dino change interval vs. syn change interval

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I just bought a new chevy truck with the 5.3L v8. I am looking for info from this very knowledable group about oil change interval. Which of the following scenario's would be better and why?

1. change oil and filter every 5000 miles with Mobil1 synthetic?
or
2. change oil and filter every 3000 miles with a good dino, such as havoline?

I will be using supertech oil filters. And here's the important part. I travel to work only 3 miles one way, so I will be doing many short trips.

I would appreciate any replies. any opinions and facts are welcome.

I am new to this forum and I am amazed with the wealth of knowledge that is available here. Thank you all very much.

Cheers!
SoftPoint
 
Not a whole lot of difference either way. The only thing I would suggest is to really get the oil up to temperature with a half hour trip at least once per week. Especially in colder weather. Unless the Havoline is the newer 'Chevron/Texaco' variety Castrol and Chevron Supreme seem to better oils than the Old Havoline. I think if you just read some old posts you will find this question was asked many different times and many different ways. There are some pretty complete answers elsewhere.

Others may be too burned out on this topic to respond.
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Thanks Al, I dont want to re-hash old posts, but I did a search and could not find any matches to my question.
I notice that you are a Pa. resident, I am formerly from Pa., I was transfered by my employer out here in '95.
I will leave this question open to all, I am anxiously awaiting replies
Thank You,
SoftPoint
 
Softpoint,
According to your plan I would say that it would be fiscally and mechanically sound to go with the dino every 3,000.
At that rate you are getting good protection (IMHO the same protection) as compared to 5,000 Mobil 1, and you are saving yourself a good chunk of change.
And this is coming from a Synthetic junkie (but I may be experimenting on kicking that habit next change).
Comparing many UOA here and reading various experiences, along with the very good improvements in dino oils, when one stays in the 3,000 to 4,000 range regular oils are holding their own quite well.

Good Day,
Steven
 
Softpoint,

I really debated this one as I am a synthetic junkie too, but given your driving situation (lots of short trips) and OUR climate, I think a 5W30 dino changed FAITHFULLY at 3K is your best bet. I am barely comfortable with M1 at 5K given the frequent short trips, so if you don't mind doing more oil changes, I'd go dino.
 
quote:

Originally posted by SoftPoint:
Thanks for the replies,
So would Havoline 5w30 be a good dino oil to use under these short trip conditions?

Cheers!
SoftPoint


If it were me and I were running a dino oil, I'd probably go with Pennzoil or Chevron Supreme. GTX would also be a good choice, but I still question it's cold weather performance compared to the others.
 
Are you questioning the cold weather perfomance of Havoline 5w30, or questioning the performance of all dino oils in general?
Cheers!
SoftPoint
 
quote:

Originally posted by SoftPoint:
Are you questioning the cold weather perfomance of Havoline 5w30, or questioning the performance of all dino oils in general?
Cheers!
SoftPoint


No, I was simply questioning the cold weather performance of GTX vs the other oils.

I think Havoline shows some good cold weather specs, however we haven't seen enough used oil analysis reports on here to compare this oil to the other three oils I mentioned. Plus there is also the question of which Havoline you might be getting, since there are supposedly a couple of different versions out there. (made in two different places that is, with different specs)
 
quote:

Originally posted by SoftPoint:
I just bought a new chevy truck with the 5.3L v8. Which of the following scenario's would be better and why?

Cheers!
SoftPoint


I would definitely go with the synthetic and I will tell you why. I own a 1997 Chevrolet Lumina. The 3.1 engine in this car does not have a history of using oil or ring / valve seal problems. My car started using a lot of oil at 67,000 miles. Dealer said it failed a leak down test and rings were either stuck or shot.

Without getting into all the gory details here, I believe the problem was caused by the combination of excess idling, short trips and winter temperatures. Rings were stuck. Using some high detergent oils, I was able to significantly reduce the consumption.

Anyway, the 3,000 mile interval with dino COULD work fine. Do not underestimate the demands that short trip, cold weather driving place on motor oil. I would definitely go with the synthetic.
 
So are you asserting that synthetic is better for cold starts, and the additive package will still be effective at 5000 miles?
Cheers!
SoftPoint
 
I would use M-1 in the grade specified by your owner's manual and do not drain until the maximum specified "severe" interval....which I'm guessing is 7500.
 
for severe i would say 3k. folks have a 99 GMC with the same 5.3 and pops uses the severe 3k schedual pretty close. motor uses no oil at all still. I have the 4.7 dodge QC 2002. The mayor of truckville. hehe. 97% of all my driving is under 3 mile trips. I use a good quality Dino(5w-30) and napa gold filters with good results. so far.
 
Just to mess things up, I would go 3000-5000 miles on a synthetic, like Mobil 1.

You cannot go wrong with the stuff. I had an F150 before and the only way I could sleep at night was to know that I had Red Line Synthetic in the engine.

Recently I bought a Mustang GT, and I had to make the same decision regarding Dino vs Synth.
I chose Mobil 1 because I'll be changing the stuff every 3,000 miles, and at close to $8 per qrt., Red Line would have caused me to go broke.

Either way you go (DINO or SYNTH), if you change the stuff every 3,000-5,000 miles, you shouldn't have to worry. Just make sure you use a quality Dino like Chevron, Castrol GTX, Pennzoil.

By teh way, congrats. on your new truck purchase. You'll have fun!

-Matt
 
In my worked all day tired reading the computer rambling - Yes. Good dino and good filter every 3K. Short trips like we drive is murder on an engines oil. Even in this last heat wave of 99+ degree weather my truck would JUST get to full temp right as I get to work. I live in a town with one stop light folks. there isnt a longer way to work...LOL
 
I am not familiar with Colorado winters, but if it routinely gets colder than -10F then a true syn like Mobil1 might be a better choice. Otherwise, a good dino 5w30 like the new "Chevron/Texaco" Havoline or Pennzoil at 3K will serve you well. I personally would turn blue and break out in hives before I could let a vehicle go past 4K, but that's just me.
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It seems that the vast majority agree that a dino changed every 3000 is theway to go. To re-inforce this, the lubrication engineers at Chevron also agree that this is the way tou go. But all of the Chevrolet service departments in my area said that the synthetic was the way to go, Same with the Mobil1 tech people.
Now I know that the Mobil1 people would be in favor of their product, but the engineers at Chevron are un-biased( they could sell either the dino or synth). So what do you make of it all? It's getting confusing. What am I gonna do? 3K is coming fast.
Cheers!
SoftPoint
 
I think the Mobil 1 is the best choice. I would listen to someone's advice to drive a longer trip at least once a week to burn off any contaminents. I would also be sure to give the engine time to warm up each morning. This allows the oil to warm up and circulate before you put a load on the engine. Too many people, especially with the fuel injected engines, drive off as soon as the engine cranks. Why because the engine is running smooth and they are in a hurry. Not good for the engine. Congrate on the new truck. I like the 5.3 V8.
 
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