Synthetic doesn't degrade at the same rate and cause varnish, sludge and other pollutants that add to that filth. So, yes... it IS cleaner at 5k.

You can argue all you want, but dino is inferior to synth in every way.

 

My resurrected '78 3/4 ton GMC suburban runs on all synthetic lubricants, engine oil, difs, tranny, transfer case and even grease and has been for about 7 years now.

After I put in a new factory crate gen 1 350 I did the break-in and the first oil change went to Mobile 1 full synthetic. I could literally tell the difference on how much smoother the engine ran after switching. It ran so much smoother I even had to re-adjust the timing and fuel mixture to get the idle back down to where it should be.

If it weren't for the free oil changes from the dealer I would have already switched to full synthetic in my FJ.

 

Full synthetic here.

 

Everyone knows that dinno oil works, but why try to argue that it holds up the same as syn?

 

Dino oil is fine for every 3000 miles but it can't handle heavy duty stress as good as syn can even for that 3000 miles.

You're stuck in the old days if you think synthetic isn't better and overpriced and I'm glad my mechanic buddies are progressive thinkers.

 

Some are just traditionalists...

 

I love these threads:

I ran full synthetic in the vette, what did it do..nada cause the dino oil worked just as well and we dragged the heck out of it back in the day at the strip..

I always have run dino oil, whats the sense in changing 50 bucks worth of oil every 3k? My camry had 150k on it, dino oil all its life besides a few tries with synthetics..which didnt help-I didnt gain mpg, it still looked black as tar in 500 miles, etc.

They key to engine longevity is always get it changed, I still go by the 3k rule. My dad had a 91 buick century that had almost 300k before we gave it to my grandfather (who promptly crashed it). At 200k we did a full rebuild and it looked great!! This thing was driven very hard, all over the place, local and alot of hiway and did a commute at one point of 200 miles a day.. She still purred.

You guys wanna use synthetics, fine by me but I stick with what has worked..if synthetics were so good it would be all over and thats what the manuals would state to use-specially yota..

 

It might be interesting for you Luddites to note that more cars come from the factory with synthetics on board every year...

Duh... I wonder why?? ahahahahhahhahah

 

Then why would the manual state otherwise? Moms 01 mazda says 5w or 10w 30, dads 04 sonata says same thing.. No mention of synthetics at all..

 

Does it specifically call out dino oil? No? All it calls out is weight... huh... Sounds like a wash to me...

Owner manuals have used the same change intervals since the 50's, recommending changes at 3,000 miles. Just because it's a comfortable thing to print and stick with doesn't mean that it advocates dino oil. The logic there is flawed.

Why is it that the new BMW's sitting on the lots right now, along with a few other brands, now come with synthetic in them from the factory? Why is more models go that way every year?

Change takes time... especially when people want to argue uninformed, "change is bad" points of view...

 

i think our new volvo came from the factory with syn motor oil, iirc...im gonna have to check now...

as for my opinion, i have used almost all the oils you can imagine out there, i mean hell, in 6 years of driving i have had 3 cars, my current truck, 2 dirt bikes, and i was doin the maintnance on my buddies atv too...in everything i have owned, i have swapped over to syn...never have i noticed better mpg, but i must say i do notice extended motor performance over dino oil...it just seems to hold up better, no i dont run to 5 or 10k between changes, still only 3k but thats my own personal preference. i will always stick with syn oils, and i cant wait to start working again so i can switch over my diffs, tranny, and transfer case...

also as a side note, i was a die hard mobil one guy, and i just recently tried pennzoil syn, and i must say i much more impressed with pennzoil then mobil 1. biggest notice of mine is that the oil is less of a dark brown, and more of an amber color when i drain it out...

 

Geez man, I dont want to argue with you over this..its pointless.

You have your view and I got mine, when 50 bucks of damn oil make my truck run 100x better and actually do something other than perhaps (not proven imho) lubricate better I will buy in, till then I spend 10 bucks for a 5 quart jug and my filter.

 

With syn you don't change your oil every 3000 miles. I go 9k on my synthetic and change the oil once every 10 months and I do it myself and spend a total of $30. Now with dino oil I'd have to change my oil three times a year which would cost just a tad more but consume more of my time.

Synthetics do make a huge diff when protecting a turbocharger by far and it's been proven on the track.

 

even with syn i change mine every 3k, each time i do a change it costs me about 35 bucks, 26 for a 5 quarts, and like 5 for a filter, and a couple bucks for the plastic washer, and a new drain plug sometimes...i prolly change my oil 5 times a year...only reason i change the syn so often is cuz we drive in crappy conditions here in nj, a lot of stop go traffic, and in general a lot of driving, its an old motor, i need it to run as long as possible lol...plus after about 3 or 4k it really feels as tho performance of the motor drops off, and i get worse gas mileage...

 

Ya,I guess with an old motor it might be a good idea but extreme conditions is where the syn outshines the dino oil. Racing at the strip for 13 years I saw a few turbo failures caused by the use of dino oil thus is why I always ran syn in my modded Eclipse and changed the oil at the start and end of every season which was about every 3500 miles.

Try this:put some dino oil in a pan on the stove at very high heat and see when it starts to cook;then try it with synthetic and you'll see the huge diff between the two. Extreme cold pourability is way better than dino too.

 

As far as the color of the oil coming out of the motor, wouldn't darker oil mean that it's taking more crap out with it? (not being condescending, I just would like to know)

Here's my lineup:

94 Corolla 1.8-gets dino because it has 194K on it. I'd go synthetic, but am afraid that it would clean things out to the point that leaks would start.

02 F150 5.4-gets Motorcraft syn blend 5W-20. Same stuff the dealer uses, but I can get it at Wal-Mart for just over $2.00 a quart. I change it every 4K or so.

86 Project Yota-will get the same as the Corolla until I do a rebuild. It also has over 190,000 on it.

 

you only put 5qts in the 3.4?? mine uses 6qts

 

yeah that high of mileage i wouldnt change.. personally wouldnt change over 60-70k miles... i changed over to syn at 52k miles.. i have 85k miles now. and change every 5k miles if i can but its good to know i can go longer if i have to without the sludge factor

 

On most modern engines changing over to synthetic at even 100k miles really isn't a big deal.

 

My real good friend works at a Ford dealership, doing used car reconditioning. He's worked there for 35+ years. He does everything on the cars/trucks (of all makes).

1st thing he does is drain all the synthetics out, and replaces them with Dino.

Why?

Ever since the car manufactures have been putting syn in the diffs, they have had literally 10x more cars and trucks coming back with blown ring and pinions. 95% of the cars he has had come back with blown diffs have syn in them.

Now Im not saying that this is a direct result, but, just interesting.

I had asked him about the pros/cons of synthetics about 4 months ago. Him, along with 5 other mechanics believe that dino oil is superior to high pressure environments. People who rely on not changing the oil for 5-7k using syn still get the same dirt and debris in their engines.

For me, personally...I'd rather change my oil every 3k no matter what. Instead of wasting my money on expensive syn that is rated for longer periods, I buy dino!

This is just a comment, not meant to be taken as direct fact.