Thoughts on synthetic oil

[DrDeville]

Originally Posted by jjs

According to their site, it doesn't look it.

Check out the other threads--Mobil 1 makes a 0-20W, and certifies
it to meet all manufacturer's requirements for 5-20W (the first
number indicates viscosity when cold, so the 0 just
means it flows better at very low temperatures than a 5).

Best,

George "High Film Strength" Ferguson

[BMWhat?]

I've done a lot of research on synthetics and the following is my summary:

1. The best of the best are: Amsoil, Red Line, and Royal Purple. Much pricier than Mobil one and others but thier spec's are over the top.
2. Royal Purple claims to increase horsepower and backs it up with lot's of third party research. Magazines like Hot Rod and others have written articles showing dyno pulls before and after. Very impressive.
3. Oil filter is almost more important as the oil itself. Stay AWAY from Fram $2 filters. OEM is okay but the better ones are K&N and Amsoils.
4. I'm putting Royal Purple 5 - 20 soon in my 300c and will report any noticable power difference.

[DrDeville]

Originally Posted by BMWhat?

1. The best of the best are: Amsoil, Red Line, and Royal Purple. Much pricier than Mobil one and others but thier spec's are over the top.

Thanks for the info. Can you point me to any
comparisons of synthetics, especially in
terms of wear? I looked at the Royal Purple site,
and the wear comparison I saw seemed to
be with conventional oil.

Best,

George Ferguson

[BMWhat?]

Check out Amsoil's site. They perform comparisons to Mobil 1. I agree that comparing a synthetic to conventional is not an apples to apples comparison.

[DrDeville]

Originally Posted by BMWhat?

Check out Amsoil's site. They perform comparisons to Mobil 1. I agree that comparing a synthetic to conventional is not an apples to apples comparison.

Okay! I'm a long time Mobile 1 user but this, unlike
the wear information on the Royal Purple site,
looks convincing:

http://www.amsoil.com/performancetes..._vs_mobil1.htm

Any Mobil 1 fans care to defend its honor?

Best,

George "If Its Better, I'll Switch" Ferguson

[mspeasl]

Gang,

Just changed the oil for the 1st time this past week. Used Mobil 1 and will leave it in for 4500 miles. I have used it for years and have been using it in our 305Z also. We change the "Z" every 4500 also and it now has 24K on it. We started using Mobil 1 in the 350 at 1200 miles and have not looked back.

[LWOOD]

Those test results are interesting, but Mobil 1 is "better than good enough". Those tests may have some bearing, but don't necessarily reflect a LACK of performance in the real world. I hang with some pilots who trust their lives to mobil 1...one has insurance that REQUIRES use of mobil 1 (probably in mobil's pocket, but I digress). So, with wide availability, excellent ratings and *reasonable* prices, I'm not going to toss and turn tonight wondering if I'm killing my baby with this excellent product.

[DrDeville]

Originally Posted by LWOOD

with wide availability, excellent ratings and *reasonable* prices, I'm not going to toss and turn tonight wondering if I'm killing my baby with this excellent product [Mobil 1].

Fair enough, and I don't think you should.

Mobile 1 is clearly superior to conventional oils, and anyone
who uses and changes it within manufacturer's recommended
intervals should happily bask in the warm glow of an
obsessively pampered automobile.

I am talking geeky overkill here,
so the non-obsessed should
skip to the next message.

Amsoil tweaks my obsessions with its better performance
in the wear test--a 33% smaller wear scar in the four ball test.
Does this really translate into longer engine life? I don't know.

It comes down to the old cost-benefit tradeoff-- Costco doesn't
carry Mobil 1 0-20, so it would cost me about $5/quart all told,
versus $6/qt delivered for the Amsoil 5W-20 (the XL-7500) .

It just comes down to each individual to decide if the extra $1/quart
is worth it to him or her. If anyone has an insights into the wear
results' validity and significance, please share.

In the meantime, those using synthetic oil should definitely
not lose any sleep.

Best,

George "Wore Out Your Welcome, With Random Precision" Ferguson

[BMWhat?]

For the amount of time/mileage that most of use put on our cars, any name brand dino oil is just fine. Any engine will last several hundred thousand miles with plain old dino juice. Certainly good synthetic will provide longer life and maybe better mileage. I'll probably hold onto my 300C for 4 maybe 5 years and put on it no more than 30,000 miles. Regardless, I'll put the best Synthetic oil I can find. Certainly, the car doesn't need it but we car "geeks" can't help ourselves.

What's life without a little bit of "excess?"

[E55 KEV]

Originally Posted by BMWhat?

For the amount of time/mileage that most of use put on our cars, any name brand dino oil is just fine. Any engine will last several hundred thousand miles with plain old dino juice.

As mentioned earlier, Mercedes lost a lot of money in a class action law suit for recommending any oil in the current 3 valve/2 plug engines which started in 1998 cars. The sludge buildup ruined some engines and now they only recommend Synthetic for all those motors.