Synthetic Oil

[phlegm]

I just changed the oil in my Yukon and have started using a synthetic blend. I really like it, it has cut down on the initall knocking that I was getting when cranking cold. I was told by the PO that the 350 in my 71 was rebuilt about 30k ago. I was thinking that a synthetic my help extend the life of the engine, but I wanted to see what you guys thought first. I dont think I need the highmiles blend just a normal synthetic.

[cdowns]

i use mobil 1 wouldn't think of useing anything else unless i had a leaker. also synthetic in the trannys and rears

[GreyHoundSteve]

I have owned several high performance turbo charged vehicles (very oil sensative) and mobile 1 is by far the prefered synthetic.

[Low69CST]

I think i heard that synthetics leak much worse than regular oils. In a rear end it will really coat the under of your truck. Don't know that for fact though.

[68LSS1]

IMO synthetics are the only way to go. The out perform dino oil in everything but price. And with some oil analysis most find that they can extend oil changes a lot longer. Mobil 1 is not a abd choice but far from the only good synthetic. Personally I like Royal Purple.


Edit for said Red Line, meant Royal Purple.

[CPNE]

Originally Posted by cdowns

i use mobil 1 wouldn't think of useing anything else unless i had a leaker...

Originally Posted by GreyHoundSteve

I have owned several high performance turbo charged vehicles (very oil sensative) and mobile 1 is by far the prefered synthetic.

I've owned several high performance leakers. They are oil sensative too.

[phlegm]

Thats a good point, I have a rear seal leak, is it better to stay with a "dino oil" (lol, hadnt heard that one before) due to cost and the undercoating issue. It would make sense that the residue would be harder to remove given the synthetics coat better.

[cdowns]

Originally Posted by Low69CST

I think i heard that synthetics leak much worse than regular oils. In a rear end it will really coat the under of your truck. Don't know that for fact though.

in my 04 silverado with 3:73 posi it came from the factory with synthetic grease.
the synthetics may it fact leak more in leaky engines due to the fact they help clean the engine and theres less sludge build up to stop the leaks

[71-longbed]

im sticking with dino oil ... my 350 has over 247K on it ... the only leak is the rear intake seal and that isn't major ... Can anyone suggest a good ATF synthetic ???

[Jason915]

I have used SYNpower made by Vavoline in my Mustang and like it alot they also make ATF in synthetic. My engine in my GMC don't leak and it has less than 50K on it I may run synthetic in it. One thing to keep in mind is that some say if you have used dino oil in you engine and you swich to synthetic the seals were used to dino oil and synthetic leaks, don't know if that is true because I never had a problem with my 91 5.0 Mustang I bought the car with 75K miles and switched to synthetic never leaked.

[cableguy0]

the reason engines seem to develop leaks when a switch to synthetic is made is because synthetic cleans out all the buildup and crap that the dino oil leaves behind and the old crusty seals leak. the oil doesnt ruin the seals or any of the other crap you might hear from 15 or 20 years ago when synthetic oil first came into play. personally i run either royal purple or amsoil both are among the best. mobil 1 actually bought a formula from amsoil way back when because the blends they tried were actually killing engines in the late 80's and early 90's.

[busterwivell]

I've got 225K on my Monte Carlo SS, 162K on my 96 Tahoe, I have no idea how many milesare on mt truck, but rebuilt the 402 60K ago. I'm still happy using Valvoline. Don't know that synthetics will make them last any longer than what I'm doing now.

[Longhorn Man]

buster...it's been proven that synthetics will in fact make your engine last longer.

[busterwivell]

Oh, I don't disagree, but I think I'm doing pretty good with what I'm doing, Andy. Kind of the old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" theory.

[da-burb]

I have a 2001 suburban as my daily driver. Purchased it with 92,000 miles on it one year ago. It was using 1 qrt every 2,000 miles and had a small oil leak at the rear seal. I switched to Mobil 1 on my 2nd oil change. The leak totally disappeared and it doesn't use any oil between oil changes which I do at 5 to 6,000 mile intervals now. I'm sold on synthetics.

