at what milage should I change my oil and what oil should I use for the first fill?

I currently have about 3100 miles, and check the oil level on a regular interval. It's been steadily getting darker, and to my untrained eye looks ripe enough for a change. I don't beat on my car, and it gets quite a few highway miles, but I also play in the land of VTEC. Does this constitute 'heavy' use and I should change my oil at 3750 or should I wait and get it done as close to the 7500 regular change? So far my car has burnt through a few ounces of oil, making me think that it's seating pretty well and an early oil change would not be harmful. Again, I'm no expert.

The second question is: what type and brand of oil should I use for my first oil change. I remember reading that synthetic is not recommended until the second change, but since I haven't used regular oil for about 6 years now, I'm not familiar with which brands, blends, etc are recommended these days. Any input on this would be appreciated.

Mike

 

Many have asked the first part of your question. If you are doing mainly highway miles (VTEC or no) I would wait until 7500 miles. Everyone says it is best to leave the break-in oil as long as possible to do the best for the engine. You should probably not use synthetic oil until 10k or 15k miles (follow your owners manual). An excellent oil to use would be Castrol Hard Drive 10W-30.

 

I just had my oil changed at 5280. Up until about 3500 I used about 1/4 quart. I used 3/4 until the change. After the change the car idled smoother and became noticeably quieter. Not just a little quieter, the difference was huge. Too bad, because I had really grown to enjoy my noisy-ass engine.