Oil change

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the turbo on an MSP oil-cooled? If it is, then a synthetic should yield some performance benefits, because the turbo will run cooler. But I find anything over 1% to be questionable.

Like everyone I'd love to see a before and after dyno, or (even better) see some independent results.

RP and Mobil 1 are both good s***...it will just come down to cost when I change this weekend. I'm thinking Mobil 1 will be cheaper.

Oh, and Replica, quit being a dick...Matty should be considered an "expert" in this instance, unless you're a mechanical/chemical engineer??? If you are, state your credentials....
 
mcstark said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the turbo on an MSP oil-cooled? If it is, then a synthetic should yield some performance benefits, because the turbo will run cooler. But I find anything over 1% to be questionable.

Like everyone I'd love to see a before and after dyno, or (even better) see some independent results.

RP and Mobil 1 are both good s***...it will just come down to cost when I change this weekend. I'm thinking Mobil 1 will be cheaper.

Oh, and Replica, quit being a dick...Matty should be considered an "expert" in this instance, unless you're a mechanical/chemical engineer??? If you are, state your credentials....
Coming from a person with a Bachelars degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree is Technology Management, I really don't see a need for any synthetic if you do regular oil changes at around 3-5K miles with regular daily driving. Now, if you race your car a lot and/or do a lot of stop-n-go, fast starts and hard braking, shot trips, drive in harsh or dusty/sandy environment, then perhaps Mobil 1 (or any other full synthetic brand). I'm not one to spend extra money just for bragging rights so I don't think paying more than what Mobil 1 costs is necessary... but I'm not one to tell people how to spend their money. I'm just offering up my thoughts and opinion for those who care.
 
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YelPro03 said:
Coming from a person with a Bachelars degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree is Technology Management, I really don't see a need for any synthetic if you do regular oil changes at around 3-5K miles with regular daily driving. Now, if you race your car a lot and/or do a lot of stop-n-go, fast starts and hard braking, shot trips, drive in harsh or dusty/sandy environment, then perhaps Mobil 1 (or any other full synthetic brand). I'm not one to spend extra money just for bragging rights so I don't think paying more than what Mobil 1 costs is necessary... but I'm not one to tell people how to spend their money. I'm just offering up my thoughts and opinion for those who care.
By the way, just to prove that what I said is not just theory, I put the cheapest oil I can find at Wal-Mart (or whatever happens to be on sale)in my 4x4 Pickup and it is still running with 259,000 miles and counting. Granted, I do change the oil at 3-5K miles. You really don't have to change it at exactly 3k miles on the nose as someone stated. So this is practical application, not theory.
 
Replica, do you know how hard it is to get ASE cert's? Even for a kid that goes to UTI, it takes years. Give Matty some respect. He knows what he's talkin about.
 
I use Mobil 1 as well. I told all my friends about royal purple when I heard about it on here, so they all use it now, but it might be a little too costly for me.
 
Change the oil at 1K. I don't give a s*** what anyone says. Change the oil at 3K no matter what. I was doing 5K Mobil 1 synthetic changes with OEM filters and my motor sounds like crap at 30K. Either the valve lash is way off or the bottom end is losing a bearing. My other cars I changed at 3k with regular oil and got 200K+ out of all of them. As it stands now my friggin old ass ragged and raced weekly 1987 Crown Vic with 240K or so is quiter at startup than the 30K 2003.5 Protege 5.
 
Mike R said:
Change the oil at 1K. I don't give a s*** what anyone says. Change the oil at 3K no matter what. I was doing 5K Mobil 1 synthetic changes with OEM filters and my motor sounds like crap at 30K. Either the valve lash is way off or the bottom end is losing a bearing. My other cars I changed at 3k with regular oil and got 200K+ out of all of them. As it stands now my friggin old ass ragged and raced weekly 1987 Crown Vic with 240K or so is quiter at startup than the 30K 2003.5 Protege 5.
Mike,
Somethings gotta be up, because going by the testing on this site (interesting reading too!): http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html Mobil 1 doesn't lose it's ability to protect your engine until about 12,000 miles. So 5k intervals should be fine. That's what I'm going to be doing after I switch this weekend.

Some more interesting reading on filters can be founf here: http://www.shoclub.com/lubrication-oil/lubrication-oilpart1.htm. To synopcize, Mobil 1 filters are worth what you pay for them.

BTW, my personal reason for switching to synthetic is the increased consistency of viscosity; during single digit temps here this winter my car was extremely hard to turn over -- sounded like the battery was dying. Then it idled at 2000 rpm until warm. My power steering and clutch were also very sluggish.
So, I'm switching everything to synthetic and going to see how it goes next winter.
 
Mike R said:
Change the oil at 1K. I don't give a s*** what anyone says. Change the oil at 3K no matter what. I was doing 5K Mobil 1 synthetic changes with OEM filters and my motor sounds like crap at 30K. Either the valve lash is way off or the bottom end is losing a bearing. My other cars I changed at 3k with regular oil and got 200K+ out of all of them. As it stands now my friggin old ass ragged and raced weekly 1987 Crown Vic with 240K or so is quiter at startup than the 30K 2003.5 Protege 5.
what do u mean sounds like crap...like what kinda noise? im only interested because i have an odd noise at start ups everyonce in a while..
 
What's with all these experiences being solely attributed to your oil. Whether you got 25,000 or 250,000 miles out of an engine can hardly be attributed to just the oil you used and/or the frequency of your oil changes. There are so many factors, such as how you drive, where you live, what other maintenance you have done on the car, who the manufacturer is, how you broke it in, and just plain luck.

I use Mobil 1, becuase I have read an believe the research on synthetic versus regular oil. If you don't want to spend the money, that's fine. It doesn't mean your car is guaranteed to die if you don't use it, just like mine is not guaranteed to not die by using synthetic.

So far, Matty is the only one who has actually attempted to cite some facts here and he's the one getting dissed. Most others have just given personal experience anecdotes, which, while interesting, don't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Hell, I had a 93 Civix DX that had 80,000kms on it when I sold it. I only changed the oil two or three times in its entire life, with the cheapest s*** out there. I never wore out the brakes and replaced the tires at 70,000kms, even though I drove it hard (as hard as 105hp will allow). That thing was a workhorse that I drove in Las Vegas (Hot as hell) for a year and Ontario, Canada (cold as hell) for 3 years. Does this mean synthetic oils are un-needed since I didn't use them with this car? I don't think so, it means I am a cheap ass who doesn't know how to look after his car, yet still I didn't pay the price.

My next car was a Ford Contour V6, I did all the maintenance and used synthetic oil but I went through tires and brakes (and rotors) every 25,000km and had no end of engine problems with this piece of s***. So this must mean synthetic isn't worth money right? Uh, I don't think so.

There are some simple chemical test (based on scientific facts not anecdotal evidence) that show and prove that synthetic *is* better. But it does cost more. So if it isn't worth it to you, don't buy it. Just don't diss those who are prepared to spend more on what is definitely a superior solution.
 
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You ever tried NEO Synthetic? I love that stuff. I've been running it in my 300ZX TT for over 120K miles. Turbos don't leak, and the cylinders/piston tops look great, according to my mechanic. You might want to give it a look-see.
Mike
 
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