Would synthetic oil benefit me?

[DarkBlack]

Doesn't take much to amaze you. Does it ?

I don't read any post here where someone is pushing dino , synthetic or any other product. Anyone can use what they want. The OP asked

No, It does. Just about every form of non-logic logic is posted here.
A few examples:

1) because my vehicle ran synthetic oil and ran a long time- thus synthetic is better.
2) A ran 15w-40 dino and switched to 5w-30 synth, and in the cold, it started faster- thus synthetic is better.
3) I bought a new vehicle and switched to synthetic after break-in and got 1 mpg better- thus synthetic is better

That's enough for now..tired..

 

[Elviscaretaker]

I'm just amazed at the flimflam posted here by sythetic oil pushers here on this tractor site.

I'm not pushing them either. At this point I haven't seen one with a high enough detergent content but, I also have not researched diesel oils yet and until I do, I'm going with the dealer recommended which is a 25% syn mix. Only difference is that I like a lighter weight for year round than what they are claiming. Normally not too hot or too cold here.
I could see if anyone here knows the specs and save some time though .
Either way, oils have come a long way since the model T days.

 

[kenmac]

No, It does. Just about every form of non-logic logic is posted here.
A few examples:

1) because my vehicle ran synthetic oil and ran a long time- thus synthetic is better.
2) A ran 15w-40 dino and switched to 5w-30 synth, and in the cold, it started faster- thus synthetic is better.
3) I bought a new vehicle and switched to synthetic after break-in and got 1 mpg better- thus synthetic is better

That's enough for now..tired..

Your entitled to your opinion. Do some research. Synthetic is superior when compaired to dino

 

[clemsonfor]

I'm just amazed at the flimflam posted here by sythetic oil pushers here on this tractor site.

Syn Has its place. Maybe not in your garage, or oil pan, but it is sold so it is here to stay and does well. Piece of mind means a lot in the auto industry. If someone feels its superior that may be all that person needs to run it. Does that make it snake oil, no. Does that mean that dino oil will cause you truck/car to die an early death, no. OIl changes correct weight level, good clean filter, will all help longevity.

Again I changed oil at 3k untill this last vehicle we bought almost 2 yrs ago (toyota highlander). Its book says go like 7500 on dino. I wanted to start using syn oil in it and pushing to 6-10K oil changes. Something i would never want to do on dino, will it do it, im sure it will but i did not want to do it. The difference is not that much! Like i said i pay $24ish dollars for a gallon of anytype mobil 1 oil i want at walmart. If you buy the qt bottles of Castrol GTX (for example). I think you will pay something like $18ish dollars for a gallon. Most now come in 5 gt bottles thus cutting cost a little but that is the range say $15-19 for name brand dino/gallon at walmart. If you buy not on sale at Advance you will pay About $20/5 qts buy buying qt bottles of anything name brand. So your looking at about a $5 premium over dino oil if you change at 8K miles and do 2 changes a year your talking $10 you paid over the same intervals of conventional oil.

Just cause i use syn oil in that vehicle does not mean i use it everywhere. My 2 strokes are still dino oil, my other vehicles are dino oil cause they leak and burn more than i want to replace with syn oil!

No one says you have to use it or your truck will tear up in this thread. Im sure we all have a vehicle with over 200K with nothing but dino ever in it. I have 2 such cars right now!

I fully admit there are some heavy pushers on here. They are mainly found in the Amsoil corner. I myself thought of trying it as touted low price and its racing influence, but havent, one cause you buy it from a guy in a truck or at some small shop at least around here. The fact they wont submit to routine testing to become certified and the fact that about half the folks who use it tell you how much better it is and that everything else is junk! It may be better but that does not make valvoline full syn or mobil 1 junk, does it? And further more in a normal 5 qt oil pan why would anybody ever want to go to something like 40K mile oil changes :confused2:. Part of a change is to get suspended junk out of your expensive engine. If you keep that truck 250K miles you will do something like 6 changes in the life!!

 

[varmint]

Always an interesting discussion! I noted that Porsche and Corvette, + some others, recommend Mobil One oil. I like synthetic oil because I can easily notice quicker, easier cold weather starts with it, and the small difference doesn't really matter that much to use, since non of our vehicles gets more than 8000 miles a year. So, I change oil once a year, whether it needs it or not. In fact, dino oil in my Kubota made winter starts real hard to pull off without a block heater. I put a pricey synthetic tranny oil in my manual Subaru, and the shifts are noticably quicker and cleaner, and I am not racing, just driving.

