It's not a huge can of worms, it's clear. Synthetic oil is better in every way. It lasts longer, it goes 2x longer between changes, but it costs 2x more. If you want fewer oil changes and a longer-lasting engine, get synthetic. Not a valid comparison to higher octane gas because it's not any better if the engine isn't programmed/designed for it. Synthetic is always better.

Synthetic oil offers a lot of benefits for engines under extreme conditions. This is an informative video, by the way. Thanks!

I live in Canada and use synthetic oil in my car because of the big temperature difference between winter and summer (I guess that it could be sort of like extreme temperature conditions. It could be 35 celcius during the summer and -35 celcius during the winter.). Synthetic oil is suppose to cause less ware on the engine and circulate through the engine faster compared to mineral oil.

I'm 73 years old and have used vehicles for hauling loads, drag raced, raced gocarts, farm tractors. I have used Castrol in everything that burns gas,Rotella in the deisels. The miles between oil changes depend more on how a vehicle is used. A vehicle driven 25 miles or more on start up can go with longer oil changes than a car that is driven 5 miles on start up, reason contamination, oil does no't wear out in gets contaminated, driving farther at start up evaperates moisture from the crank case. If a manufactor recomends syn I would probably use it.I have never had an engine to blow up. Pretty cans and fancy words cost you money.

in a nutshel synthetic oil is more thermal stable and has much higher shear strength than regular oil

I don't know why people keep saying synthetic oils are so expensive, because they simply are not. On 11/1/2014 i bought a 5 quart jug of Pennzoil Platinum Full synthetic oil for $22.97 at Wal-Mart; which is only a few dollars more exspensive than the CHEAPEST 5 quart jug conventional oil sold at Wal-mart. Also, Wal-Marts' brand of Full-synthetic oil "Motor-tech" was only $17.97. Personally i wouldn't use that brand, but you can get Full-Synthetic oil with out paying an arm and a leg.

Porsche tested the difference between conventional and synthetics 25 years ago and determined (among other benefits) that cam shaft chains stretched less with synthetics than with conventional oils. Following this, they began recommending synthetics in their cars.

So there's no negative effects of using synthetic. That pretty much answers it for me. Thank you!

Nice job guys! May I interject an idea here. First, I use synthetic, baby my car, and do all the work on it myself. My car is known for high reliability, but is on the lower end of the expensive electronic equipment equipment. With the ever increasing costs of vehicles, people should consider running their reliable cars a lot longer. Granted, you won't have the latest technology nor the best looking women chasing you, but you just might have some money to retire on! 500k miles, here I come!

Great format Ben & Russ!

Synthetic oil has better cold starting ability because it flows better at lower temps

First off yes, it is a better grade of oil when comparing it to conventional oil. However, that is not the problem. The real problem exist from the fact that no matter what type of oil you use, it becomes a problem because of contamination. Contamination occurs when hydrocarbons, exhaust gases, and unburned fuel enter the crankcase as a result from these harmful gases slipping by the rings. In a newer car, not so bad. But when an older car becomes older and more worn, this is when it becomes a factor in a shorter period of time. When contamination occurs, that is when the oil should be changed. The chemical change that takes place when and how a vehicle is used in relation to how many miles it has mainly decides when the oil should be changed.

Thanks guys, what you say makes so much sense.

This video is by far the best information been provided on Syth & Mineral oils. Cheers !

Fairly important. In older vehicles you wold get detonation (knocking and pinging) that would cause excessive wear and possible failure of the motor. In modern vehicles the engine computer will back off the timing and prevent this detonation however the engine will not be running as it was intended to and this will cause a loss in power and efficiency.

Years ago, like most people, I knew nothing about oil. I changed oil in my Oldsmobile every 3,000 miles using SuperTech, the cheapest oil at Wal-Mart. On cold mornings here in Minnesota, my car often did not start. I'd hook up jumper cables and mess around for over an hour. I now know conventional oil can thicken in cold weather to the point the crankshaft can't turn enough to start the engine. Long story short, I now use synthetic and have no problems. Plus fuel mileage is a bit better.

I can post 2 critical area's about synthetics. One is if you want to keep you car a long time. If you take most cars with say 100k miles on it and run it on a dyno you will see a HP loss. One thing about synthetics is it keeps it's ability to flow better over a wider temp. Most people comment on how thin synth. oils seems to reg. oil but this is only because the reg. oil is cold. So using a oil that gets to high wear parts (cams) slower can cause higher wear leading to less HP over time.

