Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives How many of you guys use synthetic oil?

How many of you guys use synthetic oil? and if so what brand do you prefer.

I have used mobil 1 synthetic for some years and have recently tried AMSoil.

Hearing the difference in the way the vehicle cranks in sub-zero temperatures is one good selling point. Increased fuel mileage is another.


What is your experience?

RD

I use M1 in my truck and wifes Blazer. I use 10-30 in the Blazer,and I mix 5qts of 10-30 and 2qts. of 15-50 in my truck. M1 is one of the very best and I can find it at any auto parts store. I used Amsoil for one OCI,but it was too hard to find as well as being $2 more per qt.

I also have M1 ATF in the transmission,and the rear diff carries the GM synthetic gear lube.

I have used M1 in all my vehicles since 1989 and I have never had any engine problems. My 97 Jeep with 112k miles has had M1 10w-30 in it since 3k miles and it doesn't leak, smoke or use any oil.

BTW no problem with sub-zero starts either.

I used in a '87 S-10 Blazer when we lived in Fairbanks. It did work better than dinosaur oil, that's for sure. The truly hardcore ran synthetic in their gearboxes too. When we moved a bit farther south (Kodiak and Sitka) I stopped as it wasn't really worth it, plus I mostly buy older used vehicles.

However, I still run it in my Honda outboard on the skiff. That engine runs 4500rpm for hours, far away from help, and the extra peace of mind is much appreciated.

Straight dino user here, with 3k OCIs.

I use Castrol Syntec 5w-30 but will be switching to Shell Rotella T synthetic 5w-40 next oil change. That way I will have 1 oil for all my engines both gas and diesel. I used Mobil 1 but found my engines used more oil between changes than with the other synthetics. Amsoil is too expensive and not all weights carry the API certification.

None of my vehicles get better mileage with the synthetics than dino oil.

Same here,IMO if synthetics give ANY mileage increase,it would be so small as not to notice.

A great place to buy the Rotella is Wal-mart. They sell 5qt. jugs for about $12.

Switching to synthetic oil in your front and rear differentials will show an improvement in your gas mileage in extreme cold weather. Do you notice a difference in sub zero starts when using dino oil vs synthetic? At 12.5 MPG I'll take every tenth of a MPG I can get.

I use either Mobile 1 or Pensoil Synthetic exclusively in my hunting vehicle.

I got 150k miles out of '91 Explorer and when I got rid of it, the engine purred like a kitten.

My '99 Expedition has been using it since day one.

Tony.

I use M1 in my 2000 F150. I used dino oil for my last change, as M1 was out every where when I changed it last time. It's due for another change, which I will do next week with M1 5W-30. I have noticed easier cranking when it's cold outside, and my differentials are straight synthetic. I did get about 1 mile to the gallon greater when I switched to them.

Hudge

Where I live a REALLY cold day might be 25* For the most part the average winter temps are about 45-50*

I don't know if the front diff carries a synthetic lube,but the transfer case and tranny have M1 ATF,and the rear diff has whatever synthetic GM uses.

I'd take any amount of MPG increase I cound find. In town my 8.1 liter gets about 9-10MPG and on the freeway a good day MIGHT be 14. I've been keeping track of the mileage since I bought it,and IME neither Amsoil or M1 has shown any difference that I can detect. There have been tanks where the MPG was better and where it was worse. I can't contribute any increase to synthetics.

I've used the Castrol Blend for about the last 60k in my 87 Suburban. 140k still going strong. No smoking, no perceptable loss of power. I usually try to change it every 6k. Not because it needs changing, but just because. I use one of the more expensive filters and get double the time out of my oil changes.

It has noticeably more viscosity left at 6k than traditional oil at 3k. I've ran it for over 8k on cross country trips and was impressed at how "good" the oil still was when I changed it.

I'd also admit that I believe cold weather starting is a bit easier.

I am a synthetic motor oil and gear lube believer. Although Consumer Reports did the famous "NYC Taxi Test", see "The Surprising Truth About Motor Oils" in the July 1996 issue, and basically determined that any oil that is "API Certified" is good. Since the majority of engine "wear" occurs when the oil has dropped back into the lower crank case and the upper end in "dry", I want my oil to flow as quickly as is possible and I think that synthetic does that better than fossel oil.

I like Castrol full synthetic and typically runs 4x4s out to around 200K before selling them. I change the full synthetic at 6K. The only full synthetic that I haven't liked was M1 0W40, as it leaked/seeped badly from my wife's 4.0 litre straight 6 Jeep GC Laredo. Although, I must note that all 3 of the 4.0 litre straight 6 Jeeps that we've owned were chronic oil leakers. My current hunting rig is a 1993 Grand Cherokee Limited with 156k on all of the original parts. The 5.2 litre V8 still gets between 15 and 18 MPG and uses about 1/2 quart of oil every 6K.

I do think that synthetic gear lube is a MUST, even if you don't tow anything, particularly anywhere with hot summer weather and significant hills.

Jeff

I use the 5w40 synthetic Rotella in my '97 Cummins .

I don't think I've seen any real difference in fuel milege , but there is a LARGE improvement in cranking ease in sub-freezing temperatures. The instant reading on the oil pressure guage after starting rather than waiting about 2 minutes is reassuring too.

15w40 diesel grade dino oil pours about like axle grease at -0 F .

I've been using Mobil One synthetic exclusively for the past eight years. Currently using it on a 99 Jeep Wrangler and a 03 Dodge pickup. I think it flows more quickly and evenly to engine parts--especially in the Winter.

I use mobil one exclusivley in my vehicles engines and use synthetic differential oil as well.The engine cranks over much faster on our cold -40 days.Since cold starts are a large factor in engine wear the engines lifespan is also increased.The differentials take less power to turn as well.

Mobil1 for both our vehicle's engines and Mobil1 gear oil in my rig's std transmission, transfer case and differentials.

MtnHtr

Front & rear diffs, transfer case and tranny all have synthetic lube in them. Can't say if it improved my mileage or not as I switched to synthetic at the same time I replaced the engine. I stuck with the synthetic in the engine because the sub-zero starts were easier with it. I believe the synthetics in the driveline help tremendously in the cold weather. With the dino lube you could feel the drag of the oil as the truck lost much of its speed between shifts.

I get 12 mpg if I drive it easy and stay at 55 mph. Normal commuting I get about 10 mpg. In the cold weather I get about 7-8mpg depending on how cold and how long the trips are.

Run the RPM's up over 2000 and it gets thirsty in a hurry, but I didn't get a 7.5L for it's fuel economy.

I use quite a variety of motor oils as I several rigs. In the Smudge Pot (1990 Ford diesel 4x4) I am currently using shell Rotella. In both BMW's I run Red Line. In my Polaris Quad and Yamaha out board I use Mobil 1. Mobil 1 will not foam like dino oil in the Quad or outboard. Everything else gets Valvoline 10-30.

Bullwnkl