I am a new owner (and apparantly one of few females on this board ). I have read a lot of posts about break in, etc... I do not plan to do my first oil until 7500 mi. I was just wondering what brand of synthetic that some of you are using and what your experiences are with it.

 

if you search the majority of owners will use Mobil1 10W30...

 

there's a few other females here

i think the concenses is Mobil 1 (10w 30) but only after you have 10,000 miles on the car..

as a side note i wouldn't wait until 7500 before your first change. (there has been a ton of posts regarding oil changes) you can do a search once the search function is back up. I'd say change your oil at 5k..

good luck with your new car

 

I'm personally sold on synthetic oils. I'm sure any of them on the market would be good. They're all required to meet specific lubrication and durability standards. Many will say it's a waste of money because many a tests, trying to compare wear on engine bearings with std oils, show extremely little if at all measurable differences. I think they're biggest advantage is engine abuse. I think they hold up much better than regular oils when the engine is not properly maintained or abused more than normal. (Not changing the oil on a regular basis) They'll hold a lot more dirt in suspension a lot better than regular oils and the they're not as prone to acidic break down. Which is usually not a problem if you change your oil at least once every 5K. They say you can go 10K between oil changes but I've never changed my habits from every 3K even with the synthetics I use. If you look at the racing circuit, synthetics are what everybody uses, so they must see benefits to it. They claim better fuel economy and such, but let me tell you, it's so negligible you'll never notice it. This I know, because I am a fanatic with mantaining fuel economy records and always trying to improve upon it. I don't know if this is what you are looking for or not.

 

I use Mobil 1 syn. I started at my 3rd oil change.
Unless you are a travelling salesperson, you really should NOT wait so long to change the oil.* You should consider using the "severe" maintenance interval, which for you, would be 3750 miles. I do my change every 5000 km (3000 miles) because it's easier to remember. Your owner's manual will outline the kinds of driving conditions that would dictate what is considered "severe" driving conditions. The vast majority of us would fit in this catagory.
I've used synthetic in my cars for a couple of decades and I have had very good results compared to when I didn't. Was it the oil or something else? I can't say for sure but since I've not had engine issues while using it, I'll just continue. Also, I live in a climate where I need the oil to have good pour characteristics at sub zero temps. I've done my own tests and have concluded that synthetic oil is preferred during my winters. Whatever you choose to use, if you change your oil and filter without fail using the "severe" schedule and keep the level "topped" up on this engine, you are doing as much as you can as far as this subject is concerned. You do know that this engine uses oil more when you VTEC, right? The more you VTEC, the more it is likely to use oil so check it often.

*Highway trips are much less stressful on your engine and oil. Such trips do not have nearly as many engine starts (especially cold ones) per given unit mileage. The engine also does not have as many heating and cooling down cycles nor does it encounter the types of load you would have "rowing" through the gears in town. All these things that your engine does NOT have to endure helps to lesson the degradation of the oil.
ps. Don't go to synthetic till at least after about 10,000 miles (or at your 3rd oil change.)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jmhorn2
[B]They claim better fuel economy and such, but let me tell you, it's so negligible you'll never notice it.

 

Hello and Welcome from 'one of the other girls on this board'...

 

Welcome to the board. I just thought i'd note that the reason people are saying not before 10k miles for the switch to synthetic is because, if i'm not mistaken, 1) the original oil has a special formulation that promotes proper ring seating and engine breakin and 2) natural oils are less "slick" than synthetic and promote better breakin. Appearantly, during the breakin period, it is actually preferable to have some "wear".

Secondly, it is good to do the first oil change on the early side rather than the late side because there are tiny metal shavings and general excess debris that builds up in the oil during those first few thousand miles of a new engine's life that you want to flush out.

 

Some people say wait until the second change (i.e. 7500 miles) and some say wait until the third. I'm of the opinion that the engine is pretty well seated and broken in within the first 1500 miles and waiting until the second oil change is more than sufficient.

Jimbo

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jimbo
[B]Some people say wait until the second change (i.e. 7500 miles) and some say wait until the third.