It's intresting however......I buy my Mobil 1 wholesale & bring it to my independent mechanic to change (along with my own oil filter). On average it's only about $10 canadian more for the synthetic oil change over conventional......I make that back easily by buying gasoline when it's 12 - 15 cents a litre cheaper than usual. If the synthetic is engineered to protect at higher temperatures (just in case) & flow better during colder temperatures (not to mention resist breakdown MUCH better than dino) isn't that a big bonus in the long run? That's what I call getting excellent value & a much better product.

 

Maybe so. However, your engine would never experience temperature high enough to warrant synthetic. (otherwise there's something serious wrong with the engine.) As for cold temperature, unless you get minus 40F a lot where you live, it makes no difference. Try this, put a dino 5W30 in your freezer and see how it flows. (That's about minus 10F to 0F in most freezers.) It flows fine in my test a few years ago.

If synthetic can really save fuel as some have claimed, auto makers would put synthetic in its SUVs to help with the CAFE number. Even diet pills commercials can find people who say "I lost 20 pounds!" I have never seen a commercial that says "I got 2 more MPG by switching to Mobil One" or "I got 3 more HPs by switching to Syntec."

 

Make it an even test, also put the same volume of synthetic oil in at the same time. Give it at least 8-10 hours to simulate overnight parking. Then compare the flow rates.


Lexusfreak post your resutls, just clear the experiment with the wife before putting oil next to the ice cream.


steviej

 

Nah, real man can put tranny in the bathtub without wife's approval.

I didn't have synthetic oil, so I only froze the Havoline 5W30 that I had a few years back. I put the bottle in a plastic bag so it didn't get any attention. Anyway the oil flew fine. It'd be interesting to see the results anyway.

 

LOL steviej! I'll give it a try when I get a chance & report back on the results!

 

Have been entertained by this debate since my first car over 30 years ago. The average oil temperature in the sump indeed should never get to dangerous temperatures, but what do you think the temperature of the film lining the cylinders and beneath the piston rings gets to during the 1200 degree plus power stroke? Read the independent chemical analyses of dino versus synth after very few miles, and after the added effects of moisture accumulation after a few temperature cycles.

An engine as well engineered as some of the Toyota motors will last an awfully long time with basic TLC, even with dino. Do most of us care if it will go 700,000 on synth but only 600,000 on dino? Probably not. It's all about odds. The average human lifespan is almost 80 years, but we still buy life insurance for our children.

 

Very good point. Chances are when a car gets over 100,000 miles, it will be passed down to a teenager in the family. Chances are that same teenager will total the car before the next oil change.

 

People say I waste my time & money using synthetic......I pay $30+ for a complete synthetic oil change with a Mobil 1 filter as I get the Mobil 1 oil wholesale so I have no worries. Oh & Steviej, the freezer test.......synthetic flowed quite a bit faster than the dino at least in my freezer gent's! both in the freezer 13 hours & I even put the synthetic right by the "blower" and the dino on the bottom shelf away from the "colder" air flow! sorry guy's, "dino" oil still takes a back seat to synthetic yet again!

 

OK. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Lexusfreak.....totally expected results. Thanks for the research.

By the way.....how does the ice cream taste now?

steviej

 

It scoups out of the container a lot easier now....not sure why! lol I thought the results might be a tad closer than they were......I even gave the dino oil a break & it still got pummeled!

 

My final parting shot:
From VOLVO Service Manager Bulletin Group 22, Number 3 Dated June 2000:

"Note: SYNTHETIC OILS are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for vehicles operating in temperature extremes (very cold or very hot climates), continuous mountain driving, trailer pulling, and for turbocharged engines."

(Emphasis theirs!)

You make the call.

Cheers!

 

The Asian car companies, however, don't specifically recommend synthetics for their cars, even their performance cars. Not even for the Toyota Land Cruiser and other vehicles they sell in the extremely hot Middle Eastern countries. Maybe that's because the Asian car companies better engineer their cars to withstand extreme conditions compared to the Europeans.

 

Volvos engines are turbo charged. They run very hot so synthetic is warranted. The 1MZ-FE engine isn't turbo charged, so there.

 

Why don't we simplify the argument? If both cost the same, which would you buy? I hope synthetic because the only negative I know of vs. conventional is it can cause oil leaks in older engines as it flows better and dislodges old sludge.

I just bought my wife a 2001 RX300 with 42K and am debating using synthetic just because I do not think we will keep the truck more than another 40-50K. As Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic runs about $4.00/qt. and conventional is about $1.00-1.50/qt, synthetic is more than twice the price. So, the cost difference per oil change is $15.00 max based on a 5qt. capacity. As such, I know that the synthetic will flow better and faster, have better film strength, lower sludge and coking and last longer. I know most of you will tell me that I should still change the oil and filter every 3-5K but I am going to run the synthetic 8K with a filter change at 4K. From everything I have read and test results posted on the web, this looks perfectly acceptable. In fact, some companies like Porsche run the synthetic 15K per interval. A good friend of mine who has had (2) 911s and one Boxter S has questioned Porsche dealers/mechanics on this philosophy and they all conclude the synthetic oil is fine to 15K and anything less is a complete waste of money. Now Porsche builds some nice stuff, and I am pretty sure they expect their cars & customers to see redline more often that Lexus. Porsche and other manufactures put it in their highend, performance vehicles where extreme conditions may be experienced. I am sure they researched the benefits of synthetic oil in their labs and proving grounds before spending the additional money.

Now I know people are getting as much as 600K on this site out of their engines using conventional oil. To me, $15.00 – 20.00 more per oil change just to have quicker oil flow is worth it. To some it may not be. Then again, most us paid extra to drive a Lexus vs. a similar Toyota (ES300 – Camry, RX300 – Highlander, LX470 – Cruiser). Both are fine products with one having a higher perceived value.

I just want to use the best I can reasonably afford. If the cost of an oil change were to differ say by $100.00, then I would use conventional but for $15.00 – 20.00 per change, I’ll do the synthetic.