What's the difference between 100% synthetic and fully synthetic?

 

do u notice how fully synthetic doesn't give any numbers? well at least i couldn't find any?

does fully mean 100%? the same is saying partial, meaning what? less 1/2? 1/2? amsoil instead marks 100% no word gimmicks or anything like that. now then whether it is truly 100% or not is another thing but you woudl think so; a company like it.

i guess it seems a bit skeptical that it is 100%. i mean, why wouldn't they put 100%/ this is just rumored i guess, but i d k what the rules are. an AMSOIL rep told me it had to just be 1% to be called syntehtic? or some thing like that.

it's just food for thought, im not bashing or saying. so what does syn blend mean? 50/50? or 40/60? Numbers tell alot especialy in the automotive world. JMHO, dont wanan start any flame or 1 sentence replies, so i am just chiming in my thoughts. its like would u buy Mobil 1 100% synthetic or mobil 1 fully synthetic. maybe to some it doesn't matter, but if i was a 1st timer i'd pick the 100%.

 

I do 5k on both oil and filter. If you want to check out a cool test of Mobil1 go to the link below.

They did 5k intervals on the filter and ran the Mobil1 up to 18 thousand miles! They tested the oil every 1k and one thing I found interesting that they found over that time was:

"Engine wear actually decreases as oil ages. This has also been substantiated in testing conducted by Ford Motor Co. and ConocoPhillips, and reported in SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119. What this means is that compulsive oil changers are actually causing more engine wear than the people who let their engine's oil get some age on it."

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/s.../oil-life.html

 

all i nkow is i go by what nissan says and that is 3750 miles before a oil and filter change is needed.

 

I think its cuz it just so darn cold out to change my oil so I do it less in the winter than in the summer, where I have an easier time changing it.

 

Just joined the Mobil 1 full syn club

My oil change spot recommended I go with the 10W-30 because I have over 70K miles on my car, so I'm probably going to change the oil filter at around 4-4.5K miles, add some more Mobil 1 oil in, and ride it out to about 8-9K miles before I change the oil again.

That's my plan...

 

Change Intervals for Mobil 1 (and other Synthetics)

Check out my post on this thread here:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=393824
Then go to post # 6.

There the discussion is about "Click and Clack's" recommendation for oil change intervals.

This poll should have offered both 3,750 miles and 7,500 miles -- the Nissan current recommendations. I voted for 8,000 miles, but actually change at 7,500.

 

so is it worth it putting mobil 1 into an 89 max with nearly 144k miles and if so what should be the change interval. i m pretty sure its pretty worth it and i m guessing every 5k should be ok. i drive mostly highway, more like 70% highway and 30% city. what do you guys think

 

It would be worth it unless the car ends up "burning" more oil when you are using synthetic. I had a 86 Celica that did that, so I quickly went back to dino-oil for that car.

I would change the oil between 7,500 and 10,000 miles. I will be going to 10,000 miles when the warranty on the engine runs out.

 

I don't like running that long between changes because the oil gets contaminated. I normally would not go more than 5000 miles.

 

that is way too long. nissan says 3750.i try to keep it at that and the longest i driven was 5k.

 

Go to my message at #87 on this thread and click on the link there. You will read Click and Clack's opinions on oil changes (from a recent article they wrote for the newspapers). Bottom line: If you are using synthetic and changing oil at 3,000 or even 5,000 miles -- you are wasting money and resources. Unless you do mainly stop and go driving where the oil never gets a chance to heat up completely and stay that way for some time -- you can change synthetic oil at 7,500 miles, 10,000 miles (or even higher mileages if you change oil filters in the middle of this time period).

 

so lets say with a change interval of 7500 or 10k a purolator filter would be good enough for half the interval?

 

I just change to Mobil 1 Super syn from Castrol Syn. Got it for 20 buks @ wall mart. I love it, engine feels smooth and I plan on changing it in a month or 2 from now, Just curious, what filters do you guys use. I always choose fram.

 

try the stickies.

imo, i have used AMSOIL, K&N. i think the K&N is way bigger in comparision to the AMSOIL though.

just don't use fram... wix is good, and purolator i think is good as well. im not sure bout the ones at napa though..

 

Regardless of miles, I change my oil once a month in both cars. In the SE, I prefer Mobil 1, however, I will use any major manufacturer's synthetic motor oil; in the GXE, I will settle for good quality dino-oil. Even though monthly oil changes seem excessive, for the price of the oil and filter (around $30.00) and fifteen minutes of my time, it is an easy preventive measure. Especially in the SE since I have the wonderful but dreaded VE30DE engine that is known for its VTC issue.

 

While I just switched to Mobil one today, I've read quite a few posts indicating that if want to go longer intervals on the oil (i.e. 10k), the filter should be switched around 5k. I'm not sure if I'd go 10k but was thinking around 6-7k with no filter change before then. Could anyone let me know the reasoning for the filter change? It would seem to me that using the high performance filter would negate the necessity of changing the filter before the oil. The filter is a Mobil 1-108, by the way.

I don't claim to be an oil expert so if someone could explain the reasoning, I would appreciate it. Also, since I don't change my own oil, if I did want to go to 10k with filter change at 5k, does anyone know if the oil change centers will just do a filter change? Thanks.

 

that is way over kill unless you drive many miles per month. anyway it's your car. enjoy.

