Full Synthetic Oil?

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
Thinking of trading up to a synthetic? Info only,,skyraider...
Why Is It Important to Use a Synthetic Oil That Cleans?
Simply put, a cleaner engine is better protected and more responsive. It’s a fact of life that all engines generate contaminants. Contaminants such as soot, carbon, and sulfuric and nitric acid are inevitable byproducts of the combustion process. And all of them end up in your motor oil to varying degrees. So the question isn’t whether you need an oil that cleans, but how well your oil cleans the dirt and deposits your engine generates.
Why Trade Up to a Full Synthetic Oil?
Part of the job of an engine oil is to suspend the contaminants within the oil until your next oil change. It’s a fairly daunting task for engine oil to suspend all the contaminants thrown at it; the truth is that full synthetic motor oils like Pennzoil Ultra™ and Pennzoil Platinum® do a better job of preventing deposits on engine surfaces than conventional oils and synthetic blends can do. In fact, both motor oils exceed certain cleanliness standards that conventional oils and synthetic blends just can’t meet.*
*Based on GM4718M and Honda HTO-06 tests using SAE 5W-30.
SYNTHETIC OIL MYTHS
Myth: Once you switch to synthetic oil you can never switch back. This is one of the most persistent myths about synthetic oil—and completely untrue. You can switch back and forth at any time. In fact, synthetic blends are simply a mixture of synthetic and conventional oils. It is advisable that you use the same oil for top-ups if needed, thereby giving you the best protection from the oil that you have chosen.
Myth: You shouldn’t use synthetic oil in an older vehicle. The myth is rooted in the idea that synthetic oil is “slipperier,” lower in viscosity, or not as compatible with seals and will therefore leak or leak more in places conventional oil might not. Again, completely untrue. Synthetic oils will enhance the engine protection in older vehicles just as they do for new engines.
Myth: You should break in your engine with conventional oil before you start using synthetic oil. Again, there’s no manufacturer we’re aware of that makes this recommendation. Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, some Cadillacs, Volkswagen, Hyundai and many other manufacturers’ cars come from the factory with synthetic oil.
Myth: Using a synthetic oil voids a car’s warranty. Untrue. The only engines that specifically exclude the use of a synthetic motor oil are some Mazda rotary engines.
Myth: Synthetics made from Group III base oils are not true synthetics and are not as good as PAO-based synthetics in Group IV. Again, untrue. Synthetics made from Group III oil can, in some cases, outperform those made in Group IV oils in some areas of performance.
 

TruckingSurv

Seasoned Expediter
Unless Mobile 1 or ANY other oil meets the Mercedes euro specifications, I would be a little cautious running it in a Sprinter. My POV is a VW TDI, that specifies an oil that very few if any USA based oil companies sell, I run a full synthetic European brand oil because the TDI's are prone to premature cam wear if you do NOT use the exact VW specified oil. In my Dodge/Cummins I have been running a full synthetic Valvoline for a few 100K just fine, BUT Cummins oils are much easier to find than VW oils in the USA.
 

tumbleweeds

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
I have been using synthetic oils since 1983. Convoy was made by Conklin Co. In Minnesota. I am a true believer. I have studies the test results and worked with several truck lines that converted. I will never change. Even though conventional oils have been improved so much over the last few years.
 

FlyingVan

Moderator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
I don't buy into all the hype of synthetic oils.

My 1991 Honda Accord still runs at 300k+ miles with nothing else but cheap SuperTech regular oil. My sprinter is at 700k+ on good old dino oil.

The only car I use synthetic oil in is my 2011 VW Jetta TDI because there is no low ash DPF friendly dino oil.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
It's not really hype. Synthetic does give you longer intervals between oil changes, synthetic oils don't break down at the molecular level at high temperatures (say, with a turbocharger) the way dino oil does, and because the molecules of synthetic oil are all uniform and tailored for a specific usage, it has higher shear stability and better film coating than dino oil. That doesn't mean dino oil is bad. Just the same, I don't think I'd be putting SuperTech in my Sprinter. :D
 

pearlpro

Expert Expediter
Ive run synthetic oils in every vehicle since it was available, its better in the heat of summer, its easier to start in the dead of winter and it gives better cold start lubrication, Ive seen engines torn apart with 500,000 miles on them look virtually new inside and very little wear with out the carbon build up of conventional oil, worth every dime $$$
 

mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I've been running a hybrid oil. Pennzoil 10-30 High Mileage oil. Seems to work OK so far (over 400,000 miles since I bought this Chevy--- it had 183,000 on it when I bought it.)
 

TDave

Expert Expediter
Just curious are there any benefits running with a partial synthetic oil? Or just full synthetic is where you get all the benefits?
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Partially synthetic oil is (usually) cheaper than fully synthetic oil. Partially synthetic oil is is a blend of 30% synthetic oil and the rest is dino oil, and is a good alternative if you want some benefits of synthetic oil and just can't just cut the dino cord. The advice of never mixing dino and synthetic in your crankcase is obviously nutzo since you can buy it already bottled like that. You can also do the mixing yourself at the oil changes. It's still better to find an oil you are comfortable with (and that the manufacturer recommends) and stick with it forever, since every time you change brands or viscountcies the engine will wear juuuuust a little bit differently. But even that's not a major deal.
 

billg27

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
The recommended genuine Ford oil for the Ecoboost engines is a synthetic blend. And the owners manual says it's good for 7,500 - 10,000 miles.
 
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tumbleweeds

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
Just curious are there any benefits running with a partial synthetic oil? Or just full synthetic is where you get all the benefits?
The first synth i used was called a para-synthetic it had and oil base with blended ingredients. It worked really well. They claimed it was the best of both worlds. We would change the oil every 15 thousand miles but change the filter every 3000. The contaminants would get caught in the filter but the oil was still clear. We had several accounts that loved it.
 
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