Changed to Mobil 1 after 1,000 miles, then every 3750.

Paul

 

I work for one of the biggest oil companies, and spent a few years working in the Lubes dept. I'm a Systems Analyst, but I used the opportunity to bug everyone I could ( including our research lab at the time) about motor oils, synthetics, etc. The consensus seemed to be that API grades were getting so stringent that unless your car was turbo or supercharged, there was little reason for MOST folks (read not car fanatics) to pay the extra. There's no question that fully synthetic is best, just a question of whether the expense is worth it. On the other hand, should you be so unfortunate as to overheat your engine, synthetic is good insurance. It also flows a tiny bit faster on really cold start-ups. It has a tiny bit less friction, so theoretically gives you one or two horsepower. Your call.

 

I work for one of the biggest oil companies, and spent a few years working in the Lubes dept. I'm a Systems Analyst, but I used the opportunity to bug everyone I could ( including our research lab at the time) about motor oils, synthetics, etc. The consensus seemed to be that API grades were getting so stringent that unless your car was turbo or supercharged, there was little reason for MOST folks (read not car fanatics) to pay the extra. There's no question that fully synthetic is best, just a question of whether the expense is worth it. On the other hand, should you be so unfortunate as to overheat your engine, synthetic is good insurance. It also flows a tiny bit faster on really cold start-ups. It has a tiny bit less friction, so theoretically gives you one or two horsepower. Your call.

 

Unless it's recommended from the factory, at or over 100hp per liter or I'm racing, there is no need for the synthetic and I'm not going to bother nor spend the $.

Anyway, I would never keep the car beyond any extended warranty offered from Infiniti so it doesn't matter.

2 months or 1,000 miles? - GRIN - I don't think even the 600rwhp Supra owners do that!!!!!!!!!!

'02 H-D Softail Deuce
'03 G35C auto arriving 1/03
'99 Solara SLE V-6 to be replaced

 

Depends on the driver. If soccer mom drives the kids to school and then home to bake cookies everyday, Quality Dino-Oil is more than acceptable. I know I will be driving my car hard. Always allow a suffecient warm up period of course, but for maximum protection, synthetic is the way to go. I'm partial to Redline fluids, but Mobil1 seems to be the best bang for the buck for consumer grade...without the bang of course.

Straights are for fast cars...Turns are for fast DRIVERS<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by AWD_Dan on 11/06/02 11:00 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

I put in full synthetic at 500 miles. My friend from college is a chemical engineer and she worked on the formulation of Castrol's full synthetic. According to her it truly is better for the car (they did A LOT of testing), and certainly worth the extra $10 per oil change in my opinion.

 

No question synthetic is better but unless an owner plans on keeping it for well over 100,000 miles (highly unlikely) or keeping it for a LONG time (even more unlikely) - it's not a collectable - then synthetic is a waste of money.

Perhaps if someone arqued the oil change intervals are less frequent, I could go with the environmental benefit. However, the owners manual (hence warranty) is the final say for ownership experience and that is where regular oil is just fine.
Any thing more is excessive and unnecessary.


'02 H-D Softail Deuce
'03 G35C auto arriving 1/03
'99 Solara SLE V-6 to be replaced

 

You're so practical, Deuuuce. But don't forget about the 1 or 2 H/P involved with using synthetic: that's all it takes to justify it's use for me. And who knows, some of us may even end up keeping our G's for more than 2 or 3 years.
Gsedanman- Garnet Fire Sedan (with synthetics)