So I changed my oil today. My car is 400mi shy of 100k miles so I decided I'd try out Mobil1 synthetic. Ive been hearing good and bad things about going synthetic. Im just wondering was it really a smart choice for me to go synthetic or am I just wasting my money and should go back to the $1.50 a quart stuff? I have a near stock 5th gen non vtec if it makes a difference. So yeah good choice, bad choice, no difference at all??? Thanks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by whoaitslen2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... I decided I'd try out Mobil1 synthetic. ... really a smart choice for me to go synthetic...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Kinda late to be asking, huh?

Mobil 1 has a lot better detergency, so it might start looking dark quicker, as it cleans up your engine. Maybe don't go for LONG oil change intervals right away.

Some people say your engine will leak now. I think that's true if your seals are hardened & maybe dirt was the only thing preventing it from leaking before. This doesn't always happen that way.

 

Cool. How often should I change oil now with the synthetic? If I wanna go back to regular I just go 1/2 syn and 1/2 regular and the next oil change all regular right?

 

I'd wait the normal mileage, then just go back to non-syn. I don't know why you'd mix 50/50.

If you want to stay with synthetic or 50/50, fine. Just use normal intervals for 1 or 2 more oil changes until it has a chance to clean some crud out of your engine. Then you can think about extending your oil change intervals.

Synthetic oil & extended intervals is the topic of lots of holy wars. I'm not enough of a fundamentalist to fight about it. If you want to go longer than factory intervals, I'd suggest getting your oil analyzed a few times to establish a good interval for YOUR car & driving habits.

I use synthetic in the Saab because it's turbocharged. Non-synth in the other cars. But when I check the oil I also LOOK AT IT. If it gets dirty, quickly, I'll see that on the dipstick & I'll change oil sooner.

 

I use Mobil1 synthetic 10w-30 in mine.... no problems at all. I switched to syn at 260k miles, now at 322k, still doesn't burn or leak a drop and never has. People will give you mixed answers to this question, as some people swear by it, and others see it as pointless and a waste of money. Personally I think it's worth it just for the little extra peace of mind from knowing I have a real good lubricant, especially when I lived up north and had to start up in -20 deg F, so I don't have to worry about it. I go 5,000 between changes, and get the 5 quart bottle of Mobil1 for $18, so it's not all that much more expensive.

 

I use the 5w30 in an engine that usually burns up dino oil at 10w30....I love the mobil 1 though, and synthetic oil has a lot of good benefits such as reducing the drag of engine components and thus improving power output. I've seen multiple dynos of different snythetics and in my exprience with motor building and they all show at least a 1hp gain, up to a high 2hp gain. As for leaking more, eh, I've never seen anything in the real world to show that?

- Nathan

 

every car ive put synth into puked oil. its just my preference.... i stick to crude... its never let me down in all my years of motoring!