I have some questions concerning this Issue. I have read some recent post saying that Synthetic Oil gives you better fuel milage. Does it really, I have no idea, has anyone tried it and actually seen a gain. I'm thinking of trying it if I hear enough positive feedback. Also does it help in other ways, IE. Horsepower, Engine Wear, Etc. I'm just kind of unknowlegable with this topic. I would appreciate any help that anyone can give me, weather it's something you read on a post or acctually experienced yourself. Thanks for your time!!!!!

 

I have read several articles in magazines that talk about how good synthetics are. On the Redline home page they actually show dynoed HP increase. In my opinion it is a better oil. This is what they put in corvettes and I think lightings from the factory. I actually change my oil every 6,000 miles with sythetic This off sets the price of the oil I also perfer to use Wix with that set up you can't go wrong.

I will say that you have brought up a subject that has been discussed to great legth and have allot of different opinions on this matter. read them all and decide for yourself.

 

To answer your question, yes many of us have noticed a slight increase in milage with synthetic oils, yet the increase is usually very minimal (in my case I probably get an extra 20 miles per tank on average at most which comes out to less than 1 additional mile per gallon.) I think most of us would agree that synthetics do have their advantages, and are generally superior to conventional oils. The biggest advantage with synthetics is they don't break down is viscosity as fast as conventional oils which means you can usually go farther inbetween oil changes. The synthetic crowd would also argue synthetics flow better and reduce heat and fricton better than conventional oils. On the other hand, there are many out there that feel the advantages you get with synthetics are either unnecessary accept in extreme applications, or else they feel the advantages of synthetic oils are simply not worth the added expense. I really couldn't argue with either point of view... Personally I use Mobil 1 5w-30 every 5,000 miles...

 

Usually the greatest determination of mileage is the viscosity. The viscosity is the same for synthetics and dino. That said, I personally will only run synthetic oil in my engine. There is no question they are better oils, only the question of if they are worth it or not.
Today, my truck will turn over 125,000 miles. I only use Moble 1 oil. They are worth it.

 

....regular oils can do a great job, frankly, especially if you change it religiously and routinely flush your engine for dirt and contaminants. I run synthetic (Mobil 1 5w-30) 'cause I stretch the change interval a bit and like to keep the engine clean as a whistle. Had the truck six years and would like to get another five or six out of it.

 

See "Under The Hood" issue on synthetic oil.
http://musclecars.blueygrey.com


Synthetic oil won't directly increase gas mileage or give a horsepower increase.

With that said, what it will do is provide a better, more uniform protection, against engine wear and the build up of deposits and "Sludge"

The reason is this :

Petroleum based oils are made of molecules that vary in size at the microscopic level. The problem with this is that when the petroleum based oils heat up, the smaller molecules tend to burn off over a period of time, leaving only larger molecules to provide protection for your engine and it's components.

The smaller molecules are the ones that seal to the internal parts of the combustion engine, this offers a "protective coating" against cold starts and general usage.

When these small molecules begin to burn off (and they begin to do so almost immediately), your engine loses more and more protection as time goes by. Combine this with the acidic build up in your oil and this is where engine wear occurs.

Synthetic Oils are made in a lab. They are 100% made by man, and because of this, they are designed with few of the problems that regular oil offers.

All Molecule sizes are the same. there is no variation, combine this with additives that fight against the acidic build up in your oil and they provide much better protection for your engine.

In short : A Synthetic Oil will offer more protection, and will make your engine run smoother, longer, than a regular petroleum oil.

Because the engine doesn't have to work as hard at times, due to the better protection, you may see a slight increase in gas mileage.

Directly, all it does is protect your engine better, it can handle higher temperatures and lower temperatures than regular petroleum which can increase the engines performance, or help to sustain it better in between oil changes.

I personally would not use it for "longer drain intervals" like Amsoil offers, but that's just me. I use it, it's worth it, if nothing else It's a bit of extra insurance against an early engine failure.


And No, i'm not an Amsoil distributor or affiliated in any way with any synthetic oil company.

I just think it makes sense. And a lot of automakers do too, Take the Corvette for example -- Shipped from the factory with synthetic, same as the Mustang Cobra, the Viper, Porsche. Etc.

