I used to advocate for Synthetic but I find myself not being able to do so anymore. Specifications have increased dramatically making conventional oil a great lubricant for 90% of the population. If you're vehicle requires synthetic or if you've modified your vehicle and/or take it to the track for some hard driving then yes, you'd probably benefit from synthetic. However, for the 90% of us who drive our daily drivers as a tool to get to our destinations with the occasional WOT burst to relieve a little stress or pass the grandma driving 10 under the limit, today's conventional fluids will protect no worse than synthetics.
This isn't a decision I've come up with based on price either, of course if the two fluids were the same price then I'd pick the synthetic because at the end of the day synthetic is the better fluid. However, just because it is a better fluid does not mean that it will be better for my needs. The price difference between synthetic and conventional is pretty insignificant. Cost comparison for the Charger, 6qts @2 OCs a year with Puro Classic filter using Walmart prices:
VWB: $24.43 per oci, $48.86 yearly cost, $244.30 cost after 5 years.
SynPower: $39.35 per oci, $78.70 yearly cost, $393.50 cost after 5 years.
There are two main advantages to synthetic; extended drain capability and cold start protection. Extended drains can be disputed, many OLMs that prescribe conventional usage are running over 6k miles (6k seems to be the magic number for when a lot of people say a synthetic should be used). Cold start definitely cannot be desputed. Synthetics flow better than conventional oil in cold temperatures, however, the vast majority of the U.S. population does not live in an area where the temperatures get cold enough to see a drastic difference between synthetic and conventional. My mom lives near Chicago, temps in the teens are common during winter, I'm still not going to advocate for synthetic during winter for her anymore. If you live in MT, ND, SD, MN, MI, WI, ME, NH, VT, or NY then yes, you will probably benefit from synthetic in the crankcase during winter. For the vast majority of the population though, I don't believe that to be the case.
In addition to what I've stated. Conventional oils today actually contain Group III oils and they do so in order to meet the stringent specifications auto manufacturers are pushing these days. This can be found in this article, retail prices can be telling. Eventually synthetics are going to be the only option for new vehicles, the direction the manufacturers are going in is a clear sign of this. However, as of today, "conventional" oils are being used to "catch up" to their synthetic rivals. This can be seen in the specs as well, flash point is very similar between the two, TBN between the two are also very similar, VI very similar. Other than NOACK and cold flow the differences between the two oils are simply not as drastic as they once were. I do not believe this to be because synthetics are getting worse, rather conventionals are getting better than ever.
At the end of the day the decision is up to the owner of what he or she wants to run, I'm just trying to add some decent discussion (something that seems to have been lost recently) to a great oil website and hopefully a new member can join and learn to be analytical of proof and avoid being caught up in the kool-aid of either synthetic and conventional band camps.
This isn't a decision I've come up with based on price either, of course if the two fluids were the same price then I'd pick the synthetic because at the end of the day synthetic is the better fluid. However, just because it is a better fluid does not mean that it will be better for my needs. The price difference between synthetic and conventional is pretty insignificant. Cost comparison for the Charger, 6qts @2 OCs a year with Puro Classic filter using Walmart prices:
VWB: $24.43 per oci, $48.86 yearly cost, $244.30 cost after 5 years.
SynPower: $39.35 per oci, $78.70 yearly cost, $393.50 cost after 5 years.
There are two main advantages to synthetic; extended drain capability and cold start protection. Extended drains can be disputed, many OLMs that prescribe conventional usage are running over 6k miles (6k seems to be the magic number for when a lot of people say a synthetic should be used). Cold start definitely cannot be desputed. Synthetics flow better than conventional oil in cold temperatures, however, the vast majority of the U.S. population does not live in an area where the temperatures get cold enough to see a drastic difference between synthetic and conventional. My mom lives near Chicago, temps in the teens are common during winter, I'm still not going to advocate for synthetic during winter for her anymore. If you live in MT, ND, SD, MN, MI, WI, ME, NH, VT, or NY then yes, you will probably benefit from synthetic in the crankcase during winter. For the vast majority of the population though, I don't believe that to be the case.
In addition to what I've stated. Conventional oils today actually contain Group III oils and they do so in order to meet the stringent specifications auto manufacturers are pushing these days. This can be found in this article, retail prices can be telling. Eventually synthetics are going to be the only option for new vehicles, the direction the manufacturers are going in is a clear sign of this. However, as of today, "conventional" oils are being used to "catch up" to their synthetic rivals. This can be seen in the specs as well, flash point is very similar between the two, TBN between the two are also very similar, VI very similar. Other than NOACK and cold flow the differences between the two oils are simply not as drastic as they once were. I do not believe this to be because synthetics are getting worse, rather conventionals are getting better than ever.
At the end of the day the decision is up to the owner of what he or she wants to run, I'm just trying to add some decent discussion (something that seems to have been lost recently) to a great oil website and hopefully a new member can join and learn to be analytical of proof and avoid being caught up in the kool-aid of either synthetic and conventional band camps.
