow. Gaskets in those sections are essentially held in place by old oil gunk. That gunk could last the life of the car, so it's not all that bad. However, if you put synthetic oil in there, it could flow into those sections and knock the gunk off, creating an oil leak.

Rule of thumb. If your car came with synthetic oil, then use synthetic oil. If your car never saw synthetic oil, you're risking a leak by switching.

That used to be the case back in the 60s but not anymore. I've rebuilt many motors where people have used all sorts of oil and haven't seen any issues

 

[Arkain2K]

The 7-10k is subjective also. You have to contribute in if you drive gravel, played in sand, temperature extremes, how hard you've worked your motor, etc

Gravel, sands, and temperature extremes are non-existance on SoCal streets, and our motors are practically pampered by the daily bumper-to-bumper Freeway traffic jams from Los Angeles all the way to San Diego!

 

[UWPguy]

So synthetic is better for oil changes every 6-8000 miles?
What about synthetic oil for new vehicles?

Yup, if you are going over 5k miles between oil changes you should be using synthetic and a quality filter. Ideally you would switch to synthetic in a new vehicle but as long as the vehicle isn't over 150k you still should be fine switching.

Synthetic does not break down like regular dyno oils. If you could keep the contaminants (dirt, fuel, water, dissolved metals, etc) out of synthetic oil and keep the additives in, synthetic oil could last the lifetime of a vehicle.

 

[jefferz]

Gravel, sands, and temperature extremes are non-existance on SoCal streets, and our motors are practically pampered by the daily bumper-to-bumper Freeway traffic jams from Los Angeles all the way to San Diego!

Well good for you

 

[genki sugoi]

I've heard from many mechanics and my autoshop teachers blends are pointless. Go full synthetic if you need to or regular if you don't.

 

[45ACP]

I haven't been to this site in a while, and it looks like it may have turned into a giant pennzoil ad but there's still plenty of great info to be found here:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

I haven't been to this site in a while, and it looks like it may have turned into a giant pennzoil ad but there's still plenty of great info to be found here:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

Lots of good info on the forums there. I believe that's where I ran across the oil studies.