I generally shop for my oil based on the price tag. If I can get 5 liters of Canadian Tire brand 5w30 for $18, that's what goes in the vehicle. Oddly, I'll spend the extra $3 or $4 for a Fram oil filter, but not the extra $20 or $25 for name brand oil. I do my oil, and filter, change every 5000 km religiously. So far this method has served me well in my 21 year old Ranger (174,000 km), my girlfriends 11 year old Corolla (130,000 km) and my 10 year old Subaru (338,000 km).

Didnt detail WHY. Another reason why to use synthetic (under harsh conditions) is to avoid sludge buildup that can happen from oil breaking down. Sludge build up could create hot spots in the engine and could lead to engine ping in the sort of pre-ignition. Also coat better for cold starts. Synthetics are better, but i think a good question might be how long are you going to run that vehicle for before getting rid of it? Would you care how long it runs perfect for the next guy? I guess i do.

If you have an old worn engine and switch to synthetic, you will notice leaks. Synthetic oil does not create leaks, rather it is able to get thru worn gaskets, and porous castings that conventional can not. As soon as you switch back to conventional, the leaks will not be there.

being a mechanic I have been using synthetic oil in my family car for a long time and have noted better fuel economy and a smoother running engine. Where as in my run around work vehicle it gets Semi Synthetic and never has issues at all and all my servicing of vehicles get the same with some folks doing some big miles. It comes down to regular oil and filter changes for thats what keeps your car running properly for years without a problem. If you neglect oil changes there is trouble.

we blew the turbo 3 times in the car due to low oil pressure to the turbo because the previous owners neglected oil changes. my family still owns a 2000 volvo with 195K even after a long time of non regular oil changes

I'm an Amsoil dealer. No, synthetic oil "burns" (oxidizes)(evaporates) way less than petroleum oil. What you may be experiencing is the synth oil is cleaning the sludge and varnish left behind by the petroleum oil and that is being burned off. You should reach a point when oil level remains constant. If not, then you have a leak somewhere or you're using the wrong viscosity oil. You can go to amsoil.com, vehicle lookup and see what the manufacturer recommends.

I have a 2008 dodge caliber SRT-4...Being turbocharged and high performance I only use Mobil 1 0w40 full synthetic. It does very well with my internals and keeps turbo temps in line as well.

I was a person who thought synthetic was a waste of money until I tried it. My 96 Tahoe had 185,000 miles and a cold start knock. I don't remember which synthetic i use 1st but i notice the knock went away. I thought it maybe n my head so i went back to conventional oil my next oil change. The knock came back a few days later. My truck now have 302,000 miles and the knock came back but is lighter than before.

For $55.00 I get my Jeep GC oil changed with Mobil One full synthetic and new filter. I also get the tires rotated and a full inspection of the car. The regular stuff brakes exhaust tires all the fluids leaks of the shocks and struts. I do it twice a year. I drive about 9,000 miles a year.

this is the simplest answer to this question: conventional oil lasts for about 3000 miles until it turns into sludge; synthetic blend last about 7500 miles until it turns into sludge; full synthetic lasts between 10k miles and 15k miles without turning into sludge - if you change your oil on time, you have nothing to fear - i tried all three types and find Full Synthetic to be the best value - in the long run, it will save you at least one oil change and improve your gas mileage - Good Day

The second part is reg. oil has a low flash temp so it gets thicker as you use it leading to higher wear in rings and the cam and seals. It holds it's viscosity range over it's useful range while reg oils do not. If you want to keep you car over a long period and keep as much of the stock HP it came with you have to run synthetics or rebuild or replace high wear parts. It's more critical the colder area's you live in. If it never gets down under 70deg or so it may not impact it as hard.

It comes down to what you doing with the car and its environment. If your car is a straight cruising daily driver I'd go regular oil. But if that daily driver sees traffic jams every morning if go synthetic. Then of course if its a sports car or work truck I'd go synthetic. You can make up for the added cost of synthetic with a longer change interval assuming a good filter is used.

-30c is quite common in the north. I would recommend 0W or 5W oil and synthetic. Pumpability temperature limit is -40c for the 0W and -35c for the 5W (to my knowledge 0W is always synthethic) Synthetic oils have the following features: Excellent low temperature properties such as start-up and lubrication in cold conditions. Properties such as excellent heat resistance to oxidation, low volatility and low oil consumption.

