How do you feel about motor oils? Do you think its worth the extra money to buy a Synthetic lubricants?
I was looking at a few different web sites as well as looking at the products in retail locations and its difficult to tell if a Synthetic motor oil really could go 15000-25000 miles without a change and actually help your motor run with less metal damage.

Does any one in here use a Synthetic motor oil lubricant and if so how well does it hold up in your car or truck, any feedback would be great.

Hi Friend! I use nothing but the synthetics - oil, grease, trans fluid and all of it.

At least for now I'm going to say it's worth the added expense. It's in every engine I own and I could tell with a 12.5 HP lawn mower (pull start) the difference right away in less friction.

A family member pulled a trailer with a piano in tow in a heat wave and over heated for over 500 miles and when his brother (me) got the car to fix up there was no sludge! It had synthetic oil in it yet overheating like that never helps anything, duh.

These products are NOT magic but can help. Plain proper maintainence is problably just fine for most folks. Tom,
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Hi Tom,

How often do you change your motor oil when you are using Synthetic oils?

Do you really get to go 15,000 to 25,000 per oil change?

I change the oil at the 3,000 mile mark but don't get worrried if it goes over a bit. I have a salesman brother who pounds onthe miles and does go 10,000 on the synthetics and has yet to fail to go way over 200k with his cars but they don't sound as good as mine when they get up there. All my cars have real grease fittings so want to grease them a lot anyway so just do the oil too. Synthetic grease also, and I have NEVER replaced a worn out greasable front end part on any car I've ever owned out of about 100!, that I didn't buy with a worn part!!!!

To add to this hinges and locks get greased at least every other time with the spray lithium stuff or at least WD-40. To add one more - check the pressure is your spare tire! The spacesavers especially are usually too low to use after a few years.


I've almost always found that quality and care ends up CHEAPER in the long run, Be well,
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

I think your right about it being cheaper in the long run to take care of your car and trucks. The biggest problem in doing this is most of us like to go by the phrase "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

In Addition, most car makers suggest different maintenance schedules so its difficult to keep up.

Do you know whats a good rule of thumb to fine tune your vehicles?

The current generation of vehicles doesn't leave much room for adjusting anything for better performance but here are some ideas that can help.

*Get all the junk out of the trunk that you don't use - you are paying is fuel mileage and performance you always are moveing that stuff.

*Keep the tires at full maximum manufacturer's pressure. Rolling resistance is minimized. It's good for the tires too.

*A high quality air filter and help too

*It might help to use synthetics (approved for the veh)

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* Things for the engine need to be checked to see if they are legal to use for your model or location if you use the vehcle off track.
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Junk in the truck is no good.... ;-)

Tom I agree extra junk, just weighs down the car and waste gas. I noticed my car was getting about 30 miles less per tank when i had about 80 extra pounds in the trunk.

Weight and wind resistance are wicked important. It's hard to change the wind resistance, but most can eliminate some weight - the car that is. There's a lot of weight in just the fuel. Aviation takes this seriously, but in fuel injected cars it could be a false savings. The electric in tank fuel pumps run cooler when they are full of gasoline, and can burn out when run too low more often. The way you drive counts as much as anything also,
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

I use a synthetic blend oil, I drive about 200 to 300 miles/day. I utilize oil analysis and currently have just over 28000 miles on my current oil, I sample every 10000 miles and let oil analysis tell me when to change, for 7.50/analysis, it is cheaper than an oil/filter change. I usually add about a half quart every 10000 miles. I have over 225,000 miles on a 97 Chevy C1500 and have averaged 17.86 mpg. I can get 18.5 if I take the tailgate off or leave it down. If you are going to use the synthetics extend your drain intervals to make them cost effective, else you are just throwing money out with the changed oil.

I once heard that if you never shut down an engine it would last near forever! Your point with extended oil changing is partly because of high use. My own cars just get a few miles at a time and I worry about fuel and water contaminating whatever oil I use because of that so I do change it. I do the right thing and it goes to be recycled.

