mobile 1 extended performance or valvoline synthetic

[RonMAIDEN]

I agree but it does boil down to the confort zone of the owner when oil should be changed.

The 3-5000 mile oil change interval is something I remember hearing 30 years ago and cars and technology has changed so we are basing alot of information that has been passed down from our fathers and older mechanics so some of it is some traditions are hard to break but I'm very comfortable with my 8-9000 mile oil changes as long as I change it at least once a year.

My work commute is pretty much going to be 0 to half mile a day so when this happens my truck might not even see 6000 miles a year but I'll still change my oil by the 11th month.

 

[Jed]

In a modern car, an oil filter should last 25,000 miles mimimum, truth be told. .

Is that purely your own opinion, or do you have any sort of data to back up that claim? Personally, I would never even dream of running the same oil filter for anywhere near 25,000 miles. Just looking at my 4Runner's air filter after 25,000 is reason enough to think that it wouldn't be a good idea to run the same oil filter for that long!

Besides, an oil filter is what, about $5? That's not exactly going to break the bank, so I'll continue to change mine every oil change, which is 4,000 miles for me.

 

[Nuke]

The run-of-the-mill oil filters sold today are good for at least the 7500 mile oil change frequencies that most cars Owners Manuals for those cars coming from the factory with synthetic blend are being told to change their oil at. The "premium" oil filters are good beyond that and some, like Amsoil's Ea filters, are good for up to 25,000 miles.

Anyone changing their oil at the 3,000-4,000 mile frequency that isn't using good old dino oil should be since you won't gain any more useful engine life using a blend or full syn. And if you're using full syn and changing your oil beyond 4000 miles but before 7500 miles then you can save money and use a blend and still get your 200,000 or 300,000 or more out of your engine.

This is a topic that will go on and on. People need to do what they have to do. I've had over a dozen high mileage vehicles. Those that used dino (with 3,000 mile oil changes) vs those that used synthetic (with 10,000 mile oil changes) ran equally well and trouble free beyond 200,000 miles. The only difference was that I spent less time under those that used synthetic and less time hauling used oil.

 

[KB084RUNNER]

I buy any of the branded synthetics like Pennzoil, Mobil1, Edge, QHP and Valvoline when they are on sale. I get pureone filters from Amazon for $4 so a synthetic oil change is less than $20. So, I change every 5000 miles. Oil is just too inexpensive to go longer and I want to keep my engine clean. Extended oil changes are just silly IMO.

 

[Nuke]

... Extended oil changes are just silly IMO.

Silly in what way? Is that experience talking or fear based on myths or ignorance about what todays oils are capable of? Will you be able to tell that your engine with synthetic oil at 5,000 mile changes is cleaner than one with dino oil at 3,000 miles or mine with synthetic at 10,000 miles? I've had engines with both that that ran excellent beyond 200,000 miles; the cars with dino on 3,000-4,000 miles oil changes and the cars with synthetic on 8,000-10,000 mile oil changes (and most of the later were tow vehicles, too). So what other advantages are you implying the car with shorter oil changes on synthetic oil will obtain? If it'll walk on water, you might get my attention. But my real-life experience above and my work experience with oil analysis tell me that 10,000 miles on synthetic is conservative. I'd perform oil analysis to go beyond 10,000 miles but that costs as much as an oil change, unfortunately.

YOU consider my 8,000-10,000 mile oil change frequency extended. I consider your 5,000 mile synthetic oil changes premature. But it's your money to spend. I just hate to see you (and others) do it for unfounded reasons.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

$20 for a synthetic oil change with a filter? Where are you getting your branded synthetic?
I buy the M1 at Wal-mart in a 5qt jug ($22-23) and a PureOne filter (I get them for $6 from PepBoys) so a synthetic change for me cost just under $30 and that's once a year with my 8-9k mile changes.

I can see where under $30 a year is pretty cheap but if you do changes at 5000 miles and say you put 20k miles a year on your vehicle you would doing 4 changes a year and even if they aren't too costly you still are under your truck 4 times a year. I'm not as concerned about miles as much as i am about the time the oil is in my crankcase as condensation,acids and particulates are suspended in the oil and I don't feel comfortable going longer than 12 months no matter what oil I'm using.


The technical advantages of synthetic motor oils include:

Measurably better low and high temperature viscosity performance
Better chemical & shear stability
Decreased evaporative loss
Resistance to oxidation, thermal breakdown and oil sludge problems
Extended drain intervals with the environmental benefit of less oil waste.
Improved fuel economy in certain engine configurations.
Better lubrication on cold starts
Longer lasting engine life

Disadvantages:

The lower friction may make them unsuitable for break-in (i.e. the initial run-in period of the vehicle) where friction is desirable to cause wear. Improved engine part machining has made break-in less critical than it once was, though. Many modern cars now come with synthetic oil as a factory fill.
Potential decomposition problems in certain chemical environments (industrial use dominantly)

Potential stress cracking of plastic components like POM (polyoxymethylene) in the presence of PAOs (polyalphaolefins).