 

[dodge man]

I started running Amsoil about a year ago. I was one of those guys who changed the oil every 3000 miles, then the more I read about, I decided I was wasting my time and money. Amsoil's top oil says once a year or something like 20,000 miles. I'm not going to go 20,000 miles between changes, but I like the once a year thing. The truth is, I'm probably not saving money with the Amsoil, but I am reducing the number of times I have to get under my vehicles. I maintain 3 cars, one pickup and one tractor, plus 3 small egnines. Anything I can do to reduce maintance time helps.

 

[dodge man]

I feel I have to respond to Clemsfors post about Amsoil. Most of there oil is certified and tested. There top of the line oil is not. They won't really admit why. I feel its because of the additive package they use. Its desgined for extended miles, and I think in theory, it can damage cat. converters. This is me reading between the lines and reading other sources of info. I don't know this for a fact.

It is kind of funny the way they sell the stuff, it kind of has a Amway feel to it. The local guy is a fire fighter and sells it out of his house. I just order mine on line and its at the front door when I go home in the evening. They do carry it in the local farm store, but I don't think it sells all that good. I've read a lot of testing on oils, and Amsoil makes a good product, but to say its the best?? I buy it for the convience of getting it delevired to my front door and because I feels its a good product.

 

[clemsonfor]

I feel I have to respond to Clemsfors post about Amsoil. Most of there oil is certified and tested. There top of the line oil is not. They won't really admit why. I feel its because of the additive package they use. Its desgined for extended miles, and I think in theory, it can damage cat. converters. This is me reading between the lines and reading other sources of info. I don't know this for a fact.

It is kind of funny the way they sell the stuff, it kind of has a Amway feel to it. The local guy is a fire fighter and sells it out of his house. I just order mine on line and its at the front door when I go home in the evening. They do carry it in the local farm store, but I don't think it sells all that good. I've read a lot of testing on oils, and Amsoil makes a good product, but to say its the best?? I buy it for the convience of getting it delevired to my front door and because I feels its a good product.

I personally have only looked close, once online. So the oil you buy has the API certified seal saying 5w-30 or whatever on it?

 

[dodge man]

Amsoil sells 3 lines of oil, 2 of those are API certified and one isn't. There best oil is not. This is for gas engines. There newest line of oil is called OE, and it is pretty competitive for price, and it is API certified.

 

[crashz]

The high end Amsoil has a few additives that are no longer acceptable to the API for pollution control issues. when Amsoil felt the pressure to have an API certified oil, the phosphorous in their premium line was too much for the requirements. Therefore the createdtheir mid grade oils (Grp III base). The premium oil is still a fanatastic oil, but better for a non-catalytic converter vehicles. But for the money, I was never sold on it. It was a hassle from me to order and cost is premium. Couldn't get past the pyramid marketing.

DarkBlack - pretty heft accusations there. Any muscle to back them up? What about cold pour point viscosity? Do you have any proof of a conventional oil having a lower pour point that same grade synthetic? Any conventional oils that will met Honda specs for 0w-20 weight oil, which is the required oil weight on the new cars? Any conventional oils that can span the 0w-40 or 5w-40 viscosity spread?

Group III hydro-cracked oils (labeled and marketed as full synthetic by many of the brand name manufactures)do a lot of the above, but for 0w-XX oils, PAO/partial PAO/ester base (Group IV & V) are still needed. But my info is starting to get old. Maybe new conventional base stocks and add packages are more refined and have surpassed synthetics?

BTW - I use synthetics, but don't preach that they are perfect for everybody. For what I do, the slight benefit is not wasted on my vehicles.

 

[Elviscaretaker]

The main thing to keep in mind is the type of driving you do, heavy loads, towing, high temp and especially dusty environments. I push my trucks to the limits daily with my loads, I don't take any chances with any maintenance issue. Do I waste a bunch of money, most likely. I have peace of mind though.
As far as Amsoil goes, limited experience with it but I use the transmission fluids and have had good luck with them. Also noticed my transmission temp was stable the last load over the divide. Granted, it was about 5 degrees out but I was over capacity for my 150. Nothing like lugging up the east side of that not being able to get over 40mph! I know, get a diesel
With the API ratings, they have changed a lot since I was a pup. Most oils have an SM (or more) rating from the O'Reilly's house premium brand to the Castrol Syntec. Depending where/how you buy, about the same price.
I don't think they make them anymore but stay away from the SB
If your going to run your oil long term make sure you change the filter, don't know of one yet that claims it'll last more the 7500. Filter plugs, doesn't matter what you are running in it. Plus, make sure you check it, don't want to end up low.
Just my opinion of course.

 

[Elviscaretaker]

Any conventional oils that will met Honda specs for 0w-20 weight oil, which is the required oil weight on the new cars? Any conventional oils that can span the 0w-40 or 5w-40 viscosity spread?