What are we supposed to suggest to people? Everyone's driving is different and then there's the factor of how a vehicle is garaged. At the end of the day my best answer is "I don't know"! Have seen cars that never had an oil change and lasted and ones that changed it religiously and didn't last??

For now I will suggest to folks that they follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

Great observations, Thanks,
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

I'am running Amsoil xl oil. Once I put it in the car within a few minutes the idea rpms dropped about 200 rpm in idel.

I guess this was like trying to ice cream in a straw or sticking to a soda or water. The water would flow a lot smoother and faster throught the straw where the ice cream would be slow moving. But anyway I noticed these changes.

So far gas has increased as well. Running on average from 270 - 310 miles on 14-15.5 gallons a week. To 400.6 on 15.1 gallon fill up, last week I went to 355 miles on 14.5 gallon fillup.... but I was driving around with about 80lbs of extra weight in the back seat, and my front tires where a little low on air.

I don't know if this gain is from the oil or what, but i haven't down anything besides change the oil.

but, I'm sold on the fact that my car is now getting around 23-26 mpg compared to the 18-20mpg I was getting.

this increase of 45-90 extra miles on a tank will, offset the $5.50 a quart I paid since I"m making up anywhere from $6 - $12 a week in extended miles and with gas prices rising. I figure in one month I'll make up the 6 quarts i needed to fill the car.

In addition, I don't need to change the oil for another 5 months to a year. So I may see a total savings of $300-$600 this year in gas alone.

All this from spending a little more on a better made oil from amsoil.



Oh yeah this car is a 1992 bmw with 203,000 miles...... so on a newer car the changes might be a little less or a little more...but the key thing here is you will notice a change.

I getting close to needing oil changes. Going to order and try Amsoil. I've been using Mobil 1 since it came in a can! Back then they claimed a fuel savings but later stopped saying that.

I use it in a pull start 12.5 HP lawn mower and can tell the difference by just how hard I have to pull! If Amsoil is even better I'm sold. Best - T

As with most things - Price is NOT the issue- Quality IS!
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

Hey Tom,

I just looked up the EPA recommend MPG for my car and it said the are

EPA Fuel Economy
Fuel Type Regular Gasoline MPG
(city) 16 MPG
(highway) 18 MPG
(combined) 17 MPG

Fuel Economics
Cost to Drive 25 Miles $3.82
Fuel to Drive 25 Miles 1.47 gal
Annual Fuel Cost* $2293
* Based on 15000 annual miles and a fuel price of $ 2.60 per gallon .

To repeat this data go to this url. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm select year 1992, BMW, 325i. (my car with 204,000k miles and going)

With the amsoil motor oil, I figured my car out to be running at about 25-27 MPG's.... This will save me a few hundred bucks a year. I'm thinking around $600 or so. This more then makes it worth the extra $dollar or two per quart, not to mention the extended drain cycle) I didn't think changing the cars oil type could work this well. I wonder what changes other people are seeing.


Latest tank refill. (1992 BMW 325i 204,000k miles)
Miles driven = 330
Tank Filled (13.1 gallons)
Average MPG 25.15

(Wow, even at an average of 20 mpgs I would have only gotten 262 miles on the tank Thats a little more then $9 bucks)


(This post was edited by carjunky on Oct 27, 2005, 11:04 AM)

 One of the advantages of Synthetic Oil is the fuel and water don't mix with synthetic oil. Regular oil it mixes and makes the oil not work as good. That's why you have to change it "3,000 miles" (The 3,000 mile rule is VERY conservative. regular oil has been shown to last a little longer then 3,000 miles). Synthetic oil it stays separate, when the motor heats up, the by-products evaporate out the PCV.

You can certainly change your oil whenever you want to, it's your car, but if your changing synthetic oil every 3,000 miles, your not really getting one of the advantages of not having to change oil as often.

An example would be the difference between a newspaper, paper, and a magazine paper. Newspaper is not as good. Since it's made to read one day, then thrown away (recycled?), it's made cheaper.
Magazine paper is made of better quality. Most come out every month and cost more.

Someone could make a newspaper out of magazine paper, to be thrown out each day. They can do it if they want to, but it would be a waste.

Chris.

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