[GorillaFoot]

Matt, in many ways, oil is like blood to a car. You don't put Type-O blood into a person when they have Type-A blood. Granted, a car's chemistry is a lot less complicated. I'll keep the rest of this relatively simple as well, because I'm no expert either.

In our older cars, with older seals made of different materials than today's cars, a conventional oil, with it's varying molecule sizes and natural impurities, CAN seal an engine better. Our older engines are not built to the same tolerances as new cars either, so the varying molecule sizes can help fill gaps in the metal as well.

A synthetic oil is a better oil when it comes to overall lubricating and it's ability to withstand higher heat levels without breaking down. It's a "better" oil, but not necessarily what was made for our cars.

Now, that being said, there are caveats...

1. There are synthetic oils out there with additive packages that keep our seals good. They can be great for our cars.
2. There are dino oils out there now that our engines HATE.

Our engines HATE most Mobil 1 oils, regular or synthetic. Why? Your Mobil 1 is NOT THE SAME FORMULATION AS WHAT WAS MADE FOR OUR CARS IN THE 1980's. You have to look at the VERY IMPORTANT ADDITIVE CALLED ZDDP. Our cars like having over 1400ppm of ZDDP. Most Mobil 1 oils do not have this level of ZDDP. I found that when I switched oils from Mobil 1 years ago, not only did I burn less oil, but my oil pressure was 2 bars higher when hot. Using the previous analogy of blood/oil, you can't run hard with low blood or oil pressure without hurting things.

Look into Valvoline VR1 Racing, Brad Penn or Joe Gibbs Driven oils, all in the 20/50 range. Talk to their people, make your choice from one of these brands and you can't go wrong.