Which is better - synthetic or conventional oil?

[RandomAssGuy]

Why does everyone still believe that you have to change your oil every 5k miles ? My Honda tells me when to change the oil, and it is at about 15k miles (although I use my car mainly on the highway).

Newer cars have computers that change how often you need to change your oil based on your driving habits. Also some newer cars have larger oil pans that hold more oil so they don't get contaminated as quickly. Manufacturers use long oil changes to help sell cars lately. Also in Europe and Asia they laugh at our oil change intervals and go longer on the same engines. 3K is being very generous to your motor with modern oils (even though emissions freaks have pulled most ZDDP out of the oil now a days to protect the environment and life of your catalytic converter which is really bad for older motors and not much better for newer motors). If you pussyfoot around the gas pedal and cruise on the highway your oil will last much longer. Stop and go driving and more aggressive acceleration kills the life of the oil faster.

Many newer cars can go much longer then 3K miles. Read your owners manual and if your really bored do some research online. The car guys argue oil like you could never believe. It's worse then arguing politics!

The 30 yr old car is running a 1971 Windsor engine.
We add the stabiliser with every oil change... 5000km.

Old motors with flat tappet camshafts will benefit from an additive as zinc, phosphorous, and other properties are now being processed out of modern oil for reasons I mentioned above. New roller cam motors, or overhead cam motors will suffer much less with the new oil, although they too will wear more then necessary due to the removal of these minerals. We can blame the hippies for sacrificing older cars to very minimally help the environment. Also a problem with the new Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel that is hurting many old high pressure fuel pumps on diesels. That's another story on environmentalists causing trouble for older vehicles though.

 

[warrior queen]

Newer cars have computers that change how often you need to change your oil based on your driving habits. Also some newer cars have larger oil pans that hold more oil so they don't get contaminated as quickly. Manufacturers use long oil changes to help sell cars lately. Also in Europe and Asia they laugh at our oil change intervals and go longer on the same engines. 3K is being very generous to your motor with modern oils (even though emissions freaks have pulled most ZDDP out of the oil now a days to protect the environment and life of your catalytic converter which is really bad for older motors and not much better for newer motors). If you pussyfoot around the gas pedal and cruise on the highway your oil will last much longer. Stop and go driving and more aggressive acceleration kills the life of the oil faster.

Many newer cars can go much longer then 3K miles. Read your owners manual and if your really bored do some research online. The car guys argue oil like you could never believe. It's worse then arguing politics!


Old motors with flat tappet camshafts will benefit from an additive as zinc, phosphorous, and other properties are now being processed out of modern oil for reasons I mentioned above. New roller cam motors, or overhead cam motors will suffer much less with the new oil, although they too will wear more then necessary due to the removal of these minerals. We can blame the hippies for sacrificing older cars to very minimally help the environment. Also a problem with the new Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel that is hurting many old high pressure fuel pumps on diesels. That's another story on environmentalists causing trouble for older vehicles though.

This Windsor has been modified somewhat - it's been fuel injected and has roller rockers. Solid cam lifters, 4V dart heads, capa injectors, been bored to 30 thou over, wing sump, an balanced bottom end.
The entire thing is run by computer.