About to do an oil change, just wondering what you guys think what the best oil will be for my car... i have a 92 accord ex with 250k on it. I been putting i believe 10w-40 non-synthetic..... would synthetic be better??? Any suggestion will help thanks.

 

better to stick with what you have been using in the past. - if you switch to synthetic oil, it may cause some oil leaks since it's thinner than dino oil and you have all the old seals. it is not worth the trouble to replace all the old seals just to use synthetic oil. since your car has 250k miles, something must have been done right here so leave as is with the oil you have been using over the years.

if rebuilt engine or new engine, synthetic oil may be something to think about.

 

i agree with james, thats good advice. 10w40 sounds good for an old mileage car like yours. i recommend valvoline or mobil1. if you buy from walmart or costco, it could save you a few bucks, too

 

I agree it is best to stick with what you are using if it is a good major brand. 10w-40 sounds right for the milage you have for sure.

 

if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[QUOTE=James]better to stick with what you have been using in the past. - if you switch to synthetic oil, it may cause some oil leaks since it's thinner than dino oil and you have all the old seals. it is not worth the trouble to replace all the old seals just to use synthetic oil. since your car has 250k miles, something must have been done right here so leave as is with the oil you have been using over the years.QUOTE]

it couldn't be said better just keep changing your oil every 3,000 with a good filter and you'll be fine

 

Continue using 10W-40 is a good idea. They, as a class, shear down quickly, but it will still be a 30 weight after a few thousand miles on it. Many 5W30s and 10W-30s will be a 20 weight oil after around 2,000 miles.

Pennzoil and Chevron Supreme are two of the best brands, but no one makes a 'bad' one in North America. Valvoline has the weakest additive package of the major brands.

The high-mileage oils often have synthetic esters in them to help condition seals and can lessen oil consumption, depending, depending ...

Using the "search" feature to learn about topics that come up every few days is another good idea.

 

I used to use all 10W40 conventional on my 150K 93 accord.
During the winter I swap to 5W30 though.
But I started beldning it.
1qt syn, 3qt reg.
Seems to work pretty good.
That synthetic makes a difference.

 

i switched to full synthetic at 140k in my 94 accord with no problems. at 150k now, i can tell the difference. i'm staying with the 5/30 full synthetic. but my car was a one owner beauty when i bought it so...

 

iono, imo 5w30 seems way too thin for a 140k+ car, except maybe in the winter. no factual basis for this feeling, but it just seems that, after 140 miles, youd be using a different oil than the kind you used when it was brand new, yanno?

 

That is what I used to think, so I used 10W40 in the summer and 5W30 in the winter.
Car feels way more sluggish under 10W40.
No leaks so far with the blend.
Just snagged 6qts of mobile 1 syn from costco.
On the next change I think it's gonna be 5W30 again.

 

hahaha yeeea those 6qt boxes are the way to go. i think its $4/qt instead of $5. sometimes i also get the big jugs from walmart, thats also a good way to save.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by James &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">better to stick with what you have been using in the past. - if you switch to synthetic oil, it may cause some oil leaks since it's thinner than dino oil and you have all the old seals. it is not worth the trouble to replace all the old seals just to use synthetic oil. since your car has 250k miles, something must have been done right here so leave as is with the oil you have been using over the years.

if rebuilt engine or new engine, synthetic oil may be something to think about.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I switched to synthetic at 250k and I have absolutely no leaks. This was after the car had dino oil from 0-250k changed every 3k. I'm not lucky either...I just don't have bad seals.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bror Jace &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Continue using 10W-40 is a good idea. They, as a class, shear down quickly, but it will still be a 30 weight after a few thousand miles on it. Many 5W30s and 10W-30s will be a 20 weight oil after around 2,000 miles.

Pennzoil and Chevron Supreme are two of the best brands, but no one makes a 'bad' one in North America. Valvoline has the weakest additive package of the major brands.

The high-mileage oils often have synthetic esters in them to help condition seals and can lessen oil consumption, depending, depending ...

Using the "search" feature to learn about topics that come up every few days is another good idea.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Where do you get your oil information from? Pennzoil - garbage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Justin Klemgold &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Where do you get your oil information from? Pennzoil - garbage.</TD></TR></TABLE>
The Penzoil site?

 

Where? Is that a joke?

Try:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

Plenty of engineers and chemists are regulars on that site. Easy for newbies to get lost there.

People who believe the Pennzoil = garbage are people who believe baseless internet rumors and urban myths. The Idea that Pennzoil is 'waxy' and will fill your engine full of a pasty sludge is about 20 years out of date.

For the past decade Pennzoil have been using a highly refined Group II+ hydrofinished (isomerized) mineral base oil ... the best in the industry. Chevron Supreme appears identical in lab tests although we believe their additive packages are purchased from different suppliers.

Free waxes, common in oils decades ago (especially Pennsylvania crude) cannot survive the refining process used to produce a Group II+ oil.

Both brands use a killer anti-wear additive package heavy with boron and molybdenum. Valvoline, for example, uses half their amounts ... if any. Other brands are using Group II oils and may be only now slowly transitioning over to the more modern Group II+ base stocks. They're playing catch-up.

For drain intervals of around 3,000 miles and less, you will see no difference in wear prevention between a mineral oil like Pennzoil PureBase or Chevron Supreme as compared to a good synthetic like Mobil 1.

Synthetic's advantages are its ability to flow well in cold weather as well as resist oxidation in extremely hot conditions. For short drain intervals in moderate weather, most of synthetic's advantages are wasted.

Garbage indeed.