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Synthetic vs Non-synthetic Motor Oil

16K views 200 replies 53 participants last post by  DallasRecon 
#1 ·
I'm sure some of you have opinions. I'd like to hear some. Which do you use and why?

Dank!
 
#2 ·
Conventional. Valvoline premium 5w-20. I use conventional bc oil technologies have made such huge advances since the olden days. Most premium conventionals are completely on par with most synthetics. I like Valvoline just bc i do lol, purely preference. Conventionals are usually a tad cheaper as well, always another plus. Have a look on bob is the oil guy. Its a forum about motor oil, learned a lot from those guys.
 
#11 ·
+1. If you look at used oil analysis of the latest generation of conventional oils (bobistheoilguy) they protect just as well as synthetics. Are synthetics better? Sure. Do you need them. Probably not. The only thing I currently use synthetic in is a Harley Davidson and that is only because they are oil cooled are run extremely hot.
 
#22 ·
Whatever the dealer service department puts in it. When we bought our Sahara it included free lifetime oil and filter changes.

It calls for 10W-20, so I hope their computer tells them that.
My good man, 2012 calls for 5w30, 2013 calls for 5w20.
Where does this 10w-20 come into play? Maybe just a typo.........:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
#4 ·
I am a prior owner of 2 Jiffy Lubes and was often asked that question. In my honest opinion I always answered with the following:

I'm a firm believer that using synthetic fluids is always the best decision an auto owner can make. You will no doubt have the best protection and minimal engine wear as compared to conventional fluids. Along with the benefit comes the heavy price tag. Having said that, if your going to remain the original auto owner for the life of the vehicle you will benefit in the long run using synthetic fluids. However, if you are like most auto owners and only keep the vehicle for a short period before trading it off why spend the money on synthetic fluids if your not going to benefit from its use???
 
#5 ·
Synthetic. It's $20 more every 5-8k miles, why be so cheap?
 
#16 ·
Synthetic. It's $20 more every 5-8k miles, why be so cheap?
WOW, A oil war, I love it.....................:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
 
#6 ·
I've been using synthetics since 1975. During that time I Managed a Texaco Service Station and used to go across the street to buy my Mobil1. The owner was okay with it as long as I disposed of my containers off site. LOL

Conventional oils HAVE improved, and so have Synthetics. The one thing that really holds true is using the best oil filter you can find/buy. I think that is more important than anything else.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I managed a Mobil Service Station in 1974-75. Mobil 1 oil was a slow mover until Porsche made Mobil 1 synthetic the factory fill in the 1975 Porsche 911 Turbo.

I used Valvoline Racing and Fram HP1 filters exclusively for many decades. Now you couldn't give me a Fram oil filter much less try to sell me one.

The times sure have changed since then.

:thumb:

.
 
#8 · (Edited)
4.0L HO
Mobil 1 High Mileage 0w40 (Full Synthetic)
Why? 180,000 miles. Purrs like a kitten. No dry starts. Oil pressure runs 40-60 lbs.

8.1L Vortec
Pennzoil 5w30 (Conventional)
Why? 24,000 miles. Purrs like a kitten. No dry starts. Oil pressure runs 40-60 lbs.

3.6L Pentastar
Factory Fill (Conventional)
Why? 500 miles. Purrs like a kitten. No dry starts. Will transition to Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 full synthetic after 5 oil changes using conventional.

In terms of using synthetic vs non synthetic. In my 4.0L HO I transitioned from conventional Valvoline Racing 20w50 to Mobil 1 10w40 after 100K miles. After 150K miles I transitioned to Mobil 1 High Mileage full synthetic due to reformulations removing ZDDP. There was one time I changed back to VR 20w50 and the motor couldn't handle it. Oil pump and lifters freaked out.

I come from an era that used conventional, castor and bean oil for premix in 2-stroke engines. After Bel-Ray synthetic hit the market the game changed in terms of spark plug and piston life.

Those are the reasons I changed to synthetics.

.
 
#12 ·
I live in MN. I use synthetic, since the temperature fluctuates between -15F in winter to 100F in summer. Synthetic flows better, especially when cold. Engine startup is when the most engine wear happens. Synthetic provides the most protection.

If you are in the southern climate, then you should be fine using conventional. However, if you live in the northern areas, synthetic will provide the best long term protection.
 
