Motor Oil (Conventional, Synthetic Blend, Full Synthetic)

[Bean Counter]

So my 2005 4WD Tundra has a 5,000 mile interval for oil changes.  I'm at 60,000 miles. The book doesn't tell me which of the three types of oil I should use. I've always used synthetic blend. I'm considering a permanet switch to full synthetic but I'd like to know if I can eek out a few more thousand miles per oil change or if the extra wear on the engine would defeat the benefit of the synthetic. I want to switch to synthetic oil so that the engine lasts longer, but it would also be nice both financially and for conveniences sake that I don't have to change so often.

Does anybody who has a 5K oil change interval use synthetic and go 7.5K with each change of the oil & filter? That way, over a 15,000 period, I could change the oil only twice and not three times.  With the price of synthetic oil over synth blend, it seems as though either option would cost about the same, but I hear that synth  brings many more years and miles to the life of an engine.

Then there's the option of going with a super long-life oil such as Amsoil for a full 15,000, and changing the filter (but not the oil) every 5K... 

[Sportfury]

Bean this might be a good question to ask over at TundraSolutions.com on their forums. For me I seriously considered moving to a full sythetic like Royal Purple or the Amsoil. I thought I would go with a full sythetic at the dealership just to see if their was a difference. The dealer told me to carefully consider this option. They said that once you go full synthetic that it does something to the seals in your engine and you cannot go back. With the synthetic blend I currently run they said I could go back to a regular oil if I was in a bind. I decided to stay with the syn blend.

[lazydrifter]

I run Mobil 1 full synthetic in my Tacoma.  I switched over at 20000 miles.  The dealer told me to go 7500 miles between changes.  I still only go 5000 but at least if I go over a a few miles  it's no big deal.   I just read an article on this and they said you can change back at any time.

[jackelope]

The dealer told me to carefully consider this option. They said that once you go full synthetic that it does something to the seals in your engine and you cannot go back. .

this is b.s. it is best to wait till 10k miles or more on a new engine IMO if you want to switch to synthetic, but there is no reason you can't switch back.
disclaimer:
if you ask 10 different people their opinions on synthetic oils or oils in general, you will likely get at least 8 different answers.

[BLKBEARKLR]

only eight???

I would have thought it would be at least 12

[Bob33]

I used to change conventional oil at 3K.  I now run Mobil 1 in my Toyota Tacoma and change it every 5K.  Full synthetic is the best.

[Bean Counter]

Bean this might be a good question to ask over at TundraSolutions.com on their forums.

A forum... just for us Tundra owners???  All I can say is  

I'm sorry life as a F-150 owner isn't as cool as an owner of a Tundra   

[Sportfury]

Figures I shouldn't listen to the dealer. It was a girl that told me that to   

A forum... just for us Tundra owners???  All I can say is  

I'm sorry life as a F-150 owner isn't as cool as an owner of a Tundra   

Same goes for owning a dodge     

[mazama]

I run full synthetic in my 94 f150, i change it at 10,000 but ichange the filter at 3000 and add a fresh quart of oil.

[elkaholic123]

Check what Amsoil recommends,I run it in my 08' Duramax and it says I can go about 15,000 between oil changes,$100.00 per change is spendy but divide by 3 and it all works out!Jerry

[Rick]

Why not just run a conventional oil at 5000?

Todays oils will easily run 5000 without issue.

Unless you live in extreme heat or cold,synthetics aren't worth the added expense.

With 5000 mile changes with conventional oil,your engine will still be running like a top 150,000 miles from now.

 

[Bean Counter]

Rick,
I'd really like to see my truck on the road at 300,000 miles. Whether its with me driving it or not.

I moved down to the Sonoran Desert five months ago and like a  -head didn't immediately switch to synthetic oil but made my poor engine endure the 110-115 degree heat with Mobil 5000 (which is either a synthetic blend or a conventional with synthetic additives). I'm finally switching as the fall months approach but for next summer it should be attuned to and get the benefit from the synthetic.

[Rick]

Rick,
I'd really like to see my truck on the road at 300,000 miles. Whether its with me driving it or not.

I moved down to the Sonoran Desert five months ago and like a  -head didn't immediately switch to synthetic oil but made my poor engine endure the 110-115 degree heat with Mobil 5000 (which is either a synthetic blend or a conventional with synthetic additives). I'm finally switching as the fall months approach but for next summer it should be attuned to and get the benefit from the synthetic.

In your situation the synthetics make sense. If you're going pay more for a synthetic,make sure you get a group IV and not a group III. Group III is basically highly refined conventional,where Group IV is a true synthetic.

