Modern Conventional vs Synthetic

Joined
Jan 25, 2003
Messages
5,348
Location
Decatur AL USA
A time once existed when we had 3,000 mi Group I Conventionals and 10,000 mi Group IV/V Synthetics. However the price spread was huge ($0.59 qt vs $3.99 qt) as was the performance spread.

Today we have Conventional/Blends that in some cases are likely GII+/GIII+ and all Group III Synthetics. However the price spread is minimal in some cases ($2 qt vs $3 qt). How much practical difference exist today? I wonder if despite incomplete data the market doesn't have it right as usual. Minimal price difference and performance difference. 8,000 mi vs 10,000 mi.
 
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According my manual they recommend conventional oil and 10k oil changes. I don't see any difference other than price for average driver. Seen an article from Blackstone which stated little to no difference in wear. I buy what is on sale.
 
Buy SuperTech (or Costco) synthetic (for $2.00 more than SuperTech conventional)-and kill these repetitive threads......
 
I flip flop on it myself for my vehicles. Sometimes I go with a good blend and sometimes I use a group 3 synthetic.
I have no clue if it makes a difference
 
Not all miles are the same. Depends on service type (towing/hauling etc), operating environment (dusty/hot), driving habits (short tripper), etc. Too many variables to say "all Gp3 synthetic is good for 10k (or Gp2 conventional will go 8k)." Besides, with the price difference being negligible and all the oil rebates going on, there's no point running conventional or synblends anyway. My $0.02
 
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