what oil?

Can any one tell me about the perks of using synthedic oil in the 2.7 what is the cost dif.,miles between change, mpg'etc. ????

 

Just use Amsoil and forget about the perks. Change it every 100,000 or so...

 

You're probably not going to see a huge difference in mileage running synthetic these days, the tolerances are tighter, bearing surfaces are smaller, and dino oil has come a long way from what it was 15 years ago. You'll free a couple of horsepower due to friction losses, and I mean a couple for your 4 banger.

I run Amsoil and the greatest benefit is the extended drain intervals, 25000-30000 miles, or once a year, depending on the grade of Amsoil you purchase. Of course the owner's manual recommendations are in the neighborhood of 3000-6000 miles which requires alot of people to take a leap of faith when converting to synthetics. Granted you're paying $10 a quart and $17 for the oil filter. This is when the dino only folks wig out and say I'm destroying my engine(s). If that were the case my ole man would've smoked off all the engines in his vehicles for the last 30 years, driving in -40 degree winter to sub-tropical heat on the MS Gulf Coast. People are entitled to their opinions but I've had real world experience that proofs it works and will not hurt your engine.

You'll see the greatest benefit if you switch out all the fluids. Redline, and Royal Purple are equilvants to Amsoil (at least they're marketed as such).

 

The dirt I've heard is if your engine is new, synthetic works great. If it has loads of miles, its best to stick with whatever you've been using. I switched from dino to synthetic when my truck passed 200,000 miles. The result was that the engine used more oil. That and at 10,000 miles, the oil was filthy. I switched back to dino and its been fine.

 

You can switch back and forth. I wouldn't go from dino to amsoil and try to go a million miles though as there will be some dino left in the engine. But on normal change intervals there is not problem switching back and forth. You can even add synthetic to your dino if you wanted.

Probably the problem the last poster has is his engine has loosened up and the synthetic is able to seep past rings and whatnot easier.

 

That's exactly what happens when switching from dino to synthetic in high mileage engines. Dino oils will leave a varnish coating on everything, the Amsoil literally starts cleaning the varnish away resulting in oil seepage and tolerances most likely are not new spec. Of course the oil will look filthy it was cleaning all the crap off the engine. That's why it's called an ashless desperant oil, the oil is designed to contain most of the contaminates. The filter plays a huge roll also, Amsoil filters used to be changed at 6 months or half the extended drain interval whichever came first. Amsoil within the last couple of years has redesigned the oil filters and the 6 month change is no longer required.

I've witnessed this first hand. My dad had an '86 4Runner 4cyl 5spd 4x4 and decided to give Castrol Sythec a try for cost reasons. He kept running the standard Amsoil filter which traps particles down to about 15 microns. In addition to the standard filter he had installed a bypass filter about the size of a coffee can which would trap particles down to about 2 microns. Every Memorial day weekend we would do the valve lash adjustment, running the Castrol for about 9 months the valve train and cover were covered in a brown varnish. My dad had a few choice words for the occasion and changed back to Amsoil. The next year things were back to normal, valve train and cover looked spotless.

 

I had no idea that it would go 30k it's kinda scary to me. My truck has 16k on it now should I wait until the 36k warranty is up? Does the others like royal purple and Mobil 1 go that far?

 

As long as you use quality oil and quality filters and change them at the recommended intervals you should be fine. I use synthetic oil in my truck, because I like the way it flows in very cold temperatures. You will get many different opinions on this forum about oil, and you know what, they are probably all correct.

 

Seems like its doing its job! The dirtier the oil, the better it working

 

I don't think I'd go 30K on a oil change. Mobil has some oils out that have a extended change cycle. I've decided Amsoil is just hype. I'm sure it's good oil but I don't think it's any better than a Mobil product.

 

I use Castrol Syntec and change it and the filter every 3500 miles. Its cheap insurance.

 

Amsoil does offer different drain interval oils, they offered a 7.5K drain oil not sure if they still do. The 30K drain interval isn't hype, the previous extended drain interval was 25K, I drove my Ranger 22K in one year going to and from school. My mileage stayed consistent and has continued to stay consistent.

