Synthetic Oil [merged]

[DrunkenMime249]

All synthetic oil threads are merged here.i'm trying to buy a 1g dsm turbo awd (as i'm sure most of you know by now from my recent ramblings in other threads). Most of the ones i've been looking at are bone stock for the most part except repairs and i have a feeling all are running on regular oil.

my question is when i finally buy one should i run regular, full sythetic, or somwhere in between (i am planning on running full synthetic).

also, if the car is running regular and i want to switch to full synthetic, i've heard it can be damaging to switch all at once. or is that just a fable? it makes sense and i was planning on slowly uprading the oil quality everytime i changed it until it was running full synthetic. is that the wrong thing to do?

 

[tsunari]

Was curious if 15W-50 would be a better suited for our turbocharged engines as opposed to say 5W-30 or 10W-30. Especially in these hot temperatures down south.

Any ideas, opinions, experiences, etc . . .?

 

[paranoidTSi]

Way too heavy in my opinon, 10W40 should be enough...in fact that heavy of motor oil is going to bother the turbo....if the oil is more liquid than molasses its going to deliver better to the turbo.

 

[crankbender]

Not to mention our lifters don't like the heavier oils.

10-30 imho. Unless you are drastically changing the dynamics of the car the guys who choose the motor oil for the car and turbo have WAY more experience and knowledge than any of us. Now when you go to modding heavily you may want to change.

Why are you wanted to change?

 

[ColonelOdem]

stick with the lighter stuff...I'm running lucas oil additive (honey like stickyness) and 10w-30 in my car and she runs better, I believe.

 

[igs]

Owners manual says 20W-40.

 

[dannytuned]

i also use 10w-30 with 1/2 qt. lucas...good stuff. that mixture probably comes out to 20w-40. i put some lucas in my trans too...really good stuff!

 

[Defiant]

Originally posted by igs
Owners manual says 20W-40.

Hm, which manual? The '95 Talon Owners's Manual says 5W-30 up to 100°F, then 10W-30 beyond.

 

[ARTSUPRA]

I am switching to MObile 1 syntetic 15W-50 Next oil change

Will keep the turbo more healthy as well as the engine.

 

[ColonelOdem]

Originally posted by ARTSUPRA
I am switching to MObile 1 syntetic 15W-50 Next oil change

Will keep the turbo more healthy as well as the engine.

:thumbdown

 

[ColonelOdem]

Originally posted by dannytuned
i also use 10w-30 with 1/2 qt. lucas...good stuff. that mixture probably comes out to 20w-40. i put some lucas in my trans too...really good stuff!

half? I used the entire thing. along with four qts. of 10w-30. haven't tried it in my tranny though...maybe some day.

 

[paranoidTSi]

Originally posted by ARTSUPRA
I am switching to MObile 1 syntetic 15W-50 Next oil change

Will keep the turbo more healthy as well as the engine.

How do you figure this? that oil is WAY too heavy for a street car. This is like putting syrup on the turbos bearings it going to be HARD for those bearings to work effectively let alone travel through the feedlines. That weight won't travel very well period. In cooler weather you are likely to have that type of oil cook nicely onto the bearings.

Take the turbo out of the equation, you have premature wear on your oil pump since it now has to work harder to move the molasses thrown into the engine.

15W-50 is used for race cars, REAL race cars.

Unless on a typical day its 200 degrees outside don't use it, you'll be sorry in about a year after using it.

Mitsubishi knows best, it calls for 5W-30 in the manual, and 10W-30 for warmer weather, the most I would go is 10W-40.

 

[Darksyne]

Originally posted by tsunari
Was curious if 15W-50 would be a better suited for our turbocharged engines as opposed to say 5W-30 or 10W-30. Especially in these hot temperatures down south.

Any ideas, opinions, experiences, etc . . .?

I used 15W-50 in my MR2 Turbo for 2 years and now in the Talon.

I wouldn't worry about this oil coking on your turbo bearings because it has a higher flash point then 10W-30 which means it is more resistant to coking. In addition, I noticed reduced oil consumption when switching to this in both turbo cars.

It pours at -55 degrees F so I have no worries during the winter. I usually let the car warm up before driving it anyway.

This oil is also factory fill on the Cobra R and M3. I'm sure they were designed to operate on days that are below 200 degrees.

Either way, everyone thinks the oil they use is the best choice, that's why they're using it. The only way to get a definitive answer is if someone comes forward saying that 15W-50 caused a cataclysmic engine failure, and can prove it.

I won't hold my breath

 

[tsunari]

Originally posted by Darksyne
I used 15W-50 in my MR2 Turbo for 2 years and now in the Talon.

I wouldn't worry about this oil coking on your turbo bearings because it has a higher flash point then 10W-30 which means it is more resistant to coking. In addition, I noticed reduced oil consumption when switching to this in both turbo cars.

It pours at -55 degrees F so I have no worries during the winter. I usually let the car warm up before driving it anyway.

This oil is also factory fill on the Cobra R and M3. I'm sure they were designed to operate on days that are below 200 degrees.

Either way, everyone thinks the oil they use is the best choice, that's why they're using it. The only way to get a definitive answer is if someone comes forward saying that 15W-50 caused a cataclysmic engine failure, and can prove it.

