How many miles on synthetic oil?

**GottaHaveLS1** · 06-13-2008, 08:44 AM

I changed over to synthetic oil at 65K and now I'm at 71K. How long can i go before changing it? i forgot what weight it was and don't have the bottle anymore. is there a specific weight i should go with??

**Mr. Luos** · 06-13-2008, 08:47 AM

Pennzoil Platinum 10w-30

Every 4K miles or so. It will go longer if you want it to.

**BlwnCamaro** · 06-13-2008, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by GottaHaveLS1

I changed over to synthetic oil at 65K and now I'm at 71K. How long can i go before changing it? i forgot what weight it was and don't have the bottle anymore. is there a specific weight i should go with??

I would still change every 3k even with synthetic. Them claiming you can go 7k or 10k on oil is very misleading and is an advertising gimmick and imho a big industry misconception. Yes the viscosity in syn. oil lasts longer than petro. but the problem is that not only does oil lube and cool your motor, but it also cleans it by suspending the harmful deposits left by the combustion process. These deposits corrode metal parts over time and cause buildup and with synthetic the deposits are still there in the oil caus they have no where else to go.

So my main argument and point against the claims made by oil companies in regards to synthetic is that you cant safely go that long without changing your oil no matter what because where else would the deposits go that are making your oil dirty? Does synthetic make them magically disappear? I think not, it just has better viscosity break down while in service, you still need to "Clean" your engine every 3k to get rid of deposits. Just my .02 cents and educated opinion. 5k would be pushing it on synthetic for sure and your motor would be cleaner if you change every 3k with petro or syn. I would rather have peace of mind knowing oil is clean and not eating at my motor, especially for a performance engine. Just something to think about.
Jesse

**BlwnCamaro** · 06-13-2008, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. Luos

Pennzoil Platinum 10w-30

Every 4K miles or so. It will go longer if you want it to.

Your right but your engine would still be cleaner changing every 3k.

**BULLET_WS6** · 06-13-2008, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by BlwnCamaro

Your right but your engine would still be cleaner changing every 3k.

and it would be cleaner if you changed every 2k miles... its just up to the person and their definition of... clean enough

**shady milkman** · 06-13-2008, 09:20 AM

i say still go every 3k

**shady milkman** · 06-13-2008, 09:21 AM

also worth noting ..it has ALOT!! to do with your filter..buck up and get good filters and your change interval will increase.

**BlwnCamaro** · 06-13-2008, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by BULLET_WS6

and it would be cleaner if you changed every 2k miles... its just up to the person and their definition of... clean enough

No at 2k you would be wasting money because it is still plenty clean at that point, based of research 3k has always been the ideal breaking point. Its not an opinion its backed up by facts and research.

**shady milkman** · 06-13-2008, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by BlwnCamaro

Its not an opinion its backed up by science and shit.

fixed

**GottaHaveLS1** · 06-13-2008, 09:47 AM

i just bought some 5w 30 to add in cuz i'm a little low. i'm going to change it very soon. is it really bad if i went for 5K or 6K before changing it??

**BULLET_WS6** · 06-13-2008, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by BlwnCamaro

No at 2k you would be wasting money because it is still plenty clean at that point, based of research 3k has always been the ideal breaking point. Its not an opinion its backed up by facts and research.

or reg oil... synthetic is supposed to last longer... its just the filter that usually needs changing sooner than the oil

rapter34 · 06-13-2008, 09:52 AM

id get Pensoil Plat 10W-30 good stuff and probably a Napa Gold filter. stay away from fram.

**rc74racer** · 06-13-2008, 10:10 AM

You can and should go longer then 3k if you are using synthetic otherwise you are just throwing your money away. It's not a gimick by the oil companies that you can go longer. Think about they are recommending that you buy less oil. Would I go 7-10k probably not but I would and do go 5-6k. Oh and does synthetic cut down on deposits that dirty your oil the answer is yes because some of those deposits are from the degradation of the oil. It's also a better lube and holds up better so there is less wear in tear on parts which is also cause deposits and/or dirty oil.

**fast enough Z28** · 06-13-2008, 10:56 AM

I say if you race your car alot or drive it hard I would still change it at 3k. There's no harm in it just better maintenance.

**BlwnCamaro** · 06-13-2008, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by rc74racer

You can and should go longer then 3k if you are using synthetic otherwise you are just throwing your money away. It's not a gimick by the oil companies that you can go longer. Think about they are recommending that you buy less oil. Would I go 7-10k probably not but I would and do go 5-6k. Oh and does synthetic cut down on deposits that dirty your oil the answer is yes because some of those deposits are from the degradation of the oil. It's also a better lube and holds up better so there is less wear in tear on parts which is also cause deposits and/or dirty oil.

you have good points, but to me
Anything that comes from the oil companies is deceiptful and a gimmick if you believe them than good luck. Yes they are recommending longer interval to justify but they are trying to sell it to you for an arm and a leg at the same time. And no most of the deposits in oil comes from the combustion process not the oil itself like you are suggesting. I'm not disputing that synthetic viscosity lasts longer ive maintained that the whole time its just better and cleaner for engine if you change more often. Plus i was referring to some recommendations from companies that say you can go 7k, 10k or even 15k on some oil, thats bogus, good luck for anybody that does that.