Pennzoil Ultra in my gas engines, conventional in my diesel. Royal Purple transmission fluids and Amsoil gear oil. I was taught by a 40 year experienced aviation mechanic that you can't outdue straight mineral oil (conventional)

Take a quart of dino 10w30 and a quart of synthetic 10w30 and set them outside on a cold winter day (like 32f) and then open them a few hours later and pour a little into your trash can...the dino oil will pour like molasses, the synthetic will pour like when it was warm...which oil do you want flowing (or not flowing in the case of the dino oil) on the first engine startup on a cold day.

If you have a high tech motor with variable valve timing or direct injection or turbo charging or supercharging you definitely should use a quality full synthetic oil. If you are towing in summer or live in an extremely cold area (15-20 degrees or lower) you are better using synthetic. If you have longer oil changes designed in by your manufacturer you need synthetic. Under most modern cases synthetic is the way to go.

Here is the thing Ford was testing on their fleet vehicles ...the cars were required to do 100 000 miles on the same engine oil without change, but they were allowed to change the filters...guess what? the engine after 100 000 miles looked like new ...i dont remember what type of oil they were using but this just proves these guys right lubricant is fine but additives might give up after some time ...GOOD JOB guys imma stick with stick with synthetic

quick lube tech tip actually theres only 2 true synthetic and thats moblie one and royal purple engine oil you can make the switch at anytime dexous is a brand of oil that gerneral motor which is a mix between conventional and synthetic so you can mix them synthetic anf comventional is pretty much the same change oil every 5000 miles and you will be fine

Building a turbo motor for my car. thinking of using Evans + waterless coolant instead of anti freeze. The reason of using is that it has a higher temp rating and won't boil and create pressure in the radiator. also it has a lifetime usage warranty and can be used for 200,000+ miles

Category 4 oil is derived from crude (mineral oil) There was no mention of the category 5 oil (which is a synthetic oil, derived from a natural gas or other places and do not come from crude oils. Which also has higher ratings)

most new cars come with synthetic oil from the factory, some manufacturers are now going 30k miles between oil change most are staying around the 20k mile18 months markers but if the oil is staying clean and not breaking down what's the point of changing and wasting it.

not true really. To some of us synthetic are group 4 and group 5 ... what you are talking about is mineral Group 3 oil. Group 3 is allowed to be called synthetic by USA court ruling in the court case between Mobil and Castrol because they managed to prove that chemistry done on Group 3 oil is enough to call it synthetic.

Here's one for you guys, you mentioned it somewhat in the video. What is your opinion about factory service intervals? 15 years ago, a lot of cars had a "standard" interval of 7500 miles but a lot of people changed their oil sooner. As oil and car tech had advanced, oil change intervals have gone up over 20k with syn. Opinions are all over the place but what do you think?

not true for all synthetics. I had a FC and FD and about 400k miles between the 2 of them and my brother has 110k miles on his FE and I was running redline and he runs pennzoil ultra.

If someone has spoken that other viscosities is alright do not listen use whats recommended by the owners manual or factory, recommendations the reason is your engine and vehicle will last. If you live in the salt belt or cold belt areas always use Fullsyntetic oils if it isn't written on your manual your vehicle wasn't designed for those conditions or consult with your manufacturer nor dealer to see whats best for your vehicle. If your vehicle was new at purchase change the conventional quick before it is to late so your engine get use to fullsyntec or flush engine with clean oil from a synthetic blend so that it will always perform at its best!

If you have a motorcycle you should only use a oil that has the JASO MA or any type of JASO rating. It will say this on the back of the container. JASO rated oils have the most sheer protection and the JASO test is an extreme test for an oil to pass.

"Everything else will break around it..." starting with the radio...every time.

I stand by synthetic oil. I've ran it in my 4runner since it hit 100,00 miles and that has been 143,000 miles ago. Its one of those "spend more little now, save a lot later" times.

Iv been using synthetic for over ten yrs and i never want back to conventional oil, i get good gas mileage as well, way better in my opinion.

Last I checked Mobil one was using mostly dino base stock with a higher grade carriers, and specifically their 0W-40'euro' & 10w-30 HighMilege: GF2/3 ACEA A3/B3/4 AND Castrol Syntec European Formula 0W-30 are quite comprable oils, and both are PAO based oils.

Good discussion guys.

