Synthetic Oil

[Vette66AirCoupe]

Is there any reason NOT to use a synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 in a C2 big block that has never had synthetic oil in it before? If less friction is less heat, less wear, etc. it sounds like a good idea to me. Is there any downside? :confused

 

[allcoupedup]

I seem to remember some heated discussions on this topic on other forums..... people get pretty opinionated about their oil!

The factors you listed were the "pros". The "cons" include lack of the proper cleansing additives necessary for our dirty old style engines and synthetic may cause gasket leaks.

I think I read that it might be ok to start from scratch with synthetic but most recommend staying with conventional if that's what you've been using.

... none of this is fact - just what I think I remember reading


May want to check the corvetteforum or NCRS archives

Brian

 

[mcditalia]

I posted this question a couple of months ago, and basically it is a very opinionated choice. I've come to the conclusion that since most C2's are driven less miles and not as hard as everyday vehicles, it doesn't justify the high cost or supposed benefits of synthetics. If your racing the car or using it everyday under all driving conditions then the use of synthetics might be an option. Also, if the motor has always used normal oil, changing to synthetics might cause leaks. When I first bought my 66 over a year ago, I immediately changed the oil to Mobil 1, but after researching a little bit, I went back to using normal Valvoline.

Hope it helped a bit,

MC

 

[Jersey-vinny]

I posed this question to the Corvette hot line (remember when GM furnished live knowledgeable people to answer questions ?) more than a few years back and was told synthetics were so superior in every way there was no reason not to switch over. I was given one warning, however, because synthetics can penetrate better than natural oil it can find its way past seals that seemed to work fine with the old oil, especially in older cars.
I figured it was worth a shot and switched my '88 over with no problems.

Vinny

 

[warren s]

Syn Oil is thinner, (most common weight is 10-30) and if you are running a thicker oil on an older engine you may get leaks. NOT caused by the Syn oil, just the result of a thinner oil leaking through a gasket and surface that didnt seal that well in the first place.

Syn oil holds way more particulate matter in suspension than dino oil, so older dirty-er running engines will benifit.


There is no down side. Next time you go to the track, ask what kind of oil the "big guys" are runnning.

Call some Corvette "engine shops" or "tuners" and ask their choice of oil.

I have taken apart many an abused engine in my short time, and its no comparision, the engines running Syn Oil like Mobil One are easy to tell apart from the dino oil ones.

Lastly - you spent alot of time and dough on your Corvette, whats another 20 bucks for an oil change...its cheap insurance.

 

[windrider50]

I've done alot of reading about Dino vs Synth oil, mostly for motorcycle use, to come to some conclusions of my own. It appears that a big advantage for Syth is it's superior ability to hang around and stick to the vital parts after the engine is shut down, so dry starts are much less of an issue than Dino.
( Supposedly, this is where the majority of engine wear occurs) I've also read that the early versions of Synth. did not contain the compounds that make the oil seals swell and do their thing. Current versions of Synth. apparently do.

For my $, I'd rather pay a little more for the Synth oil change. You would have to change oil quite alot for the delta $ to add up to what an engine rebuild goes for these days.

This is M.H.O.
O.O.M.V.

Ken

 

[Ron Miller]

There's an updated article on synthetic oil by Patrick Bedard in the September 3 issue of Car & Driver, see http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=27&article_id=3631&page_number=1
Synthetic oil today is not the same as synthetic oil used to be.

I've run Mobil 1 in my 65 ever since the original 327 was rebuilt in 1977, after researching synthetic oil during that period. A lot of good articles on synthetics at the time, and Mobil 1 was one that was widely available. I've had no problems over 20+ years. My 65 hasn't been driven as often as it once was, but the oil gets changed religiously every year. Most of the past few years the mileage on a change is less than 500 or so. I figure synthetic has cost a small amount over this time frame in exchange for what I consider to be added protection.

My 66 is the daily driver, has a replacement 350 (the 327 from the 66 is in the garage), so I use conventional oil (Valvoline or Castrol), change about every 3,000-3,500 miles.

My thoughts and $0.02 on the matter.

Rlm

 

[Vette66AirCoupe]

Thank you

I've decided to go ahead with the Mobil 1. The car has fresh dino oil in it now so I'll probably change it before the real cold weather gets here. Thanks for all of your input!

 

[66427-450]

I did a lot or research and ended up with a CI-4 oil (Shell Rotella T 15w40)...... for it's superior anti-friction/wear qualities. I had used Mobil 1 in the past.