Oil Changes
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Wharton New Jersey
Oil Changes
How often should I change the oil in my 2007 Vette? Last changed last April 2017 and drove it 2000 miles. Synthetic oil was put in. Should I change anyway or is it OK to go another year without changing?
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 4,034
Likes: 2,602
From: Northern VA, USA
Ehhh...
The owner's manuals and oil companies will tell you to change once a year, and I generally do. That said, on the Bob site, you'll see plenty of people that have had oil analysis done at 18 or 24 months that show the oil is still protecting well. The lone exceptions seem to be, as expected, those that only took very short trips and never got the oil temp up enough for a bit to burn the moisture.
So....every official recommendation is to change it at a year. Just about every technical analysis that have been shared shows you can go longer (provided you don't do only very short trips). Choice is yours (obviously). Personally, I wouldn't worry about a few more months, but would probably do it before the winter, and not push to 2 years.
The owner's manuals and oil companies will tell you to change once a year, and I generally do. That said, on the Bob site, you'll see plenty of people that have had oil analysis done at 18 or 24 months that show the oil is still protecting well. The lone exceptions seem to be, as expected, those that only took very short trips and never got the oil temp up enough for a bit to burn the moisture.
So....every official recommendation is to change it at a year. Just about every technical analysis that have been shared shows you can go longer (provided you don't do only very short trips). Choice is yours (obviously). Personally, I wouldn't worry about a few more months, but would probably do it before the winter, and not push to 2 years.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,108
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
I've never changed before the OLM reached 4%. I've gone over 16K miles and never less than 9K miles. I don't pay attention to the calendar, except on the wife's birthday and anniversary. 
Racer
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 251
Likes: 70
From: Boynton Beach Florida
This is probably way over kill but I use one of three indications to change my oil:
1. DIC says 50% Oil Life Remaining
2. 5000 miles
3. 12 months
Oil is relatively inexpensive compared to having to do engine work. Oil is a cheap investment to keep the engine running without damage.
I am a retired Airline Pilot and know that when it comes to engines, Oil is Life. As a boat owner, I do the same, every 50 hours of operation the engines get new oil. Again, cheap price to pay.
1. DIC says 50% Oil Life Remaining
2. 5000 miles
3. 12 months
Oil is relatively inexpensive compared to having to do engine work. Oil is a cheap investment to keep the engine running without damage.
I am a retired Airline Pilot and know that when it comes to engines, Oil is Life. As a boat owner, I do the same, every 50 hours of operation the engines get new oil. Again, cheap price to pay.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 21,631
Likes: 1,144
From: Below the bottom of Berby Hollow, NYS
This is probably way over kill but I use one of three indications to change my oil:
1. DIC says 50% Oil Life Remaining
2. 5000 miles
3. 12 months
Oil is relatively inexpensive compared to having to do engine work. Oil is a cheap investment to keep the engine running without damage.
I am a retired Airline Pilot and know that when it comes to engines, Oil is Life. As a boat owner, I do the same, every 50 hours of operation the engines get new oil. Again, cheap price to pay.
1. DIC says 50% Oil Life Remaining
2. 5000 miles
3. 12 months
Oil is relatively inexpensive compared to having to do engine work. Oil is a cheap investment to keep the engine running without damage.
I am a retired Airline Pilot and know that when it comes to engines, Oil is Life. As a boat owner, I do the same, every 50 hours of operation the engines get new oil. Again, cheap price to pay.
When I had motorcycles I would always change the oil before putting them up for the winter.
Overall, it really only matters in the long run though. Change as recommended vs. letting it run a lot longer (although NOT letting it run low) it might make a measurable difference in 200-300 thousand miles (which is irrelevant to me).
But, as mentioned, fresh oil and a filter is cheap insurance.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 25,105
Likes: 3,156
C6 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
This is probably way over kill but I use one of three indications to change my oil:
1. DIC says 50% Oil Life Remaining
2. 5000 miles
3. 12 months
Oil is relatively inexpensive compared to having to do engine work. Oil is a cheap investment to keep the engine running without damage.