[arkracing]

So what are say the top three choices?

Mobil1
RedLine
Amsoil
Royal Purple


Valvoline Synpower?
Castrol Syntec?


Are these all pretty comparable in quality?

[mtdave2]

well call me old fashioned but i dont like the synth. oils. just change your oil ever 3k and dont worry about it!

the thing that comes to mind every time someone says that synth oils wont break down, or they can go longer between changes is: its not the oil braking down that causes the wear. its the particals IN the oil.

if they would spend more time on better FILTERS and less with the oil, id get excited.

[CHEVIBUBBA]

Originally Posted by arkracing

So what are say the top three choices?

Mobil1
RedLine
Amsoil
Royal Purple


Valvoline Synpower?
Castrol Syntec?


Are these all pretty comparable in quality?

no.
redline is by far superior to every other synthetic available.
amzoil is a relatively close second.
then mobil one.& royal purple.
at least in the rigorous tests i've seen.
redline is not cost effective in a street auto compared to amzoil or mobil one.
in all the tests i've seen mobil one tested superior to royal purple @ about half the cost!
castrol syntech is an excellent synthetic as well.

now for the secret you've all been waiting for;
mix 20% full synthetic with 80% of regular petroleum oil,(no fossils in my oil!), will give you 80% of the benefits of full synthetic!
don't believe me?call the techies at mobil!
the best part of it is it doesn't need to be high dollar oil.use the cheapy wally world oil with the above mentioned oils.the sythetic oil with it's additives takes care of everything.

[CHEVIBUBBA]

Originally Posted by mtdave2

if they would spend more time on better FILTERS and less with the oil, id get excited.

have you seen the amzoil filter setup?

[CHEVIBUBBA]

Originally Posted by mtdave2

its not the oil braking down that causes the wear. its the particals IN the oil.

if they would spend more time on better FILTERS and less with the oil, id get excited.

well, kinda.the oil is designed to suspend contaminants, convert some into less harmful byproducts among other parameters.
the contaminants & heat causes the oil & it's additive packages to break down.
causing the oil to become thinner & making it less able to do it's primary jobs;
lubricate, clean & cool.
oil filters are limited due to oil flow demands.
if we could find a way to limit the introduction of contaminants into the oil in the first place this would make the oil last alot longer.
oh, you mean someone has?
http://www.coatesengine.com/

[Cethern]

For me I use Amsoil in everything. You need to watch out as there few true synthetics out there Castrol syntec is not a true synthetic. All Castrol did was refine the dino oil different/better way.
Mobil took them to court a few years back and lost. I wish I had time to find that info but I need to get to work. Maybe someone else here knows about that deal.

Cethern

[68LSS1]

There is a odd weight that came out about a year ago that is a synthetic from Castrol but like was said Castrol Syntec is not a true synthetic. It was released to meet a European or Japanese requirement I think. I remember someone taking Castrol to court over their use synthetic also but I don't remember who it was.
There is not a one brand oil fits all engines, even when dealing with synthetics. The additive packages are different and they have a tendency to work better/worse as ascertained by oil analysis. When you see how much pressure synthetics are able to withstand, the temperatures before break down, the ability to "cling" better (i.e. cylinder walls after shut down) and the ability to go farther between changes than dino oil there's not much left to say. And I wouldn't just arbitrarily run extended changes without doing some analysis to determine how long one could go with a little safety margin built in also.

[arkracing]

so many variables and so many people recommend different things.


I guess my major thing is that i have alot of money in the motor and i want it to last and run well.

396 BBC which is built for the street, will never see "daily driving", maybe run on the track 1or2 times/year.

so i guess the best bet is to go with AM or Mobil 1. I looked up RedLine alst night and thier stuff is like $9/quart

[68LSS1]

And Royal Purple which I run and has led to better oil pressure and cooler running engine (on a high mileage engine switch from Mobil).