What a LOT of people dont realize is that MOST daily driving is considered SEVERE DUTY. Sitting in traffic, short trips, and sustained highway speeds are all SEVERE DUTY, and if you plan on keeping your car, and keeping your power, you should run Full Synthetic. Turbo cars REQUIRE synthetic because of turbo heat. Hybrids RECOMMEND it for its economy properties.

I have 300,000 miles on my 95 gmc 4.3liter kotec engine and still runs fine here in minnesota, thats one tiny reason i use top of the line oil/gas, everything else on my van fell off rusted or rotted off but the engine trans still handles with the best of them. Former otr driver 3 mill accident or murder miles.

I like the idea of added protection in my car since i live in a harsh climate (hot) so i use synthetic. I do my own oil changes so its only a couple dollar difference. but i agree i could use either in a Toyota V6. all day.

If your truck is an 04, the seals shouldn't be affected by any oil, petroleum or synthetic. Switching to synthetic is not a problem, doesn't matter what you used before. If you're pulling a trailer, then synth is a good idea, usually better gas mileage (less friction), vehicle will run cooler, and oil will last longer, especially if you get a good oil and air filter. You might want to put synth in your transmission and differential, (less friction). Amsoil will make you a believer.

use royal purple full synthetic its the best oil you can buy with exception to maybe AMS oil

it does ake a good different. help my engine run smoothly and it what make the car run longer

If the engine is in good running condition with no oil leaks or oil burning I'd say yeah go for it, but if it leaks the synthetic being more slippery than conventional may leak out of the seals even more

Marine gear oil is different from auto and all purpose even thou both meet the same basic ratings. Marine (and sit is also different between brands and type) is specifically engineered to resist separation and emulsification when water is introduced into the gearcase and also still provides better lubricication and protection for the spiral gears when water is present. These marine oils are also designed to operate in gear cases with thru hub exhaust heat extreme high gear rpms

How many owners manuals say "use traditional 5w-30"? In my experience, owners manuals say to use an oil meeting a certain specification, such as an API, ISLAC, ACEA or proprietary specification (ie, use they might say API SJ or ISLAC GF-4 or ACEA A1,B1 or GM dexos1, Ford WSS-M2C930-A, Chrysler MS-6395 etc). I've never seen an owners manual say "use traditional" anything. That being said, many conventional AND synthetic motor oils can meet/exceed those specifications as outlined in the manual.

that guy asking questions is a friggin genius

I use aviation 20w50 conventional in my Harley Davidson m8 its awesome and faa approved.

Pennzoil platinum is natural gas derived instead of oil. Equals special product.

Thanks for the video. its help me a lot to understand about motor oil.

I like high mileage oil, its semi synthetic and it keeps the seals in good condition. 1999 f150 144k miles and no leaks at all.

They should play this video on loop at Jiffy Lube and any other of these quick stop oil change shops that are telling customers to ignore recommended oil change intervals from manufacturer and change oil ever 3,000 miles.

Where the gearcase is in a sterndrive or outboard powered boat.

Honda Ridgeline 689,000 miles and never ever synthetic oil. Best oil is clean oil.

my van has at this moment 183 thousand miles. most of my cars lasted way over 300 thousand miles. one so far had yes 675 thousand miles!

Thanks for the great explanation.

This shouldn't even be a question. For a few dollars difference, you could just get full synthetic of your preferred brand. As long as you do it yourself.

Mobil 1 all the way. if you don't have access to Mobil 1, Castrol works pretty well

oil is like blood, so you can either choose good enough blood, or you can choose superior blood, which will help you feel better?

And those specs also pertain to emissions too; Some overly protective synthetics use a very high amount of ZDDP (good for classic cars with non-roller valve-train that dont have catalytic converters). BUT if you use lots of ZDDP the cats will clog in a modern day car!

Premium fuel provides ZERO benefits to cars that require 87 octane fuel. It won't hurt the car, but it won't run any better, faster, or longer.

If a car is suffering from loss of power regularly, you got something else wrong with your car. Car are designed to go on 3-5000 miles or 6 months on an oil change without causing any problems.

Dude asks a question and then argues with'm.. They handled him better than I would have.

