Regular Oil /Synthetic Oil

[caldwell]

I have a 2003 Holiday Rambler with a chevy workhorse engine, with 14,000
miles. I would like to go to Synthetic Oil. What are the pros and cons. And how often should I change oil if I go to synthetic
Caldwell

[Luski]

I use synthetic mainly for the easier cold start up in cold weather, as far as changing it goes I would still change at 3,000 miles just to get the dirty stuff out, since it is a RV you can pretty much figure it is a more severe use than in your car or light truck, it will tend to dirty up faster in a heavy chasis, more load on the motor, if your in a warm climate majority of the time regular oil will work just fine.

[szy]

OIL question , here we go

Syn oil has a place , it just isn't with diesel engines that have fuel dilution . That is why Cummins recommends a 15w40 weight oil down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit .

If you use a 5w40 weight oil it will fuel dilute down to nothing for your start ups and that isn't good.
Plus no matter what oil you have in you do not want an extended oil change with all that soot and diluted fuel and all diesel engines suffer from fuel dilution it is the nature of the beast .

Stay with a good 15w40 oil and you won't go wrong . Some people think paying more for something makes it better like high test gasoline , and syn oils .

[Skip426]

Originally Posted by caldwell

I have a 2003 Holiday Rambler with a chevy workhorse engine, with 14,000
miles. I would like to go to Synthetic Oil. What are the pros and cons. And how often should I change oil if I go to synthetic
Caldwell

If your not putting on 3000 miles a year, annual oil change is still the way to go. Oil change before storage to get the contaminants out of the pan before they can settle to the bottom and form sludge. Some will even say , change again before use to get any condensation out of the system.
Pro: better wear protection. Con: $$$$
JMHO. A good quality regular oil changed regularly, will serve you well, I have lost track of the number of vehicles I've owned and the miles of heavy use; towing and otherwise that I've driven, and the 2 engine failures that I had would not have been changed by oil type.

[JC2]

Originally Posted by caldwell

I have a 2003 Holiday Rambler with a chevy workhorse engine, with 14,000
miles. I would like to go to Synthetic Oil. What are the pros and cons. And how often should I change oil if I go to synthetic
Caldwell

For your gas engine, a good quality 10w-30 dino oil changed @ 1yr or 5000 miles is more than adequate. Synthetic oil would be overkill and an unnecessary expense. I do not believe the majority of people put sufficient miles on their rigs to justify synthetic oil usuage as todays modern dino oils are more than adequate.

[Fiesta48]

Modern dyno oils are much improved over the years. These oils are good for more than 5000 miles.
Use Synthetics to reduce your wallet thickness. Your choice.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by JC2

For your gas engine, a good quality 10w-30 dino oil changed @ 1yr or 5000 miles is more than adequate. Synthetic oil would be overkill and an unnecessary expense. I do not believe the majority of people put sufficient miles on their rigs to justify synthetic oil usuage as todays modern dino oils are more than adequate.

I have to disagree. running 100% synthetic would be very beneficail just because you don't put that meny miles on your engine. Synth oil does not break down as fast a dino oil so it should last longer and protect better. I just my used Itasca and put AMSOIL in it just because of that reason. I have used AMSOIL in every thing I have owned since I made the switch in 1982 when I put it in my 1981 Plymouth Reliant K. I sold that car with 80K miles and was accused of having a new engine it. They had to re-verify the engine numbers to determine it was the original one. They could not believe how clean it was and how great it ran.
AMSOIL all the way I say, well worth the money.

[Damon Outlaw]

Chevy recommends 3,000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first. So do all the other oil and filter companies except AMSOIL.

AMSOIL makes a better chemical synthetic oil and synthetic nanofiber filter and recommend/warranty parts and labor for 15,000 miles or once a year whichever comes first. This is what I do in my Ford V10 and purchase at wholesale. I had the oil analyzed at 15,000 miles and it came back as good for continued use.

SuperGewl, I also had a 1981 Plymouth Reliant K car and used regular oil in it. It was due for a lot of top end work at only 50,000 miles at Plymouth's recommended interval. I wish I knew then what I know now!

[szy]

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

I have to disagree. running 100% synthetic would be very beneficail just because you don't put that meny miles on your engine. Synth oil does not break down as fast a dino oil so it should last longer and protect better. I just my used Itasca and put AMSOIL in it just because of that reason. I have used AMSOIL in every thing I have owned since I made the switch in 1982 when I put it in my 1981 Plymouth Reliant K. I sold that car with 80K miles and was accused of having a new engine it. They had to re-verify the engine numbers to determine it was the original one. They could not believe how clean it was and how great it ran.
AMSOIL all the way I say, well worth the money.

What you did benefited the new owners it did little for you though

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by szy

What you did benefited the new owners it did little for you though

Actually it has done wonders on the engine, it runs cooler and maitains 55mph at a lower rpm, thus the engine is not working as hard to do the same job.

[Iangolf]

I have been a Mobile One user for years. Some of the mileage examples (these were all purchased new). Honda Accord (287,000 miles at trade in), Chevy K5 Blazer (415,000 miles), Chevy 1500 pickup (385,000 miles when sold to a teenager. He put another 70,000 miles on the truck before he totaled the truck in a wreck), Chrysler Town & Country (174,000 miles before selling). Now the only vehicle that has synthetic oil is our Winnebago. Both cars are company cars and we have to follow the fleet policy since they pay for the maintenance. Based on our mileage experience with no oil leaks (well the Blazer needed a new rear main seal) we are strong believers in synthetic. By the way, yes we drive a lot.

[Damon Outlaw]

Synthetic oils often improve fuel economy 1-2% for each in the engine, transmission, and differential. Plus can go longer intervals. More than makes up for the slightly higher price.

[Bohem]

I have used both. if your into high miles and hard driving Synthetic oil pays for it self, both in Reduced engine ware and more engine effciency. An engine that is driven in syntheic runs tighter. The oil has consistant smaller molecules that are more resistant to heat breakdown. It does have a price though, if you don't plan on keeping the vehical for a while its hard to justify the cost

[ga traveler]

I don't want anyone under my vehicle but me. When we started doing the "western thing" in 2007, I didn't want to have to change oil in the middle of my trip, so I switched over to synthetic.