Switching to synthetic, hoping to do it twice a year

I've been to their website, I appreciate the recommendation. The top tier stuff at $13+ is the only Amsoil worth buying, period. Ive heard some people having good results for factory recommended change intervals with the bleh stuff (OE and XL) but its stilla Group III basestock. No better than a Supertech and at $9 or whatever you pay thats horrendous. I linked you to a $2 a quart which will do the same thing.

At "$9.65" its not their top of the line stuff. Its still Group III basestock regardless of whatever graphs and wear ball tests they can publish on their website.

The Signature line is $13+ and is what I was referencing. Maybe you should look at their website.

No Debate here. Even the OE claims to be good for 12,000 miles. If you want to spend $7 more per quart for the ability to be an Amsoil fanboy online then go right ahead.

Thats not true at all. Its a Hydrocracked Group III. I think Ultra uses Group IV but dont quote me on that.

A true synthetic only has to have 51% group III which alot of the blends do exceed in order to achieve their intended viscosity. This is one reason why there are no Ow-20 or 0w-40 "non synthetics".

You could have taken your family to Disneyland instead.

Better buy some Fluidfilm instead of your money flush.

Look, you can do whatever you want. Im not trying to sway minds here. If you want to spend 3 times the cost to change your oil be my guest. Its a low stress 4 cyl truck engine which zillions of people have put zillions of miles on with crappy oil and no maintenance schedule. If your little piece of paper that tells you that everything is fine with your engine helps you sleep at night be my guest. Its not a cost effective manner and it does nothing to make your truck last any longer. Double sword in the chest if you ask me. Do you frame the reports in your garage? - Post them up here and help to the collective knowledge.

Then why the hell are you on the cheap Amsoil bandwagon let alone preaching about its extended drain intervals? - At least be honest with yourself that you're buying into the marketing.

I'll play a little fiddle for your cold day saga.

I really haven't been arguing what oil is best. There isn't one. I just offered a more cost effective (several infact) option. Any top tier synthetic will provide more protection then the farm truck 2.7L will ever need.

 

It is. Like @TRVLR500 mentioned it has far superior cold flow properties and exceptional heat dissapation properties. I'd argue those properties take away from their ability to clean up sludge and repair seals but thats a different argument.

Define "clean". You can't see Oxidation, metal particles, excessive acidity levels, fuel dilution (small), elevated silicate (poor air filtration) and many more contaminants in the oil you drain from your engine. Thus the lab testing.

 

I think we are twins that were sperated at birth.

 

I'm just waiting for some of the Redline or Schaeffer's band waggoners to jump onboard. Choo Choo.

 

I'm guessing you don't have a Yeti sticker plastered in the back window of your truck,too

 

Conventional oil has steeper viscosity curve than synthetic as well as a much broader molecular weight distribution. Meaning there's less processing control with conventional and large changes in viscosity (resistance to flow) at lower temperatures. Which leads to even less control when you introduce wear and particulates. Heat dissipation properties are largely determined by turbulent flow and since synthetic is more Newtonian, respectively, and holds its viscosity curve much tighter meaning less resistance to flow at lower temperatures resulting in increased turbulent flow and better cooling

Clean = if the oil holds it's 'goldish' color on the dipstick or during oil change
Dirty = if it oi doesn't hold it's 'goldish' color on the dipstick or during oil change

Yeah a lab testing of your oil is more thorough

 

In the day and age of used oil analyses, it's pretty much killed any marketing hype surrounding synthetic oil being "far superior". Data is more useful than opinions or marketing.

That being said, Supertech Synthetic is cheaper than Pennzoil Dino... I will probably switch to that once I use up my PYB stock. I've seen good UOAs from it. Although Dino is also pretty good.

API SN Certification? Good enough in my book!

 

I'm not sure if you're trying to sound complicated smart here or just trying to create a complicated way to explain what we all know and is on the bottle? The introduction of most additive polymers to a basestock renders this null regardless of it being synthetic or non synthetic which has been repeatedly mentioned is a small margin.

???? Way over my head.

Noting I have read has made the claim that color has any indication of the contamination, quality or its ability to remove heat and lubricate. Sounds like something from the 3,000mi oil change era or somebody who hasn't owned a Diesel before

 

But dude Amsoil has the wear ball test on their website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

Something to be said for the Dexos 1 Gen 2 testing though if you're worried about LSPI or timing chain wear.

