bowtiepower00
1/2 ton status
I didn't read this entire thing, but...
I've run Castrol GTX non-Syn, Mobil 1 Syn (real M1 syn, not blend shiat), and Amsoil in everything I've owned. Synthetic definately has advantages, but not for everybody. The biggest mistake people make is changing Synthetic at Dyno-juice intervals. Amsoil recommends 15K between oil changes and filter changes/ top-offs at 7500. Most true synthetic oil can go 10-15K between changes, easy. If you change oil every 3-5K, there is no reason to run Synthetic, unless it's a really high temp/ high stress situation.
In a 97 Accord EX coupe I owned, I switched to Amsoil at 75K. For the first change, I dropped the oil about 12K later after no filter change. It came out looking like it did when I put it in. This was in FL, during the summer.
On my 96 HD Superglide, I changed to synthetic, and saw a drastic difference in oil pressure, especially when hot. It's not uncommon for the pre twin-cam HD's to run low single digit oil pressure when they're real hot (sitting in traffic, etc.) I've had conventional 20W50 oil give me 1-2 PSI on really hot days. After switching to Amsoil, I saw at least 5 PSI always. I would always run Synthetic on an air cooled engine.
On the same bike, I went from standard Primary case lubricant to HD synthetic lubricant. This caused my clutch to begin slipping under abusive conditions. I immediately drained the Syn and put Dyno juice back in, problem solved. For this reason, I'm hesitant to run Syn in areas that have clutch packs. I do see Syn spec'd for some aftermarket transmissions though, so apparently in some cases their is some benefit. I know the temp protection would be nice to have in an auto.
I just swapped to Mobil 1 in the 5.3 in my 07. I've picked up at least 1 MPG after doing so, but I need to run a few more tanks through it to double check. It only has 5000 miles on it, but I broke it in pretty well so I'm not worried. A lot of people are big on not using Syn early in an engines life. I agree with this during initial break-in, but if this is true then why do so many cars come with M-1 as factory fill? I'm going to change it every 10K and see how it looks. Probably send a sample into a lab, too, on occasion. The 07 came with Syn in the rear differential from the factory.
I think a lot of the myths associated with synthetic are from the old days, when cars were a lot more suscepable to leaks, etc.
Basically, with Synthetic, you're paying for an oil that takes longer amounts of time and higher temps to break down. The frictional losses are also a benefit, but to a lesser extent. If you're not going to take advantage of that, or are from the old school that says oil MUST be changed every couple of thousand miles, it probably won't do any good.
Amsoil is probably the best oil on the planet, IMO, with M1 and some of the others being a close second. Good true synthetic oil is much better than dyno juice, regardless of brand.
I've run Castrol GTX non-Syn, Mobil 1 Syn (real M1 syn, not blend shiat), and Amsoil in everything I've owned. Synthetic definately has advantages, but not for everybody. The biggest mistake people make is changing Synthetic at Dyno-juice intervals. Amsoil recommends 15K between oil changes and filter changes/ top-offs at 7500. Most true synthetic oil can go 10-15K between changes, easy. If you change oil every 3-5K, there is no reason to run Synthetic, unless it's a really high temp/ high stress situation.
In a 97 Accord EX coupe I owned, I switched to Amsoil at 75K. For the first change, I dropped the oil about 12K later after no filter change. It came out looking like it did when I put it in. This was in FL, during the summer.
On my 96 HD Superglide, I changed to synthetic, and saw a drastic difference in oil pressure, especially when hot. It's not uncommon for the pre twin-cam HD's to run low single digit oil pressure when they're real hot (sitting in traffic, etc.) I've had conventional 20W50 oil give me 1-2 PSI on really hot days. After switching to Amsoil, I saw at least 5 PSI always. I would always run Synthetic on an air cooled engine.
On the same bike, I went from standard Primary case lubricant to HD synthetic lubricant. This caused my clutch to begin slipping under abusive conditions. I immediately drained the Syn and put Dyno juice back in, problem solved. For this reason, I'm hesitant to run Syn in areas that have clutch packs. I do see Syn spec'd for some aftermarket transmissions though, so apparently in some cases their is some benefit. I know the temp protection would be nice to have in an auto.
I just swapped to Mobil 1 in the 5.3 in my 07. I've picked up at least 1 MPG after doing so, but I need to run a few more tanks through it to double check. It only has 5000 miles on it, but I broke it in pretty well so I'm not worried. A lot of people are big on not using Syn early in an engines life. I agree with this during initial break-in, but if this is true then why do so many cars come with M-1 as factory fill? I'm going to change it every 10K and see how it looks. Probably send a sample into a lab, too, on occasion. The 07 came with Syn in the rear differential from the factory.
I think a lot of the myths associated with synthetic are from the old days, when cars were a lot more suscepable to leaks, etc.
Basically, with Synthetic, you're paying for an oil that takes longer amounts of time and higher temps to break down. The frictional losses are also a benefit, but to a lesser extent. If you're not going to take advantage of that, or are from the old school that says oil MUST be changed every couple of thousand miles, it probably won't do any good.
Amsoil is probably the best oil on the planet, IMO, with M1 and some of the others being a close second. Good true synthetic oil is much better than dyno juice, regardless of brand.
It just depends on your local dealer's way of operating. For me, I don't leave home from the Ranch very often for more than a few hours, if a guy wanted to swing in and grab a few quarts on a Saturday, I'll likely be around.