When we lived in Europe during the mid-80's Amsoil wasn't available. My dad used Mobile. At the time the ususal drain interval was 3K with Mobile it was extended to 5K in an RJ70 and HJ65 Land Cruisers.

You don't have to wait until your warranty is up. You can change the oil at your leisure it's your truck but if you do don't have the dealer drain $10 a quart oil that designed to go 30K or one year before the next change. Kinda defeats the purpose of having the fancy oil.

I have no idea what the recommended oil change intervals are for Royal Purple or Mobile. Each brand has different qualities that they offer. Even Mobile, you have to read the bottle or website. Mobile in the past has offered a para-synthetic which isn't a true full synthetic. Certain Mobile oils start with a dino oil base and add synthetic carbons, and additives. Think of it as a hybrid. I believe Castrol Sythec is in this category also.

Whatever you decide to do your truck is probably getting better maintenance than 99% of the vehicles on the road. Look at the recommendations listed on the oil you're buying and compare it to your owner's manual and use the more restrictive of the two. I can't emphasize this enough read the definitions of severe driving, if you believe you operate your vehicle in those conditions, and adjust your oil drain intervals accordingly.

Please realize that switching back and forth between synthetic and dino won't necessarily hurt your engine but the full benefits will not be fulfilled with either. Steer a course and follow it. Like another poster said there will be some residuel oil that will take a couple of changes to flush entirely out of the system.

I've had good experiences with Amsoil in both air cooled and water cooled engines. For some it's not their cup of tea, which is cool but please don't say it's hype until you've tried the product.

 

Don't you mean tested their product? And Amsoil is hype. Just look at all the websites pointing to the ONE test Amsoil had done. If that's not hype I don't know what is. I do believe it's good oil and if you're paying $10 a quart for oil it's probably as good as anything else. To say it's so much better than another $10 quart of oil is bunk in my opinion. Without real testing by labs everything else is just speculation.

 

I've been using Amsoil in all my cars for nine years now. I typically run dino oil until they hit the 20,000 mile mark then switch over. Now I don't know about lab tests or any of that business, but based on my track record I feel that Amsoil makes a good product and I love only having to change the oil in my vehicles once a year, especially now that they have the extended-life filters. As far as price goes, I get mine for $7 a quart, but even if I did have to pay $10 it'd be worth it, JMO.

 

You can use a fully synthetic without paying Amsoil prices...Pennzoil Platinum is $23 for 5qts at Walmart, even Mobil 1 is only $27. Amsoil is over priced and the technical data doesn't support that price.

If you use a reasonably priced full-synthetic and change every 4k-5k, you are getting superior protection without pushing the oil, or your wallet, too hard. And you don't need a primo filter either...get a mediocore one and it will be fine for 4k-5k (stay away from Fram or NAPA - made by Fram).

 

Napa Gold filters are made by Wix, and are quite good. I don't know about Napa's lesser filters. They may be made by Fram, and if they are I would stay away from them. What's a few extra dollars for a quality filter gonna hurt?

 

So you're saying that if I spend roughly $30 for 5 quarts of oil and a filter and change my oil every 5k miles that I would save money rather than paying $70 for Amsoil and a filter every 25k? Not trying to be a smartass, but the math doesn't work out. Even if you changed every 15k Amsoil is still cheaper.

 

I am not being a smart ass either, but I make the assumption that no reasonable person will put 25k on their oil...no matter what the brand.

 

I hear you, and I usually don't put that many miles on my cars in one year. But I regularly go over 15k and have pushed 20k before with no problem, plus it's nice to know that the oil is rated for 25k if I need it. Like my original post stated, I've been using this stuff for a while now and I have full confidence in its ability to clean, lube and protect my engine, even with extended drain intervals.

 

I use 5 qts of Redline 5w30 and top it off with Lucas synthetic oil stablizer in my 1GR-FE. Matched with a TRD oil filter I change my oil and filter every 10,000 miles. Could I go longer, probably, but I do quite a bit of towing so I feel 10,000 miles between changes is just right for my application. I will also say the engine seems a bit quiter. I don't know if it is the Redline or the Lucas's or the combo, but it's a notable difference.