Is it worth it to use RP oil....I have the mods below, my car is just for recreational usage so I don't have to change the oil a lot, and it seems good. I use 10w30 motorcraft now with not a leak, and the only reason I am asking is because I am afraid if I switch to RP sythetic i will develop a leak....am I insane, and is it worth it?
1. Royal Purple (or most any synthetic) would be good for you so that you can wait longer between oil change intervals - i.e. just change the filter and you can use the oil quite a bit longer than conventional dino oils. In other words, if you're only putting miles on during the weekends and whatnot, you can get away with running the oil a bit longer without much fear of it breaking down. Royal Purple's literature claims that you can use the same oil for 12,000 miles without worry as long as you change the filter every 3,000 miles. Soooooo, thumbs up on that one. 2. Royal Purple and really, any synthetic oil will NOT cause leaks. Synthetic oils do generally have detergents in them that will clean the engine, and may get rid of sludge and/or buildup. Now, if you have sludge/buildup that is masking a leak at say, the rear main seal, or the oil pan gasket, etc. - you may start to see leaks or drops on your garage floor. But remember, this isn't the synthetic oil causing it! It was already there and the dino oil buildup/sludge hid the problem. My car had 53,000 miles on it when I switched to Royal Purple last year, and I have no complaints. If you have the money, I say go for it! I was very satisfied with how it held up (Just changed it out about a month ago). Synthetics rock if you can afford them! Mobil 1 or Quaker State Q are also good choices (you can grab a rebate on them at PepBoys and other places and perhaps even snag a rebate on a free Mobil 1 filter). BTW, sticking with Motorcraft oil isn't so bad either. It's a reasonably priced oil and is a synthetic/dino blend if i'm not mistaken. Hope this helps.
The above info sounds good to me (and AFAIK, you're right - the Motorcraft 10W-30 is a blend, as are the 5 weights). For the cost difference, you could change the oil twice as often though if you keep the Motorcraft................... The leaks thing is too hard to predict. If you have had very regular and non-extended OCI's, you might be well-off with the synthetic. It's always a crapshoot though (my perspective is that I'll take a drip and extra protection over no drip - I am more about function over form than some folks with very weekend-oriented cars). Good luck.
I use Mobile1, because RP is way too friggin expensive here in Canada, and it only comes in quarts. They claim you will save money on gas with this stuff, but I can't see it making that much of a difference to justify paying the extra money for it. I know everyone says its awsome stuff, but mobile1 seems to do the job just fine. I'll keep the money I saved on oil and buy beer instead
MC 10w30 is a blend like metioned meaning you can go 5,000 between oil changes. I currently go 5,000 miles on my MC 10w30, I'm also sending a used oil sample to Blackstone labs for testing. They will check to make sure the oil is holding up just fine like it's supposed to. I will be posting my results.....
When are you sending the sample? I think that will be really interesting to see what the lab has to say about it! Keep us updated, and any idea how much they are going to charge ya? I was thinking about doing the same, but my buddy's dad works for a lab that tests oil for case/international trucks, large equipment, and machinery--->aka free for me
They charge $20 for normal testing and an extra $10 if you want them to test TBN. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/standard_analysis.html The TBN test measures the amount of active additive left in the oil, basicly it tells you if you can go longer between oil changes or you need to change it sooner. well worth the $30 to know whats going on and how it's holding up.
Danny, I think it's under two bucks to USPS the container (it is deemed USPS approved). Just in case it saves ya a couple bucks...............
USPS is $1.59 if they don't hassle you about Haz matt shipping (which you don't have to pay shipping UO is legal and safe). UPS would be less of a hassle and I already have a box for it. I'm expecting/hoping good results using 10w30/FL1A with 5,000 miles (some hard miles lol).
I take my old oil to a shop or a quick lube and toss them $2 for disposall...or take it to a party with a fire and "evaporate it"
They're suppose to take it for free. I just pour the old oil back in the container and dump it in the dumpster up the block
Oh yeah I sent it UPS came out to $6.xx I didn't want to hassle with USPS about it being hazards (and it's not).
Let us know how it looks Danny. I hear ya about the haz mat thing (I think there's a page you can print out and take with if USP thinks it's haz mat). I think that was 4-5 bucks well spent to avoid the hassle.
What do you guys think about the Amsoil deal They say the have ONE YEAR filer, EaO and they have had 1 year or 25,000 oil for a while now. What do you guys think? I think people change their oil waaaaayyyyyyy to often (even when it's just dino) and I remember not changing my dino oil in my beater for 2 years and when I broke it down (for fun) it had NO wear whatsoever, and it had 178K on it, 3.8 from a 94 Taurus. Only took it apart becuase the trans went.