#14 ·
Fram has a real PR nightmare on their hands. It's all over the internet. Every auto forum you come across has tons of posts, sometimes tons of threads dedicated to how terrible Fram's oil filters are.
I've been using their top-end oil filter on my wife's 2005 Xterra for 7 years now and the UOAs from Blackstone Labs have come back looking great.
 
#18 ·
Fram has a real PR nightmare on their hands. It's all over the internet. Every auto forum you come across has tons of posts, sometimes tons of threads dedicated to how terrible Fram's oil filters are.
I've been using their top-end oil filter on my wife's 2005 Xterra for 7 years now and the UOAs from Blackstone Labs have come back looking great.
Yes,Yes, Let's also do a oil filter war, I LOVE IT.......:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
 
#15 ·
Only reason I used Dyno oil at first was the Dealership was doing oil changes. Now I have switched to 5-30 Synthetic
 
#17 ·
Oh goody...I love these threads! Is Old Dogger here yet? I need to make a note to berate him for his choosen adult beverage.

"Synthetic" oils are chemically superior to their refined petroleum counterparts. In fact, that's the only real reason for their existence. Synthetic oils start with a superior quality base stock and typically utilize a smaller additive package - and the additives are not "used" as quickly. In many respects, the life/performance of the motor oil can be defined by the life/performance of its additive package.

Oils are called on to do rather a lot - prevent corrosion, clean the engine internals, flow easily when cold, maintain viscosity under high temperature/shear conditions, facilitate cooling. When you compare synthetic and refined oil what the crux of it comes down to is: how good is it, how long is it good for and what does it cost. When you pour that 10W-30 in your engine there is not going to be a big difference on day 1. If you're not going to consider extended drain intervals for your oil and you're not using your oil under extreme conditions (i.e. track days, road racing, dune running) there might not be much practical difference at all for you.

While synthetic oils are superior performers, there are highly refined oils that do perform nearly as well as synthetic oils. Ultimately, it's a question of what makes you feel comfortable and how you choose to maintain your vehicle as well as how long you hope to own/run it. Are you concerned about the longevity of the engine past 100,000 miles? Do you want to run extended drain intervals? Do you frequently subject your engine to high stress? How much can you afford to spend on oil? Do you run a high performance air/oil filter?

Once you weigh the factors above against the oil's performance, the right choice for you will become clear.
 
#19 ·
Oh goody...I love these threads! Is Old Dogger here yet? I need to make a note to berate him for his choosen adult beverage.

"Synthetic" oils are chemically superior to their refined petroleum counterparts. In fact, that's the only real reason for their existence. Synthetic oils start with a superior quality base stock and typically utilize a smaller additive package - and the additives are not "used" as quickly. In many respects, the life/performance of the motor oil can be defined by the life/performance of its additive package.

Oils are called on to do rather a lot - prevent corrosion, clean the engine internals, flow easily when cold, maintain viscosity under high temperature/shear conditions, facilitate cooling. When you compare synthetic and refined oil what the crux of it comes down to is: how good is it, how long is it good for and what does it cost. When you pour that 10W-30 in your engine there is not going to be a big difference on day 1. If you're not going to consider extended drain intervals for your oil and you're not using your oil under extreme conditions (i.e. track days, road racing, dune running) there might not be much practical difference at all for you.

While synthetic oils are superior performers, there are highly refined oils that do perform nearly as well as synthetic oils. Ultimately, it's a question of what makes you feel comfortable and how you choose to maintain your vehicle as well as how long you hope to own/run it. Are you concerned about the longevity of the engine past 100,000 miles? Do you want to run extended drain intervals? Do you frequently subject your engine to high stress? How much can you afford to spend on oil? Do you run a high performance air/oil filter?

Once you weigh the factors above against the oil's performance, the right choice for you will become clear.
Yes, I am, HELLO...
Budweiser, and boy is it ever good, now please carry on........:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
 
#20 ·
So perhaps conventional oils have caught up to where they should be to keep an engine running optimally. I agree with n00g7, we are talking about $20 or less as the difference between 6 quarts of Synth and Dyno. I use Mobile 1 Advanced Full Synthetic and K&N HP oil filters. Walmart sells oil cheaper than I have seen anywhere, and I buy the filters on Amazon with free shipping!

My Jeep runs great! But it has less than 13,000 miles on it; so it better!
 
#27 ·
not to mention synthetic is good out to 10k miles... save alot of money by running it out to 8k over conventional.
 
