Lets break the polarity...Small town driving

[RamFan]

When in a small town driving situation which is more important miles or months? If a vehicle is only driving 25-35 miles a day at typical small town speeds 25-45 mph, no stop lights, dusty air, and short trips 2-4 miles wouldn't an OCI of 6 mo./3-4k mi. be more suitable than say 3 mo./3k mi. or 6 mo./6k mi.?

There tends to be a lot of polarity on here regarding those who insist on 3k changes and those that insist on 6k+ changes but sometimes should it not be recognized that a compromise between the two is what is financially and mechanically acceptable?

 

[Oregoonian]

More info....what oil are you using?...Syn or conventional?

 

[SLCraig]

If I was really doing harsh driving in warm climate with lots of dust, short trips, etc, I would personally opt for a 3k change. (Dino oil)

That of course is my opinion..

 

[mechanicx]

Well you could definitely extended from the severe 3 months to 6 months since you are not doing stop in go driving and in cold weather, but the short trips and not getting full oil warm up is a factor against it. With some dinos your TBN might not hold up well past 6 months with short trips. But the engine will probably be OK, just might not be the cleanest.

 

[RamFan]

PYB 5w20 2.7l '08 Sebring 6mo/6k
SynPower 5w30 4.7l '04 Ram 6mo/4k

I'm not asking this for myself though, I've done research and asked the questions I want to get answered for myself. I feel as though people are getting stuck into two camps with no middle ground. Camp A, traditional OCI. Camp B, extended OCI.

The reason I decided to put this up in hopes of a discussion was because, as previously posted, the sebring 2.7l has a manufacturer recommendation of 6mo/6k interval with no dual schedules just the exception of "Shorten oil intervals in long term off roading".

This indicates to me that manufacturers recognize that oils today can withstand any sensible oil interval however they still want to cover their backs by putting an umbrella phrase on the intervals. So at the end of the day if your vehicle isn't under warranty, yes you can go over the manual rec. however be smart about your driving conditions and don't think that the only alternatives are traditional, manufacturers, or extended drains.

This is why for the Ram I feel comfortable with a 6mo./4k interval even though manual rec. 3mo./3k. Once I'm back stateside and I'm doing 20-30 miles of highway driving a day in addition to town driving I'll bump it to 6mo./6k.

 

[Oregoonian]

IMO....using Synpower on the Ram...you could extend the OCI to 6,000 easily.

Be sure to use a good filter like a Purolator PureOne
_________________________________________
2003 Ford Focus SE (2.3L) / 83K
Mobil 1EP 5W20 /OCI: 1 year or 12,500 K
Purolator PureOne PA 10241

 

[Gary Allan]

Track fuel consumption. aka: average fuel economy. That will give you an idea of oil fatigue. 35 miles a day in any vehicle can't be what's termed "short trip". It's low mileage for the fuel consumed.

 

[UncleS2]

If a vehicle is only driving 25-35 miles a day at typical small town speeds 25-45 mph, no stop lights, dusty air, and short trips 2-4 miles wouldn't an OCI of 6 mo./3-4k mi. be more suitable than say 3 mo./3k mi. or 6 mo./6k mi.?

IMO, yes! That's what I did with Mom's previous car, he 94 Grand Marquis, for the last few years she owned it- and for the Crown Vic she has now.