Syn Blends and extended drains

[novadude]

Can anyone tell me if the synthetc blend oils will hold up well over a long OCI (5000-6000 miles)? How well do the blends resist oxidation, loss of viscosity, etc. when compared to a dino?

EDIT: I am talking about common "Wal Mart Brands", and not shaffers blend, as that has proven to do well over long intervals.

[ January 26, 2004, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: novadude ]

 

[mikep]

I'm no expert but I would say any decent GIII should be able to do 5-6K miles (under normal driving and environmental conditions). I did a UOA of Chevron Supreme dino at almost 5,000 mile OCI from my F150 and it did fine and still had some life left in it. If a quality dino can handle that then a group III (at triple the price) better darn well be an improvement.

Mikep

 

[tec97]

I agree - I had a UOA done on my G/Fs 01 Eclipse w/ Pennzoil 5W30 straight dino after 3K miles and Blackstone said it looked great and could be extended to 5K. I'll try to post the UOA this week - :hammer: on me for not doing it sooner...

 

[novadude]

So would a syn blend be in better shape at 5k miles than a conventional dino?

 

[haley10]

I don't think there is a universal answer to this question.

We just haven't seen the evidence yet. At least I haven't.

I would not extend a drain just because of a "blend" or "HM" label on a product.

These products meet API and they are not HDEO's, so I'm not convinced to run them any longer intervals.

I think some may be better and a lot is just marketing.

Sorry, I couldn't help.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Schaeffers Supreme went 5200 miles in my Toyota 3.4 with a TBN of 3.45 and still in grade. Given that this engine design is very hard on oil, you would think that 5,500-6000 would be easily achievable with most engines.

 

[mikep]

quote:

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Originally posted by novadude:
So would a syn blend be in better shape at 5k miles than a conventional dino?

---

I think that is too broad a statement to make for a blanket yes but I'd say that any quality and well formulated GIII absolutely should be in better shape at 5K miles than even the best dinos which will contain some group II+ stock. Now if you pushed that out to 6K or 7K miles then I guess we'd see the GIII pulling ahead even further.

I'm looking forward to sending in a sample of the Havolne Synthetic 5w30 and comparing results from the Chevron Supreme UOA I did. The one major environmental difference though will be that the Havoline Synth will have been through a very cold winter whereas the Chevron was summer/early fall which was pretty mild.

Mikep

 

[novadude]

Mike... that is exactly what I am looking for! I am a little uncomfortable going beyond 4000-4500 miles with a dino. I am wondering if I can go 5000-6000 with a blend. To me, it would be worthwhile to spend a few extra bucks to get a little longer interval. Full syns are too much of a price jump for me.

 

[mikep]

quote:

---

Originally posted by novadude:
Mike... that is exactly what I am looking for! I am a little uncomfortable going beyond 4000-4500 miles with a dino. I am wondering if I can go 5000-6000 with a blend. To me, it would be worthwhile to spend a few extra bucks to get a little longer interval. Full syns are too much of a price jump for me.

---

Well based on the UOA results of Chevron Supreme dino from my pickup I don't have any reservations taking it to 5K miles. Of course your mileage may vary based on conditions and engine, etc. I'm not sure I would shell out an extra $1.50 - $2.00 qt just for an extra 1,000 miles on the drain unless analysis showed a noticeable drop in wear and a very healthy vis and TBN also. From what I've seen Schaeffer's blend seems to produce the most consistently excellent results of the blends often rivaling and sometimes besting the more expensive "real synths".

I'll go you one better....even with a $7.00 - $8.00/qt. boutique synth I still wouldn't extend the drain past 6-7,000 miles. That's just my own personal barrier mark. I feel waaaaay more comfy doing two Chevron Supreme/Havoline changes within 8,000 miles than I would doing one change with any of the high priced synths at 8,000 miles. No bashing of quality synths, it is just my own personal comfort zone and it has worked very well for my vehicles, driving habits and enviromental conditions.

Mikep

 

[haley10]

I was just looking at some very good uoa's on Castrol Syntec Blend. It looks like it might be good for 5K, so it may be worth it over GTX. Good wear numbers.

Price is good at Wally's here, but is usually really jacked up at Autozone.

Several uoa's here on it.

 

[TSoA]

Second for Syntec Blend. I have it in a few friend's cars, they like it and good UOAs too.

 

[haley10]

I was just at Wally's and noticed everyone is promoting a blend now. Mobil's says 22% more performance additives??? Pennzoil for heavier vehicles like suv's?? Adds to the fun I guess.