Conventional or Synthetic for break-in???

F

flhr

Joined
Oct 23, 2012
Messages
23
Location
SE Asia
Howdy oil enthusiasts,
I'm from an older camp & Harley'. Wright or wrong I was educated & practiced without issues, that these engines should be broke in with conventional oil for so many miles before (optionally) switching to synthetics.
I just bought a 2022 Suzuki Vstrom 1050 (much more practical for the lengths, where & how I ride). Coming up on my 1st 1K service and am still within break-in mileage according to the owners manual, should I use a conventional oil that falls within Suzuki' recommended ratings? I'm nowhere near a dealer & over the phone they say to use Suzuki' oil or (hesitantly) the recommended ratings in the owners manual; however, the owners manual doesn't specify synthetic or not.
I'd really appreciate your takes on this subject! Currently I'm leaning towards the highest rated recommended conventional oil (SN MA-2) and changing too synthetic half way to the following service.
Thanks for reading!

Vstrom 1.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just use a dedicated break-in oil like Driven BR30 or Amsoil Break-In SAE 30.

So long as it's a group III synthetic, it's fine for break-in. You don't want PAO for break-in since the solvency and additive response is too low. Group V esters can hinder ZDDP tribofilm formation.

A straight 30 grade, straight base oil with no VII, is the way to go for break-in.
 
I would not use a synthetic until the engine is fully broken in. I would wait till the third oil change before switching to synthetic.Conventional will allow parts like rings to better seat and breakin by allowing a small amount of friction which the superior synthetic would allow less.
 
The new engines are plateau honed and are pretty much fully broken in at 600 miles/1,000km, old school single swipe honing takes 3-5K.
There is a lot less rubbish on the oil with modern honing on the first oil change, the engine I just did was plateau honed with warm cases and torque plates, this guarantees perfect sizing at operating temp. The first 20 min, 100 mile and 1,000 mile OC there was no particles or flakes in the filter or in the oil. This will explain the process better than I can.

Engine Cylinder Bore Surface Finishes

What’s the best type of cylinder bore finish for today’s engines? Most would say it’s a finish that allows the rings to seat quickly and completely so the engine doesn’t use oil. For many applications, that may mean a plateau finish. The surface finish must also meet the piston ring...
www.enginebuildermag.com www.enginebuildermag.com

digitalmetrology.com

Plateau Honing: Which Parameters Should I use? - Digital Metrology

Different plateau honing, different surface texture parameters: Ra or Rz for single-hone, Rk for plateau honing, Q parameters for high performance surfaces
digitalmetrology.com digitalmetrology.com
 
flhr said:
Howdy oil enthusiasts,
I'm from an older camp & Harley'. Wright or wrong I was educated & practiced without issues, that these engines should be broke in with conventional oil for so many miles before (optionally) switching to synthetics.
I just bought a 2022 Suzuki Vstrom 1050 (much more practical for the lengths, where & how I ride). Coming up on my 1st 1K service and am still within break-in mileage according to the owners manual, should I use a conventional oil that falls within Suzuki' recommended ratings? I'm nowhere near a dealer & over the phone they say to use Suzuki' oil or (hesitantly) the recommended ratings in the owners manual; however, the owners manual doesn't specify synthetic or not.
I'd really appreciate your takes on this subject! Currently I'm leaning towards the highest rated recommended conventional oil (SN MA-2) and changing too synthetic half way to the following service.
Thanks for reading!

View attachment 108576
Click to expand...
ZDDP holds the spotlight during the break in than just a conventional vs synthetic myth. Conventional oils are cheap and more convenient for frequent drains during the Break in. I'd pick a good HDEO for high ZDDP.
 
I typically do the initial 1000 mile oil change, then another oil change after another 1000 miles. Because the mile interval is so short, you are not getting the long life benefit of the synthetic oil. This is why many people recommend using less expensive conventional oil during the break-in process.
After that second oil change, you should be good to run until the normal service interval (using either conventional or synthetic, your choice).

Is synthetic oil better than conventional? Yes.
Is synthetic oil required? No.
 
I would change it to whatever you plan to run l g term, as stated a modern engine is broken in at 1000 miles.

CVOs come factory filled with SYN 3 so the old myth doesn’t even apply to Harleys.
 
Nice! In my new 2008 DL 1000 Vstrom I ran the factory fill 500 miles then RP synthetic 10w40 until I sold it. Never used any oil and was running like a top when I sold it. The Vstrom guys love the Rotella T6 nowadays and is probably what I would use if I hadn’t aged out of the Liter adv bikes. ;) 🏍️
 
Lubener said:
I would not use a synthetic until the engine is fully broken in. I would wait till the third oil change before switching to synthetic.Conventional will allow parts like rings to better seat and breakin by allowing a small amount of friction which the superior synthetic would allow less.
Click to expand...
What about engines that are filled with synthetic from the dealer? Do they never break in properly? I don't know if I buy that anymore.
 
The Critic said:
Can you elaborate a bit more?
Click to expand...

PAOs are "dry" base oils with poor solvency compared to group I-III counterparts. Because of this, the additive response isn't as good as it is in group I-III. When formulating an oil with a high PAO content, you counter this issue by adding ester to increase the solvency. However, in the case of engine break-in, ester is undesirable as well due hindrance of ZDDP anti-wear film establishment. Therefore, group I-III base oils get the nod for break-in. Many break-in oils will use group II conventional base oils since it's cheaper than group III and not expected to last long in the engine anyway.

xgmad said:
Most oils with pao have less zddp than just group 3 synthetic
Click to expand...

As @The Critic pointed out, this is false. There's many oils with >50% PAO content that have >800 ppm.
 
RDY4WAR said:
PAOs are "dry" base oils with poor solvency compared to group I-III counterparts. Because of this, the additive response isn't as good as it is in group I-III. When formulating an oil with a high PAO content, you counter this issue by adding ester to increase the solvency. However, in the case of engine break-in, ester is undesirable as well due hindrance of ZDDP anti-wear film establishment. Therefore, group I-III base oils get the nod for break-in. Many break-in oils will use group II conventional base oils since it's cheaper than group III and not expected to last long in the engine anyway.
Click to expand...
I think it'd be helpful if you clarified the term "additive response," unless the definition is literal. Thanks.
 
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