Synthetics do not hold lead in suspension as well as mineral oil, thus caution is advised when the engine is run on leaded fuel. As an example, leaded fuel is still commonly used in aviation (avgas).

In July 1996, Consumer Reports published the results of a two year motor oil test involving a fleet of 75 New York taxi cabs and found no noticeable advantage of synthetic oil over regular oil. In their article, they noted that "Big-city cabs don't see many cold start-ups or long periods of high speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service — stop-and-go city driving." According to their study, synthetic oil is "worth considering for extreme driving conditions: high ambient temperatures and high engine load, or very cold temperatures."


Overall the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and I'm very comfortable using synthetics in every gear box my truck has and I use synthetic brake fluid too.

 

[kcmusa]

make your wn choice, do an oil analysis. i did at 7000 miles and they said all was good.
Blackstone Labs

 

[Jed]

The run-of-the-mill oil filters sold today are good for at least the 7500 mile oil change frequencies that most cars Owners Manuals for those cars coming from the factory with synthetic blend are being told to change their oil at. The "premium" oil filters are good beyond that and some, like Amsoil's Ea filters, are good for up to 25,000 miles.



This is a topic that will go on and on. .

Well, again...everyone has an opinion. Where are you getting those numbers? What makes you think that Amsoil Ea filters are still effective at filtering oil for 25,000 miles? Or what makes you think that average oil filters are good for 7,500 miles? And most importantly, why would anyone even make such a statement without having some kind of anecdotal evidence instead of just relying on pure speculation? Do you realize that the conditions you drive in have a big effect on how long (or short) an oil filter will become contaminated?

Just the other day I pulled an oil filter out of a 2008 Lexus RX350. They use the newer style replacement cartridge type oil filters, so only the filter element is replaced. Well, the oil and filter were last changed at a little more than 10,000 miles. I should have taken a picture of the filter element and posted it on the forum. If any of you guys saw this picture, I bet you would rethink your extended oil filter replacements.

 

[alaskaman]

Thought I would give this informative thread a bump. I am at 5000 miles/4 months. I used Valvoline this time going to change to Mobil 1.

Based upon this thread I will change at 7500 miles. I priced it at Costco for a 6 pack 5W 30 was $34.60 or $5.70 quart. Seemed high to me but in Alaska weight costs to ship. If anyone has a suggestion would be appreciated.

BTW I changed the gear and diff oils to synthetic as well 5K miles ago. Mild Winter by Alaska standards.....

Where's JP?

 

[GMZ]

I'm surprised that they don't change the oil based on oil analyses.

You bet they do, the notion of replacing hundreds or thousands of gallons of lube oil based solely on time interval (more so with closed systems) is absurd. We do in the Navy anyway, I analyze the fluid in my gun mount every 6 months. If contaminants are over a certain threshold it gets rejuvenated or replaced.

Well, again...everyone has an opinion. Where are you getting those numbers? What makes you think that Amsoil Ea filters are still effective at filtering oil for 25,000 miles? Or what makes you think that average oil filters are good for 7,500 miles? And most importantly, why would anyone even make such a statement without having some kind of anecdotal evidence instead of just relying on pure speculation? Do you realize that the conditions you drive in have a big effect on how long (or short) an oil filter will become contaminated?

Just the other day I pulled an oil filter out of a 2008 Lexus RX350. They use the newer style replacement cartridge type oil filters, so only the filter element is replaced. Well, the oil and filter were last changed at a little more than 10,000 miles. I should have taken a picture of the filter element and posted it on the forum. If any of you guys saw this picture, I bet you would rethink your extended oil filter replacements.

There are plenty of UOAs out there to validate filtration performance. Admittedly the 25K number is a best case number with highway miles in a temperate climate and an engine in good working order. These are not filters that you buy at Pep Boys, they cost almost $20/ea and are of exponentially better quality. They are also bigger which allows for more filtration media, in addition to the higher quality filter materials. Take a look over on BITOG in the UOA section.

FWIW I just changed my oil and put in Mobil 1 EP with M1-209 filter which I intend to keep in a conservative 10K miles or 1 year, then analyze before I push it to the full 15K on the next OCI, at which time I will probably switch to a Donaldson P169071 filter.

 

[MikesToy]

I change mine every 5K. Whether they're dirty or not, i just want fresh oil in my engine. Now off topic, anyone know why Jed is banned?

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I change mine every 5K. Whether they're dirty or not, i just want fresh oil in my engine. Now off topic, anyone know why Jed is banned?

You've got money to burn.