I'd look at Mobil 1,Royal Purple,Redline,Amsoil,and Schaeffer. Mobil 1 being the easiest to find.

Castrol,Pennzoil,Havoline,Valvoline,Chevron and most other synthetics fall under the group III catagory.

[huntnphool]

I'd look at Mobil 1,Royal Purple,Redline,Amsoil,and Schaeffer. Mobil 1 being the easiest to find.

 I've been using Redline in a couple of my cars with pretty good results. My wifes car uses Mobil 1 and the dealership changes it every 12,000 miles, well beyond convention. Delo 400 for my Powerstrokes so for me its synthetics all the way around.

[TEX-X]

blah blah blah if you swith to synthetic you can't go back... honestly in my opinion that is straight up crap!  I run Mobil 1 synthetic in my daily driver.... and i run Castrol GTX in everything else i own....  I have a drag car I run GTX in it as well...  wait until your engine is broken in good IE 10,000 miles like previously said before swithching to a synthetic... synthetics tend to be so slick that it won't allow parts to properly break in from the git go...  be sure to put some miles on it....  Royal purple is good stuff but from an engine builders perspective i don't like it for the simple fact is that it turns everything in the motor a purplish brown color...  you can't go wrong with mobil one or castrol syntec in my opinion... another one i stay away from is quaker state....  some of their oils are  Parafin based (like candle wax)  I'm not saying it's not a good oil because i know people who have used it  and it work fine... but i'm not putting it in anything i own 

[Woodchuck]

yes synthetic lubricates better, the only downfall is that the molecules are smaller, so what is a small oil leak will become more pronounced, i sell amsoil and just as a little testimonial, a honda accord i have is supposed to have valves adjusted every 30k, i put amsoil in it at 10k, opened it at 187k and had one valve .002 out, the rest were on the money. i suggest that if you go amsoil run 6k, change the filter(use a premium filter NOT FRAM) and add what you lose, then do a full change in another 6 and so on. there is no reason you cant switch back to conventional at any point, tht is just someone trying to keep you in-house

[TEX-X]

the way you get around the leaking seals when you run sythetic is to run a thicker oil....  say from a 5W-30 change to a 20W-50... that'll usually curb it for a while...  (i'm not talking about a worn engine that has blow by.... but an engine that has leaking valve seal for instance...)

[Woodchuck]

um........ i would offer different advice on that

[Buckmark]

the way you get around the leaking seals when you run sythetic is to run a thicker oil....  say from a 5W-30 change to a 20W-50... that'll usually curb it for a while...  (i'm not talking about a worn engine that has blow by.... but an engine that has leaking valve seal for instance...)

Oh yes please do this, i love engine replacment jobs, good money maker
DO NOT PUT 20-50 in an engine that calls for 5w whatever oil.
On the syn, blend, conv argument, how many on here have ever had a true oil related engine failure? im talking you were religious about your service, change oil and filter every 3k or so, made sure the level was full all the time and used the same brand and weight of oil and your engine failed due to the oil you used??
Lack of oil or lack of maintinance accounts for almost every failure i see, i see quite a few.
I'm not sold on syn or blends, clean oil and full of oil is as important or more important, how many of you are really going to keep yur vehicle long enough to know if it really is better? Do you have 2 vehicles that are the same to have a comparable? I have had lots of engines in lots of stuff (cars, trucks, tractors, lawnmowers, etc etc) and never had failures that were soley caused by the oil i was using, have had trucks with over 300k that used conventional oil its whole life that ran fine.
My dad has a 1970 nova that was my great uncles bought new in 1970, original engine still runs great and who knows what brand or weight of oils have been used.
 

[Woodchuck]

 

[TEX-X]

"Oh yes please do this, i love engine replacment jobs, good money maker
DO NOT PUT 20-50 in an engine that calls for 5w whatever oil."

sounds like a generic answer for a stealership trying to get out of warranty work is what that sounds like to me....  always trying to blame an engine failure on something the customer did instead of an actual engine failure...  I'm not saying that customers don't screw up and shell motors.... they do.... but that is not the case 100 percent of the time....  the man was asking for personal opinions so i gave it to him...  I run a smaller auto repair shop i'm my own boss and i'm not saying i know everything in the world but hey i know my way around a few motors.... I'm pretty sure that the old 1970 nova that you speak of has at one time or the other used a heavier weight oil to curb leaking valve seals...  I have a 454 chevrolet i built that now now has about 35,000 miles on it... i've ran 20w-50 in it its whole life... the tolerances on bearing clearances and all that garb were alot looser in the 70's than they are today...  if you don't think that people have engine failures as a result of *censored*ty oil you are sadly mistaken....sludge gunk and grime that cheaper oils cannot clean out as readily will clog oil passages and that will result in  engine failure..I just R&Red a 03 chrysler 4.7 that the customer had used coastal 5w-30 from the dollar tree...the internals on the motor looked like someone had poured liquid charcoal into the motor.I did not tell the above person to put 20W-50 into his NEW tundra that is straight up retarded... I simply put that answer into the post from JIMKD8 about synthetic molecules being smaller than conventional...in return cause a motor to leak...  I agree...   I've only given my 2 cents....  that in no way shape or form is exactly what the starter of the topic should do....  it's not bad advice it's advice i follow myself... to each his own...Read my posts and understand them before you run your *censored*ing mouth...

