Spend more $$$ on Full Synthetic or use Blend?

[Johnnydarkgt350]

A book called drive it forever by Robert Sikorsky mentioned cold starting wear on the bearings is equal to 500 normal driving miles . so having all synthetics that stay on the bearings and don’t leave the bearings dry will make a difference on bearing wear in the long run. Also Zinc has been removed from most oils for emissions , Zinc ads better shear protection, red line , Royal purple , Ams oil still have it . Oils the least expensive protection.

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[K4fxd]

You miss understand, the engine would lock up. When we loosened the valve cover 5 qts would hit the floor.

I have seen varnish on newer synth oiled engines caused by the same short trips ect..

 

[shogun32]

A book called drive it forever by Robert Sikorsky mentioned cold starting wear on the bearings is equal to 500 normal driving miles . so having all synthetics that stay on the bearings and don’t leave the bearings dry

copyright 1989 so a tad dated WRT modern formulation and polymer tech etc. But if you are super-concerned with 'dry' bearings, just cold crank the engine for 7-10 seconds. it's only about 150 RPM and no pressure on the journals to speak of.

 

[FreePenguin]

I lived in Alaska for about 10 years, you turn car and go. never had any issue. old or synthetic, cars up there are like 40 years old and running perfectly fine. I think letting them idle forever does nothing but waste fuel.

I personally wouldn't concern yourself with it, just dont go wot til cars fully warmed up. I always baby it just because well, probably isn't smart to romp on a cold engine,

 

[Cobra Jet]

I’ve used both full synthetic and blend - never an issue with the Synthetic blend at all.

You can’t go wrong with a Synthetic blend, especially if on a budget, but still wanting a good oil.

One other tip about Full Synthetic oil as far as cost:
Always check pricing at big box stores such as WalMart, BJ’s, Sams Club, Costco (or the like). Many of those places will run discounts or specials on Full Synthetic oil brands from time to time…. And you will find that the pricing in most instances is far better than buying the same at your local Auto Parts store of choice.

Last time I bought Mobil 1 full synthetic at BJ’s (less than 6 months ago), they were running a special and I picked up a 6-pack for only $23.00…. Couldn’t touch that price anywhere else for Full Synthetic. They still run such deals every now and again.

So keep your eye out for the deals, they are out there and are beyond the common Auto Parts stores…

 

[RagmopInKona]

I’ve used both full synthetic and blend - never an issue with the Synthetic blend at all.

You can’t go wrong with a Synthetic blend, especially if on a budget, but still wanting a good oil.

One other tip about Full Synthetic oil as far as cost:
Always check pricing at big box stores such as WalMart, BJ’s, Sams Club, Costco (or the like). Many of those places will run discounts or specials on Full Synthetic oil brands from time to time…. And you will find that the pricing in most instances is far better than buying the same at your local Auto Parts store of choice.

Last time I bought Mobil 1 full synthetic at BJ’s (less than 6 months ago), they were running a special and I picked up a 6-pack for only $23.00…. Couldn’t touch that price anywhere else for Full Synthetic. They still run such deals every now and again.

So keep your eye out for the deals, they are out there and are beyond the common Auto Parts stores…

You pre paid the difference when you hand them the membership fee.

 

[dreamvillian_9]

I don’t think you or your car will notice a difference. I usually run a full synthetic but with my ford pass points I picked up the blend since it was half the price at the dealership. With how cheap full synthetics are these days there’s really no reason not to run one. But either is fine honestly. Plenty of cars out there running 200-300k on MC blend.

 

[Angrey]

Never discuss religion, politics or motor oil online.

Here's the reality. Unless you're really pushing your motor in harsh extended sessions or you're starting the motor in very cold and extreme conditions, it won't matter either way.

Most people aren't pushing the oil temps to the point of severe shearing or viscosity breakdown and similarly, unless you plan on driving it to 300k miles, you honestly will probably never be able to feel/notice a difference either way.

Yes, if you were weigh the engine components from day 1 and compare them after 3,000 hours of use you'd probably be able to observe more mass loss with blended lubricants than full synthetic of the comparable brand/line, but even then, would you be able to feel or notice it?

Having said ALL that, how much money are you talking about here? Seriously. If you change your oil on a mileage basis or even if you use an OA basis, you're not talking about a significant number of events over the life of the car. If you drive 15k miles a year, you're talking 3 or 4 oil changes a year. You're saving what? $5-$10 at most on the difference. So an annual savings of $30/year? Even though it's not really worth worrying about, it's REALLY not worth worrying about when it's not really a drastic cost increase to just run high quality lubricants.

