same end result; ones as good as the other; clean oil is happy oil

 

Maybe; but, my son's 1998 F150 has 240,000 on it and it has been on a steady diet of full synthetic since I bought the truck new in Jan' 1998. It is still going and shows little sign of any engine related issue. Would we have achieved the same on non-synthetic, we'll never know. Cost difference just isn't great enough to go cheap.

 

That pretty much nails it for me!

I use Mobil 1 and K&N filters. I usaully change at 3-5k miles.

 

I am always amazed by these types of posts. What is the down side of changing oil and filter frequently? What is the down side to utilizing the best oil available ? Sure, big business would like us all to believe that we need to change our oil every 3000 miles. I don't know if 3000 is magical or if 5000 or even 10000 will produce the same results. Regardless, I have seen and worked on vehicles whose owners didn't change the oil regularly. The costs to repair are always higher than the cost to change the oil. Oh. I know, some will say they are the same. They are not. In one instance, you pay as you go. In the other, you pay all at once.

I also had a 1985 Thunderbird that I finally retired with 195,000 miles on it. Same practice. Same results.

Each to his own. At 46, I have a good case of hardening of the attitude. I won't change my attitude. On the other hand, my oil will continue to be changed every 3000 and I will continue using Royal Purple. Castrol or Mobil 1 are pretty good too.

 

Amsoil here too. Changed KR to Amsoil at 500 miles and changed it again at 10K and just now at 20K. Never any problems with any vehicles that I run with Amsoil.

 

I've got a '97 5.4 liter that's got 160K-something (or is it 170K? CRS) that from 60K on up has seen oil changes using pretty much whatever oil I had on hand at the time, everything from 5W20 up to 10W40, but most of it has been conventional Valvoline. Someone mentioned underhood temps, well, I'm not in Arizona, but I am in southern Georgia where during the summer, ambient temps can reach 100 degrees with high humidity, and I haven't had an engine failure yet. Don't plan on it either.

Use something with the latest API rating, synthetic or conventional, it's your money, whatever floats yer boat. Use a good filter. Change it regularly. Quit worrying so hard about oils.

 

My dad's 86 Continental went 275k with conventional oil, and it still ran like a top when he got rid of it, only repair was a leaky intake gasket, no timing chain, valves, bearings, nothing.

I'm with Quintin, just put the grade the manufacturer specifies, whatever type you like, and move on.

 

I agree with Quintin. Really, I do. Our company runs anything availible for 5000 miles and all of our vehicles go well over 100,000 miles before being sold. But I just can't help it... I just feel better about the syn in my vehicles. Maybe if I didn't live in such a hot environment, I stopped watching the ads on TV, and with support and counseling..........
:o

 

Amsoil here as well. Since 2000 miles I been running 0w-30. 21000 miles as of now.

 

I always suggest the correct weight as not once in 45 years of selling parts, working on the line, working on my own cars, etc. have I EVER seen an engine fail from using the recommended weight. I have seen some interesting failures from too thin oil, and some truly bad failures from too thick oil.

Around here a normal commute can exceed 80 miles each way, running from 80+ to less than 5 on a typical freeway day.
Temps exceed anything I have ever seen listed in anyone's owners manual. There is a mountain range between the city I live in, and the city that people work in.

Cars and trucks around here normally clock up 40k a year.
Seeing a truck or car with two hundred K plus is nothing at all. There are probably a half dozen on my street alone.
So the 'high numbers' for synthetic are really not unusual. Most the high mileage cars locally have had a dozen different brands of oil in their life.


My high milage experiances include;
My second to last Grand Cherokee logged 262k, in three years, driven by six employees none of whom treated it right.
It was used for work, and since someone would always take it home at night and on weekends, it moved everything from bales of hay to engine blocks.
Never had the valve cover off.

Did replace the exhaust manifold three times, rebuild the tranny twice, and I don't want to talk about the thirty things that went wrong in the interior.

I sold it to an ex-employee, to use on his horse ranch. Last time I talked to him he thought it had hit 300k.

What miracle oil was used? Cheap Castrol 10w30 from Costco. Oil changes were every 3 er, 4, er when it looked dirty and I wasn't too busy.

My nephew’s first car was a Metro. He commuted from Palmdale to Edwards, 4 days a week, and to Northridge two days a week. Then to Bakersfield to see his girlfriend every Saturday night.
He racked up 178k on the car in three years, parked it for two years, and then sold it to a friend who uses it to commute from Lancaster into LA five days a week. 239k on the clock last month and never had the valve cover off.
What miracle oil? 10W30 Castrol changed every six K, more or less.


Highest original mileage I ever saw confirmed on a pickup truck with NO internal work was on a Chevy half ton, small block with 3 speed stick with overdrive, 312k in six years.

A frame anchor cracked off, dropping the drivers side way down. We stuffed a piece of 2x4 in there as a brace, and my brother in law (the owner) traded it in at the Chevy dealership. They thought it had 112 on the clock...
What miracle oil? 30 weight Rotelo.

My point is, if the oil meets the requirements, and is changed when it is dirty, any oil will exceed 100k in just about anything. And 200 is not really hard unless it's a Fiat or Yugo class car.

Now, to reverse the argument there is one place you do want superb oil in your engine.
If something goes wrong, example, seriously overheat it, or major over rev it, then the likelihood of it going from a power plant to a boat anchor is directly proportional to the quality of the oil.

So why not use superior synthetic blend oil that has great emergency characteristics, and is quite cheap?
Sounds like Motorcraft 5w-20…

Now if I could get Mobil one for 2.00 or even 2.50 a quart I would use it. The wife's car uses it (it's what is recommended by the maker), mostly to not have to 'stock' different brands around the house.

But no one has presented any reason not to use the Motorcraft and that’s in 15 months of reading three F-150 forums.
Chris

 

​​​​I have tried synthic oil in my 05 f150 5.4 3v i didnt get far maybe a couple of miles and it cut off , had to drain it out and put regular oil back in for my truck to even to crank back up. What was the deal with that?