high mileage vs synthetic oil
im now over 80k miles.. my vx is growing up so fast!
heres my question.. my last 40k have been run with mobil1 full synthetic almost exclusively.. (5w30 and 10w30 depending on season/availability) but now im wondering if it would be better to switch to high mileage formulas or to just stick with regular synthetic.. i havent seen a high mileage specific synthetic.. anyone make one of them?
and i always run a mobil1 filter (except this last change, i got a K&N oil filter at a great price)
Ahh... my favorite topic..
Hey everyone... figured I'd chime in on this one. This topic was always of interest to me and a few years back I finally sat down and researched the crap out of it as I got tired of the guesswork and needed certain answers.
First of all, I'll apologize up front for this is going to be a LONG POST!
TO ANYONE CURRENTLY USING FRAM OIL FILTERS IN THEIR VEHICLES:
Remove that piece of sh*t now! It is absolutely one of the worst things you can use in your Vx/vehicle! Remove it, even if you still have plenty of miles left 'till your oil change or just did a fresh one. Those FRAM filters have many weak points almost on every level - flow rate, efficiency, structural integrity (collapsing), etc...
>> FILTERS
I've done a veeery extensive search on the filters (short of bench-testing) and pretty much concluded that I will only use one of the two brands of oil filters.
Mobil 1
Purolator PureONE
Both filters are the same in a sense that they outperform pretty much anything else out there, but there is a slight difference between the two:
- Mobil 1 has a high-flow rate: that is the amount of oil per minute through the filter
- PureONE has a higher density material and able to capture particles smaller that Mobil 1, but the trade off is your flow rate is lower so you don't pump as many gallons per minute as Mobil 1
So you've got to ask what vehicle will perform better with which oil filter.
On my 1993 Mazda RX7 and Vx I use Mobil 1 because I tend to keep it closer to redline ;)
On my Econolines at work we use PureOne since it's mostly low RP, idling, etc..
>> OIL
I use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 10W-30 on the Vx that I switched back when my mileage was in high 50's. It gradually increased fuel economy and noticeably "livelier" motor response. I mean she zooms! And that's not easy for a vehicle like Vx with 4wd and that much weight.
BTW, whenever you go from mineral to synthetic oil, you should do that in stages, adding more synthetic blend (25-30%) each oil change until full synthetic.. and you want to do it around 50k or so while the motor is still fresh. For motors over 75k I'd probably just stick with the stuff you're already using.
On all my other vehicles I use Castrol GTX 5w-30, 10w-30 because it is a good performing mineral oil. It doesn't break down like Quaker state or Pennzoil, imho. We use Castrol GTX on our vans because it is budget-friendly and I use it on my RX7 because I can't use synthetic in a rotary motor.
Now, for those who don't know - RX7s are very sensitive to the kind of oil you use because it is such a major part of engine operation (it actually injects oil with fuel.. so burning oil is part of the FI process, not just lubrication). So when you change to a different brand, you notice it. Personally, the best results I got was with Castrol GTX by far. Didn't burn as much, motor ran smoother... "lighter" - quicker throttle response, temperatures a lot more consistent. Other brans I used were Valvoline, Pennzoil, and Quaker State and I've have two Rx7s that I've driven in Central Florida since 1997 so I've got enough years of experimentation ;)
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So I hope this helps. Please remember that the feedback I posted here is based on my personal experience. It may vary for others. Sorry again for the long post but remembering my personal turmoil of not knowing for sure I will jump at the opportunity to share my experience with others the best I can.
Cheers!
should I be using synth at this point ?
Ok I just got a VX last month and I really love it but I bought it with very high mileage and it needs a bit of work- I know that the previous owner just used regular oil... I am wondering if it is worth it to switch to synthetic at this point. I am ask because I heard that unless a vehicle owner used synth from the start, then the bennifits of using the synthetic oil wont be attainable.
What do you guys think?
p.s. I just hit 140k and I would like it to go another 140k