Synthetic Oil for Towing?

Jayco23FB wrote:
Wow! I had no idea I would be opening a can of worms with this post. Lots of good info. Thanks all.

Hahahah ... can of worms?! With all these 'experts' on the Internet anything is a can of worms.

Oil, oil filters, air filters, power programmers, RV tires, WD hitches, trailer construction, truck brands, truck powertrains, truck capacities, TV antennas, vent fans, among any number of other topics all are fodder for those who seem bent on showing others the errors of their ways and how dumb they are for making the choices they did, instead of good / positive contributions to the furtherance of knowledge especially for people whose knowledge and experience may lie in different areas. We can all learn from someone else. Then there are the sheeple who latch on to the anecdotal information and given enough 'followers' the notions become "truth".

As for lots of good info - just remember there are many folks who choose NOT to post in these contentious threads. Perhaps they have the real useful / helpful knowledge and just pass onthe threads because of the tone and signal/noise ratio.

Maybe folk should just get off the couch and go camping! :W

Delete ... sorry double post

I use the oil and change interval the manufacturer specifies. Haven't had a vehicle yet that the manufacturer said I could go longer between changes using syththetic.

Wow! I had no idea I would be opening a can of worms with this post. Lots of good info. Thanks all.

donandmax wrote:
right. if you are occasional rv'er the expensive stuff is just a waste of money with no benefits whatsoever. Dino oil is all you need...

Actually that's a far better reason to use synthetic. As soon as you change the oil it starts to break down, even if the vehicle isn't driven often. Dino oil has a shorter time change interval than synthetic oil. You will be doing oil changes based on time and not miles, if you switch to a good synthetic you can normally double that time.

Keeping old oil, even with low miles, in a motor is hard on seals. Treat it to a good synthetic and don't worry about it.

Many people forget about time change, and just use miles.

The other benefit is quicker pumping at startup, this is also very important in motors that sit a lot. Dry starts are where most wear occurs, good quality synthetics cling better after sitting a long time and pump quicker at startup.

I monitor oil pressure on my motor in the main rifle across the block from the oil pump and there is a noteable difference in time to pressure with Dino vs Amsoil on a warm day, we aren't even talking a cold day. Both oils are 15w-40.

DW and I have bought a 2013 Edge and a 2014 F350 DRW. I've read in manuals that both vehicles recommend synthetic. I've used Mobile 1 and Delvac 1 for years. It really paid off in large farm tractors that ran a lot of hours. I've always used oil testing, and could come close to double hours over conventional oil. Another thing I noticed was a lot of hours without needing engine overhaul. Matter of fact, I never had to overhaul an engine after using synthetic. I know it works, just do to many hours of use.

wildtoad wrote:
How often do you change your oil? It appears you don't put many miles on your truck so I doubt you will reap any benefits for paying a higher price for oil.

Thats right. if you are occasional rv'er the expensive stuff is just a waste of money with no benefits whatsoever. Dino oil is all you need. In fact I have never seen any benefits from using synthetic oil. Keep the dino oil changed and your unit will last just as long. The synthetic oil is all in your heads... Its more expensive therefore it must be better.I dont think anyone can say his engine lasted longer because he used synthetic.. Dont want to start another "oil war here" But just sayin..

Jayco, If I were you I would run whatever makes you the most comfortable.

I run the stuff that Ford says to in my 6.2 gasser and never give it a second thought.

GM uses DEXOS approved oils, conventional/synthetic blend, in engines that spec it. You make it sound like it comes factory filled with a better blend and by running conventional you're doing a disservice to your engine.

if your engine specs conventional run conventional. get a oil analysis with a tbn if you're that worried about it.

wmoses wrote:

ah64id wrote:
Yes they are, synthetics are better.

Many OEM's are using synthetic for the factory fill these days.

What the heck do they know? ;)

They should have consulted "Bob The Oil Guy". Must be a conspiracy somewhere .... :h

Yep, GM uses a conv/syn blend as factory fill in their 5.3 motors. NOW try to find what the percentage of that blend is (how much is conventional verses how much of the mix is synthetic). There is no industry standard ya know.


HINT-you can't find it anywhere.