Synthetic or non-synthetic oil poll

[RickM]

Let the debate begin......

[island911]

ok
synthetic will FAR outlast dino. Not only does synthetic have consistantly longer chain molecules, it DOESN"T have all that added "stabilizer" crap that breaks-down . . . of course you don't get the benifit of all that broken-down, baked-on, crap sealing the internal engine components. -oh darn-

[rfuerst911sc]

I have been going to a mechanic in Central Florida for aprox. 9 years,this mechanic has been in business for well over 30 years in a family owned business,he preps many a Porsche 911 engine that run at Daytona,Sebring etc. and he says that my 911SC was designed for dino oil and thats what I run-20W50 Kendall.I have had no problems running this oil or Valvoline.I respect his opinion,but that does not mean that the people running synthetic are wrong,its just an opinion.If you can run synthetic and not experience excessive leaking then great,if you are of the opinion that dino is the way to go then graat.

[Jim Garfield]

'86 3.2 w/ 55k mi., absolutely no leaks, uses 1 qt. every 3k mi., no smoking. Mobil 1 15w50.

Why would I switch?

[kepperly]

Just some thoughts about the syn reduceing smokeing. Synthetic
doesn't burn until a higher temp! Synthetic still gets the same amount of polutants in it as dino over the same mileage, ie.
acids from unburnt fuel, condensation and carbon. Extended oil
changes don,t interest me. I put 4000 miles a year on my 87
slant nose turbo look cabriolet 3.2 carrera and change the
Kendall 20w50 four times. Anal you bet!

Keith Epperly
wichita kansas region membership chair PCA

[videogypse]

Leaks in older motors? I put Mobil One in my 1956 Ford 860 farm tractor 3 years ago and it hasn't leaked yet. The 6 volt starter also has a much easier time of it with the synthetic.

'76 911 Targa
'78 308 GTS
'97 Accord (6 cylinder)
'97 Grand Cherokee
'95 Ninja

[chuckr]

I put Redline 20/50 in my 83SC with 160,000 miles on it.MY mechanic had only run Valvoline VR1 20/50 and strongly suggested me not switch.
87,000 miles later as a daily driver, no leaks and some track time, good gas milage, good performance... I am a believer of synthetics, no question, for an air cooled engine, you simply cannot get too much protection !

[kepperly]

DO YOU CHANGE RED LINE 20W50 AT 3000 MILES? God you are
Rich!

keith

[DanS911]

I have been usuing Valvoline 50wt for a few years (recomended by a factory trained mech) in my 3.0 l. Lots of DE and track time. No problems on start-ups here in S. Florida. I change oil and brake fluid (super blue) for every event. Cheap insurance or best effort kinda thing


"76 Targa 3.0

[kbrown]

JW recomended Kendal 20w50, he has been using it for years...that was good enough for me.

[Emission]

Mobil 1 15W-50

Only synthetic for my turbo. My turbo Passat runs synthetic and my BMW has synthetic from the factory too.

[FlaCarrera]

Mobil 1 15-50 in my '86 3.2 with 90,000 miles...teeny spoon sized puddles under the back half. I admit to being a sucker for the hype seeing Mobil decals an Porsche race cars for years. Does an older engine really have a conscious thought process knowing that slippery, high heat tolerant synthetic oil is better or worse for it's longevity and power output? I figure the brain trusts at Porsche and Mobil probably know what they're doing.
Ted in SoFla

[Stu Wilkinson]

I take the middle road on this one...
944 turbo gwets Mobil 1... high oil temps around turbo etc.
My 911's get semi synthetic oil. 10/40 here in NZ.
Lets face it, we all pour this stuff into our engines and dont really know if its good, bad or other...
it always makes a good discussion though.

[chuckr]

I change every 5,000.
I get the Redline for about $75.00 a case, I look at it as engine insurance.

[n8marx]

My '86 was weened from dino oil early on. The original owner switched to Mobil 1 at his first oil change (900 miles on the car). Since then, according to the records, it has seen nothing but Mobil 1 15W50. It now has 102k miles and does not leak a drop of oil. It doesn't actually appear to burn much either as it doesn't consume much oil between changes.

[DG624]

I have been using Mobile 1 15-50 for 4 years from 96K to 127K and don't see much leaking but I also have been adding about a quart every 1000 to 1,500 miles is this too much? It does not have oily plugs or smoke on start up but it does seem to use oil.