 

Change it every 3k mobile 1 syn., with Mobile one oil filter. Every day city driving, car actually feels better after the change too.

 

You might as well just use Castrol GTX and a Nissan filter if thats your routine. What you are doing seems like a waste of time and money to me. I thought one of the main reasons for using synthetic, apart from cold startup, was to extend the oil-change interval.

 

just received my oil analysis results from blackstone labs and everything is in good shape.

I've been draining every 6 months of 5500 miles with mobil 1 and nissan OEM filter, been to two track sessions in this time. They say my wear readings are below the 3750 avg for cars with the same engine and also national averages. I can actually put some more miles on it before draining but choose not to

 

I have heard from someone who has been in the oil business for 20+ years that Mobil 1 can easily go 10K without breaking down. Instead of replacing the fluid & filter, he recommends changing just the filter every 3-4k, and only using a genuine Nissan one, too.

 

I was in the oil business (but not the lubes area, so I can't claim to be a lubes expert) for 35 years before I retired. While in the business, I talked with lubes experts on this and other issues. This single statement is true. Probably of more concern than the oil "breaking down" is an increase in viscosity and or an increase in acids in the oil. This is one reason that most realistic recommendations for how frequently you should change your oil have both a mileage and a time component. If you drive less than 4K miles a year, change the oil at least once a year. If you drive more than that, you probably should change the oil every 6 months -- even if you don't hit the mileage point for an oil change.

As long as my Max is under warranty, I will follow the Nissan maximum drain interval of 7,500 miles (I drive enough that time does not apply on my Max). When that warranty is over, I will go to 10,000 mile intervals because of the high percentage of highway miles I put on the Max. If you do much more stop-and-go city driving, stick to the every 6 months interval (so long as you don't go over the mileage limit you set).

As recommended by others on other threads on this site, the best way to determine if you are running your oil too long before doing an oil change is to send a sample of each change to the lab for a complete test. When I go to the longer change interval, I will start doing that.

 

every 3000 miles with mobil regular

 

to keep my maintenance costs down, i do the oil analysis every other oil change. My drain interval is 6000 miles or 6 months.

 

I have used Mobil 1 in my 93, 95, 96, and 2002 Maximas, changing the oil at 10,000 mile intervals and they all have 181K, 220K, 161K, and 65K with no engine issues in sight. After reading the owners manual which states that the oil can be changed at 7,500 miles with just crap oil, I feel an oil like Mobil 1 which is 100% stable will easily go over 10,000 miles. I definitely use a better oil filter like either Bosch or Mobil 1.

 

just checked my oil at 5 k miles and the mobil 1 super syn 15k is still light in color. is this a good thing?

 

Sounds like a good approach except for the Bosch filter. They're crap made in Mexico. Apart from the Mobil 1 filter, you're better off with a Nissan OEM filter, WIX or Purolator PureOne, IMHO.

 

I just changed to Mobil 1 today! (5W30) I think I'm gonna stick fairly close to the regular oil change intervals though...maybe a little more.

 

What is the opinion on the more expensive fram filters or K&n filters when used with mobil1 synthetics?

 

Sorry, but this is WWWAAAAYYYYY old school mindset, changing every 3K with synthetic oil is nothing but a waste, I could understand regular oil but even then I would bump it up to 4K at best for normal city driving. With Mobile 1 syn, you can easily go 7500-10000K miles with a recommended oil filter change at every 5K, this may be good for you if you like throwing away money, however if someone is going to be smart enough to use synthetic oil, they should be smart enough to understand what they are using and do there homework about it...

Rediculous...

 

Bad wasteful decission, it's your money though and your rides, please no one else follow this adivce...

 

Actually, 3750miles on 4.5qts of M1 is plenty. You CAN go further, but there simply isnt enough oil volume to support hard driving past 3750 miles.

 

Agree, however that would be based on a drivers ability to understand his own driving environment and driving characteristics, city driving in Denver is different than NYC (less stop and go), not everyone is driving hard throughout any given city and an extra 250 miles with a synthetic oil will not make a big difference if any at all…

 

If you frequently accelerate hard, cruise above 3k rpms for long distances, and/or drive more than 12000mi/yr you are driving hard

 

i agree except for that last part

 

KN is decent but M1 is better, Pureone is also good, FRAM sucks

 

I only agree with your first point about hard acceleration.

I just returned from a long road trip of over 5K miles. If I'm cruising at 80 mph (some speed limits in the west are 75 mph), then my RPMs are very close to 3K, and the car does this for hours on end. This is easy on the motor oil because everything is hot and working as designed. Long distances are only hard on the oil and the engine when they are done in short trips.

The hardest driving for any motor oil is stop and go, short trips and cold temps where the engine and the oil never get a chance to properly warm up. Also dusty conditions are hard on oil because it is not possible to keep all of the dust out of your engine.

Finally, I must agree with this post:
"changing every 3K with synthetic oil is nothing but a waste, I could understand regular oil but even then I would bump it up to 4K at best for normal city driving. With Mobile 1 syn, you can easily go 7500-10000K miles with a recommended oil filter change at every 5K, this may be good for you if you like throwing away money, however if someone is going to be smart enough to use synthetic oil, they should be smart enough to understand what they are using and do there homework about it..."

 

I said cruising above 3000, more specifically 90+mph

 

anytime i don't like the color of my oil; i'll go ahead and change it out with the filter

so this can come anywhere from 2000 miles to 5500 miles