I have a 94 EX with 122K on it, and its been run with normal oil its whole life, been taken care of blah blah...But i keep hearing good things about this synthetic stuff, would it be benificial to me to run it instead, i could care less about it being more expensive, a few extra bucks is worth it for a better oil...

What are the advantages and dissadvantages?

What kinds are good?

And anything else you would like to tell me about it would be great.

Thanks

Matt

 

Go for it if you want, but I'd say its maybe unnecessary...

Some people are gonna tell you that you can't convert, or you can't mix, or you can't ever go back to petroleum. I don't believe it.

I've used Castrol SynTec and Mobil 1, both are good. There's been some long bloody holy wars about that on a Saab board, Castrol is a reformed type III and some people refuse to believe that's a 'true' synthetic. Mobil 1 uses type IV (PAO) feedstock. I don't know whether I should care if they both work... I've never used Amsoil or Redline or Royal Purple.

Advantages
Synthetic flows right now when its cold. You do have real winters in Idaho, right? Most engine wear happens in the first few seconds before the oil starts flowing, so synth is way better for that.

Better detergency, keeps gunk suspended so it gets drained out.

Should last longer, doesn't break down so fast in high temperatures. You could do a couple oil analyses to establish a change-interval for your particular car.

Disadvantages:
If any of your seals are questionable, or closed by gunk, then it might start leaking. Synth doesn't make anything leak, but it cleans out some gunk that might be preventing a bad seal from leaking.

Cost...

 

I switched over to Mobil One Tri-Synthetic a while ago. It seems to run a wee bit smoother with less vibration, but that could just be in my head.

It's good if you're in extreme driving conditions. It's really up to you, it costs a shitload of money ($5.85 a quart, 4.5 qrts. to fill my 6th gen. up).

Tests have proven no difference in wear between the two oils. It's your call.

I usually run Synthetic in the Winter and Summer and then regular OEM mineral based in the Spring and Fall. Winter and Summer are both extremes for temperatures.

 

do like i do go to costco or BJ's get buy in bulk the saving are well worth it but then instead of getting 5bottles you'll have 10 or more. for me its good cuz me and my peoples chip in on the case or 2 so when they have deals on like 20 bottles i'm still buying my 5 or so but paying like $3-4 dollars

 

with a 122K i would use either a syn blend either mobil or valvoline or one of those high mileage oils. the valvoline max life is very good and mobil just came out with one too. the high mileage oil is not much more $$ than reg oil and cheaper than a blend.

 

Whats good about high mileage oil, if its better for your engine, why wouldnt you but high milage oil in your brand new car, exculuding the price factor...

 

because high mileage oils are formulated to suit engines that have significant amounts of wear, which is not the case with new motors. Therefore, using the high mileage oils with new motors can keep the motor from reaching its fullest potential.