Alwyn678

My car is only used 2,000 miles per year. Is it even worth the change?

I have no oil leaks Now.

7t9l82

I've used synthetic oil since the 70's it is superior in every way to conventional oil.

bashcraft

I still use dino oil in my vette. It gets changed once a year whether I put a couple thousand miles on it or a couple hundred. Not worth the added cost.

OldCarBum

Synthetic oils are great for all applications including daily drivers and vehicles that you put high miles on. I use synthetic oil in my Chevy truck and my wife's Acura RDX because they are recommended in the owners manual and by the dealers. In my boats, motorcycles, and in the vette I've run non-synthetic and figure the fluids get changed once every year before the oil is even dirty. The vette was driven less than 2,000 miles last year and when I drained the oil it was golden and clean. I figure, why spend the additional money on synthetic oils?

HeadsU.P.

So. Ask yourself, what is the advantage of using Syn oil? You already answered your question with 2,000 annual miles.
There is no rhyme or reason to run Synthetic in a vehicle that sees a few thousand miles or less a year. At that rate, your next oil change would be year 2023. If people insist on changing Syn oil every year with very little mileage, then I ask why? It makes no sense. Its expensive, its for longevity.

Don't get me wrong. I love Syn oil. I buy it by the case. But its for my 2014 engine, not a last century engine.

And for you to state; "no leaks now" means you are anticipating leaks with Syn? It happens. Stick with dino / mineral oil with Zinc if you are running a flat tappet cam for sure. See stickys on home page.

zwede

I used to do a lot of autox, drag strip and road course stuff. For that usage synthetic was worth it. These days she's a garage queen that sees 1,500 miles a year of local roads. Synthetic no longer makes sense for me.

So it depends on how you use the car.

Alwyn678

Thanks for the tips. I will stick w/Dino.

7T1vette

That's about how many miles I put on mine (or fewer). If I used organic oil, I would change it every year...regardless. That's what I do, but I use synthetic oil. The difference costs me an extra $10 per year, and I know that the synthetic oil is better for the engine and it won't oxidize or get contaminated just sitting for weeks at a time or over the winter hiatus.

That's equivalent to the cost 3-5 gallons of gas per year, folks....

HeadsU.P.

There are so many people still using and installing flat tappet cams that unfortunately the demand and price of zinc loaded oil has risen. The brands that were $6 a Qt are now pushing $9. But, its one of those costs you have to consume if you own a classic car. And its not like you change your oil 2 or 3 times a yr either. Look for deals on 5 Qt jugs of zinc inhanced oil on EBay, Summit, Jegs and even Amazon. You're not likely to find the good stuff (w/zinc) on any box store shelf anymore. Those days are gone.

CanadaGrant

The syn oil is flat out better so why not? We baby our cars (mostly ) and a couple of bucks extra doesn't even come close for me.
I already mentioned in another thread that if you have a gasket leak because your synthetic oil is too slick, you have a gasket problem, not an oil problem.
My 69 came with bias ply tires and the owner manual says 24 psi pressure but I wouldn't do either today....

VERYSOON

After reading a WHOLE LOT I went with Amsoil Zrod 10w30 on my 69.
I spent $6 for a light bulb that fit in my glove box to make that work. Now every light on the vette works. Point is I am not about to try and save money on oil if I think one is better than the other.
VERYSOON
I run Mobil 1 in my c5 but Amsoil in tranny as per Subdriver recommendation. Great guy. All bulbs still original. heehee

lionelhutz

I'm wondering why someone changes their oil when it still looks like new....

How many people who don't want to run synthetic run top-tier fuel??? Synthetic isn't that much more and it is way superior in every way.

raydog9379

I use Mobil 1 on all my cars now. We're talking the difference of $8-10 bucks a year for the amount the Corvette is driven. I can grab 5 qts for <$23 at Walmart.

Used to go to jiffyscrew for oil changes on our cars from a convenience perspective and they started charging $40 for Dino and on my Infiniti which requires synthetic, they wanted $89 bucks I think. I think I told them they were on crack because it's only a couple bucks difference to buy Mobil 1 at the stores. Needless to say, I just have gotten dirty since and it only takes 5-10 minutes anyways.

I have noticed a few more small leaks on the corvette since the switch to synthetic but I'm chalking that up to valve cover gaskets which were out of torque and are much better now. Probably need to check torque on the oil pan bolts too and maybe swap some gaskets if needed. Nothing to cry over/worry about, I'm at about 2-3 small drops every few weeks. I have bigger fish to fry with the stupid trans leaks that I'll get to first.

OldCarBum

[QUOTE=lionelhutz;1595572381]I'm wondering why someone changes their oil when it still looks like new....

Because oil breaks down over time, and should be changed whether it is dirty or not. I change my oil towards the end of every winter no matter how few miles I've driven since the last oil change. If I drove the car more throughout the winter I would probably change the oil twice as often. I'll throw on a new cap, rotor, plugs, fuel filter and clean the air filter while I'm at it. New belts and any rubber hoses every other year.

lionelhutz

Time doesn't break down oil, otherwise, there would be expiry dates on the containers....

OldCarBum

Ok, if you say so, it must be true.

zwede

Call Mobil1 or any other oil manufacturer and they'll tell you even unopened motor oil has a shelf life (typically a few years). Once in the engine oil starts degrading much faster than in an unopened container.

lionelhutz

Unopened oil will last longer than you own the car.

Opened will also last for many years. Try reading at bobistheoilguy and you'll find people with lab tested oil from engines that have sat for a year to many years and the oil still tests just fine. If it can last years after being run in an engine for a summer, then it can last even longer in an opened bottle.

What exactly is going to deteriorate anyways? The base oil won't deteriorate just sitting and not even really when the engine runs. It just accumulates impurities. The additives get consumed as the engine runs. So, no engine running = no significant deterioration.

Vavoline basically says new oil is good forever as long as it continues to meet the engine requirements;

https://www.valvoline.com/about-us/f...-motor-oil-faq

I guess if you put the cap back onto a 1/2 used bottle and then throw it outside in the flower bed to store it....

Sayfoo

I think the biggest advantage of syn oil is the higher temp rating.
Does you car water temp ever get over 220 deg?
If so, your oil temp is in the 245+ range.
Syn oil is also better for cold starts, where the majority of wear is caused.
I also think it is just wastefull to automatically change your oil every winter, no matter the condition or milage.

F4Gary

Valvoline VR-1 10w-30 High Zinc dino racing oil.
You can order it at Autozone (or maybe it was O'Reilly's)