Engine Oil (insurance, vehicle, auto, exhaust)

[steel7]

What brand of motor oil do you use ? I mainly use the house brand oil at walmart (super tech) or quaker state or valvoline. I believe all conventional oils are pretty much the same. I have never used synthetic oil & never will. As long as you change your oil/filter at least every 3000 miles you should be ok. Yrs back my 78 mustang, 4 cylinder made it to 175k miles. I did though once have a 82 camero z28 that threw a rod at around 90k miles. My 2 old cars now have 139k (90 Tbird) & 117,300 miles (85 olds delta 88).

[GregW]

I prefer to use Pennsylvainia sourced oil (Penzoil, Valvoline, for a couple of examples) and change every 3,000 miles/6 months. I change the filter at the same time. I try to drive my "station" car on a 50 mile trip at least once a month to heat up the oil and boil off the gasoline and water contaminants. One cars has 170k and the other 180k.

Remember oil is cheaper than wear so use good oil and change often.

[kdbrich]

I've had gear-head friends that hate quaker state and penzoil. It's a different kind of oil than the other kinds. Of course, they always swore by synthetic.

Personally, as long as you change it often you should be fine--the important thing is clean oil.

[Mick St John]

There have been many long discussions on this one and everybody's got an opinion.A good synthetic or synthetic blend in a modern engine, driving under moderate conditions should easily go 6000 miles. Of course, dirty or harsh conditions should shorten this interval, even with synthetics. But the synthetic will hold up better and longer than the dino.

[bmd69]

John Force Racing Oil

[Grandpa Pipes]

Originally Posted by Mick St John

There have been many long discussions on this one and everybody's got an opinion.A good synthetic or synthetic blend in a modern engine, driving under moderate conditions should easily go 6000 miles. Of course, dirty or harsh conditions should shorten this interval, even with synthetics. But the synthetic will hold up better and longer than the dino.

This is the truth in a nut shell. However, one needs to remember that the oil filter is the weakest link in this chain so don't cheap the filters.

[Innovator831021]

I run full synthetic castrol and STILL change it and filter every 3000. This issue comes up a million times a year, its not the breakdown of the oil that destroys the engine, its how contaminated the oil is.

Doesn't matter what type of fluid you have in there, they all get contaminated at the SAME RATE. At 3000 miles IMO the oil is contaminated to the point that it needs to be changed.

I like the idiots that run synthetic for 6, 7, 8000 miles and when drained its blackest thing you'll ever see. No thanks!

[hoffdano]

Oil is possibly the most ingrained ritualistic piece of auto maintenance around.

People swill swear by the 3000 mile change because:

- it's cheap insurance
- that's what my daddy/grandpa always did
- that's what Jiffy Lube recommends
- that's what the dealer's service department says
- I've never had a problem with brand x oil changed at 3000 miles

But it is always interesting to me that the owners manual almost never recommends changes that frequent unless the vehicle is in heavy use (towing, stop and go constantly, heat, etc.).

It is way different than when cars had 5 digit odometers.

I think it is funny that people think they know better than the engineers that designed the engines.

I think you should follow the manufacturers guidelines. Synthetic has been scientifically proven over and over to have less friction and lasts longer before breakdown. Oil filters are not all the same. Fram makes stupidly cheap filters and should be avoided.

Changing oil too frequently is at least a small environmental concern. It is also spending $20-$30 more often than required.

Walmart's Supertech synthetic is 100% synthetic and proven to be a very good oil at a low cost.

I use Mobil 1 or Supertech in my cars, and change at the longer end of the manufacturers interval or when the built in maintenance minder says so.

[cdelena]

I run the cheapest full synthetic in my high rpm sports car and the cheapest name brand conventional oil in the family car. Oil and filter changed once a year in both. I have been an auto enthusiast for many years and an amateur racer for a few and have never seen a failure that was clearly lubricant related. Oil and changes are important but take an unjustified priority for many owners.

[Innovator831021]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Oil is possibly the most ingrained ritualistic piece of auto maintenance around.

People swill swear by the 3000 mile change because:

- it's cheap insurance
- that's what my daddy/grandpa always did
- that's what Jiffy Lube recommends
- that's what the dealer's service department says
- I've never had a problem with brand x oil changed at 3000 miles

But it is always interesting to me that the owners manual almost never recommends changes that frequent unless the vehicle is in heavy use (towing, stop and go constantly, heat, etc.).

It is way different than when cars had 5 digit odometers.

I think it is funny that people think they know better than the engineers that designed the engines.

I think you should follow the manufacturers guidelines. Synthetic has been scientifically proven over and over to have less friction and lasts longer before breakdown. Oil filters are not all the same. Fram makes stupidly cheap filters and should be avoided.

Changing oil too frequently is at least a small environmental concern. It is also spending $20-$30 more often than required.

Walmart's Supertech synthetic is 100% synthetic and proven to be a very good oil at a low cost.

I use Mobil 1 or Supertech in my cars, and change at the longer end of the manufacturers interval or when the built in maintenance minder says so.

Have fun with your pitch black oil filled with dirt and corrosive exhaust gases that have been blown by and permeated in.