synthetic Lubricants Do you feel they work Better then Basic petroleum Lubricants?
And now, getting back to the original question:
Yes.
Yes, synthetic works much better. On high performance engines the difference is very noticable, but even on older low power engines, fully synthetic lubricants can increase efficiency and boost MPG and power.
pfft ;-)
Did a full flush + filter change on my Ferrari Mondial QV (a 25 year old car) then thrashed it around Mallory Park. The engine warmed up much much faster, was much more free revving, and pulled better at higher revs.
After the track day, another flush + filter change, then stuck it on the dyno - an extra 8HP at the max rev range.
Works for me ;-)
Let's do some math. 8hp is just a tad more than 3% of 240hp. What is the error rate of your dyno? 3%? 5%?
I don't argue synthetic oil does not give any improvement - it does decrease parasitic loses, which leads to slightly better mileage and power. But I wouldn't call this "very noticeable" - unless I just smoked something really good
I'm synthetic all the way with my cars and my motorcycle! My thoughts are that pure, fully synthetic oil extends the life and performance of a vehicle, so I'm all for it.
I don't, however, change the synthetic oil every 3k miles.
My choice of fully synthetic oil for cars: Mobil 1
LOL I can't resist another shameless self-promotion
http://www.funandsafedriving.com/ftopict-39.html
So there's no benefit to changing the oil more often than the manufacturer recommends?
I beg to differ.
While some cars will cope fine with extended drain intervals, others do not.
Many manufacturers are reviewing their previously recommended oil change intervals downwards, due to the unexpectedly high proportion of sludge buildup (black death) in modern high performance engines of many makes of cars.
If you think that frequent oil change intervals or synthetics are a waste of money - have a look at this.
http://www.schleeter.com/oil-sludge.htm
I've had SAAB's for ages - and currently have a 9-5. I use fully synthetic, and change it every 6,000 km.
Maybe I'm paranoid - but I also have no sludge or turbo problems.
Also, to find out more than you ever wanted to know about oil, have a look at
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
I can't remember ever changing the oil in my 15-year-old Renault Clio and don't have any sludge or turbo problems either
So - this would be a 15 year old car that you bought last month perhaps ???
Eric,
What makes you thinking that you are smarter than the guys who designed your car and spent countless hours and millions of dollars testing it to make sure it will work as expected?
Oh, and could you please link me to the source of information about manufacturers decreasing oil change intervals?
Misha - The fact that millions of dollars and countless hours have been spent on something does not guarantee perfection, or even satisfactory performance. There's countless examples of this in the world - and not just in the automotive area.
So - when clients of a car manufacturer (SAAB) experience a large number of engine failures whilst following the manufacturers oil change recommendations, this bear of very little brain tends to think that maybe there's something wrong.
Especially when the manufacturer implements an engine replacement policy for cars up to 8 years old if it can be proved that the engine oil changes have been made as scheduled.
That doesn't make me any smarter than the designers - only makes me think that maybe they got it wrong, and that it wouldn't hurt to change the oil a bit more often to avoid possible problems. Which is what I'm doing.
As for providing links - all I can offer is that the topic has been discussed at length on various SAAB forums, and service agents have mentioned that SAAB, and other manufacturers have reviewed their oil change intervals downwards as a result of sludge related engine failures caused by not changing the oil often enough.
Is this all just a conspiracy by service agents to get us to change our oil more often?
Perhaps.
And if so, then I'm just a gullible sucker aren't I.
How about we do a little test then. I'll run my car at 25,000 km between oil changes, and if there's any problems you buy me a new engine. big_smile big_smile
Regards,
Eric G.
I know this wasn't directed to me, but - when Ferrari designed the Mondial QV, it was their first four valve per cylinder engine - cutting edge tech.
Almost 30 years ago.
Their choices in lubricants, brake pads, clutches, tyres - all were the best - almost 30 years ago. Technology has moved on, massively so. The metric Michelin TRX tyres were cutting edge, but they are rubbish compared to modern tyres.
For modern vehicles I agree, but for older stuff you can definitely improve the running and reliability of the vehicle by *not* sticking to the manufacturer's recommendations.
Another case in point - Toyota's older 2.2 turbo diesel suffers from blocked drainage channels, leading to overheating and cracked heads - a design flaw from Toyota (thanks guys!). Ignoring Toyota's guidelines and changing the oil more often - as well as using fully synthetic - reduces the chances of this happening.
