But those tests were under conditions that are not what Synthetic oil was not intended for. Daily driving obviously isn't as harsh on the oil as a day at the track would be. You should keep that in mind

 

Gene....I quoted no Amsoil marketing report. I was simply trying to provide a member of this forum with some historical information and a place where he could go to get some of his questions answered. I am not an Amsoil dealer or stockholder...just someone who spent about two years worth of spare time reading and studying all I could about motor oils. Given the 60,000 total mileage and 6,000 mile oil changes cited in Consumer Reports, I would and could NOT say the oils are pretty similar. To me, 6,000 mile oil changes are not extended interval changes. For example, current Civics most often alert the owner to a need to change oil somewhere around 8,000-10,000 miles. Even those intervals are not truly extended. Extended oil change intervals, in my view are 15,000 miles (Mobil 1) to 25,000 miles (Amsoil). You want a fair comparison between the two oils and how they perform? Let's run a fleet of NYC taxi cabs for 200,000 miles....half with conventional oils, and half with synthetic oil. Let's install extended-life filters and change the oil at 15,000 mile intervals....then let's tear down the engines and measure engine wear. Any bets on who the winner would be? And while we're at it....let's keep accurate track of gas mileage as well for the duration of the testing.

As is the case with mostforums about preferred engine oils, the discussion is meaningless, for in truth, you will continue to do what you do, and I will as well. As for 3000 mile oil and filter changes, I am reminded of a conversation I had several years ago with the East Coast Representative from Pennzoil, at which time he said, "Truth be known, if you are going to change engine oil and filter every 3000 miles, it doesn't make any difference what brand or type of oil you use." My defense of synthetic oils is purely within the context of extended engine oil and filter changes of the magnitude described above. If one decides to use synthetic oil with accompanying 3,000 mile oil changes, I would agree with you...it is a waste of money for the average driver.

 

Make sure you don't have your email posted on here or he will email you saying that your wrong. He just looks at it his way. Him and his 15000 mile oil changes.

 

Hahahahahaaa!!! You're saying that 15000 mile oil changes are wrong. Okay, who ever wants to buy the conventional oil and change it every 3000 miles, go ahead. This debate shouldn't be this heated. It's about oil for ****s sake!!! Stop taking **** so seriously.

 

Actually, I did recieve a pleasant email from DelawareDon, in which he reiterated the points he has made here so far.

I don't recall suggesting 3000 mile oil changes. I change oil when my oil change reminder gets down to 10% or so. That is usually about 7000 miles. I use whatever oil the local Honda dealer puts in, I have never bothered to ask what kind.

 

lol. It's funny.

 

Hello, this is my first post here.
The weakening dollar and the escalating gas prices has brought me back to Honda.
This past Sunday I purchased a new 2008 Civic LX sedan.
I plan on using mineral oil for the normal useage period (I'm hearing that is about 6K to 8K miles).

Just to be ****, would synthetic oil yield a slightly better gas-mileage than mineral oil.
I am considering a switch to synthetic, but considering my driving habits with my Civic will be primarily with conservation in mind, it might not be thebest overalleconomical choice.

 

Yes, it would. But the key word here is slightly. If lowest overall cost of driving isyour goal, stick with conventional oil. I use conventional oil, occasionally use 10% ethanol gas and here is my logfile. I have yet to see anyone using synthetic oils post a logfile to compare it to. You will note the mileage fall off due to cold weather here in northern Illinois. Enjoy your new LX, my '06 LX manual is giving me fine service. Your right foot is the biggest determinator of your mileage and driving cost.

 

What about on a 2007 Civic Si?? I was wondering the same thing as the original poster. I've had my car for a year and have only used natural oil but I've always been told that synthetic is better for the engine (i used to use synthetic in my old Toyota and never had problems) but what about on a new car? I was also told by the Honda dealer that the new civics' engines are made out of a material that uses natural oil just fine and doesn't require synthetic. What would you suggest??

Also, would it be better for the car to wean into synthetic by going to semi-synthetic before switching straight over? Thanks!

 

I definitely like your effort with the log book.
I have a similar log for my 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue, that I have been doing for over 2 years, except I keep receipts and enter them in a statistical program (Minitab). I also fillup at the same gas station. I was trying to use the same pump to minimize as many variables as possible, but that became too impractical.