Now Honestly, Automakers don't want these cars to run any longer than the regular sedan, truck or SUV. They use synthetic because it has a better heat range and will keep the motor in decent shape until it is out of warranty. These cars are typically run very hard, all the time, and Automakers want to make sure the car makes it through the warranty period before any breakages occur.

 

Better gas milage:

synthetics pump faster in the cold, therefore less drag on the engine.

Synthetics have a higher lubricity, because they are pure there is less internal friction with the lubrican. It flows better.

Synthetics higher a higher Viscosity Index, they change viscosity less.

Synthetics have a lower volitility, which means they are less prone to evaporation, therefore stay in grade over the life of the oil change. A thicker oil would give less mpg.

Since synthetics have better high temperature protection this would allow you to run a lighter weight of oil when comparing to a non-synthetic. A lighter weight of oil would free up some drag on the engine, and therefore give you more miles per gallon.

Synthetics in the transmission and rear differential have bee proven to increase gas milage over 4% in over the road trucks. (they pretty much come standard with synthetics now)

I would say you would see your best mpg gains with a synthetic in the winter time.

So I guess to answer your question, yes synthetics can give you more miles per gallon.

 

I really appreciate all of the replies to my post. It seems to me that a Synthetic Oil would be well worth the extra cost. In fact I just purchase some tonight. One other quick question, I have always sworn by Castrol, but I see alot of you are using Mobile 1. My qustion is, is Castrol a good Oil, I had a freind that was a motor head and he swore by it also. He said Castrol is one of the only engine oils which deviates heat and friction away from moving parts in the engine. Also last but not least I went out tonight and Purchased som Castrol Full Synthetic. There is also a Castrol partial synthetic which is alot cheaper than the full, but more expensive then regular oil. What do you all feel is the best, should I spend a little more to get the full syn. or next time should I just go with the partial syn. Thanks again guys I really love this site. I can't belive how helpful people are and I think it is a great thing. I also do my best to help others out when I can. Thanks again ROLLING ROCK 1978

 

I agree with American Muscle. I have been using Mobil One 5W-30 since my truck has had 1,000 miles on it. I don't like the extended change intervals, I believe the longest mileage I have between changes is about 3,100 miles. But that's just me. I also use the Mobil One oil filter because it seems to do a good job of filtering, compare the weight of the Mobil One filter to any other and it is pretty amazing. Does this translate into been filtering? I sure don't know but I have had no oil problems so far and now my truck is over 5 years and 68,000 miles old. I will continue to use Mobil One oil and oil filters because that's what I really feel comfortable with. However, there's a lot of other good filters out there and they are fine. I really think being strick and maintaining regular oil and filter changes are the most important factor in reducing oil related problems.

 

I love synthetics! Extra added insurance.

Mobile 1

Redline

 

I have not noticed any fuel economy or performance gains since I switched to synthetic oil. The difference will be 150,000 to 200,000 miles down the road when the truck is still performing great.
I seriously doubt if anyone can tell a dfference in the way their engine runs. I always think my truck runs better after I wash and wax it but that is all in my mind......same concept.

 

I didn't really notice an imrovement in power per say... I did (think atleast) I noticed the engine running a little smoother at highway speeds and when revving above say 3500 rpms...
Then again I always noticed the difference after washing and waxing aswell!

 

Would you really notice a 3-5% improvement????

What is 5% of 15 mpg?? That is .75 My gas mileage fluxuates more than that per tank.

But overall is you increase 5%, what would your yearly savings be? For every $100 in gas you spend you would save $5.

Hardley noticable if you ask me. One an equal basis synthetics mpg gains would not pay for itself if you are doing 3,000 mile drains. But if you increased it to say 10,000 miles. You would then benifit 2 fold.

 

I did see a slight increase in MPG when I switched to Mobil 1, however, any benefits were immediately lost when a installed my flowmaster the next month (I tend to have more of a lead foot know that my truck sounds so nice).

 

Hey, don't joke about the truck running better after a wash and wax. It's true I swear. I thought it was me but now after reading these post I know I am ok. Must be like us humans, I know I always feel better and run better after a wash and wax job

Anyhow, I have been using Vavoline Durablend 5W-30 for the past 20,000 miles but have really been thinking myself about finally starting to use the Mobile 1 full synthetic oil 5W-30.

I have not heard in any post, be it here on F150online, or other sites any thing bad about the Mobile 1 oil.