Would like to run full synthetic oils in the engine and drivetrain due to trailer towing. The question...is there a minimum number of miles on the truck before I start making the switch? I have 1200 miles now.

 

I've been using mobil 1full synthetic since my 1st oil change at 3300k miles. You can use full synthetic oil whenever you want imo.

 

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many vehicles today come with synthetic motor oil from the Factory.
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I have been using synthetic oil since 1974.....
1,000 miles... is when I start using..

for my new generator.. after the first hour of use.

 

You can switch to synthetics anytime. I will be switching over at my first oil change.

 

I switched at my first oil change, which was at 5k. Been using it ever since.

 

Thanks guys, I'm leaning towards full syn. on my first oil change, was just looking for maybe something with proof in writing. What about the drivetrain?

 

Same here.

 

I did it at 10 k which would have been my 3rd change. I change oil every 10 k and the filter every 5 k.

 

andora's box is now open, so I'll chime in.

You can switch to syn at any time. You can use any lube that meets Ford's spec; it's listed in your owner's manual. There are a slew of lubes meeting that spec, including conventional, semi-syn, and syns. Those are facts.

Here's some more ... You'll probably disagree with me. But hear me out. I have more than 12,000 UOAs in my database. I do statistical process quality control for a living. I have some reasonable basis to make the following statements ...

Syns are typically a giant waste of money. Not because they are bad products; far from that. It's that most any oil used is never even close to being fully utilized; people dump oil from the crankcase long before it's really anywhere close to being an issue. So it's a matter of ROI; why pay more money for something that goes unused?

UOAs show the 6.2L engine to be very robust and have very good wear rates. That's true regardless of what oil base is used. Dino oils do every bit as well as syns, for normal OCI duration. Admittedly, if you plan to change oil only every 20k miles, I'd certainly defer to some of the premium syns. But if you're going to change oil every 5k-10k miles, typically using the OLM, then any lube that meets the Ford spec is going to do a great job. Using a syn over a dino for 7k miles will NOT, in any manner whatsoever, improve the wear rates in this engine. So why pay a lot more if you don't a return for that investment?

If you were to pay 3x more money for an expensive synthetic lube, you'd expect to get 3x more of something in return, right? Only two ways to achieve that ...
1) you'd like to see 3x less wear. Facts from UOAs show this to be completely untrue in a typical OCI. The wear rates are essentially identical, so this isn't going pay you back; not even a tiny bit.
2) you'd like to see 3x longer OCIs. In theory, if the dino lube can last 7.5k miles, then the syn would need to last 22.5k miles, all while giving the same wear rates, to pay off. Since most folks will never consider this approach, it's impossible for the syn to pay for itself.

Same pretty much goes for the rest of the drivetrain. You can certainly use syns there. But if you do, consider a really long OCI to get the value from them. Otherwise, again, it's a waste. Syn diff fluid and syn tranny fluid can certainly be an asset, just use them a LONG time. (mainly because they don't get combustion byproducts like the engine oils do ...)

Don't believe all the hype and rhetoric about syns; most of it is overblown marketing crap. While I do agree that syns have certain applications that make a lot of sense, most folks will never, ever capitalize on that "potential" benefit.

That said, do what you want. It's your truck; have at it! No one will stop you from doing what you want, even if what you want is a total waste of money.


For reference, read this ...
https://bobistheoilguy.com/used-oil-...hat-is-normal/

 

Motorcraft is actually really good oil and cheap. Really no reason to not use it. Plus oils like Mobil 1 aren't actually full synthetic, it's a blend that starts as a conventional oil.

 

AH,,

A synthetic is an artificial material produced by organic chemical synthesis. ( Wikipedia )

all synthetic oils start as organic oil.... even a few are now made from natural Gas.

Read my last post.

I keep my "Stuff" a very long time...
last car.... 255,000 miles and 19 years.
current lawn tractor.... from 1992 and still going..
last motorcycle.... 149,000 miles.. and 20 years.

I change oil once a year... miles are not counted into oil changes....

Worth it... maybe NOT.. but I like not having payments.
1974 to 2017 = 43 years.

 

Thanks for the help guys! Since this is my first new vehicle, I just want to treat it good from the start. I may have to do a little more reading on all this, dnewton3 gave a good response and I appreciate that, will have to read his link soon. Have a nice day.

 

Group IV and group V oils do not use conventional oil as a base, while group 1-3 do. Mobil 1 is a group III oil, that's all I was saying.

 

I am a licenced mechanic. Don't do it for a living anymore but I offer the following.

Make sure the break-in period is complete before switching to a synthetic and it was broken in properly. If you got your truck and drove across country at steady speed for the first 1600 kilometers this would not be a good time to switch. I typically put on at least 10,000 kilometers before switching over to make sure everything is seated and broken in..

Part of my schooling included a course in oil chemistry. We tested synthetics vs conventional oils. The synthetics grossly outperformed the conventionals in all of the tests. This does not mean conventional oil is not good. Just that the synthetics performed better. What it means over the long term for wear I can't say for sure. This was also 20 years ago and I am sure there have been significant improvements in conventional oil over that time. All I know is every motor I have taken apart that had synthetic oil was clean. There was no carbon or sludge build up which says alot. If you live in colder climates is where the synthetics really shine.

Having done the tests and seeing first hand the results I always run synthetics in everything I own. My brain will not allow me to go with a conventional oil without feeling guilt. Just get it on sale and the cost increase is marginal if you are doing it yourself. I keep my vehicles until they are no longer worth repairing and I have never replaced a vehicle because of engine issues.

 

if anyone has an evening or 2 to read.....

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/