4-5k will it even matter?

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I am just wondering about this and looking for opinions.... If one was to change there oil at a relatively short OCI say 4-5,000 miles over say 4 months do you think over say 150,000 miles you would notice any difference in engine wear between say a low cost synthetic compared to a quality conventional oil? Or even if someone was to waste an expensive synthetic over the same OCI?
 
I don't think you'd see any real world differences no matter what oil you used as long as it met the engine's spec in your proposed scenario.

I did what you described in my Rav4 and Corolla. The Rav4 has some small oil seal seeps; the Corolla has none. Would the Rav4's oil seals be in better shape at 300k miles if I used better oil than what they are now? I don't know. But for most engines for only 150k miles, I don't think you'll see any differences.
 
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At 150,000 I'd be drifting toward Maxlife blend (red bottle) for your OCI
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Whatever makes you sleep better at night.... to buy synthetic oil (unless its on-sale cheaper), to only change it more often? What's the point of synthetic then.

People are always talking about wear and 200, 300, 400k miles... but how many people actually have cars that long (purchased new)? My second, third or fourth-hand MB wagon has 290k miles and the engine is still going fine with no oil consumption. My previous sedan had 220k and my M3 has 170k...

I buy synthetic on-sale because its cheap... not because I need it.
 
Then again, some people have a mindset that unless synthetic oil goes 10K miles or more you're "wasting" it because there aren't any other benefits than getting that mileage for an OCI. My DI engine gets synthetic oil largely as potential preventative maintenance. If I use a conventional, high NOACK/TEOST/SAPS oil over a 150K miles, the cumulative effect would likely be greater than by using a synthetic that didn't have those properties over that same period. Certainly not an absolute, but I also don't make blanket statements about "wasting" oil when one vehicle application will likely be harder on the oil than the other. If I'm paying less than a $5 difference between 5 qt. jugs of synthetic vs. conventional...the difference is a moot point and more about preference than "waste".
 
Originally Posted By: Vuflanovsky
Then again, some people have a mindset that unless synthetic oil goes 10K miles or more you're "wasting" it because there aren't any other benefits than getting that mileage for an OCI. My DI engine gets synthetic oil largely as potential preventative maintenance. If I use a conventional, high NOACK/TEOST/SAPS oil over a 150K miles, the cumulative effect would likely be greater than by using a synthetic that didn't have those properties over that same period. Certainly not an absolute, but I also don't make blanket statements about "wasting" oil when one vehicle application will likely be harder on the oil than the other. If I'm paying less than a $5 difference between 5 qt. jugs of synthetic vs. conventional...the difference is a moot point and more about preference than "waste".


Got proof of that?

Properties of synthetic oils are WAY over-rated.... are they better, sure in some ways. Then again, this is BITOG, so over-kill is good.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: Vuflanovsky
Then again, some people have a mindset that unless synthetic oil goes 10K miles or more you're "wasting" it because there aren't any other benefits than getting that mileage for an OCI. My DI engine gets synthetic oil largely as potential preventative maintenance. If I use a conventional, high NOACK/TEOST/SAPS oil over a 150K miles, the cumulative effect would likely be greater than by using a synthetic that didn't have those properties over that same period. Certainly not an absolute, but I also don't make blanket statements about "wasting" oil when one vehicle application will likely be harder on the oil than the other. If I'm paying less than a $5 difference between 5 qt. jugs of synthetic vs. conventional...the difference is a moot point and more about preference than "waste".


Got proof of that?

Properties of synthetic oils are WAY over-rated.... are they better, sure in some ways. Then again, this is BITOG, so over-kill is good.


Nope...no proof. I think you have to define the argument though if you're talking about an engine lasting x miles versus the "potential" of preventative maintenance like I'm talking about...it's not a one-dimensional argument based on a synthetic going 10K miles or having synthetic always being "overkill" because an engine will last just as long with conventional. Based on my experience of using synthetics, I'm convinced that the internals will be significantly enough cleaner than using a dino oil that's relatively dirtier with higher volatility. In my case, that causes me to prefer synthetic oil because of my small DI-engined car. If someone wants to define that as "feel good" or "overkill" then that would up to them...but it wouldn't necessarily relate to what that person has found through trial and error, UOAs, or whatever in relation to their application.
 
I would say no BUT....

I'm not a huge advocate for or against synthetic. I definitely has its place.

As others have said, it will keep an engine slightly cleaner over the same oil change but as for wear...maybe, maybe not.

In some areas in Canada and the US, when the winter can hits -10..-20 and beyond, synthetic at 4-5k would probably seem some measurable differences at 150k miles.

Or if you're towing heavy, racing, or anything that's really punishing.

I drive roughly 4k miles in 6 months during the summer with mainly highway miles. Same with the winter, but with a bunch of cold starts thrown in..if life were perfect and we could live in a warm climate year round I think conventional at 4-5k you'd never now the difference under normal circumstances.
 