I won't hold my breath

Well reason I considered switching is I was buying my usual 5w-30 and started to read what Mobil 1 had to say about their 15w-50:

" . . . Mobil 1 15W-50 is excellent for supercharged and turbo charged engines, muscle cars and amateur racers."

"Outstanding protection for gasoline, diesel and turbocharged car engines."

So it just got me thinking . . .

 

[Tallen]

Our cars thin out the oil so quick. I decided on 15w50.

 

[Groomz]

Originally posted by Tallen
Our cars thin out the oil so quick. I decided on 15w50.

My lifters tick with 15W-50 Mobile 1. Also, if its getting hot where you live, get an oil cooler, don't change weights of oil.

 

[98RedGs]

I live in Louisiana and personally it's not hot enough down here to change weights of oil. It stays about 70-80max around here and that's on the sunny days we have.

Run 10w-30 if you're worried.

 

[DSMRevolution]

Originally posted by Tallen
Our cars thin out the oil so quick. I decided on 15w50.

How does our cars thin the oil? Maybe if you get a lot of blow by and are dumping fuel in the cylinder but I was pretty sure that the weight of the oil couldn't change. I could be wrong but does that mean my 5w-30 I have in right now is actually like -10w--60? Sorry just please explain what you mean by this because it isn't making sense to me.

 

[igs]

Originally posted by Defiant
Hm, which manual? The '95 Talon Owners's Manual says 5W-30 up to 100°F, then 10W-30 beyond.

Really? That is interesting. My 97 Eclipse manual says 20W-40. My friend's Evo8 manual says the same as mine.

 

[2-0turbo]

Originally posted by Darksyne
I used 15W-50 in my MR2 Turbo for 2 years and now in the Talon.

This oil is also factory fill on the Cobra R and M3. I'm sure they were designed to operate on days that are below 200 degrees.

Either way, everyone thinks the oil they use is the best choice, that's why they're using it. The only way to get a definitive answer is if someone comes forward saying that 15W-50 caused a cataclysmic engine failure, and can prove it.

I won't hold my breath

Mobil 1 is factory fill, but not 15W-50 weight. I used to be a big fan of thicker oils, because they offer more protection, right? One thing everyone is forgetting is FLOW. Oil not only lubricates the engine bearings (babbit remember), but remove heat. Put a thick oil in there and you'll have great oil pressure, but not enough flow. Bearing overheats and before you know it, spins it way right out of there.

I cannot PROVE it, but I just lost an engine after a track event while running Mobil 1 15W-50. Spun a bearing on a 120K stock engine pushing maybe 265 HP at 12 PSi. Nothing crazy. I usually ran 10W-30, but switched to the thicker oil for the track for "added protection."

My next engine will use 10W-30. Ask the Nascar guys what they use. They will tell you 0W-20. Ask the drag racers what they use. They tell you the same or even thinner. Especially with the synthetics, you don't need to run these thick oils. In AIR cooled Porsche motors that expose the oil to ungodly temps, yes, thick oils. But not in our cars.

Like I said, I used to sing the thick oil tune. Not any more. I believe you are doing damage to your engine. The factory specified a viscosity to work with the clearances engineered into our engine. My suggestion is to take their suggestion and run what they specify.

 

[tsunari]

Originally posted by igs
Really? That is interesting. My 97 Eclipse manual says 20W-40. My friend's Evo8 manual says the same as mine.

Yeah, my 98 FSM says 10W-30 (-10F -> 100F+) 20W-40 (32F ->100F+)

 

[paranoidTSi]

Originally posted by tsunari
Yeah, my 98 FSM says 10W-30 (-10F -> 100F+) 20W-40 (32F ->100F+)

There you have it, 15W-50 is not recommended by mitsubishi/chysler.

 

[Defiant]

Originally posted by igs
Really? That is interesting. My 97 Eclipse manual says 20W-40. My friend's Evo8 manual says the same as mine.

Whoa! This IS interesting. The '93 Talon manual shows 20W-20, 40 from -32°F and up for the turbo, the '95 Talon manual only has 10W-30 from -10°F and up, and doesn't make a distinction for turbo motors. The '96 Eclipse manual says 20W-40 for the turbo from -32°F and up. The '97 Talon manual has 20W-10 from -32°F and up for the turbo.

I have the distinct impression they know about as much about oil weights as all of us do. Or, no one proofreads the oil specs pages.

 

[Groomz]

Some people believe thicker oils are less prone to thermal breakdown and stress. After the "black sludge" of the 80's, oil technology has become much better. You can run the thinner oil and still have all the protection you need. I would not go past 20W-40 on 4G63's, anything else is too thick. Mobiel 10W-30 is more than enough for any DSM engine, even the 600whp ones ( lots of those on this board ).

Happy Oiling,

-Groomz

 

[goalieman24]

Not trying to steal the thread.... but does anyone have experience with Havoline 10w-30?? My car is due for a change and I found a whole case of the Havoline in the garage. Anyone ever use this before?

 

[igs]

Originally posted by 2-0turbo
Ask the Nascar guys what they use. They will tell you 0W-20.

Have you asked? Because you obviously haven't. They run 0 weight oil for qualifying, throw that engine away, then run 50 weight oil on the race engine. If you don't drive more than 1.5 mile laps between engine rebuilds then go ahead, use 0W-20.