[Buckmark]

Whoo, Whoo there TEX, i understood your post, you said heh if your running 5w30 just change over to 20w50, and that is bad advice for a late model vehicle, you did not qualify your statment by saying if it is an older engine, say 80's or older.
As far as the Nova, it use's 10w30 castrol, i know because i service the vehicle.
And no i do not work for a dealer.
I have been doing and have been in the repair business for over 27yrs so its not a hobby for me and i'm not saying i know everthing but i do have alot of experience to draw from.
My grandfather had a saying "Grease is cheaper than parts", change your oil often, use a good quality oil and make sure the level is full between changes and you should never have an oil related failure.
The #1 reason for failures that i have been seeing lately is lack of oil in engines, lack of service at regular intervals and routine level checks.
Extended service intervals of 7500+ miles is great but you still need to check the level and people do not do this, an engine will consume oil during normal use and when the manufacture says they dont need to service as often then checking it gets over looked, which leads to low levels, oil starvation and engine failure. Almost every single engine failure i see, the first thing i pull is the oil level indicator (dipstick) and it is usually dry..

 

[huntnphool]

My wife and I bought a brand new Honda Accord back in 89 that we ended up giving to my brother about 3 years ago. The car has 400K+ on it, still gets 30+mpg and runs like a top. I had always done the oil myself and used Castrol 10-30. That being said I do use synthetics in my current cars.

[TEX-X]

Whoo, Whoo there TEX, i understood your post, you said heh if your running 5w30 just change over to 20w50, and that is bad advice for a late model vehicle, you did not qualify your statment by saying if it is an older engine, say 80's or older.
As far as the Nova, it use's 10w30 castrol, i know because i service the vehicle.
And no i do not work for a dealer.
I have been doing and have been in the repair business for over 27yrs so its not a hobby for me and i'm not saying i know everthing but i do have alot of experience to draw from.
My grandfather had a saying "Grease is cheaper than parts", change your oil often, use a good quality oil and make sure the level is full between changes and you should never have an oil related failure.
The #1 reason for failures that i have been seeing lately is lack of oil in engines, lack of service at regular intervals and routine level checks.
Extended service intervals of 7500+ miles is great but you still need to check the level and people do not do this, an engine will consume oil during normal use and when the manufacture says they dont need to service as often then checking it gets over looked, which leads to low levels, oil starvation and engine failure. Almost every single engine failure i see, the first thing i pull is the oil level indicator (dipstick) and it is usually dry..

 

I definately agree with your grandfather..that is why i religiously change oil at 3500 on EVERYTHING  I just can't let my self let an engine go 5000 plus miles on an oil even if it's the recommendation of the oil maker.  oil is cheaper than parts.... i didn't mean to jump your ass... it's been a bad morning...  I hate dealerships and the only thing i hate more is talking to the Techs... yes i know that there are a bunch of good techs and dealerships out there but they are getting few and far between..... i should've clarified on my 20W-50 advice being for an older motor...  my apologies...

[Woodchuck]

kum by yah my lord kum by yah, hang in there boys i think we all hate dealerships!   (pot shot at jackelope intended  , teasing, teasing)

[TEX-X]

hopefully jackelope isn't anything like the yahoo stealership techs that i've had dealings with

[Woodchuck]

no, he is a good guy i just had to give him crap

[Buckmark]

 

[huntnphool]

 Besides, Jackelope is the one you give the keys to and shake hands with when you pick it up, he don't get grease on his hands.

[TEX-X]

lmfao!  i think they prefer being called "administrative technician"

[huntnphool]

I have to admit that Jackelope did indeed bait his own hook when we went sturgeon fishing, so I know its not that he's afraid to get his hands dirty or stinky

[mazama]

Checked the oil for a girl i know,it was 2 quarts low, she said what's the problem it has 3 more left,i just kept my mouth shut.