Bob is the "Synthetic" oil guy

[Nickdfresh]

I use synthetic because it is recommended on all the Euro sites for my Vauxhall/Opel/Saturn (0W-40 Mobil 1) and GM has since mandated a minimum of a syn-blend to meet Dexos in the same engine sold today in the Cruze. So should I buy SOPUS syn-blends for $17-18 a jug or do I buy a full syn for $3 more or less with rebates?

 

[JFK]

Castrol 5W30 dino $4.37 @ Walmart, Mobil Super $3.87 a Quart @ Walmart, Formula Shell 5W30 $5.06 a quart at Walmart....

If you get 4-5 Quart jugs @ Walmart price can range from $13-$18.99 for a jug of dino.

You can get Delo 5W40 $17 and RTS 5W40 for $19 for 4 quart jug. If you compare the above the Synthetic is a much better value. I visit the oil shelves every place I go. I can never find the mythological under $3 a quart name brand dino oil not in Michigan at least. I do not count Generic Store brands because there has been too many inconsistent VOA especialy with gear lubes and ATF's.

If you include the 5W20's it get's worse because those are always priced at a premium and never available in a $2.48 name brand package. Given the parrot syndrome of " You must use 5W20 if that is what your OEM recommends." then the price gap between them and synthetics shrinks to an even smaller size. Motorcraft calls their 5W20 Synthetic Blend and it is priced as such.

 

[Revving2Redline]

I've put 140,000 miles on a car in 16 months all of which were PP,PUP,QSUD with a touch of mos2 and Mos and I still get 38 plus mpg on a hyundai accent. Synthetic oil has served me well and after rebates and discounts pays for its self. I believe in the put good in get good out. BMW and Porsche use only synthetic for good reason..it works. I honestly can say that if you own a vehicle you owe it to that vehicle to give it the best as it takes you everywhere you ask it. I do agree that conventional has gotten better but so has synthetics and the price points arent night and day but performance between is night and day.

 

[wemay]

You lost me at BMW and Porsche use it...

Nothing wrong with your choice of oils but i honesty believe PYP etc could have done the same given your specifics. And your car would have been just as "happy".

 

[ckmarsh]

While many car makes can use natural oils, BMWs require synthetic engine oils, with some models having different needs than others

 

[Merkava_4]

If there's one thing I've noticed, leaving used synthetic oil out in the sun for several days smells just as awful as conventional oil does.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
If there's one thing I've noticed, leaving used synthetic oil out in the sun for several days smells just as awful as conventional oil does.


I like the smell of both.

Especially gear oil as well as ATF.

 

[53' Stude]

Ughhh, gear oil that's used and old reeks to high heavens!!

 

[SR5]

Used oil sniffing.....just say no, it's a gateway habit.

 

[userfriendly]

Now you are starting to hurt my feelings, I don't smell that bad and I'm not habit forming.

 

[SR5]

LOL !!
I'll be your friend, but I'm not going to sniff you. But some others may be interested. You never know your luck ....

 

[Hessam]

some of the BITOG mods still use dino oil.. I believe D. Newton and another highly regarded member Doug Hillary still use regular HDEO 15W-40 dino varieties. I for one have been using the T5 in my LX450 and am very unimpressed with it's performance when compared to regular dino Rotella T.

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Joshua Skinner: I love how Nissan/Infiniti does it. They recommend the most expensive OEM oil out there, yet SuperTech conventional also meets the specification to the letter.


The statement allowing conventional oil is only for the 4 cylinder! It nuts!

 

[virginoil]

The old fake v true synthetics means zip nowdays and has lost its lustre IMO.

Now we are all better educated and able to understand the facts regarding oils and as we understand and learn about oils the more we will behalf like OEMs and the reason for OEM selection IMO.

Its a slow journey for some.

Early BITOG days no comparison today, but the search for the Holy Grail continues despite the myth.

 

[circuitsmith]

Still using dino (see sig).
It took my '88 Accord LXi 220K miles with no consumption before I sold it.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I think the decision is becoming less of a decision these days. My Subaru Forester (non turbo) requires 0W20 synthetic. So no decision there.

For us DIY oil changers its not a big deal, less than $10 extra for a 5QT jug at Walymart for synthetic. But at JiffyLube you will be paying significantly more.


For the third time your owners manual makes the recommendation not the requirement.

 

[BikeWhisperer]

Subaru cleverly uses the phrase "Synthetic oil is the required oil for optimum engine performance and protection". This is not a requirement for the engine warranty.

But does say that conventional 5w-30 or 5w-40 (although I am unaware of any 5w-40 conventional oil) can be used in its place. If I had one of their oil gobbling engines, I'd be using a quality 5w-30 conventional. I seriously doubt there would be any difference in performance and protection using a conventional oil at the recommended OCI's

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: circuitsmith
Still using dino (see sig).
It took my '88 Accord LXi 220K miles with no consumption before I sold it.


That is great work and commendable. But then you'll get a bitog smart-a$$ saying you could have gone 230K miles if you had really cared for that Accord by using a syn. Because, you know, your car "deserves the best". It's a no win situation sometimes.

disclaimer: By far, most bitogers using sythetics are not as described.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Yeah yeah wemay,

But what about those that say AnY engine can go 500,000 miles? They are unimpressed when faithful members go 300-400k while they trade every few years and cant, I mean, dont go past 150k. I kind of made this up, but I have read something along these lines a time or two.....

 

[fdcg27]

Most of us here have a serious interest in our cars and the oil that we put in our engines.
Synthetic labeled oils do usually offer superior measurable characteristics (NOACK, MRV, CCV) and are the premium offerings from any blender therefore containing the best add packs.
While none of this may matter for most of the engines we have, if you can use one of these premium oils for no more than and often less than that jug of ST from Walmart, why wouldn't you?
With a little searching and a little planning, anyone can use a synthetic oil for around two bucks a quart.
This being the case, then why not?
With newer cars, synthetic may be a de facto requirement, since 0W-20 and 0W-40 conventional oils meeting current gasser specs don't exist.
The greater cost of these oil is offset by the long drain intervals typically recommended for these engines.
In short, synthetic is a de facto requirement for many engines and can be an inexpensive alternative for all others.
Having said all of the above, I've seen too many engines that were run well beyond 200K on nothing but conventional to believe that a synthetic oil is vital to engine longevity.