[IZVERG]

So I swapped in Mobil-1 Extended Life synthetic oil last oil change, right about 3,200 miles ago. I also put in a K&N performance oil filter, and my question is; the oil says it can go 15k before a change, is this too long? And should I still swap filters every 3k or so?

 

[lostboy]

So I swapped in Mobil-1 Extended Life synthetic oil last oil change, right about 3,200 miles ago. I also put in a K&N performance oil filter, and my question is; the oil says it can go 15k before a change, is this too long? And should I still swap filters every 3k or so?

I think it depends on your driving style and conditions. Dusty or city driving I wouldn't wait the full 15k. I use mobil-1 synthetic (not the extended life) and I still change it every 3500. Better safe then sorry is how I see it.

I bet you could easily stretch it to 7000 with easy highway miles. I also think mobil makes an extened life filter for the longer durations, not sure how long the k&n is rated for.

It really comes down to a matter of opinion though, and if you trust the marketing. If you don't send your oil out for testing then you won't really know how good or bad of a job it's doing on your engine, so I error on the side of caution.

 

[willgr1]

i'm running amsoil synthetic, going on 10K miles since the last change, checked the oil the other week, still looks new! i'll change it in a few weeks before i drive the X halfway across the country.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

I run Mobil 1 and I change it @ 5000. Probably way too early but its not very expensive @ costco.

 

[Muzikman]

I run Mobil 1 and I change it @ 5000. Probably way too early but its not very expensive @ costco.

^^^ Same (except I get it at SAMS)

 

[Cold Iron]

My opinion, and that is all it is but I spent 20 years working on machinery lubrication systems including inspecting oil in the Navy Oil Analysis Program, never exceed the Manufactures recommendation which is 7500 miles maximum in our case. A cardinal rule of thumb is to never add more than 10% new oil without doing a complete change so you can’t just change the filter to extend oil life.

There is a belief that the whole push to extend oil change frequency came from those that wanted to conserve oil. Toyota used to say 7500 miles but after trying it rolled it back to 5000. Evidence in the real world showed 7500 was too much. Without the equipment to test and run a spectranalysis can’t say for sure and each environment is different. But I’m not comfortable going over 5k, ever. There is still much debate on it from both sides.

Found Amsoil at Fleet Farm for a little cheaper than Mobil 1 so I’m using that. I start thinking about a change at 4k and end up doing it very soon after. Cold is hard on oil so up here synthetic makes sense to me.

 

[IZVERG]

I see, sounds like 5k is the magic number. Guess if it's a performance filter then it should be good till 5k, too. Any hesitation to switch the brand of synthetic oil once you started using one type?

 

[usmc xterra]

1st you can find real answers here: http://www.synthetic-oil-online.com/

Amsoil is the best if you want to run it. Who else stands behind extended oil changes with a real warranty? Not Mobil one for sure. Although I put Mobile one in my wife's car. And note that it's not really pure synthetic. In my X I Run Amsoil good for up to 25K miles on one Oil filter, But I change it at 15K because I am in severe service doing wheeling.

You can't beat Amsoil, The problem or weak spot with what you have is the K&N, it gets better flow for a reason, it allows more particles through, that means dirt in your oil via air intake and that's not a good thing when extending oil intervals. In fact really bad. Great for a night of racing, not for everyday, the trend now is towards the new Nanofiber technology http://www.synthetic-oil-online.com/amsoil_air_filters.htm It's like a K&N in life span but you can clean it on the trail, it's dry no mess and has even higher flow (By way of more surface area)

You can learn a lot by visiting the site and reading and Amsoil backs all they say. You get what you pay for, That's the case with Amsoil. Mobile one is great, it you like second or 3rd best. It's off the shelf so, that's good. Only drawback on Amsoil is you order it and they ship it to your door. Is that a drawbacK? MC

 

[willgr1]

actually you can find amsoil in some stores, i get it from salvo.

 

[Cold Iron]

Any hesitation to switch the brand of synthetic oil once you started using one type?

No but I would try not to make it a habit. On the rare occasion I do switch I only go 500-1k before changing again. Overkill I’m sure but feel better about it.

Yeah like I said I get Amsoil at Fleet Farm. Only got it because it was cheaper than Mobil 1. It will be interesting to see what happens down the road as the distribution channel changes for Amsoil. Went through this with desktops then servers in the mid 90’s when HP, Compaq and IBM promised the VAR’s they would not sell outside the channel. Yeah right.

I happened to be on the first ship the Navy tried full synthetic on, the USS Hermitage LSD-34. It was a huge failure and it took my men and me 3 days and nights to clean 3,000 gallons out of the main engine sump and flush that crap out. Eventually we ended up going with a blended oil. Left a bad taste in my mouth about full synthetics and this is my first time to use it.

Sometimes I think we get carried away with the whole oil thing. For 30 years I used mainly Castrol GTX and put 130k-180k on each of my vehicles without an internal lubrication problem or engine failure changing it every 3,000 miles. That is just how it is and not said to get into a pissing contest over oil either LOL. There are some things in life I have learned not to talk derogatory about to a man. His dog, truck, shotgun, or choice of oil.