Miata Mailing List: September 1993, Message #23
sponsored by



     


   From: Andy Poling 
Subject: Re: synth oil
   Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 15:39:42 -0400

On Wed, 1 Sep 1993 BUCKINGHAM@LANDO.HNS.COM wrote:
> 	Thanks to all the people who responded to my request for 
> info on using synthetic oil in the Miata. The concensus seems to be 
> Mobil 1 changed every 3000 miles. Which brings up a coupla questions:
> 
> - I always thought 3000 miles was the recommended interval between 
>   engine oil changes for regular (non-synthetic) oil, and that one of
>   the advantages of synthetic oil was that you could change it (but 
>   not the filter) less frequently for the same effect thus offsetting 
>   the cost difference. For those who are changing Mobil 1 every 3000..
>   ... why? Would you change regular oil every 1000 - 1500 miles if 
>   synthetic wasn't around? Or is it that synthetic oil doesn't last 
>   longer than regular oil?

I think what makes most people change their synthetic oil at the same
intervals is polution of the oil.  Even if it hasn't lost its viscosity
after 3K miles, a synthetic lubricant will have accumulated the same
levels of combustion by-products like acids and tiny particulates as a
petrolium-based lubricant. 

I personally change my Mobil-1 every 6 months (which works out to about
2000 miles or so on the average).  but that's because I hardly ever drive
anymore, except to auto-x events.

-Andy

Andy Poling                              Internet: andy@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
UNIX Systems Programmer                  Bitnet: ANDY@JHUNIX
Homewood Academic Computing              Voice: (410)516-8096    
Johns Hopkins University                 UUCP: uunet!mimsy!aplcen!jhunix!andy