While synthetics are good, they are not the great savior of mankind in every situation. But, it is true, with oil sampling and using bypass filtration, you can extend to drain intervals. You have to use a dose of good sense.
I would suggest a synthetic blend. It is far more cost effective, and provides the benefits of both types of oils. Get a good bypass filter or a centrifuge like Spinner II installed to keep the oil far cleaner than the full flow filter could ever do. Get with a reputable oil lab like Stavely, Oil Analyzers, Blackstone, etc and get sample kits and do testing at your normal service intervals of 10,000 miles. After a few tests you will be able to determine the best time to change the oil. Just to be on the safe side, no matter how long the oil still tests fine, replace your filters on a regular basis. Follow the bypass filter manufacturer recommendation and also change the full flow maybe every other normal service interval (20,000 instead of 10,000 miles).
Each engine is different. You may get some pretty extreme full oil change intervals, but your may only get maybe double or triple the oil change interval. The oil analysis will show how the additive package and viscosity of your oil is holding up. And testing also has many other benefits like showing you when something is starting to be of concern inside the engine. Multiple testing over time is the key here. You want to watch trend lines in the testing to see what changes are occurring. It is not rocket science and you don't have to go to college and become a tribologist. The lab will give you recommendations based on the trend line of the samples. You will be able to pick up on the things to watch for as you become more familiar with the sample results.
If the engine is showing a pattern of very good results, and you are able to extend the drains nicely, then maybe moving on up to a full synthetic would be a sound move. Take everything a step at a time until you find the best solution for your particular engine. Even the conventional oils are light years ahead of what they were a decade or two ago. Many are doing just fine with a conventional oil and extending their oil drains considerably. Much as we would like it to be so, there is no one size fits all solution.
Now, even after all of that, with testing you might be able to extend your drains to double or more of the manufacturers recommendation by not even putting on a bypass filter and going to some exotic oil. That would make a big cost difference right there. On the next oil change, run a sample. If it shows that you could go further, then take it to 15,000 miles before you change. Then repeat this process. If sample shows oil is good at 15,000, the go on out further the next time. It might just surprise you, if you engine is in good shape, just how far you might be able to extend the drains without having to go to extremes to do so.
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Freedom does not mean the choice to do whatever you want. It means the choice to do what you ought.
Last edited by Copperhead; 04-21-2012 at 09:04 AM.
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