I just wanted to know if it was a bad thing to switch from regular castrol 5w-30 to synthetic. I have heard from a few people that Its bad.

Nobody would know better than the H-T crew thanks.

(I thought for sure I would find something in the archived posts when I searched. Guess not)

 

you'll be fine

 

ALL CAPS WHY HAVE I HEARD THAT IT CAN HARM THE ENGINE THOUGH? IS THERE "ANY" TRUTH BEHIND THIS?

 

garbage

 

most oil is the same these days, just like gas. I would not stress about it.

 

what about going from synthetic to regular?

 

samething

 

thanks

 

Best to switch when you have low miles. Shouldn't do it when your mileage starts racking up.

http://www.bestsyntheticoil.com/amsoil/exit5.html

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mickey513 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best to switch when you have low miles. Shouldn't do it when your mileage starts racking up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not true. You should be fine switching from regular oil to synthetic, even on high-mileage engines.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TypeR 01 886 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just wanted to know if it was a bad thing to switch from regular castrol 5w-30 to synthetic.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Synthetic vs. Conventional Oils:
The most striking difference b/w synthetic oils and conventional or so called petroleum based oils is the homogeneity of the carbon molecule(s) or -using the jargon- alkane(s) lengths. Meaning the composition and effectivly the weight of the synthetic oil is an exact defenition of the molecular composition of that oil. So, when you buy 10W-30 oil, its been engineered to have a composition of alkane's that give the oil an exact cold viscocity of 10W oil, and an operating temp viscocity of 30W oil. In contrast to petroleum/conventional or "dino juice" based oil, the alkane lengths are variable and have a compostion more akin to a polydispersed [short chains mixed along w/ medium length chains and long chain alkanes], than the monodispersed synthetic oil.

So, the weight of the conventinal oil is more of an estimate than an exact measurement, this is what makes the conventional oil more succeptible to breakdown. Much akin to knock in a combustion cycle, when and organic molecule under extreme heat and pressure can form a radical [ an atom with one lone electron] species-very reactive and dangerous- this causes a chain reaction w/in the combustion chamber, breaking down the surrounding carbon molecules and propogarting the formation of more and more radicals eventually leading to spontaneous combustion or knock. This spontanous radical formation is also possible w/ engine oil, when exposed to high heat the possibility of radical formation increases, the radical species formed is capable of reacting w/ the metals and material w/in the motor, and the surrounding oil particles-accelarating their degridation and breakdown-leading to a chain reaction that leads to the breakdown of the oil. Which can, at the extreme, cause metal to metal contact, gasket degridation-as we know rubber and plastic harden and become brittle when exposed to high temp/burned then allowed to cool.

Synthetic oil, however, is less likely to succumb to such conditions largly b/c of its greater degree of molecular homogeneity, hence it is able to provide a more consistant barrier b/w the surfaces w/ in the metal against thermal abrasion. And, it itself is more stable hence protecting the internal surfaces-sorry for the redundancy-against radical(s) and the damage therin. One tangential point, synthetic oils b/c of their molecular composition, are somewhat "thinner" than their conventional counterparts, again b/c the alkanes w/ in the oil are engineered to given lengths, unlike the petroleum based oils which are blended together during/after the cracking of the natural stock takes place. That is why some people have complained of leaks when switching to synthtic on a motor w/ high mileage and a lifetime of petroleum based oil use. Rule of thumb, if you've been using petroleum based oil for the majority of the engines life, keep using petroleum based oils, just change the oil more often. Conversly, there should be no ill side effects in going the opposite direction, meaning synthetic to pertroleum based, so go ahead. Keep in mind, however, that going back to synthetic may cause a problem, if you decide to go back.

-Hubert

 

wow, that was a mouth full. good information though.

I am supprides that alot of people are not curious about the same thing?

 

Can someone explain why is it bad to go from Petroleum then Synthetic then Petroleum again?

THe reason I asked is because during Expo, I use MOTUL 15W50 but then I change back to Castrol GTX 5w30..
I will change to MOTUL again if I go tracking.. just for extra protection..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PiYoImuT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can someone explain why is it bad to go from Petroleum then Synthetic then Petroleum again?

THe reason I asked is because during Expo, I use MOTUL 15W50 but then I change back to Castrol GTX 5w30..
I will change to MOTUL again if I go tracking.. just for extra protection..


</TD></TR></TABLE>

It isn't bad going either way as much as you want.

The thing about going from one to the other is an old wive's tale. It originates from when people would suddenly put a detergent oil (like they all are now) into a really old car and it would suddenly lift up all the junk that had collected in the oil pan and muck up the engine. Nowadays, all oils are of high enough quality that you can go back and forth with no worries.

You might notice increased consumption when you go back to dino from synth. on an older engine, but likely nothing worse than if you'd used dino all along.

Mike D.

 

At the EXPO, George's ITR started out with 5w30 Mobil one. We added about a qt an a 1/2 of 5w30 non-synthetic before knowing the Mobil one was used.

whoops..

No problems though out the weekend, though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybrid ctr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">garbage </TD></TR></TABLE>

That's exactly what synthetic oil is!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BryanSprinkel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">At the EXPO, George's ITR started out with 5w30 Mobil one. We added about a qt an a 1/2 of 5w30 non-synthetic before knowing the Mobil one was used.

whoops..

No problems though out the weekend, though. </TD></TR></TABLE>

You should be able to mix synthetic and conventional oils without any problems.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by H-PIMP &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That's exactly what synthetic oil is!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nonsense. Synthetic oil flows better than conventional oil in very cold temperatures, and is more resistant to thermal breakdown when hot. The only knock against it is that it's more expensive, and some people don't think it's worth the extra money (while others think it's cheap protection for an expensive engine) - but that's up to you.