I am a retired Airline Pilot and know that when it comes to engines, Oil is Life. As a boat owner, I do the same, every 50 hours of operation the engines get new oil. Again, cheap price to pay.
1. DIC says 50% Oil Life Remaining
2. 5000 miles
3. 12 months
Oil is relatively inexpensive compared to having to do engine work. Oil is a cheap investment to keep the engine running without damage.
I am a retired Airline Pilot and know that when it comes to engines, Oil is Life. As a boat owner, I do the same, every 50 hours of operation the engines get new oil. Again, cheap price to pay.
Have always changed oil and filter by OLM 50%.
At 200,000 miles and still runs like new.
Cheap insurance.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 4,959
Likes: 526
I do this thing where I pull out the dip stick and look at the oil. If it looks like it needs changing then i'll change it. Thats usually when it just starts getting difficult to read the dip-stick through the oil. I mean what....if I go 367 days without an oil change the motor will soon implode....
I've gone two years and sometimes 3 on all my hobby cars and never had an oil related problem. But I must admit that it's kinda hard to read the dip-stick sometimes cause the oils all gray and stuff due to all the condensation thats built up......
......
.....
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,771
Likes: 141
From: Kaukauna WI
With the Mobil 1 rebates that come out every year, you can get oil and filters super cheap. Stupid cheap. So just change it every year, no matter the miles. Then you can rest easy and never worry about it.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,942
Likes: 1,328
From: Houston Tx
The key is how you drove the 2000 miles. If the reason for the low mileage is that almost all your trips are very short, such as commuting to an office a mile or two away, where the oil seldom gets hot, then you should definitely change after a year. If the reason for low mileage is that you don’t drive it very often, but when you do drive it, you usually go far enough (several miles) for the oil to get hot, then with full synthetic you can safely and easily go two years. The reason short trips are a killer is that water vapor is a major product of combustion, and small but significant amounts of combustion products get past the piston rings into the crankcase. When the engine and oil are cold, some of that water vapor condenses into liquid water, and if the oil never gets hot enough to evaporate the water, carboxylic acids will form. The oil doesn’t have to get to 212F to boil away the water, it will evaporate away, and any carboxylic acids will decompose, if the oil gets into the 170-180F range. If you look at your instruments to see how hot you have gotten, remember that it's the oil temp that matters. Coolant temp warms up much faster than oil temp, and for this issue, coolant temp is totally irrelevant.
Last edited by LDB; Apr 11, 2018 at 12:15 PM.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 566
Likes: 277
From: Amarillo TX
If you use a quality synthetic oil, you can run some ridiculous mileage intervals (assuming a normal driving style, no track days). However, the limiting factor is the oil filter. All things considered, I change oil in my cars and bikes at 6000 mike intervals. The oil could go much longer but I want a fresh filter.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 14,475
Likes: 785
From: Las Vegas NV
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,108
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
The key is how you drove the 2000 miles. If the reason for the low mileage is that almost all your trips are very short, such as commuting to an office a mile or two away, where the oil seldom gets hot, then you should definitely change after a year. If the reason for low mileage is that you don’t drive it very often, but when you do drive it, you usually go far enough (several miles) for the oil to get hot, then with full synthetic you can safely and easily go two years. The reason short trips are a killer is that water vapor is a major product of combustion, and small but significant amounts of combustion products get past the piston rings into the crankcase. When the engine and oil are cold, some of that water vapor condenses into liquid water, and if the oil never gets hot enough to evaporate the water, carboxylic acids will form. The oil doesn’t have to get to 212F to boil away the water, it will evaporate away, and any carboxylic acids will decompose, if the oil gets into the 170-180F range. If you look at your instruments to see how hot you have gotten, remember that it's the oil temp that matters. Coolant temp warms up much faster than oil temp, and for this issue, coolant temp is totally irrelevant.
I do notice the old school guys don't change plugs every 8-10K miles, coolant twice a year, or repack wheel bearings.
