Synthetic or Conventional 5W-30

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swshawaii

swshawaii

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V6 Engine
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2005
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Anyone have an opinion? My first oil change after acquiring my '05 ST. I've been considering Amsoil or Royal Purple. What is the benefit? Synthetics tend to be MUCH more expensive although they claim to last much longer between oil changes. I have never been a fan of "multi viscosity" oils, I live in Hawaii and the year round average temperature is 86 degrees with a small variance. Anyone used a straight 30 weight with good results? I know Ford is ADAMANT about using the 5W-30. Is it true I need to use an OEM "Motorcraft" oil filter? Thanks gang - U ALWAYS have the RIGHT answers. Steve :)
 
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Go with any good syn, will make up on the cost by extended changes.

Use any filter you want, I use K&n gold HP 2010.
 
Motorcraft is a very good filter. Wix, Napa, Purolator are all decent filters. Fram is not. Even WalMart store brand is better than Fram. Just use a good filter.



I never have understood why the synthetics at an oil change place are always $25-$30 more than regular oil. The 5 quart jug of Pennzoil Platinum at WalMart is only about $10 more than the standard Pennzoil. Truthfully, if you change your oil every 3-5000 miles, regular oil is fine. I like synthetics in case I can't get to an oil change and it runs over. I put an average of 750 miles a week on my Trac, so a couple of extra weeks adds up pretty fast.



No answer on the 5W30. I use it and don't worry about it.
 
I would not recommend the straight 30w oil. The miltigrade has all the additives to help prevent damage when cold. I do however use 10-30 myself because I live in SoCal and never see the really cold weather conditions. If I lived where I was exposed to freezing winters, I would definitely use 50-30. And it would be a full synthetic for its lasting properties.



 
If you keep a regular interval on your oil and filter change, any SAE 5w30 oil will work, dreman is also right on getting a good filter... if you want to add a little bit more of peace of mind, put one of those filter magnets.



I use synthetic 'cause sometimes I go past the regular change schedule...

 
A straight 30 oil will be thicker (more viscous) than a 5W-30 when cold and about the same viscosity as a 5W-30 at operating temperatures. Its better to have the less viscous oil when the engine is cold than straight 30 weight will afford. My opinion, stay with a 5W-30.
 
i use mobil one syn on my psnl vehicles with the factory filter. the reason i use syn is that i am in a 4 season state and change the oil at 5k.

in my fleet i use regular with any type of filter.

imo, it doesn't make a difference as long as you stay with the intervals suggested.

i know of many vehicles that use convential and have gone over 250K with no problems
 
i use mobil one syn on my psnl vehicles with the factory filter. the reason i use syn is that i am in a 4 season state and change the oil at 5k. in my fleet i use regular with any type of filter.
Click to expand...



And all this time I thought it would be in reverse. Just so you could say your fleet vehicles last longer than your personal vehicles.



:lol:
 
I have been using Mobil-1 synthetic in all my vehicles for the past 7-8 years including 2 Sport Trac's, a Saturn Ion, a Toyoto Highlander and my Mercedes Benz. The Benz comes from the factory with Mobil-1 and I am only required to change the oil once a year or every 13K miles. Also, be aware that my Benz's V6 enigne holds 9 quarts of oil, which is nearly twice what a normal V6 holds.



Amsoil and Royal Purple make excellent synthetic oils and you can't go wrong using them even if they are a bit more expensive than other synthetics, but I prefer to used a good quality brand that is readily avaialble anywhere I choose to buy it, even if it's WalMart. Amsoil and RP are much harder to find...The same goes wil Lucas Oils.



...Rich
 
Like gary s. & Richard L., I used to use Mobile 1 in all of my vehicles. Then someone on here that regularly sent their used oil out for analysis showed better results in the ST with Penzoil Synthetic.



So now, I've switched to it and haven't noticed any difference between the Penzoil & Mobile1. Other than the $ difference like dreman referred to.



I have run RP in the past but just can't justify the $ compared to the others. Sorry Rodger...



 
A twist to this Question.... II bought my trac used (86,000 Miles) and do not know what oil was used in it before me.



I have been using the same motorcraft semi-synthetic I use in my 2003 Mach1.



Trac now has 109,000 will it hurt to switch to a full synthetic oil with this many miles?

 
I have heard that the only problem that you may have when switching to a syn at that high mileage on your trac, is your seals or gaskets may leak. I don't know if it's true but I can say that my st just turned over 95k and I have only ever used syn oil(first mobil 1 5w-30, now amsoil 0w-30) and I don't have any seals or gaskets leaking.
 
Years ago you were not supposed to mix dino oil with synthetics or bad things would happen. That is no longer true. There are no additives to synthetics or dino oil that are incompatible if they are produced with the same API standards. That's what the API rating of oils is for. Newer engines have different API rates than older engines and diesel engines have different API ratings than gasoline engines. As long as you use the correct API rated oil for your engine, your engine will not be harmed by the oil regardless of brand.



This same thing applies to seals as well. There is nothing in either cynthetic or dino oil that will cause seals to shrink or swell. If you have a high mileage vehicle and used some of the additives that are designed to stop minor oil leaks, you may notice the leaks again when you switched to synthetic oil. That is not anything in the oil that caused the leaks, it's just that you have diluted the sealant additive. And frankly, most of the additives to stop leaks or only temporary at best.



...Rich
 
Motorcraft is the best filter for the money. If you're going to change the oil every 5000 miles or so, Motorcraft Blend or Havoline will give about the same wear metals results on a Used Oil Analysis at a full synthetic.
 
Popular vote says:

Mobil 1, Pennzoil, RP or Amsoil synthetics are the preferred choices. Reasoning tells me use the "Dinosaurus" oil I have always used. My assumption is if the product is API certified, the oil meets the requirements of the OEM. I did use the "Motorcraft FL-820S oil filter from the recommendations here. Looked at the the K & L HP-2010 and could not justify spending the extra money for what appears to be another disposable oil filter, unlike their amazing 33-2106 Lifetime High Flow Air Filter. Next subject re: Flex Fuel
 

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