I have a 1999 Ford Ranger ( 4CYL. ) 2.5 90,000 miles on it and would like to know if I would change over too a Synthetic Motor Oil in it would I increase the MPG? Also would you improve the Performance of the engine?

What other benefits would I archive by going to a Synthetic Motor Oil?

Which Brand of Synthetic Motor Oil is the Cadillac of Motor Oils?

 

Probably slight economy and power increases, but not a lot. Biggest benefits are going to be better flow during cold starts and longer oil change intervals should be possible.

I don't know if "Cadillac" anything has the same meaning it used to. A lot of oil geeks (and Amsoil dealers) will rave about Amsoil and Royal Purple with a religious fervor, but I would say that any of the big-brand synthetics would be just fine.

I just bought a couple cases of Valvoline Synpower full synthetic at Advance Auto Parts for a buy one get one free deal, coming out to $2.75 per quart, and they now have Pennzoil Platinum for $3.98 a quart. Both of these are good oils. I have the Synpower in my Protege5 right now, and with winter gas, the fuel economy has been pretty sucky.

I also bought 24 quarts of 5W-20 Quaker State torquepower at Advance Auto for 95 CENTS a quart on closeout--so the next 4 changes on my van (always ran Motorcraft semi syn thus far) will be under $10 total, with Motorcraft filters, and full synthetic....beats the dealer's $60 full syn change price.

George

 

i am over at bob the oil guys site a lot, that forum RAVES about pennzoil platnium. I have used it with great results.

Personaly I love and use Royal Purple. It is a lot more $$$$

the Pennzoil platnium goes for 3-4 bucks a Qt.
the Royal Purple goes for 7-8 bucks a Qt.

Any name brand synthetic will be good.
I just like royal purple in my application

 

It's unlikely you'll see a difference in power or efficiency by changing the motor over. What /will/ make /some/ difference is if you change over the transmission and rear-end. That's where most of the driveline losses are.

I think the new rising star in the oil world is the latest Pennzoil Platinum formulation. I have UOAs from two 10,000 mile runs in my 3.0 Taurus that show below average wear at 160,000 total vehicle miles. Since I go 3,500 - 4,000 miles per month it's worth it to me to not be underneath it every 4 weeks.

I am in no way religious about either synthetic in general or Pennzoil Platinum in particular. I tried it in my Bronco's 5.0 but couldn't justify keeping it up at a consumption rate of 1qt/1500 miles. I run it in the Taurus because I have proven benefits from that combo. Watch out for the zealots and don't drink anybody's koolaid.

Calvin

PS - Regarding Royal Purple, I've seen too many UOAs over at bitog where it's sheared down multiple grades to trust it. I'd run Motorcraft blend 10,000 miles before I'd run Royal Purple 500.

 

Dont expect miracles from $7 motor oil compared to $2 motor oil. The difference is much less in chemistry and performance than years ago. Since your profile shows OH, you may benefit some in cold winter startup.

To me the "Cadillac" is Redline. I use the gear oils, but for motor oil, any on the shelf brand that is on sale is ok. The truck has Havoline syn in it right now because it was on clearance sale at Biglots.

Jim

 

I have been using synthetic in almost every engine I owned sicne 1980. I keep a mileage log and have never seen enough difference in mileaqge or power to say anything definite. Most magazine tests claim just a percent or two of power and single digit percentages in fuel economy. It is my belief/experience that you will have more variation due to weather, temperature, traffic, terrain, batch of gasoline etc than you will see from the oil. In other words any gains are lost in the noise level.

I use syn for claimed high temp capabilities, longer drain and claimed better lubrication.

Dino Oils now are much better than they were when I first started to use syn. Now dino is pretty close to syn and in some cases better than some brands of syn from what I have read.

Syn now is more of a religious thing or if you do have temperature extremes or tow.

Syn won't hurt an engine but one with 90,000 miles will not benefit as much and if your engine is leaky, syn will just leak faster.

I would not hesistate to use syn in a new or low mile engine, but anything near or over 100K just doesn't seem worth it, unless in excellent shape and you plan to keep it a long time.

Just my opinion,

Jim Henderson

 

I have changed my oil every 3,000 miles, yes it may go over 2or 3 hundred miles befor I get to it.

 

i have a Ford F-150 with 135,000. I have ran full synthetic since new. My Father recently retired from fuel and lubricant division with major oil company where testing such as 25,000 mile interval oil changes were done as test on New york City cabs. minimal wear and engine failure was recorded. Try that with regular motor oil.

 

Once you switch, you can never go back.



Not really a negative, but realize that once you go to a full synthetic, you should NEVER go back to regular oil!

 

Why?

I did one change interval with Castrol Syntec in the BMW and switched back to Chevron Delo. The high oil usage with Syntec was not permanent, as it returned to normal after switching back. BTW, this was the BMW approved Syntec formula, not the cheap stuff. Fuel mileage was unchanged.

Jim

 

I honestly do not know why, but I have been told it over and over in car forums. Saw it a lot on Dakota forums when I owned one of them.

 

Well that's what you get for hanging around those not bright enough to own something with a blue oval on the nose.

Seriously though, there's no reason why you can't switch between the two. There's the myth that you can't change over from dino to syn and the one that you can't switch from syn to dino. Both are bogus. The one kernel of truth here is that it is /slightly/ better to stay with a single oil formula because they all each use a unique mix of additives to do their work and you get /slightly/ less protection as a new additive package replaces the previous one on the face of the parts. That goes for changing from yellow bottle Pennzoil to Mobil Clean 5000 as much as changing from GTX to Valvoline SynPower.

Calvin

 

We are not in the 70's

All synthetic and conventional motor oils can mix and be replaced with eachother.

 

Man my knuckles hert for getting snaped by a ruler LOL

I guess it is true, just because you found it on the internet, does not make it true.

 

The "you can't switch back" is old old stuff. That is about 1980s type advice. Back then engine seals were different and the oils were different. If you switched to syn from dino the engine seals might have swelled up. then when you went back to dino, they would shrink and you would get leaks. This was fixed years ago and doesn't affect cars that are say less than 20 years old.

The is a bit of truth about not switching brands or types of oils as far as additive packages. Some people, including me believe there is a little loss of oil protection when different additives mix with a different brand or type of oil. Technically all oils meeting spec are supoosed to be compatible, but there is some belief that it is better not to mix unless you must.

Just my opinion,

Jim Henderson