i think oil will only travel as fast as the pump pushes it especially with the same wieght oil. but synthetics do have additives in them designed to keep surfaces lubricated until the fresh oil gets there.

 

1300 miles on my new 05 GT and no oil change yet

I may not change it till 3000 miles.

I think some of you changing the oil at 750 miles are being a little retentive. I don't think it's necessary to change your oil so early.

 

I changed my oil at 1500 with 0-20 and wow all engine noise went away.

 

I will be making my first change somewhere between 500 miles and 1000 miles (using dino oil) and then change again at 3000 miles. I will then switch to either Amsoil or Mobile 1 at the 6000 mark.

For those of you who think that changing it early is being a bit ****, think about this: no manufacturing process is perfect. The parts DO wear into each other (pistons to cylinders, bearings to journals, cams to cam buckets, etc) as the engine runs. This is one of those "1/x^2" type of curves. Most of the wear happens very early in the engines life and a lot of small metal bits are producted as this is happening.

So, you can either leave that oil and filter on the engine (with all those bits either trapped in the filter or suspended in the oil), or you can perform an early oil change and get the bulk of that crap out of your engine as soon as possible. Once the engine wears in, there will be very little wear (baring the cold start up) so you won't have to worry about this particular problem again.

Or, to put it another way: you have invested around $25k in a nice, new car. What is $15 in oil and filter to help it last as long as possible?

 

New guy here, and sorry about the long read the jist of my opinion is at the bottom.
I am a mechanic and have some hands on experience with oil changes. (I work at an independent Harley shop). Here's my take. I agree with the change the oil sooner when it's new to get out all the contaminents related to the "running in" of the motor. When the motor is new it is going to be tight, create extra heat, and thus cause the oil to break down faster. As far as I know no one has found a way to fix this. As far as when to change the oil after that you should wait until it looks dirty. Not black, but brown yet transparent. My estimate (and most manufacturers guidelines) is 3-5k miles, but I have noticed the oil in my 2000 Ranger (GTX10w30) still looks rather clean at 3k. As stated in another post the oil carries out the carbon byproducts and keeps the motor clean. The biggest difference in sythetics (at least in Harley's) is it takes at least twice as long to break down. If you don't wait until it is dirty looking, trash builds up and can cause problems. Synthetics can also cause bearings to slide instead of roll. I only say this because I have seen motors with synthetic (Mobil 1) oil changed every 3k miles. In one case a cam bearing started sliding instead of rolling. Didn't cause major damage, and he had been contimplating a perfomance cam, but when we took the motor apart it looked red inside. I believe most of this was caused more due to the fact that it was changed too often more than the fact it was sythetic. Recently HD has released a sythetic oil of their own, and I have noticed no benifits of it either. One downside is if you have a place where it's about to start leaking, it will find it. In fact my dad put it in his '99 Electra-Glide so he could honestly tell customers his own experience, and for almost $9 a quart he hoped it would work as promised. Instead he found if he rides it at speeds over 75 for extended times it will leave a small puddle of oil on the ground the next morning. So I guess I said all that to say this.

Factory oils are designed to exceed the needs of the vehicle. If you must use synthetic oils make sure you run it long enough to break down and keep sludge from forming. IMO sythetics should only be used if you drive a lot and need to wait 10-15k between oil changes. However you should still change the filter every 3-5k regardless of oil type.

 

Oil analysis is about 25 bucks, but if you believe the results can save you a ton in oil changes. Basically, at about 1k before the oil change interval take a sample and send it off(you buy a kit for this, hence the 25 dollar charge which includes the shipping and analysis). The results will let you know if you need to change the oil or not. Regardless, follow the recommended filter change intervals.

Full disclosure, I haven't done this yet myself, just researched it and plan on doing it. I'm going with mobil 1 for the first change because I already have some in my garage, but after that will probably look into amsoil.

Jason

 

I agree with you however in your statement you used the word think a couple of times. Lets suppose you are wrong. For the price of an oil change at 750 miles I have eliminated any doubt. If I wasted my money then I've wasted $25.00. I'm sure I'll waste more then that on this car. This to me is an investment in protection. Its worth the 25 bucks just to feel this good about it. I can say I have done everything to protect this car.

 

I definitely feel better changing my oil early. I DEFINITELY don't feel I have hurt the car.

 

Thats next to impossible.
If your oil is clean something is not right. The dirtier looking the better.
Dark oil does not indicate the need for an oil change. The way modern detergent motor oil works is that minute particles of soot are suspended in the oil. These minute particles pose no danger to your engine, but they cause the oil to darken. A non-detergent oil would stay clearer than a detergent oil because all the soot would be left on the internal engine parts and would create sludge. If you never changed your oil, eventually the oil would no longer be able to suspend any more particles in the oil and sludge would form. Fortunately, by following the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval, you are changing your oil long before the oil has become saturated. A good oil should get dirty as it does it's work cleaning out the engine. The dispersant should stop all the gunk from depositing in the oil pan.

The only real way to determine whether oil is truly in need of changing is to have an oil analysis performed. Since most people don't want to bother with this, it's acceptable to err heavily on the safe side and simply follow the manufacturer's recommended change interval for severe service. There are still a few cars that specify 3K intervals for severe service, but not many. If you look at countries other than the U.S., the oil recommended change interval is much higher than even the normal interval specified by vehicle manufacturers in the U.S


Anyone using Amsoil beware. Although a good oil, it is NOT API certified.
You may have warranty issues if there is a problem. I have never used it, but I have seen more numbers on it than I care to. The only down to AMSOIL that I have seen is viscosity increase (slight) over the life of the oil. Other than that it appears to be a very good product. [/b][/quote]
?????????I see the API specification seal on my Qts.of Amsoil

 

I found this site regarding Mobil 1 and thought I would share:

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html

 

call valvoline and ask what their 5w20 that is sold as a mineral oil really is


i think most of you will be suprised...

 

Are you saying that Valvoline conventional is actually synthetic or a blend?

 

just ring them up...

 

Ahhh....the good old "oil debate" - every forum I'm on has this debate and for some reason it really seems to bring out the emotions. B)

I have a friend who works at SWI in TX and they test lubricants for manufactures/govt/private parties. He has been analyzing oils for over 15 years and his opinion (after analyzing many diff brands/weights, etc.) is if you use a good quality motor oil and change it according to manufacturer's specs then you are going to be OK.

Now, having said that he uses nothing but Mobil I full synth, and stays away from anything in a 10/40 weight. We use Mobil I 20W - 50W in our bikes (CBR1000RR's) and they tend to run 3-5 degrees cooler and the engine "seems" to run quieter. Go figure.

Question: Last night I was at CostCo and they had Mobil I for 22.00/case (6 qts) - I picked up 3 cases and when I got home noticed they were 5W - 30W (which is what my 00GT used) I'm leaning towards using it - anyone really know if this would do any harm - I'm thinking not - that the 5-20W is mainly for fuel mileage.... :scratch:

 

I ran Mobil 1 in my 89 GT from 17,000 to 127,000 miles with no more oil consumption at the end than when I started using it. About 1/2 a quart per 3000 miles. Changing every 3-5000 miles depending on driving conditions highway vacation miles v.s. stop and go to work miles. I am sold on Mobil 1 but just not sure when to switch over to it. I also changed the gearbox and rearend over to Redline synthetic and the shifting was smooth as silk and quiet. Gas mileage improved slightly and it seemed to run cooler in the summer at highway speeds. Lots of good information about oil on boss302.com if interested. Check it out