I was just thinking that I don't believe I've seen a conventional 0-20 or 5-20 around my neck of the woods. Does anyone know if they even make one?
I'll have to pay attention next oil run. I'm down to about 7 gallons so it'll be soon enough

 

[brucew44guns]

This is kind of not really impressive. Im in forestry, many wood buyers supply their own truck but the company gives them like $900/month to buy a truck and pay insurance with and the company buys all the gas. Either a situation like that or they use their own truck and they get paid mileage which is around .50/mile. These guys put something like 40K on a year and mostlikely change oil every 6K with dino. I have a ranger that i use walmart oil on and have pretty much 95% of the time changing it at 3K religiously and have put 130K on it in the last 6 years i have had it and when i got it it already had over 150K on it. Thats 280K now that it has. No oil failure yet. Showing wear yes as it burns oil at high rpms. Would syn oil have stopped this, il never know, but it really dont matter as its still a 20 yr old ranger with 285K miles on it.

I wasn't looking for an argument, nor was I trying to convince anyone of Mobil 1. I don't use Mobil 1 myself, I only told of Employees of Mobil draining their oil at 25K. If you drain at 3, you did the change 8 times with Wal-Mart oil plus 8 filters, each 25 thousand miles, that works too, no argument here.

 

[dodge man]

Dino oils do come in5W20, but I've never seen them in 0W20.

 

[Elviscaretaker]

Nice, I'll have to look better next time out. Thanks.
Question for everyone since we are on oils but instead of motor, for my hydrostatic. I need to change my gear oil on a TC 30, NH calls for a 134. Does NAPA, Walmart or wherever carry anything that's good for this?
Just not feeling the 100 mile round trip drive to my closest NH dealer right now , which I realized sold me Amsoil for the motor last time up.

 

[crashz]

Elvis,

I think they do (my local Napa does) , but make sure it specifically meets the spec. Tractor fluid and regular hydraulic fluid are very similar, but the difference is that the tractor fluid has extreme pressure additives for gear contact protect, where regular hydraulic oil does not.

As far as the 0w-20, so far its an elusive beastie. I can only find it in synthetic, and for that matter, only Mobil 1 or Honda branded. Gotta change the oil in our 2010 CRV this weekend, so I'll be on the hunt.

BTW- I dind't mean to be too harsh in my last post. Most of it was to prove a point that synthetics offer a real service to those who may want or require it, but also my info is a little dated. I realy haven't put much time into oil research for a while, as it was an interest of mine that has kinda wained in the last few years.

 

[sw03]

Any conventional oils that will met Honda specs for 0w-20 weight oil, which is the required oil weight on the new cars? Any conventional oils that can span the 0w-40 or 5w-40 viscosity spread?

I was just thinking that I don't believe I've seen a conventional 0-20 or 5-20 around my neck of the woods. Does anyone know if they even make one?
I'll have to pay attention next oil run. I'm down to about 7 gallons so it'll be soon enough

The 0w-20 is required due to CAFE standards, that is it. You could use a 0w-30 and be fine. But this is synthetic land.

 

[sw03]

The high end Amsoil has a few additives that are no longer acceptable to the API for pollution control issues. when Amsoil felt the pressure to have an API certified oil, the phosphorous in their premium line was too much for the requirements. Therefore the createdtheir mid grade oils (Grp III base). The premium oil is still a fanatastic oil, but better for a non-catalytic converter vehicles. But for the money, I was never sold on it. It was a hassle from me to order and cost is premium. Couldn't get past the pyramid marketing.

Amsoil synthics have NEVER BEEN API approved due to ZDDPs; they STILL have more then the limits (think 1000ppm of Phos) and not API cert. Most users do not care since the oils performace is pretty-darn good!

The cat issue is overblown. That is like using MMO in gas will kill a cat...never happened and you will not find anything online to prove it. They created the old XL series, new OE and OEM due to "gain into the market" since they were losing $$$$. It is a less oil also but is API cert for again, market issues.

I am not a dealer etc, just end user (and talk to people in auto field) and the pyramid marketing issue people do not get it. Most things sold in stores are the same marketing thing. Just need to understand marketing, distributors etc

Hassle to order? It could not be easier. It is as simple as being an end user here.

 

[grsthegreat]

my 2004 ford f350 diesel service manual states 7500 miles between oil changes with standard grade oils, not synthetics.

 

[sw03]

my 2004 ford f350 diesel service manual states 7500 miles between oil changes with standard grade oils, not synthetics.

I agree, dino now has long changes. Problem is pull a UOA and then run a synthetic. In my case, a world of diff. I know Ford on there Powerchoke had issues with foaming etc.