API SM/GF-4 conventional oils seem to be pretty high-quality stuff these days, offering ample protection, good additive packs, and good cleaning ability. All this combined with a rather low cost.
Indeed, although I'm an amateur when it comes to this topic, I'd speculate that the gap between synthetic oils and modern conventional oils has narrowed considerably in recent years, prompting me to ask the following question:
What advantages, if any, does a modern synthetic oil (say Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Amsoil, take your pick) have over a modern conventional oil such as Pennzoil conventional, Mobil Clean 5000, etc. in an average passenger on the road today? (Assume common weights, such as 5W-20 and 5w30.)
Obviously, certain oils are more suited for track use, extended oil change intervals, towing, etc., but I'm referring to your average passenger car and it's normal, everyday use.
Let's say that it's used, for example, to take short trips to the grocery store and other shopping places, commute to and from work, drop kids off at school, and the occasional road trip to go visit one's mother-in-law.
Say the owner is a reasonably attentive person, and changes the oil when the indicator comes up on their dashboard (say 5,000-7,500 miles) in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation. No super long OCIs. Assume the car is in reasonably good mechanical condition and starts out without any leaks, sludge, or other serious issues.
Let's also say that this person is not interested in buying/leasing a new car every few years, but would gladly drive the same car for 10-15 years so as to eke out maximal value for their purchase. Let's say they're interested in getting to around 200,000-250,000 miles out of their car.
Finally, let's say the person lives in a typical climate, with four seasons. Say the summers get up into the 90s (Fahrenheit, in this example) and the winters get down into the 20s.
In short, Joe Average owns an ordinary car, drives it in an ordinary fashion, for ordinary purposes. I realize there's a lot of variables to consider in the real world, and that simplifying everything leaves out a lot, but bear with me.
Does synthetic have any significant advantages to an average car and driver in regards to protection, engine longevity, etc. or would be equally served by a modern conventional oil over the life of ones car?
Indeed, although I'm an amateur when it comes to this topic, I'd speculate that the gap between synthetic oils and modern conventional oils has narrowed considerably in recent years, prompting me to ask the following question:
What advantages, if any, does a modern synthetic oil (say Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Amsoil, take your pick) have over a modern conventional oil such as Pennzoil conventional, Mobil Clean 5000, etc. in an average passenger on the road today? (Assume common weights, such as 5W-20 and 5w30.)
Obviously, certain oils are more suited for track use, extended oil change intervals, towing, etc., but I'm referring to your average passenger car and it's normal, everyday use.
Let's say that it's used, for example, to take short trips to the grocery store and other shopping places, commute to and from work, drop kids off at school, and the occasional road trip to go visit one's mother-in-law.
Say the owner is a reasonably attentive person, and changes the oil when the indicator comes up on their dashboard (say 5,000-7,500 miles) in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation. No super long OCIs. Assume the car is in reasonably good mechanical condition and starts out without any leaks, sludge, or other serious issues.
Let's also say that this person is not interested in buying/leasing a new car every few years, but would gladly drive the same car for 10-15 years so as to eke out maximal value for their purchase. Let's say they're interested in getting to around 200,000-250,000 miles out of their car.
Finally, let's say the person lives in a typical climate, with four seasons. Say the summers get up into the 90s (Fahrenheit, in this example) and the winters get down into the 20s.
In short, Joe Average owns an ordinary car, drives it in an ordinary fashion, for ordinary purposes. I realize there's a lot of variables to consider in the real world, and that simplifying everything leaves out a lot, but bear with me.
Does synthetic have any significant advantages to an average car and driver in regards to protection, engine longevity, etc. or would be equally served by a modern conventional oil over the life of ones car?
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