Why are you guys still using Redline?

[magnum2066]

Wow. Step awaaaaaay from the keyboard.

I used to work with a petrochemist, and yes, it took me well over an hour to read his documents.

Hey...my daughter has a Civic.  Can I just drain the oil out and let her drive it?

Speaking of whores:  Two potatoes are standing on a street corner.  How can you tell which one is the prostitute?

The one that says I da ho.

Put on your tinfoil hats and flame retardant suits ladies and gentlemen, a flamer has started a war!

Getting back ON TOPIC minus useless and baseless crap already posted... (You know who you are )Everybody has their own opinions about what they use and what kind of a difference it makes.  I created this thread just from the fact that I noticed a difference after changing the oil in MY first and only car.  Yes I paid a premium, yes maybe only I would feel a difference, yea maybe I won't pay that much again.  Is this a case of fanboyism and hype?  HELL NO.  This is all based on my experience of using the product and an example of how I treat my possessions.  If you want it to last then you can't always replace a part with a piece of tin foil.  I refuse to buy anything besides quality if possible.


... Is it normally this difficult to suggest another product here for us "consumer whores?"

[RPKennedy]

Apparently.

[dude8383]

lol its a public forum, everyone has something to say.

[ecpreston]

This doesn't just have to be idle debate. I highly recommend you guys check out the forum at http://bobistheoilguy.com/ to gather some info. It'd be pretty tough to cover the oil debate here as much as they do!

Then do an oil analysis or two. They're cheap. And interesting! I found that changing every 6k on my m10 that sees track use was just fine. And on my wife's accord, I change the filter once at 6k, and go to at least 12k before I change oil/filter. If I start using my new m42 as a DD and it doesn't see track use, I'll likely try the same 12k+ oil change for it and see how the sample comes out. A good synthetic, on an engine that's in good shape should be able to handle that interval without concern.

There's plenty of people on there that go 10k+. And if you're buying high $ synthetics, you probably should. However, I don't see too many people on that site recommending 50k. :eek:

[kowalski]

i think bobistheoilguy.com has been refrenced by three people already, evidently noone read my post:(

[BrandC]

Well I know how much negative energy is building here, so I'll just say my peace. I'll try and find some evidence to justify my claim and hopefully people will see past my bad attitude (I know I have one, especially online).

I'm trying to save a few dollars by not wasting my money on oil changes that MIGHT not be necessary. Hopefully people will see that by buying expensive oils that it does not logically follow it will be better for your engine's longevity. If you are going to change your own oil, then I'm trying to save you a few bucks.

[RP Kennedy]

I did.  And I camp out on Bob's site regularly.  Loads of excellent info.

[Eurospec]

The Engine Oil Bible

And since we're on the topic of oil change intervals, here's a snippet from the link:

So how often should I change my oil?

You can never change your engine oil too frequently. The more you do it, the longer the engine will last. The whole debate about exactly when you change your oil is somewhat of a grey area. Manufacturers tell you every 10,000 miles or so. Your mate with a classic car tells you every 3,000 miles. Ole' Bob with the bad breath who drives a truck tells you he's never once changed the oil in his car. Fact is, large quantities of water are produced by the normal combustion process and, depending on engine wear, some of it gets into the crank case. If you have a good crank case breathing system it gets removed from there PDQ, but even so, in cold weather a lot of condensation will take place. This is bad enough in itself, since water is not noted for its lubrication qualities in an engine, but even worse, that water dissolves any nitrates formed during the combustion process. If my memory of chemistry serves me right, that leaves you with a mixture of Nitric (HNO3) and Nitrous (HNO2) acid circulating round your engine! So not only do you suffer a high rate of wear at start-up and when the engine is cold, you suffer a high rate of subsequent corrosion during normal running or even when stationary.
The point I'm trying to make is that the optimum time for changing oil ought to be related to a number of factors, of which distance travelled is probably one of the least important in most cases. Here is my selection in rough order of importance:

   1.  Number of cold starts (more condensation in a cold engine)
   2. Ambient temperature (how long before warm enough to stop serious condensation)
   3. Effectiveness of crank case scavenging (more of that anon)
   4. State of wear of the engine (piston blow-by multiplies the problem)
   5. Accuracy of carburation during warm-up period (extra gook produced)
   6. Distance travelled (well, lets get that one out of the way)

If you were clever (or anal) enough, you could probably come up with a really clever formula incorporating all those factors. However, I would give 1, 2, and 3 equal top weighting. Items 1 to 3 have to be taken together since a given number of "cold" starts in the Dakar in summer is not the same as an equal number conducted in Fargo in January. The effect in either case will be modified by how much gas gets past the pistons. What we are really after is the severity and duration of the initial condensation period. All other things being equal, that will give you how much condensate will be produced and I would suggest that more than anything else determines when the oil should be dumped.

[Eurospec]

Do out cars need synthetics? Probably not. I think it largely depends on individual driving conditions. I tend to use synthetics because of short trips, alot of city driving, and stop/go traffic. Increased oci's are a plus as well.

[kowalski]

Do out cars need synthetics? Probably not. I think it largely depends on individual driving conditions. I tend to use synthetics because of short trips, alot of city driving, and stop/go traffic. Increased oci's are a plus as well.

I also use synthetic for very much the same reasons.

[romkasponka]

I prefer Valvoline 10w60 VR1 and changing it after ~12kkm.I drive it evry day, outside temperature +30 -25..

[ecpreston]

i think bobistheoilguy.com has been refrenced by three people already, evidently noone read my post:(

sorry 'bout that, I kind of scanned over it before I posted, my bad. :p

[Alpine003]

sorry 'bout that, I kind of scanned over it before I posted, my bad. :p

Me two. I didn't know you linked to that site since your statement just had the word "Here" instead of the actual site name.

As for synthetics based on your own condition and driving style, how about holding 4.3-5k rpms consistently for an hour a day during my commute with occasional hints to 6.5k while passing? I just feel better that my engine will be lubed better at that sustained rpms.

[ecpreston]

As for synthetics based on your own condition and driving style, how about holding 4.3-5k rpms consistently for an hour a day during my commute with occasional hints to 6.5k while passing? I just feel better that my engine will be lubed better at that sustained rpms.

heh, mine sees redline every day too. Heck, when I drive my wife's car, it does too    With that, and with track use, I think synth is a no brainer.

[sheepdog]

I do 8k on the Bimmer (Castrol Syntech), oil and air filter as well.
I do 10k on my parents Toyota Tacome (Mobile 1), oil and air filter as well.
Same for my grandparents Ford Escape.

Works fine.
Yes, I  do redline it almost daily, I  do not baby it. I also put 2000-2500 on my car monthly... 3000 mile  oil changes would  suck for me.

At about 8k, my oil lights come on, and I start getting lifter tick on startup about 500 miles later.