Celica Forums General Discussion Engine and Performance Is Synthetic Worth it?

There is a great synthetic oil debate at work. I know that all aircraft engines that run full synthetic do not reach their Time Between Overhaul in reciprocation engines (TBO is the hours given by a manufacture to let an owner know how much life to expect out of the engine) Turbines have no trouble because of no blow to cushion. Every engine I, and my friends, have checked failed the compression check early. They are shortening the life 20%, simply by using the phosphate-ester based oil.

I want to use the synthetic oil! I just cant justify the cost or potential for danger. I know my Toyota is built better than most aircraft engines but, should I take the chance?? My Celica GTS is more important to me than these airplanes. I only want the best for my baby!!!!!

You sound like me and my fellow chemical engineering friends

shit, you're going too deep, everyone i know who uses synthetic says it's worth it and makes a difference. I'm going to use it on my next oil change(sometime this week)

Is worth it, especially if you have the coupons from Pepboys, buy 3 and 3 free!!

Our car uses only 4-5 bottles depending on which model Celicas. Those oil are working hard to keep our car running unlike some Mercedes Benz which takes up to 9 bottles of oil. So it makes sense to have great oil which will be working full time on our cars.

My rule of thumb is that if you change your own oil frequently and earlier then the recommended intervals, say every 3 mos/3000 interval then go with a non-synthetic. But if you stick to drive 5000 miles or more, then use Synthetic. Also if you one of those people that REVS to redline alot, then synthetic will provide more protection.

I am also a religious fanatic about regular oil changes and doing it right (doing it yourself)!! The main question I pose is, is synthetic worth it? will I feel better about my car because I pay more for the oil?

For instance:
I had a 95 GMC Z71. I bought the most expensive oil at the time, all the time. The oil was a synthetic blend. 25K MI my first engine was replaced. 50 K MI my second engine was replaced. Then I bought the Wal-Mart brand oil. No problems.

Jesus came to me in a dream and said: "My son thou shalt only own Toyotas!" Seeing the errors of my ways, I bought a 98' Tacoma. Never laid a wrench on it, other than to perform preventative maintenance (oil & belt changes, etc). I have a 200 LX470 (landcruiser). I only put name brand certified oil in my babies. If Im using the oil that meets Toyota's specs, that still makes me a good owner, right?

well, putting good oil in a crapy gmc is asking for problems. but, i'd question if the engine was bad in the first place, not if the oil caused the problem. Changing the oil on time is important, but i don't do it my self, i take it to toyota. they will put in synthetic oil, and it does meet toyota's specs, so there's nothing wronge with it. From my understanding though, the main difference is when you drive the car a lot or hard, or if it has high millage. It's suposed to be better on the engine, If it was worse, toyota wouldn't use it or recomend it.

I just switched over to mobil 1 synthetic a few days ago...and i've definitely noticed a difference...a very little bit during driving...but mostly during startup actually...this morning it was 24 degrees out and it started up just as easily as it did before when it was 50 degrees or more

where I live, it can get as cold as -65. Synthetic oil is TOTTALLY worth it as regular oil is almost frozen solid

YES

yes.. for any car

is synthetic bad for any car or can all cars use this with no problem, my friend has 2004 elantra and wants synthetic but the dealer told him he cant use that, is this true?

if you're worried about cost of synthetic oil, just go to wal-mart. I pick up a five quart jug of mobil 1 syn for only 20 bucks, and 4-5 bucks for a filter. $25 is about what it costs to get your oil changed at a shop.

I run synthetic in my truck just because I do so much stop and go driving everyday. With the synthetic, I go about 6000miles on the oil, but still change the filter every 3000miles.

synthetic oil is good but doesn't change how often you do your oil. just because you have synthetic doesn't mean you can run it to 5-7 thousand miles w/o problems. you should always change your oil around 3-4 thousands miles. as for the 2004 Elantra, it comes with factory Hyndai oil with and oil filter so if it was bought brand new then break it in slowly until about 4000 miles then change to synthetic. you should have no problem...

Umm..yes it does go more miles. its synthetic so that id doesn't break down as quickly, meaning it can go more miles..but it doesn't stay any cleaner then regular oil, so the oil filter has to be changed as much as with regular oil..

thanks for the info

i've heard that synthetic has a break in period and actually works better after a couple thousand miles. My thoughts on it were that you are suppose to run it longer then regular oil to get the most out of it.

I will only use synthetic in my Celica. There is a moderately widespread problem with oil sludge build-up in Toyota's manufactured between 1997 and 2002. My dad had an oil sludge build-up in his '00 Camry and one of the valves sustained damage. Synthetic oil is far more resistant to thermal breakdown, and subsequent sludging than conventional oil. Toyota has been reluctant to admit any problems with their motors, but I worked in parts at a local dealership, and we all knew that the problem was design flaw in the block. My dad took it to the dealership where I worked, and they took care of it, free of charge, but others haven't been so lucky. I say better safe than sorry, use the synthetic.

Aircraft engines are a little different than car engines, and they're also used and treated differently. This isn't exactly a fair comparison.

IMO, the best oil you can put in your car is oil put in every 3000 miles. Under almost all operating conditions, you won't have to worry about the oil breaking down before then. Obviously, if you're really beating your car around (or some other extreme condition) it would be wise to go synthetic, otherwise you'll be fine.

Sorry a bit off topic...is it good to use that "Engine Flush" chemical prior to an oil change?

I'm not sold on synth oil either. I use GTX 10w30 every 3000, so far so good on two celicas totaling 185,000 miles of driving over the last 5 years.

directly from Crower Cams website:

"Use of Synthetic Oils:
Crower does not recommend the use of synthetic motor oils in any racing applications, particularly hydraulic and flat tappet camshafts. The minimum gains in horsepower are offset by the excessive wear to cam and lifter surfaces. Crower recommends Kendall GT-1 (20W50) Petroleum based motor oil in all high performance applications. If your manual suggests running synthetic oil, then do so. We have found, however, that the benefits do not outweigh the costs. For additional information click here!"


imma stick to regular, never had a prob and we have a lift so changing oil every 3k is cake.

One thing you have to make sure you dont do is switch from regular to synthetic when your near 100K miles. At least thats what I have heard a few times.

^^^
Too late Did earlier this week and I haven't had a drop of oil under the car, and I've checked the oil and it's still full. So far so good

i switched to synthetic about 85k, everything seems fine

Aircraft engines are always warmed up. The only true work they do is on takeoff. The rest of the time they are babied. There is always a slow, smooth and eggshell like approach to throttle control and power application in aircraft. Our GTSs and GTs are a far superior machines both technologically and performance speaking! If a piece of crap Lycoming or Continentals life is shortened by the use of synthetic, why put it into a Toyota?

Im doing side by side comparisons with these engines. Has anyone personally done this with an auto? Or is synthetic oil a propaganda powerhouse fuelled by the Mfgs? Volkswagen suggests synthetic because of the environmental movement to move away from petroleum.

Sludge build-up is caused by inferior additives in oil according to the United States Department of Transportations findings via FAA publications. They got that information from the SAE.

I guess until I see independant data proving improved longevity, Im going to save my money.

You'll be fine switching to synthetic as long as you don't already have any oil leaks..

plain and simple your not going to be seeing any hp from using synthetics, my bro has driven his celica hard since the day he got it, (89 celi GTS 6speed) and always ran regular oil we just did his last oil change at 285,000 miles and the car still runs awesome.