Truth be told, you should pick a motor oil in the appropriate blend that features a high HTHS, has good levels of additives/modifiers (like ZDDP, Moly, etc), ideally that has low Calcium and Sodium (now a concern for low RPM preignition). Keep in mind some of the best things for your motor and rotating components can be bad for your catalytic converters, which is why certifications are a poor measure for how good an engine oil is. Certifications are based on other concerns beyond max performance and health of the motor (things like economy, catalytic converter life, etc).

 

[Shifting_Gears]

I will say this. I used to only run Motorcraft Synthetic Blend in my 2V GT, running a 100 or 125 shot of nitrous and never had an issue with like 140k on it (when I started spraying it). Matter of fact, it still runs fine at 165k and uses less than a quart of oil between changes. The engine sat for 7 years roughly being started 1-2x a year with the same oil in the crankcase. I don’t hesitate to run it to the limiter to this day. Lol.

But the 2V is a lot less prissy than the Coyote. I swear that engine is almost bomb proof at stock or moderate power levels.

 

[Dave2013M3]

To be frank, my oil changes are at less than 5k miles. I am sticking to the 5W-30 blend. Not to mention I use about a liter of oil every 1200-1500miles so it gets 3-4 liters before I even swap out the oil.

 

[Bikeman315]

Nope as in you would just spend less and use synth blend ?

I asked my brother in law who is a master technician and racer. He also works at a dealership so he doesn’t pay for his oil. He said if he were paying and the price difference wasn't significant he would go full syn. But if money were an issue going with a blend is fine for a street car. Just go by what is recommended by the manufacturer.

 

[PoCoBob]

My 2011 Mustang had a quarter million kilometers on it when I sold it. Every one of those was with conventional oil. That car never burnt a drop of oil and never lost any noticeable power. I always make sure whatever oil brand I buy has the Ford recommended rating on the back of the jug.

I have switched to full sync in my GT strictly because I've retired and don't travel for work anymore. I used to do four oil changes a year on the last car where now I only do one.

 

[Trap]

Personally I would rather change it a little more often and use blend than extend the change time with synthetic.

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

I assume that you paid a lot of $$$ for your car ? Why go cheap on a blend ? And how do you know what the blend is ? 80/20 ? 50/50 ? 20/80 ? Buy the best that you can afford & protect your investment. Unless you are leasing it or plan to trade it in.
Maybe even attempt to change it yourself and save a few $$$, it's not that hard to do.

There is not one producer who will tell you how much synthetic oil is in a bottle of their syn-blend. Call them and ask. Not one. I sold the stuff, along with conventional and synthetics for 17 years before retiring. I could not get a commitment from any of the brands that the marketer that I worked for carried. Why would you think that is? MARKETING BABY, MARKETING!!!

There are some measurable differences between conventional and syn-blend, you have to decide if you think that you are getting what you are paying for. Myself, I use full synthetic oil and change it at 5K. Now, I know many of you will say that I am wasting money and oil and I am fine with that. Hell. I have seen people dump out a whiskey that they haven't finished (which I believe should be criminal) but I don't criticize them.

Your oil changes should be based on your "duty cycle". The oil monitor system built into the newer cars is designed to do just that. I don't think that anyone would end up with engine failures by following it. When I was working full time and driving 500+mile per week my oil monitor would indicate that I had 50% oil life left when I changed it. Last year I only put 1400 miles on my car, and I got the "Change Oil Now" notification. That was with Full Synthetic in the crankcase! There are many things to consider in determining oil change interval. I could easily teach a 2-hour seminar on it. But here is my advice, use the oil that makes your heart go pitter patter. The one that you believe is the penultimate. The one that was pumped from the dinosaur that created diamonds. Just change it on a schedule that correlates with your duty cycle.

Yes, there are oils that perform better than others. I am not going to try to convince anyone which I believe are better. That would be like me telling you which Rye Whiskey is the best. A total waste of time!

 

[RagmopInKona]

There is not one producer who will tell you how much synthetic oil is in a bottle of their syn-blend. Call them and ask. Not one. I sold the stuff, along with conventional and synthetics for 17 years before retiring. I could not get a commitment from any of the brands that the marketer that I worked for carried. Why would you think that is? MARKETING BABY, MARKETING!!!

Yup. Might as well put full conventional in it if you are going to dump "blend" in it.

Marketing team board room: what if we put 1 oz. of syn in conventional oil and label it syn. blend we can sell it at a higher price than the conventional but lower than full syn. and the profit margin will be higher than both full conventional & full syn.
Company brass": that might work, glad I thought of it.

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