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YACT: Synthetic vs Regular Oil

K

KrillBee

Golden Member
I've heard that synthetic oils are better for your car because they don't break down as quickly, and if you want to you can run your car 15,000 miles on synthetics before having to worry about an oil change. Is this true?

I've also heard that synthetic oils still get just as dirty like regular oil, therefore you still need to change it every 3,000 miles, and then you are just paying way too much money for the synthetic stuff if you still have to change it just as often.

Anyone had any experience with this, or heard about it?
 
water vapor/dirt doesn't change cuz u got synthetic. but it breaks down less quickly. so i guess 15k is pushing it. as for cost, i somehow doubt its really worth the premium for most people, probably won't come out ahead in the end by the time u sell the car😛
 
You can typically go longer without changing your oil with synthetic, however it's not a good idea to neglect changing your oil filter every 3000-5000 miles.

If you have a newer car, running synthetic might be a good idea. Definitely watch out for leaks though since synthetic is typically thinner.
 
What is the year, make, and model plus milage.


You can run a good regular oil like Havoline or mobil and go 4-5000miles. A syn. oil in MOST cars, not all, I would say 6000-10,000 miles depending on the oil and car.


Also do not use fram filters.
 
so basically twice as long lasting. but 5x+ the cost. at the local car shop i can generally get a case of cheveron or whatever for 6 bucks after rebate, the coupons are in the sunday ads most weeks. about 60 cents after tax or whatever a qt. cheapest synth oil is 4 bucks a qt! standard nonrebate/coupon price for normal oil is 1buck-1.50 at places like wallyworld
 
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
What is the year, make, and model plus milage.


You can run a good regular oil like Havoline or mobil and go 4-5000miles. A syn. oil in MOST cars, not all, I would say 6000-10,000 miles depending on the oil and car.


Also do not use fram filters.
Click to expand...

its a 1996 nissan maxima, with 126,000 miles.


so it sounds like you still have to change the filter often, even when using synthetic? hmm. and ive heard synthetic is 3 times the price. maybe i should just stick with regular oil.
 
Originally posted by: KrillBee
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
What is the year, make, and model plus milage.


You can run a good regular oil like Havoline or mobil and go 4-5000miles. A syn. oil in MOST cars, not all, I would say 6000-10,000 miles depending on the oil and car.


Also do not use fram filters.
Click to expand...

its a 1996 nissan maxima, with 126,000 miles.


so it sounds like you still have to change the filter often, even when using synthetic? hmm. and ive heard synthetic is 3 times the price. maybe i should just stick with regular oil.
Click to expand...


What you can do is use the wal-mart Supertech Syn oil. It is $12 or so for a 5qt jug. Use that with a good filter, like the super tech one at wally world, and change them around 6000 miles.
Cheap and works well. I am running that oil and a motorcraft filter on my Turbo Saab.
 
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Originally posted by: KrillBee
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
What is the year, make, and model plus milage.


You can run a good regular oil like Havoline or mobil and go 4-5000miles. A syn. oil in MOST cars, not all, I would say 6000-10,000 miles depending on the oil and car.


Also do not use fram filters.
Click to expand...

its a 1996 nissan maxima, with 126,000 miles.


so it sounds like you still have to change the filter often, even when using synthetic? hmm. and ive heard synthetic is 3 times the price. maybe i should just stick with regular oil.
Click to expand...


What you can do is use the wal-mart Supertech Syn oil. It is $12 or so for a 5qt jug. Use that with a good filter, like the super tech one at wally world, and change them around 6000 miles.
Cheap and works well. I am running that oil and a motorcraft filter on my Turbo Saab.
Click to expand...

I'm running some supertech coolant in my care currently 🙂

not sure if its very good for it though, lol.

 
Originally posted by: KrillBee
its a 1996 nissan maxima, with 126,000 miles.


so it sounds like you still have to change the filter often, even when using synthetic? hmm. and ive heard synthetic is 3 times the price. maybe i should just stick with regular oil.
Click to expand...

if i may, there is a wealth of information on maxima.org.

i also help with the nycmaximas.org site if you choose to register there as well. please put down {-_-} as the referrer if you register there.

as far as how long you can go on synthetic, i wouldn't push a synthetic as far as 15k... 7k-8k is as far i would go here in nyc. it is *possible* to go 15k, but you would have to be under optimal conditions; most if not ALL highway driving, non dusty conditions, not towing anything heavy, etc, etc, etc... list goes on.
 
WARNING: this thread has already filled up with some misinformation and can only increase. don't turn to ATOT for your oil needs, it's a bad idea. this horse has been beaten before.
 
A good oil filter is as important as good oil. PureOne filters are very good.

Bob is the Oil Guy is a great site for oil-related information.
 
Damn i use regular oil and i only change oil every 5000 miles. (Goes for all the cars '01 Chrysler Town and Country, '03 Honda Accord EX V6, '92 Toyota Pickup). Never had any problems doing it that way either.

-Kevin
 
Unless you are really stressing your engine (e.g. an air-cooled engine, or a turbocharged engine) there's no real need to go synthetic in a street car.

ZV
 
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
WARNING: this thread has already filled up with some misinformation and can only increase. don't turn to ATOT for your oil needs, it's a bad idea. this horse has been beaten before.
Click to expand...

lol!

i would assume that someone wouldnt post if they didnt know what they were talking about.
 
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Unless you are really stressing your engine (e.g. an air-cooled engine, or a turbocharged engine) there's no real need to go synthetic in a street car.

ZV
Click to expand...

autocross! heh, I figure it's cheap piece of mind for me. Altho, I'm pretty sure I can get away with dino and not have a problem, I've dropped back to once a month
 
Originally posted by: Googer
Here is a link that shows you what AMS Oil did to one mans two identical snow mobile engines. One was run with AMS and the other with Dinosaur Juice. The Synthetic AMS did not protect his engine.


http://www.snowest.com/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=259064
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ult...ebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000654;p=0
Click to expand...

That's interesting, but the folks at BITOG do used oil analysis and they know what they're talking about. If AMSOIL was crap, they'd know it.
 
I get Mobile 1 at wally world (about 21bux 5 quart) and then change at 6K (adding oil as needed in the meantime), a good oil filter is a must if you want to go father than 3k on your oil. I recommend (as many others) PureOne. the thing is that you need to start using synthetic early in your car's life, in order to get the most benefit. I rememerb readign somewhere that switching to syn late in a car's life is not a good idea as the increased detergents tend to remove alot of grime and cause seals to leak.
 
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
WARNING: this thread has already filled up with some misinformation and can only increase. don't turn to ATOT for your oil needs, it's a bad idea. this horse has been beaten before.
Click to expand...

Please, exalted master of oil, show us the way. We are lost without you. I just will not be able to bear it if you just claim that you know better than everyone else, without actually giving us a shred of an indication that you actually do.
 
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