Switch to synthetic

Status
Not open for further replies.
E

EPHIOS

Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
66
Location
Nevada
Right now I have been using regular conventional, Pennzoil YB and Castrol GTX. I have enough GTX for 4 more oil changes, after that I am planning to switch to synthetic. I have a 2004 Hyundai Elantra with 48K. Which fully synthetic 5w-30 motor oil do you guys suggest? Plus, will I notice any performance gain (like smoothness, higher MPG and ect.)? Thanks!
 
My suggestion for a syn 5w30 is which ever major brand that is on sale. I dont think you will see any difference. What syn will do for you is, better cold flow in winter and a longer OCI.
 
 Originally Posted By: heavyhitter
What syn will do for you is, better cold flow in winter and a longer OCI.
AND better hot weather protection and engine cleanliness,right now synthetics(M1,PP,Valvoline) are going cheap why not step up. Nevada gets pretty hot in the summer no?
 
Yes, it's true. It gets pretty hot here in Vegas, almost 120 F sometimes. After, all my conventional oils are gone, I will switch to synthetic, most likely PP. Or Synpower.
 
Last edited:
 Originally Posted By: EPHIOS
Yes, it's true. It gets pretty hot here in Vegas, almost 120 F sometimes. After, all my conventional oils are gone, I will switch to synthetic, most likely PP. Or Synpower.
And at $20 for 5qt jug it's a great deal.
 
A 5 year old Hyundai with 48K = approx. 10K a year. If you change your oil every 6 months or 5K (which I would) I'd stick with the PYB or GTX. Both of these are excellent oils and your Elantras motor will go over 200K easily. While 5 qts. jugs of synthetic are reasonably priced at WM so are dinos. The only benefit to using synthetic, IMO, is if you forget to change it on time and go > 6K the syn. would give a safety margin. It's your money but at 5K OCI I see no benefit.
 
Last edited:
 Originally Posted By: EPHIOS
Plus, will I notice any performance gain (like smoothness, higher MPG and ect.)? Thanks!
Smoothness maybe, higher MPG i dought it...cleaner engine, for sure.
 
I changed over all my fluids to synthetic, my engine oil, auto transmission and rear end. I keep track of my fuel mileage on a spread sheet and in the last 3500 miles i am seeing about 5%. I am interested in seeing what my winter fuel mileage will be. Although i am not at all interested in seeing winter for a looooooong time!
 
 Originally Posted By: duaneb9729
I changed over all my fluids to synthetic, my engine oil, auto transmission and rear end. I keep track of my fuel mileage on a spread sheet and in the last 3500 miles i am seeing about 5%. I am interested in seeing what my winter fuel mileage will be. Although i am not at all interested in seeing winter for a looooooong time!
I have never seen any noticable difference in any of my vehicles mpgs between syn and conventional .Todays motor oils "energy savings" conventional oils have to equal a PAO mpgs based reference oil.
 
 Originally Posted By: Steve S
I have never seen a problem reguarding engine cleanliness relating to anything on a properly maintained engine.
Come look at my BIL '96 GA 3100 thats seem dino all it's life,you'd be singing a new tune,(had to put new lifters in last year,should have took pics) ,then look at my '95 GA 3100 thats seem M1 most it's life and has been over heated badly from a blown HG,synthetics rule.
 
Is it a 6 Cylinder or 4 Cylinder? If it's a 4 cylinder these engines are very easy on oil and you could pretty much use anything you want and still get a ton of miles out of it. The 6 Cylinders (2.7) are a bit harsher on the oil and I would suggest a synthetic. How many miles a year do you intend to drive? You might be a candidate for a once a year oil change... If you use the right fluid and filter!
 
 Originally Posted By: EPHIOS
Right now I have been using regular conventional, Pennzoil YB and Castrol GTX. I have enough GTX for 4 more oil changes, after that I am planning to switch to synthetic. I have a 2004 Hyundai Elantra with 48K. Which fully synthetic 5w-30 motor oil do you guys suggest? Plus, will I notice any performance gain (like smoothness, higher MPG and ect.)? Thanks!
I would say if your engine responds the same, to a swap over to synthetic like all of the engines I have done it in, you will notice it runs smoother. You get used to it though pretty quick and it is not something as noticeable after 3-4 days or so. The very 1st OC using synthetic in an engine, any time I have done it, it is noticeably smoother. Just swapping the engine over to synthetic may yield small MPG gains but to really see noticeable MPG savings you need to swap the entire drivetrain over to synthetic. A FWD 4cyl may not see as much of a gain as say a 4WD pickup. If you just swap the oil you may see a .2-.5 MPG gain as a rough guess. I did a full swap on an 04 HEMI Ram( ie; engine, t-case, tranny, F&R diff's )to synthetics and saw just a hair under 2 MPG highway gain. As to brands. Well, that is up to you as to how much you want to spend. If money is no object and you want the best then Royal Purple, Redline or Schaffers would be my 3 recommendations run on an extended OCI of 10-15K. I am not sure what your warranty situation is though with a 2004 Hyundai( don't they have that 10/100,000 warranty? )so these oil's and an extended OCI schedule may not be right for you? IF you just want a really good synthetic for more reasonable costs, that you will change sooner, then I would look at PP, Synpower, QS HP( or whatever the new name of the month is - Ultimate Durability? )and Kendall GT1. All 4 of those are availabe for right around $5 a qt and are very good.
 
Last edited:
Yes it is but I just do not use/recommend it for personal reasons. I never trash it when others mention it but it is not on my personal list of products to use hence I don't recommend it unless someone asks if it is any good specifically.
 
 Originally Posted By: daman
 Originally Posted By: StevieC
No Amsoil mentioned? It's a darn good Synthetic! ;\)
Or RL?
I mentioned Redline. \:\!
 
 Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
 Originally Posted By: daman
 Originally Posted By: StevieC
No Amsoil mentioned? It's a darn good Synthetic! ;\)
Or RL?
I mentioned Redline. \:\!
Doh
 
 Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Yes it is but I just do not use/recommend it for personal reasons. I never trash it when others mention it but it is not on my personal list of products to use hence I don't recommend it unless someone asks if it is any good specifically.
Can I ask why? Bad experience? Not being a jerk, just curious... I'm just about to use RP and wanted to know...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
Is high mileage synthetic oil really worth it?
Replies
18
Views
2K
Silverado12
Saikou
Seeking for help to find a good oil for my application (2003 Hyundai Accent)
Replies
1
Views
267
Propflux01
C
27 year old GMC Sierra 93,000 miles. Should I switch to full synthetic(Mobil 1)?
2 3
Replies
47
Views
2K
Thermo1223
C
Valvoline Full Synthetic EP w/Maxlife
Replies
4
Views
1K
singular9
O
Hyundai/Kia 2.5 Turbo oil
2
Replies
23
Views
3K
yowps3
Top