Would it cause any problems to switch to synthetic oil in my 460 ci with 54k on the clock?

 

won't hurt a thing. I have switched to synthetic on some of my previous vehicles that had a ton more miles than that and didn't have a problem.

 

No
...........

 

Thanks guys. I'm just always a bit paranoid I'm going to mess up a good thing. I've been happy with the conventional oil, but have heard great things about reduced wear and sometimes better mpg on synthetic.

Thanks again.

 

Nice to see everybody's made it out of the stone age around here. I would also suggest to run 1 qt. of synthetic oil stabilizer for better cold start protection. Like "Lucas" brand.

 

No need for additives. Change the oil regularly, keep it topped off, and use good oil; you'll be fine. I wouldn't expect any increases in gas mileage.

 

I guess we've come to a fork in the road. Are you suggesting regular oil also? That part's unclear.

 

Nope.. Did it on mine with 156k on the clock.

I did some rudimentary math and it saves $10 per oil change to change synthetic oil at 7500miles as compared to every 3k. But you don't have to change it half as frequently. And I added in for the extra filter change at 3000 miles. Just top the oil off.

 

I went the extended range filter route, but now that you mention changing out the filter only around 3K, I think you sold me on that. My background is industrial machinery & for long term trouble free operation, it all about the lubrication & filtration that keeps tolerances within spec., including the thermal transfer properties.

 

Amsoil 0w-30 or Mobil1 0w-30 or 0w-40

Amsoil doesnt make 0w-40

 

Synthetic oil is fine, I'm just disagreeing with the additives part. Also, use the manufacturer's recommended oil weight for your climate.

 

I'm running a Synth Mobil 1 blend. No complaints, far superior to Dino oil. However, Amsoil & Royal Purple have great performance reps. I've yet to research them but although my oil does not visually appear to be in need of changing, I am at 7K, so I need to make a decision in the near future. Based on it's appearance, I'm tempted to send in a test sample to see if the appearance is that far from reality.

When I did the switch, I ran a pint of "Seafoam" with the oil for 50 mi. The sludge was so nasty, I replaced the filter & refilled w/ dino oil again, ran that for 100 miles & changed the oil & filter again. This time going Synth. w/ 1 qt. Lucas Synth. stabilizer added & an extended range filter. 1/2 qt. was added during the 7K mi. It still appears rather pure, but looks can be deceiving! Anyway, I have to make a choice soon, although the appearance confounds me so, I think I will send some in for analysis & wait till I get the results.

 

Amsoil is stupid expensive. You can get the same protection from Mobil1 or Syntech. IMO, not worth it for a DD.. For a full-out race vehicle hell yeah. Or even use RP. But not on a DD.

I read a thread on the car boards recently about a guy who did an oil test on his Castrol Syntech at 9400 some-odd miles on the oil and the test came back showing minimal particulates and nothing out of the ordinary........ The oil was still good after 9400 miles of use. Changing the filter at 3k miles shows a strong and positive drop in oil particulate matter, which should go without saying.

I use a Mobil1 filter as they are up there as far as Quality filters that do not cause a drop in pressure and still filter out a LOT of crap.

I run Mobil1 religiously and RP occasionally in my Camaro. It's got a .640" lift cam in it and still makes power at 6500rpm (No drop-off.) I *shouldn't* spin past that on stock bottom end rod bolts, but my last dyno tune was pulled to 6700 rpm. So Yeah, I need the protection.

And with my recent 2600 mile trip across the country (with the F150) and the brutal driving conditions of the Rocky Mountains and the hills and elevation of Utah, I was glad I used Mobil1 in my truck. That's the ONE thing I did NOT need to happen 110 miles from nowhere is for the oil to turn to water and score a rod/main brng or worse, the cam or other critical parts of the bottom end or cyl walls.

I've done a LOT of research on oil and oil life comparing conventional to synthetic and I use only synthetic in my vehicles. And better yet, Mobil1 has cleaning agents in it, so the longer you use the oil, the longer and longer it will stay clean. I can go on for a long time about the benifits of a full synthetic oil, but it boils down to how much you care about your engine and how much you rely on it.

Links to tests:
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/genera...494-miles.html
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html

 

Your preachin to the choir! Everything's Synth. in everything I own, Harley too. Crank case, tranny, brake, Diff, even power steering! My smog test specs are spectacular. HC's last time was only .01 PPM (.14 PPM is average for my yr./ engine). More for the .056 sidegap plugs (.044 is stock) w/ a 60k volt coil, but the synth oil certainly helps too. I'm an industrial Machinery Tech by trade, that's where I got hooked on the stuff. I retard to 10 BTDC for the smog test, but always wondered how my usual 16 BTDC would fair!

 

Get you a FRAM filter and some dollar store oil. You'll be fine. I kid, I kid.
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