Over the years I have asked many people with high millage on a car/truck/SUV what oil they have used over its long life and frankly most have used conventional dino oil. One guy I asked while camping had a Ford van with a V10 that had 476,000 miles I asked him what was his oil choice and he said what ever conventional 5w30 that was on sale including the on sale filter. My father has always used any name brand conventional oil and always seems to get high millage out of his cars and trucks changing his oil around 4-5K or 5 months whatever comes first.

I guess the reason I posted this topic is I have always used synthetic oil in my 2012 Nissan Pathfinder V6 and I change it around 5K sometimes 6K depending on if I tow my camper or not and I often say why am I spending so much on synthetic when a dino oil will prob do fine. Then I read on a Nissan forum about a guy with a Frontier truck with the same 4.0 V6 that I have with 289,000 miles and he has used Valvoline dino 5w30 in the winter and 10w40 in the summer its whole life and his truck runs strong.
 
Originally Posted By: Camprunner
Over the years I have asked many people with high millage on a car/truck/SUV what oil they have used over its long life and frankly most have used conventional dino oil. One guy I asked while camping had a Ford van with a V10 that had 476,000 miles I asked him what was his oil choice and he said what ever conventional 5w30 that was on sale including the on sale filter. My father has always used any name brand conventional oil and always seems to get high millage out of his cars and trucks changing his oil around 4-5K or 5 months whatever comes first.

I guess the reason I posted this topic is I have always used synthetic oil in my 2012 Nissan Pathfinder V6 and I change it around 5K sometimes 6K depending on if I tow my camper or not and I often say why am I spending so much on synthetic when a dino oil will prob do fine. Then I read on a Nissan forum about a guy with a Frontier truck with the same 4.0 V6 that I have with 289,000 miles and he has used Valvoline dino 5w30 in the winter and 10w40 in the summer its whole life and his truck runs strong.


Yeah, I wonder about this too. I pretty much use synthetics (occasionally blends) and change at the recommended interval.

Somewhat because I'm a crazy person, but also the cost difference is not super significant between the two and I'd prefer to put in quality products when it comes to preventative maintenance.

And honestly, oil is pretty [censored] cheap in the grand scheme. So why not?
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AFAIK, there has never been a professional technical paper published that has shown any wear advantage to synthetics... I have looked. Nada. there are a few that show better upper cylinder wear on straight SAE 30 ... But they are few years old. And that oil choice will not work for many folks due to winter temps ...

There are some motors that do not like synthetics. The 5.0 V8 in my Big Bronco is one. 216,000 on the clock and it will rattle your teeth on cold starts with synthetics. Put in a quality dino oil of the same range, and it's quiet and good to go.

My Saab 9-5 with 143,000 is starting to do the same and it's factory recommended for synthetics. So now it's running on Rotella T6 and seems fine (but it's in the shop for a TCS/ABS repair
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Wife's XJ6 does not care at all. It's fine on anything that resembles good oil. 178,000 on the clock and flying past ODB II Smog tests (so you know the rings are holding up OK
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Filters make a difference. I run mostly Fram TG, Ultra or Napa Gold. Not for media performance, but for anti-drain-back valve seal so the galleries are full on cold start. Makes a noticeable difference. They all filter well enough to keep the cruddy bits down to the microscopic level.

Dino, blend, or synthetic is more about owner feel good and maybe winter performance than anything else. Yes cleaning is important. But BG109 will do that as it gets added the last 1,000 miles before a change.

And I've moved to annual changes since the oils now days seem to hold up so well that it's not critical to hit a mileage figure one way or the other. Look at the folks on BITOG that are going 10,000 miles and getting good UOA's ...

I need to get under the cars and trucks to make sure something is not leaking or falling off more than change oil. But as long as it's up on the ramps, why not ... Oils cheap and it goes to the recycle bin so it's not "wasted"
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As Bitoger's, I think we are anal about such things as synthetic oil. Hence it's popularity. My vehicle is spec'ed for GM6094M, but I always use a Dexos approved oil because it just makes me feel good. Reason enough for me. I change it when the OLM says to.
 
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Originally Posted By: Camprunner
a relatively short OCI say 4-5,000 miles over say 4 months


You call that a short OCI ?
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My cars's had nothing but bulk Conventional 20w50 for most of it's life, with a few experiments with Mobil 1 years ago and for the last ten years just Mobil 2000 10W-40 synblend, and here it is at 305.000 Miles although on it's second engine ( the original decided to snap it's oil pump shaft driving on the autobahn in 1990 ) , luckily the car's been in the family from new so i know everything that has happened to it.
 
A lot depends upon the engine design. I'm closing in on 50k mi (80k kms) since my last oil change (in a car that the manual officially says 7,500 mi OCI under normal service). But I have a pretty plane-jane engine that is known to be relatively conservatively designed and very suitable for long drains. With oil that is the same.

An oil analysis will give you definitive proof, and with extrapolation, you can determine the sort of life you can look forward to on a single oil change. There's lots of vehicles out there that are being grossly over-"oil changed" at this point because of operator ignorance of what a truly appropriate OCI is for their engine (hint: its probably not what's written in the manual, and may be dramatically longer!).
 
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