What synthetic oil are you using???? And HoW oFtEn YoU cHaNgE iT?

[panamacolin]

Hi,
Just wondering what synthetic oil you guys are using? Also wondering how often you change it. I was at autozone today and noticed they have a Mobil 1 synthetic that says you change every 15k...Is this for real? It is 7 bucks a quart but hell every 15k sounds awesome. Has anyone used it? I just wanted your opinion on this..also what synthetic you use. I am currently using dino oil but thinking about swapping if it is really worth it.

Thanks!

[Gearshredder]

well what ive heard from mechanics, and from my auto teacher, is almost all oils break down at 3k or 3 months, even synthetics. Now idk if this is true, but i can say Synthetics are alot better when it comes to temperature differences and is still better for your engine.

[VetteOwner]

well u still gotta change your filter sometime in that 15k interval...

[panamacolin]

Clencher.
What do you think about the mobil 1 synthetic that doesn't have to be changed for 15k?

[panamacolin]

Vette,
You do?

[trebuchet03]

There's no way you can predict how long it will take before detergent packages will deteriorate or how long it will take for oil to shear for all engines and environments.

I do 10K mile oil changes on dino oil - but, I spend $25 extra for oil analysis to make sure the oil that came out was still effectively serving it's purpose. If it wasn't, I'd shorten the oil change interval for next time. For me, that has not been the case

-----
Here's a Mobile 1 super syn experiment with oil analysis every 1K miles - it lasted 18,000 miles
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html

This one with Amsoil - 12K miles
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/amsoil.html

Both tests show that adding oil as needed will extend the life of your oil by a great deal Keep in mind that in the above tests -- the oil filter change is not the reason why metals dropped and rather, it was the additional oil added that lowered the amount of metal (the oil analysis looks at metal particulate smaller than the filter can handle).

But again, ymmv

[psyshack]

Regular M1 0-20 or 5-20 10k mile oil changes. Have been using M1, PureOne or Wix oil filters.

[panamacolin]

psyshack,
10k on dino oil...wow...explain...and 0-20 is this ok to run in a civic vx?

[Erdrick]

trebuchet03 makes a great point. If you are at all worried about oil changes, your best bet is to get oil analyses. This will tell you for certain what your boundaries are. The fact is, that even the same exact car will give different results depending on how it is driven, where it is driven, and when it is driven. There are wayyyy too many factors to consider for anyone to be able to say that one oil works better than another.

So, go with an oil that you can trust (I would say that Mobil 1 passes this test) and give it a go. Most people I know (who are obsessed with oil) don't change filters until they do their actual oil change, but you can do what you want in this area. Here's to hoping you get better mileage and extend your drain interval!!

[rh77]

Well, I've tried both...

When I used Syn -- (caution random assessment)...

It burned up pretty quickly when I had my '99 Si -- I did run it pretty hard then -- when it was a year old, it burnt up the Syn, ran low, VTEC failed to engage in a hard corner and the whole works went into "Limp Home Mode". Freaked out and took it to the dealer. Yup, I needed to check it more often -- my fault. It was changed, and everything was fine. OTOH it works well in the Winter on startup and that's all I've gotten. It was just really expensive and I couldn't justify it.

This argument is as older than most of us, but NE-way...

I do about 7.5K on the 'Teg with dino 5W-30 and use the reminder/calculator on the TSX (which turns out to be 6K or so). Problem is, the 'Teg is a bit leaky around the valve cover, so that needs replaced so a quart has to be added in between. Seems to work OK...

RH77