Has anyone used the stuff? Can it really help "protect steals better"? I am at 77,000 miles and thinking about switching over. Also, is synthetic worth it or is it another useless, more expensive version of a perfectly good oil?

 

Not worth it...

Syntetic blends are only like 10% syntetic, and just as expensive as full synthetic. If you have no leaks switch over to full synthetic (Mobil 1) use 10w-30...i used 5w-30 and am going to have to switch cuz its to damn thin...

make sure you use a good quality filter too, FRAM SUCKS!!

Myths about synthetic that you will hear:

1. It causes leaks

No it does not, each molecule of synthetic is exactly the same size, and very small compared to dino (regular) oil. It is also much more silpery because of this, this means that if there is a small crack anywhere the synthetic will fit though it a lot easyer then dino oil. Also syntheitc will clean out all the sludge that dino oil leaves behind, potentially uncovering leaks that were sealed by dino oil sludge...All of this can be fixed by going to a thicker oil.

2. Once you switch you cant go back

Not true no matter what anyone says...if you cant mix regular and synthetic, then whats a synthetic blend?? lol, just dont mix viscositys like with any oil. But dont do somthing like add dino oil in with your synthetic.


Benifits:
Much better lube
Coats things to make cold starts easyer on your engine
Better heat resistance
Adds 1-2 HP (less internal resistance in the engine)


Bad:
Expensive


If you do develop leaks, just switch back, but you shouldnt with that low milage...i put full synthetic in my accord with 130,000 miles on it. no leaks.

 

If you go to a thicker oil wont you loose the 1-2 hp you just gained by using synthetic? Also I have a friend thats a certified honda mechanic and he told me that on a higher mileage engine there is scars in the cylinder walls most likely and using regular oil will cover them so you have "normal" compression i guess you could say. He said if you use synthetic it will clean that "crap" out and the scars will let your mixture go by the rings and therefore loose compression. So is that right?

 

Honestly dude, I have a B18C1 that's been run hard and it has 153K miles on it. It doesn't burn a drop of oil during normal driving (Can't say the same about VTEC ) and I use Honda 5W-30 oil with the Honda 15400-PCX-004 filter (The japanese made S2K filter). I wouldn't worry too much about that "high-milage" oil, as I think it targets the older SUV market as opposed to the small import scene.

And some synthetic oils will clean out deposits left by traditional oils, and so it may end up "making" some leaks in your engine. Cam seals are especially susceptible to this... but I have no idea about the compression thing...