Should i make the synthetic switch??

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Should i make the synthetic switch??

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Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/15/2008 4:18:13 PM

Tim224DT

Posts: 52
Joined: 3/26/2008
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Thanks for your help.......

I bought a bran new 2008 Camry CE 5 speed manual couple months ago. It has almost 5500 miles i drive alot right now. At this time i took it in for an oil change at 3k miles. Had them do just the noramal reg oil no synthetic yet. I have been considering the switch since i do a lot of highway driving 100miles in one way at a time. So about 200 miles a day 4 days a week. Yes my gas bill is $$ but could you imaging this in my truck before i got the camry.

Now many say that this swtich will improve gas millage and be better for the engine how true is this? Thanks for any help!!

Thanks again,
Timothy

Post #: 1

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/16/2008 8:34:53 AM

Tim224DT

Posts: 52
Joined: 3/26/2008
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Any one with feedback on this subject?

Thanks,
Timothy

(in reply to Tim224DT)

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/16/2008 1:40:14 PM

diver1972

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Joined: 8/22/2007
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quote:

Now many say that this swtich will improve gas millage and be better for the engine how true is this?

It''s likely that you''ll experience a gain in mileage; however, it will likely be slight (e.g. 3-5%).

Full (as opposed to blends) synthetic, as compared to convential (AKA dinosaur) motor oil has been proven to provide superior protection and allows for longer oil change intervals. There are countless web sites out there that can illustrate these two benefits. If you''re interested in reading up on the topic in detail, I can suggest several web sites to visit.

_____________________________

"War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent." -George Orwell, 1984

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/16/2008 2:17:46 PM

lsm360

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Joined: 3/3/2008
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Diver1972 is exactly right. Any fuel mileage improvement will be very slight, but the protection to your engine makes the switch worth it. The great majority of experts out there agree that synthetics provide superior protection compared to conventional oil. And, yes, you can go longer between changes (probably at least 5000 miles, depending on your driving habits).

Go for it!

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'97 LE and '07 XLE V6

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/16/2008 2:29:49 PM

flyerI

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Joined: 10/26/2007
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Ok, so here is my take on synthetic. Yes it is slicker which helps reduce friction, which will require less fuel. It will also reduce wear on the internal parts.

I have used synthetic oil blend for over 20 years in all my car engines. I stated when I had a car parked outside that had a little click in the valves on cold winter morings. I started using 1 quart of Mobile One along with my regular oil change. The clicking went away. Newer syn blends may only have as little as 5% synthetic. By mixing in 1 quart you get a 25% blend (in most applications today). All oil manufactures say this mixing of oils does not cause any problems and it will not void the warranty of any car that I know of if regular dino oil is recommended.

I have used straight synthetic and have never seen any significant mileage difference between dino, syn, or my blend. I am sure there was some difference but I just couldn''''t see anything major. The biggest thing is the peace of mind that I may be doing something good for my engine. I would still never run any oil longer than 5000 miles and usually I change it close to 3000.

< Message edited by flyerI -- 6/16/2008 2:30:58 PM >

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/16/2008 3:42:13 PM

nodrogkam

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Keep up with your changes at 3000 miles intervals with regular oil. Save you money in the longer run. Also highway miles are less damaging than city miles, since your engine/car is actaully moving at that time. City miles involve a ton of idle, so your engine runs longer, eventhough you have fewer miles on the OD.

So unless you''re driving stop and go, theres no benefit to you to switching to synthetic. But theres no harm in doing it either. =)

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1998 Camry XLE V6

My Car Domain

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/17/2008 1:31:47 PM

diver1972

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Joined: 8/22/2007
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quote:

ORIGINAL: nodrogkam

Keep up with your changes at 3000 miles intervals with regular oil. Save you money in the longer run.

Here''''s how I save money: I perform 1 oil and filter change every 12k miles with a full synthetic oil instead of 4 oil and filter changes every 3k miles with a conventional oil*.

Regimen with conventional:
Parts:
- $5 per oil filter (for the cheapies) x 4 oil filters = $20
- $2 per quart of oil x 20 quarts of oil (approx. 5 quarts per OC) = $40
Labor:
- 30 minutes (includes set-up and tear-down time) per OC x 4 OCs = 2 hours

Regimen with full synthetic:
Parts:
- $15 per oil filter (for a high quality one) x 1 oil filters = $15
- $7 per quart of oil x 5 quarts of oil = $35
Labor:
- 30 minutes (includes set-up and tear-down time) per OC x 1 OCs = 30 minutes

*For reference, my Camry will see about 10k miles per year and about 60% of its miles on a highway or interstate (i.e. not stop-go-stop-go-stop-go conditions).

So, over the course of a year (i.e. 10-12k miles in my case), I save about $10 (i.e. $50 vs. $60) and 1.5 hours of time (i.e. 30 minutes vs. 2 hours). Some may say that it''''s not much savings, but I say that any savings makes it worth it.

So, that''''s 3 fewer times per year (assuming average annual mileage of 12k) that I have to:
1) get out my supplies (e.g. ramps, wrench, oil, oil filter, drain pan, etc.)
2) drive my car up on the ramps
3) crawl underneath my car and perform the technical manuever of trying to catch all the oil
4) wait 10 minutes for all the oil to drain
5) crawl back underneath my car to reinstall the drain plug
6) change oil filter
7) put up my toys and clean-up

Oh, and environmentally speaking, I''m only discarding 5 quarts of oil and one oil filter instead of 20 quarts of oil and 4 oil filters. I''m sure that counts for something too.

< Message edited by diver1972 -- 6/17/2008 1:33:54 PM >

_____________________________

"War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent." -George Orwell, 1984

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/19/2008 5:37:32 PM

Tim224DT

Posts: 52
Joined: 3/26/2008
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Thanks for all the input much help!!

The Toyota Dealer is telling me i can go 5k miles on conventional oil no problem. I find that hard to believe for many reasons. I have done 3k miles in my truck no matter what. So the gas millage wont improve much but the friction in the engine to prolong the life would help. That right there is worth the extra money to me.

I plan on having this car till it runs into the ground and wont go anymore. So the longer it lasts the happier i will be.

Thanks again for the input,

Timothy

(in reply to diver1972)

Post #: 8

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/19/2008 6:31:20 PM

05cam

Posts: 134
Joined: 3/18/2007
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Synthetic is the way to go. Be sure to use the correct weight. Do you know what oil your gonna use...Mobil 1? Castrol?? Valveoline? Theres tons of them out there

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RE: Should i make the synthetic switch?? - 6/20/2008 3:44:18 AM

pedro

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Joined: 1/20/2007
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Tim224DT

The Toyota Dealer is telling me i can go 5k miles on conventional oil no problem. I find that hard to believe for many reasons.

What are the reasons? You won''t be able to know what type of oil change interval you can get either with dino or synthetic unless you do oil anaysis. 5k with dino is fine, but prove it with some science, not the 3k mantra drummed into our heads by our fathers or by the oil change industry.

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95 2.2L LE Wagon Auto Trans 150,000 miles.

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Post #: 10