Plus these are high performance engines (lsx) that get run very hard we are talking about, not a every day ride. I change my oil right after going to the track, or shortly after some hard nitrous runs regardless of mileage. Just my .02 cent
Peace Jesse

**blackSS01** · 06-13-2008, 11:57 AM

This is why I will never buy a LS1 used again. I don't want to buy one that hasn't been treated like it should. These are high performance engines that usually see higher RPMs that most motors don't see. Not all people rag them but they do get driven harder then most. If your going for 5k-10k then wow. Your oil, I don't care what kind of oil it is, won't hold up as good as changing it 3k. I have used nothing but synthentics and change at 3k, I will never stop doing that for any of my vehicles (3K change) BlwnCamaro

**rc74racer** · 06-13-2008, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by BlwnCamaro

you have good points, but to me
Anything that comes from the oil companies is deceiptful and a gimmick if you believe them than good luck. Yes they are recommending longer interval to justify but they are trying to sell it to you for an arm and a leg at the same time. And no most of the deposits in oil comes from the combustion process not the oil itself like you are suggesting. I'm not disputing that synthetic viscosity lasts longer ive maintained that the whole time its just better and cleaner for engine if you change more often. Plus i was referring to some recommendations from companies that say you can go 7k, 10k or even 15k on some oil, thats bogus, good luck for anybody that does that.

Plus these are high performance engines (lsx) that get run very hard we are talking about, not a every day ride. I change my oil right after going to the track, or shortly after some hard nitrous runs regardless of mileage. Just my .02 cent
Peace Jesse

No where in my post do I say MOST deposits come from oil. I merely point out that your statement that oil does nothing to cut back on deposits is not true. What do you mean these are not every day rides of course they are. Not everyone races or beats the piss out of these cars. Most of the time they spin at relatively low rpms in comparison to most 4 or 6 cyl. Going 5 or 6k on synthetic is fine period. If you want to change your oil more often go and toss that money away. You also say the oil companies make those statements to try and get us to spend more money on expensive oil and that's a gimmick. Yet you buy the expensive oil and change it at half the recommended interval what kind of sense does that make? None IMO.

**rc74racer** · 06-13-2008, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by blackSS01

This is why I will never buy a LS1 used again. I don't want to buy one that hasn't been treated like it should. These are high performance engines that usually see higher RPMs that most motors don't see. Not all people rag them but they do get driven harder then most. If your going for 5k-10k then wow. Your oil, I don't care what kind of oil it is, won't hold up as good as changing it 3k. I have used nothing but synthentics and change at 3k, I will never stop doing that for any of my vehicles (3K change) BlwnCamaro

That statement would be incorrect. These are v8 cars and see lower rpms then most street cars. Don't get me wrong here if you are beating your car all the time or race every weekend you need to change your oil more often but for normal driving synthetic will go longer then conventional oil and there is no need to change it every 3k. We actually go twice as long on our race motors once we go to synthetic. We've torn down at least a dozen of these motors for rebuilds and all look great inside. I've driven several of my cars over 200k miles without a single oil related issue I guess that's just dumb luck.

You guys keep buying expensive oil and tossing it before it's half used we all know the oil companies need more $$$.

**BlwnCamaro** · 06-13-2008, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by rc74racer

No where in my post do I say MOST deposits come from oil. I merely point out that your statement that oil does nothing to cut back on deposits is not true. What do you mean these are not every day rides of course they are. Not everyone races or beats the piss out of these cars. Most of the time they spin at relatively low rpms in comparison to most 4 or 6 cyl. Going 5 or 6k on synthetic is fine period. If you want to change your oil more often go and toss that money away. You also say the oil companies make those statements to try and get us to spend more money on expensive oil and that's a gimmick. Yet you buy the expensive oil and change it at half the recommended interval what kind of sense does that make? None IMO.

No need to get defensive everyone is entitled to their beliefs, I never said oil does nothing to cut back on deposits, I said it wont make combustion deposits disappear and I still maintain that those are majority of deposits in oil, cause thats a fact.
Also I never said I ran synthetic in my all my vehicles, I run mostly petro and just change every 3k. Petro has an extremely good reputation for lubing motors even in extreme race conditions and syn is ridiculously expensive. If you can afford syn. it is better but I still change every 3k. Many of my customers that come to my shop in performance cars run syn. and Im happy to change it for em at there requested interval but always recommend changing at 3k.
Furthermore yes ls1 fbodies do get run harder than most regular vehicles, you must not go on the street or track much and see whats goin on out there, or even read the kill section.
Jesse

**blackSS01** · 06-13-2008, 12:23 PM

+1, plenty of cars get driven hard here. Most LS1's do. And Pennzoil Platinum is so cheap why not. Only $4 a quart were I live, damn cheap. Its like people running 87 octane to save $4 dollars a tank, makes no sense. These cars are expensive, if you can't afford to pay, don't play.