 

Uhh, they're made by the same company! Warren Oil Distribution, so the results will probably be identical. I get my info from Bob is the Oil Guy forums.

 

Yep that's why I'm very interested, plus Supertech is much cheaper than Amazon Basics.

Check out this cool video, I love this whole channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9DWGtXpYUc&t

 

I know a guy who has the Amsoil bypass system on a Coyote 5.0 Ford Expedition with 80,000 miles on the oil. That said he does top off the oil when he empties the filters and it does use a little bit of oil. He uses Mobil 1 extended performance and has good enough oil test results every 20,000 miles.

 

Damn, I barely drive 2000 miles a year now. The Pennzoil YB Dino has been in my truck for a year and a half and I'm 500 miles from hitting 5k.

 

Your truck will blow up any minute with PYB in there. Better use Amsoil.

 

What are ya getting at Ralph?

I was pointing out synthetic is better than conventional

Broader molecular weight distribution
Orange is synthetic
Blue is conventional

Less repeatable viscosity curve

My Tacoma is not a diesel, is yours?

Don’t need a lab test to tell me my engine oil is dirty and needs to be changed. If you want to pay for your lab test each oil change go right ahead ricky

 

The fact that Amsoil and other boutique lines are in business only means hey have a good marketing department and enough people are willing to pay for their product.

Run the proper weight for your environment and change it.

I think I drove 500 miles total last year, lol

 

The debate isn't whether or not synth an dino oils have differently shaped graphs or if Microsoft Paint can simulate the molecular structure of various oils, but whether that actually translates to "better" oil in the real world, and if that warrants the increase in cost.

People talk about synth having better extreme temp viscosity characteristics. That's cool and all, but I have my suspicions that as long as you are using the proper weight of oil for your weather conditions, it makes any sort of tangible difference. It's like those infomercials for those rayblocker sunglasses or whatever. They show all this crap about how lab tests prove they're super awesome, but in the end they are just yellow plastic lenses. My favorite is when they throw the word "tactical" in there for good measure, lol.

I do get a bit of a giggle when I hear of the people who send oil samples off for testing. It kinda reminds me of the people who get DNA tests (from those 23andMe type places) and they try and digest that 40 page report that's telling them about all the diseases they probably have or are genetically prone to. You still need a doctor to go over the results with you because in all likelihood most of the results are meaningless.

 

It really is a 'better' oil though - in many ways
Can only imagine how much $ companies drop in R&D in oils and fuels. Think lockheed or northrop would run some low quality nonrepeatable jet fuel in their cruisers rockets or whatever haha no way.
Repeatability and reproducibility of synthetic oil is what makes it a far better choice - it's not just 'marketing fluff' lol
More repeatable lubrication, more repeatable cooling, more repeatable flow properties over more time. So when you introduce variability - like particulates and whatever it holds up much longer.

Maybe the debate is whether the added cost of synthetic is actually an "economically" smart decision versus conventional for a pickup.
Maybe, maybe not. If you can get 3x the mileage intervals at 2x the cost that's an economically smart decision in my mind!

As long as you change your oil regularly - this probbaly takes care of 95% of 'failure modes' anyways
But yeah once you're sending your oil out for lab testing it completely defeats the purpose of making an economically smart decision - if we're being honest

 

Firstly, I'm not sure the oil Lockheed uses is even remotely comparable to anything normal consumers buy for their 20 year old trucks. You don't go into AutoZone and ask for SR-71 oil. But I'm sure that doesn't deter companies from marketing their consumer products by saying they also sell stuff to NASA.

Yeah, companies spend a bunch of money on R&D, but in all honesty, I trust their marketing department about as far as I can throw them. Call me a skeptic.

I've been staring at a TON of data just in the last week (a completely unrelated subject, btw...), that if I wanted to market it and sell it, I would pick and choose what was displayed so that the best possible story is told. If I wanted to, I could pick and choose which imagery I included in my results to tell whatever story I wanted. Fortuneately for my cooperators and the science itself, I am bound by certain peer review standards.

 

I've seen enough to convince me synthetic is better than dino oil. Not sure any of the expensive stuff is better than Walmart branded oil, but synthetic protects better and protects longer between oil changes. You've got a good plan. Go for it.