Lots of research in to this in the UK Estima owner's club.
haha Misha, I bet your eating this up here! Enjoy your promotional opportunities!
Eric, I think you misunderstood me. I'm not advocating that people change oil less than 3k miles. Did you get that from me or from Misha's link? Maybe I'm misunderstanding.
When I said that I don't change the oil every 3k miles I was implying that I wait longer to change my fully synthetic oil because it's of a much higher quality.
I was responding to Mischa's post.
I agree with you that use of synthetic oil should enable me to do lots more miles before I should change it. Unfortunately, practical evidence suggests otherwise - for my current car, anyway.
Misha,
The fact that millions of dollars and countless hours have been spent on something does not guarantee perfection, or even satisfactory performance. I'm sure you'd be aware of countless examples of this.
So - when clients of a car manufacturer (SAAB) experience a large number of engine failures whilst following the manufacturers oil change recommendations, this bear of very little brain tends to think that maybe there's something wrong.
Especially when the manufacturer implements an engine replacement policy for cars up to 8 years old if it can be proved that the engine oil changes have been made as scheduled.
That doesn't make me any smarter than the designers - only makes me think that maybe they got it wrong, and that it wouldn't hurt to change the oil a bit more often to avoid possible problems. Which is what I'm doing.
As for providing links - all I can offer is that the topic has been discussed at length on various SAAB forums, and service agents have mentioned that SAAB, and other manufacturers have reviewed their oil change intervals downwards as a result of sludge related engine failures caused by not changing the oil often enough.
Is this all just a conspiracy by service agents to get us to change our oil more often?
Perhaps.
And if so, then I'm just a gullible sucker aren't I.
How about we do a little test then. I'll run my car at 25,000 km between oil changes using the oil of your choice, and if there's any problems you buy me a new engine.
Regards,
Eric G.
Agree. Much less anecdotal evidence and hearsay guarantee this
Nothing here says that problems happen BECAUSE of oil - providing it was changed according to the schedule of course
It does hurt your wallet. And environment.
I'm sure it is. I would not call this "conspiracy" cause it sounds too dramatic - but yeah, service agents (they are called dealers in the US) are the ones who push this nonsense on consumers for obvious monetary reasons.
I can't take your bet without at least looking at your car. However, providing your engine is in good shape, I am pretty much sure 20-25000 km is a reasonable interval for oil change currently. Applicable to modern cars and synthetic oils only
I use AMOSOIL and have used it for years! I especially like the synthetic injector oil for my 2 stoke snowmobiles and jet skiis (waverunner). Not only does it burn cleaner, but the engine runs perfect and after many miles (hours of use too), I have had no problems and cleaner longer lasting spark plugs too! The recommended oil change with AMSOIL for vehicles is 25,000 miles!!! Sure saves time and money as well! Everyone has the own preference, just like I will never buy anything but GM vehicles, Polaris & Yamaha snowmobiles, and Yamaha Waverunners. Long term reliable running units!
Tom )
Not all types of synthetic oils perform the same.
Regards,
Tutuapp
I use full synthetic oil bought from here, they said that synthetic engine oil is best for racing, idk if that is true.
by Scott Belford 6 years ago
Here is an interesting conundrum. Keyless cars were introduced in the early 2000 which allow you to push a button to start your car while the key fob remains in your pocket or purse. Since 2006, 28 people of died and 45 others injured from CO poisoning resulting from forgetting to turn...
by David 12 years ago
Do you use regular or synthetic motor oil in your vehicle?I know that synthetic lasts longer but it costs more too. Which oil do you use and why?
by BkCreative 12 years ago
Why do we pay a lot of money for a car and then drive around advertising the model for free?Manufacturers not only put the model name on the car they also add identifying symbols. Some dealers are even brazen enough to place a frame around the license plate so they too can get free advertising. Why...
by katherinethorell 13 years ago
How easy is it to change your own oil?
by successdotnet 12 years ago
Do you need to change engine oil every 3 months?
by Lisadroz 5 years ago
How do you make engine valve tapping stop?I was told my oil level was low, and even after an oil change and normal oil levels, it still mak the tapping noise. Is there anything I can do (short of a new engine) that will make the tapping noise stop???
Copyright © 2025 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2025 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |