Would synthetic oil benefit me?

[hrcarver]

I was just wondering what the consensus is. It would be worth it to me I could go 5k with synthetic oil between changes instead of the 3-3500 I have been doing with conventional oil.

Is that safe? I drive my truck. Off road miles, dust, heavy towing (for a gas pickup) for a few k a year, most of my trips are a couple miles.

Does it even matter?:confused2:

 

[clemsonfor]

I was just wondering what the consensus is. It would be worth it to me I could go 5k with synthetic oil between changes instead of the 3-3500 I have been doing with conventional oil.

Is that safe? I drive my truck. Off road miles, dust, heavy towing (for a gas pickup) for a few k a year, most of my trips are a couple miles.

Does it even matter?:confused2:

Most syns actually can go 12K easily , if you trully do a lot of offroading id go 6k. By a lot i mean like say 1K of that 6k offroad or on construction jobs where its dusty.

My wife 01 highlander says to go for normal driving like 6000 or 7500 miles between oil changes with conventional oil. I switched to mobil 1 and changed it every 6 K but now am going to go more like 10-12K to save money and the oil is still just a little dark amber at 6 K. Use a premium filter with these extended oil drains and also you may want to consider a new filter half way through the oil change, just to make sure its still nice n clean and open passages.

Your prolly going to get the amsoil crazies telling you with IOA or whatever (like instant oil analysis or something) you can test your oil and go 35K-40K or something crazy. Im sorry oil is not that **** expensive yet no matter what the oil analysis says. You cant get the unburned fuel and moisture out unless you change it!

 

[hrcarver]

Thanks. I am a turf farmer and food plot manager, so lots of dirt roads on my end. I'd be happy if I could get 5k on the same filter.

 

[clemsonfor]

I think i have been to your website before. I found it from a post here i think. Im a deer hunter so the foodplot part peeked my interest.

 

[bp fick]

I still maintain the oil/filters on my own vehicles, but at my age, while I still enjoy it, I don't enjoy doing it every 2500-3500 miles anymore. It's too much and creates too much waste oil to haul off. Plus, I don't believe engines require it as frequently and the manufacturers agree and have lengthened their change intervals. The science has gotten far better and it is, frankly, a waste to do it as often as I once did.

By using a high quality filter, and top notch oil (without getting into this or that) and yes, consider the various synthetic oils, I now only have to crawl under them twice a year. 7000 miles X 2 changes = 14000 miles a year.

So, spring and fall. That's it. When, one day, our driving decreases to 8000 miles a year? Once a year. Not bad.

 

[Transit]

Install a cyclone air filter. Intake air will transport a lot of fine dust into the engine.
Here is one. Sy-Klone International:

 

[kenmac]

If your in a dusty enviroment & use cheap air filtration system. No matter what oil you use. It will be trashed

 

[HiTechTed]

how does dust get in the oil? If an engine is entirely sealed, the main way dust can get in would be through the air intake. What makes it past the filter would be both tiny and low in quantity. Then it would go through an explosion and then be propelled out the exhaust. I think "dirt in the oil" is a myth or at the very least, nothing for 99.99% of the population to worry about. It just seems like it would be nearly impossible for air that enters the intake to ever make it into the oil given what it would have to go through to get there...

 

[Toyboy]

I've been using Mobil 1 for 20 years and change between 9k and 12k. I'll replace the filter every 3k to 3,500k and add make up oil.

 

[kenmac]

run a low quality air filter or have leaks where dust can get into the engine. Then, have a UOA ( oil test performed) You will see that dust ,etc makes it to the oil