#21 ·
^Yup, I buy my oil at WallyWorld as well. Now I'm using the wix cartridge filter which most autoparts stores sell pretty cheap. Used to use K&N HP filter on my mazda as it had the hexbolt welded on the end to facilitate removal/installation.
 
#28 ·
I'm sure some of you have opinions. I'd like to hear some. Which do you use and why?

Dank!
OP, I will try my best to answer your question and in a sincere way.
O.K., I use 5w20 Pennzoil Platimum. Do I think that it is the best oil available, no. Do I think that it is the worst oil available, no. It is competitively priced and will offer a quality lubercation under extreme temperatures, without leaving very little sludge, if any, while offering the Wranglers engines, a opportunity too achieve some longevity:thumb:

Please take the above information with a grain of salt. It is in fact what I have chosen to use in my 3.6, but I am a 79 year old Coot with a very low IQ and I drink way to much Budweiser to be offering good sound advice!:nonono::nonono::nonono:
 
#29 ·
OD is right about his taste in beer - unfortunate that it calls so much else about him into question. =)

That aside, his response has the perspective that one expects of maturity - so, not a total heathen...just partial. So, only partial stoning is in order.
 
#30 ·
I use Royal Purple synthetic 10/30 and synthetics in all the boxes and differentials also use it in all my cars, classic cars and Diesel tractor and Diesel Truck and quads, mostly AMSOIL. I have had really great experiences with synthetics and no Oil related problems. I use WIX or Mopar filters in the Jeep and change the filters at 5k miles and Oil at 15K. I use Cummins filters in the truck and change it once a year.
 
#31 ·
We'll partially stone him with keystone ice.
 
#33 ·
I just run mobil 1 full synthetic. So many people rave on about royal purple and amsoil.... but I'm not going to pay that premium... nor am I going to run oil for 20k miles like amsoil prides itself on. I go 5k-6k between changes and check it every 1000 miles.
 
#37 ·
Spurscar - it's a MASSIVE conspiracy driven by RepublicanCommunistNaziAlienRobots designed to destroy your Jeep and replace it with a minivan!

Or, I hear it might be related to eeking out a little more fuel economy to help with CAFE standards. Actually, now that I think about it, where CAFE is concerned it IS a conspiracy.
 
#39 ·
Ah, an oil thread...

Funny though. An RX-8 with a rotary engine that can rev up to 10K goes well with synth 5w-20, 5w-30, 10w-30 and even 10w-40.

The only reason a wrangler needs 5w-20 is for fuel economy or even possibly more, standards. You can run 10w-40 on it, and everything in the car will fail well before the engine, which if fails, will not be because of the oil. In high temp climates, 5w-20 may not be the best if the engine is used harshly. But chrysler couldn't get three flying birds as long as they meet emission standards. The same applies for synth vs conventional. The only noticeable difference is that probably, after 70,000 miles, a wrangler that was treated with conventional oil its entire life will have a bit more carbon deposits.
 
#40 ·
I happen to use Mobil 1, in my Wrangler JK 3.6, but in the larger scheme, it still gets dirty and thin regardless of who's oil you run.
In the North, Oil Pan condensation is also a factor as water droplets form in your oil overnight in your garage; this will dilute lubricity.
So for me, changing it OFTEN is the key. Yes it costs more, but I figure good clean oil is the best insurance against engine/chain failure. (And controlling your torque through driving practices)
I have changed Mobil 1 in my old Saturn at 4K, and it was often barely still recognizable as 'oil'.
Almost water like, and black as tar. Dirt will STILL find it's way to your oil, regardless of type or brand. I think heat is a large factor too.
I never go past 3K before an oil change these days. Maybe slightly excessive, but my vehicle runs like a watch too....so far! (knock on wood)
The synthetics offer refining at consistent molecule size. It's not magic, and not really synthetic either. Just a bit better refining process control. Oil is STILL Oil.
Process quality makes a HUGE difference though! Smaller and consistent size molecules reduce friction better.
 
#44 ·
Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40

Reason???

I use it in my VW TDI and I am not going to keep more than one kind of oil around. Plus it taste great and is less filling...:punk:
If it tastes great and is less filling, then goooooooooo for it!!!:thumb:
The Pennzoil Platinum that I use, gives me heartburn and leaves me with a really bad taste, but that MOBILE 1 cell phone service is great!!!!
One out of two ain't bad.............:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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