How to choose between synthetic and conventional motor oil. I can answer that easy.Synthetic motor oil can go longer between oil changes and will reduce engine wear over time by a small margin if oil changes are done religiously for both oil types. 5,000 miles for synthetic and 3,000 for conventional. The cost for using synthetic oil over the life of the engine will still be a bit higher than conventional oil even considering the extended oil change intervals. There fore it only makes sense under a few conditions. If you plan on keeping your new car for 25+ years and something like more than 300,000 miles. Then synthetic will help you go that distance vs conventional oil. If the engine is of very high performance which mostly for this consideration is a high temperature engine. Synthetic oil can take a lot higher temps than conventional oil can and not break down. This is significant for super charged or turbo charged engines. Even some small 4 cylinder small displacement very high temp high efficiency engines. Engines become more efficient the higher temps they operate at. To get max fuel economy from a small 4 cylinder engine they want to operate them as hot as possible. In this type of engine even though it is not high performance it will still see a benefit from synthetic oil. But again conventional oil is just fine for these engines for the first 5 years. It is after that when wear will start to show up. And then it is too late to fix that wear with synthetic oil. So short term ownership conventional oil is all you need to go 5 years maybe even up to 8 or so. Long term ownership and or high operating temp engines then synthetic oil is the way to go. A used car if the engine is in near perfect condition then you can use synthetic oil. If it is already knocking and burning oil and smoking then it needs a mechanic, not oil to fix it. Synthetic oil will just leak out even faster than conventional oil will under these conditions.

Excellent and very informative!

just a comment about synthetic vs regular oil. I have a 2004 Chevy Cavalier with 195 000 KMS (i think that s about 150 00 Miles), not sure exactly. I switched to Synthetic with Lucas in it and the difference is night and day. The engine dosen t overheat in the summer, it starts much better when things get frigid here (in Canada), and just driving around stop and go in Toronto traffic, the car is much smoother. Also, the engine is much quieter now. (2.2 ecotec) I wouldent go back to regular

Real helpful guys keep it up

I just got my oil change: SRT8 300c Supercharged. 7 quarts of synthetic= $74

Very very true!!! Most are not 100% synthetic.

think about it, you need a base to start with; that base being crude; therefore you are correct :)

Back in the day...when i was a young lad, I would change my oil at first sign of it turning light brown. I was so happy thinking how clean my engine was, go 2500 - 2700 miles and run that clean. Now i am wondering if the oil was really cleaning the engine.

If your engine in your vehicle is burning oil because it has high mileage and it's worn out and all you ever used was conventional then that is the only time you wouldn't want to use synthetic oil

I live in Manitoba Canada where it regularly gets very cold in the winter (-30 is not uncommon). Would that qualify as extreme conditions? Would synthetic oil perform better on a cold day?

I use quicksilver 20w-50 in my harley, jaso and ma2 rated $28. Gallon, works fine, half price of amsoil...

good stuff, enjoyed the info!!

Is that the guy from the movie 'Cabin Boy'?

I spoke to someone but I need a 2nd opinion. I have a 20 year old car with 210k km mileage with some mod to the engine and exhaust. It's a 4 cylinder with 12 valve Carb engine still still good and strong. Currently I'm using normal oil change in between every 5000km thinking of changing to semi syntetic to increase my hp. I was told to stick with normal oil what is your opinion?

i use Mobil1 Extended Performance 5w 30 or castrol edge with titanium they both say that protect for 15,000 miles i change the oil in all my cars every 10,000 miles with a good filter i use only synthetic but regular oil is going to be good but only for 3000 miles

Amsoil case closed! 25,000 mile oil change interval. Do your research on your preferred oil and it’s group

I know for our RX8, mineral oil is hard to find here in France, Mazda say to use only theirs, called "Dexlia" (sp)? its 24 euros a litre, on the back label is a Total symbol; on their website are 2 for a Mazda RX8 and they seem much cheaper. Same for my Jaguar synthetic oil is not recommended, I have seen "Synthese", seems to me to be a blend of the two?

ok so if your car recommends premium fuel, how necessarily is it to put premium?

That was great very informative thanks!!

for my mitsubishi pajero(3.2 diesel engine+dpf) i'm using valvolne 5w30 XL iii.(c3\2 certified+B4) great oil.

synthetic oil performs better under high heat situations, great but the vehicle is designed to run at a set temperature and will not see those temperatures, conventional is all you need added protection under extreme conditions are just words being thrown around the only time to use synthetic is if you have a turbo

Great video. Thank you.

Amsoil gear oil and fuschs Titan race synthetic is what I use

Thanks for the info.

I use Mobil 1 full synthetic in my 12 optima 2.4L: 28k on odometer

Dude with the beard has the mannerisms of Steve Buscemi..sounds just like him! Funny ,it must the New York thing..Steve is from Brooklyn