Syn or Dino given these driving conditions?

[KORKL]

Given this scenario, would you be more prone to use synthetic or conventional every 3mo/3k.
Here is a typical day:

Temperatures now are in the 50's and 60's, and once into winter will dip into the teens and a few weeks of single digits.
Car driving 2 miles to work at 9am, then driven 2 miles back home at 11am. At 3pm, car driven 0.6 miles to school to pick up kids and 0.6 straight back home (school trip is a total of 10 minutes). This is a typical day for this vehicle. Do you feel better, given the extreme short trips and moisture that will be sitting in the oil using a synthetic and trying to extend out to 4 or 5 months? Or, do you feel better using a good conventional oil, dumping it and all the moisture out every 3 months for peace of mind given the driving conditions it encounters on a daily basis? And, is a blend beneficial in any way?

 

[mikeg5]

dino. penzoil or gtx. every 3k miles.. both are pretty decent towards fuel dillution.. if you had to use a syn i would deff use PP nothing else imo..

 

[KORKL]

Quote:

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dino. penzoil or gtx. every 3k miles.. both are pretty decent towards fuel dillution.. if you had to use a syn i would deff use PP nothing else imo..

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Thanks for the reply...IF I use a syn..then how many months would you go considering short trip moisture and fuel delution?

 

[mikeg5]

how long does it take for you to get to 3k miles?

 

[mikeg5]

btw what kind of car, motor, year etc etc

 

[KORKL]

Well, 3k would take me closer to the 4 month range. Currently I'm running Valvoline Durablend. How does Durablend handle fuel delution? ok?

 

[Dominic]

I would run a blend or full synthetic for 6months or 5000 miles. I drive a similar amount (short runs to school, 2mi each way) and the occasional trip. 5000 works well for me on full syn but I think a blend is the more economical.

Why syn? It does better on low temperature starts when it gets to winter than dino.

 

[KORKL]

Guess I'm wondering if I will gain the syn benefit of cold starts considering veh is garaged, and temps don't "usually" dip below zero, but get close

 

[rpn453]

In this situation, I'd go with a conventional 5W at 3 or 4 month intervals. The difference in viscosity between synthetic and conventional will be minimal at those temperatures. If temperatures below zero are common, you might have some small fuel economy and wear benefits with a 0W synthetic, though not enough to cover the cost difference, IMO.

 

[KORKL]

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In this situation, I'd go with a conventional 5W at 3 or 4 month intervals. The difference in viscosity between synthetic and conventional will be minimal at those temperatures. If temperatures below zero are common, you might have some small fuel economy and wear benefits with a 0W synthetic, though not enough to cover the cost difference, IMO.

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True... And the engine will last just as long?

 

[mechtech2]

With those short trips, I also would change more frequently with a good dino oil.

 

[KORKL]

I do happen to like Valvoline...their conventional would serve just fine?

 

[Merkava_4]

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Car driving 2 miles to work at 9am, then driven 2 miles back home at 11am.

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That's the kind of job I want; only work two hours a day.

 

[KORKL]

yeah..it's my wife's job. I in fact do work full time, but it's my wife's part time job that alots 2 hours per/day.
I think I'll give Valvoline Premium a shot for the 3-4 month time frame considering the low mileage. Some have since told me that I would still be better protected with synthetic, and others have told me there would be no difference, only extended drain difference which I'm not utilizing.

 

[Greggy_D]

Go conventional and sleep well at night.

 

[ProfPS]

Regardless of the oil, I would have her drive a longer route during the winter months; especially when the temps are below freezing. The extra couple miles should help to remove moisture and allow the engine fuel mixture to adjust to minimize the running time with a rich fuel mixture.

 

[mikeg5]

blah blah blah... run dino and change it every 3k miles. if you like valvoline thats fine but penzoil and gtx seem to shine a little brighter as far as dinos go but nothing wrong with it

 

[KORKL]

Tell me what you think of this. A friend of mine thinks I should still use synthetic, EVEN if I'm going to dump it every 3 months.
He basically said, the only issue I have is economics, so I might spend $10.00 more per oil change vs using dino and this would cost me $40.00 more per/year. He's like.."big deal..that's $400.00 spent over a decade when some people waste a lot more cash on other miscellaneous ---- when I would simply be spending mine on taking care of your car". He then equated it to his guns. He says he keeps all his weapons locked and loaded and purchases only the best ammunition for an added level of security and protection, so why not do the same for you car and have an added level of protection that is there incase you needed…EVEN if you don't use it, it's there just in case. Do any of you agree with his though process on this idea?

 

[ccs v2.0]

Can you quantify this "added level of protection" between dino and syn under these conditions?

 

[KORKL]

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Can you quantify this "added level of protection" between dino and syn under these conditions?

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Truthfully, I can't.. I guess in my own mind, I'm not gaining anything with such a short OCI...but wondered if anyone else sees it his way and thinks there is a gain to be had.