5w-20 oil to Synthetic 0w-30

[DrPimpSiR]

I know this subject has been hashed out before, but...
I was trying to find a company that produces a synthetic 5w-20, and came across this:
http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/ford5w20.htm
I'm not sure I agree with what they say, about a 35,000 mile oil change with their product. That smells too good to be true, like using a "special polimer" car wax and pouring acid on the car's paint!
I do believe the other claims about auto manufactures, though.
What do y'all think?

[JSIR]

if you insist on using 5w-20 would say Amsoil is the best route to go, they make some great oil products, but they are also very expensive. Ive been using 5w-30 Castrol GTX in place of the 5w-20 ,pesonally I dont like the idea of a 5w-20 regular oil. I hope to switch to Castrol semi-synthetic blend 5w-30 after a few more miles, I think its the best oil for the money from all the different oils that I have tried in the past.

[DrPimpSiR]

JSIR,
Don't waste your money on semi-synthetic. Go for full synth. Base oils break down over time, synth's do not. If you use a semi-synth you loose this advantage.
At Wal-mart you can get a 4.4 L jug of Mobil 1 5w-30 full synth for $24.95.
I've used synthetic for years now, and it is the best value for the money. You can extend your oil changes if you want, bec. of the oil's resistance to breakdown (it does get dirty though, that's why you have to change it at all!)
I've got 220,000 km on my Ford Probe LX 3.0 V6, and it still runs excellent (knock on wood!) This is my 'beater' and the dipstick always is clean.
I was just happy to read about the conspiracy theory surrounding 5w-20. I hope it's true.

[HondaMan]

I'm going to get Castrol SynTec...I like Castrol products!

[grooveline]

how about this.

an oil doesn't lose it's lubricating properties. It just gets too contaminated with dirt to do any good.

[JSIR]

DrPimp, I used Mobil1 before religously on my 99 SiR and I was disappointed when I pulled my motor apart. We measured the amount of wear on some vital parts and found it to be pretty excessive, I expected it to be much better according to what Mobil 1 promises in their adds, but it wasn't. I spent a lot of money using that oil changing it religously but it let me down IMO.

Over the years I have dyno'd with a different guys, and found that the guys that dyno'd the highest numbers in stock (unmodified ) Hondas all had the same routine. They used regular oil and changed it every 5000 kms. Its not very scientific, but told me that using synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 really doesn't make much difference. I like Castrol products myself, my engines seem to consume much less oil with Castrol compared to other oils I have used. Just my two cents.

[DrPimpSiR]

Right on,
To each their own!
It's good to hear from someone impartial, who has opened up an engine after using a particular product. I've used Mobil 1, Castrol, Valvoline synthetics and never seen a difference in consumption. It is strange that wear in your '99 was that extreme. I was always under the impression that as long as you changed your oil religiously, it didn't matter what brand you use. But, personally I wouldn't go with semi-synth.

P.S. -In high heat, high load situations conventional oils can oxidize, and break down because of their chemical make-up. Synthetics are formulated to maintain their structure, that's why they're more expensive.
P.P.S -Viper, Porsche, Corvette, Mustang Cobra, Benz AMG's, all come factory filled with Mobil 1, it tells me something about their product!

[chunky]

Originally posted by JSIR
DrPimp, I used Mobil1 before religously on my 99 SiR and I was disappointed when I pulled my motor apart. We measured the amount of wear on some vital parts and found it to be pretty excessive, I expected it to be much better according to what Mobil 1 promises in their adds, but it wasn't. I spent a lot of money using that oil changing it religously but it let me down IMO.

Over the years I have dyno'd with a different guys, and found that the guys that dyno'd the highest numbers in stock (unmodified ) Hondas all had the same routine. They used regular oil and changed it every 5000 kms. Its not very scientific, but told me that using synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 really doesn't make much difference. I like Castrol products myself, my engines seem to consume much less oil with Castrol compared to other oils I have used. Just my two cents.

sadly mobil 1 is following the lead of the API guidelines for their new oils.

What was once a performance oil is now an oil that lacks the ability to protect hard driven motors.

The API is interested mostly in developing oil guidelines that are friendlier to catalytic converters and give better gas mileage. This unfortunately results in fewer anti-wear additives beeing put into the oil.

So you're left with two options, go with a thicker oil that relies less on additives to protect, or buy an expensive specialty brand oil like royal purple, ams oil, or redline.

Mobil 1 really only has ONE grade of oil that's sold at retail that is up to the task of protecting hard driven motors, and that's their 15w-50 oil. That's the thickness of a race oil, and tends to sap a few hp from stock or near stock motors. It also saps power from motors that run very tight clearances b/c there is more friction due to the heavier molecules, but you know that the motor is getting the protection it needs. I've tried this, and well, I'm going to send the oil out to have it analyzed to see if it's really doing it's job.

in the meantime, i'm switchign to redline 10w-30 for my k20, since i'm currently able to afford it. hopefully that will last a long time. :D

[JSIR]

I've read a few remarks that the new oils from Honda are all semi-synthetic, as was the break-in oil from the factory. Not sure how true that is but I have read that from a few different sources. I know guys in Europe are running 10w-40 synthetic oils in the k20, may be a tad thick though.