Automotive Journal

Many drivers are unsure whether they should use synthetic oil in their new cars. Synthetic oil has a number of pluses over regular oil: it can maintain integrity in heat; lubricates better; has fairly good purity; and rarely ever becomes sludge, even after abuse. Most drivers will see the obvious benefits synthetic oil has to offer and decide to use it in their car. However, even with the synthetic oil’s numerous benefits, the real difference is made in how you care for your car.

To start with, do you change your oil regularly? Oil needs to be changed before it breaks down and puts your engine at risk. But if you’re good at changing your oil on time every 3-5k miles, you’ll never experience one of the benefits of synthetic oil. Synthetic is resistant to breaking down, even after extended use. For instance, if you forget an oil change, or even if you just put one off for a few weeks, synthetic is the best oil to have in your engine. But if you’re changing your oil regularly and at the proper mileage, you’ll never be in a situation where your engine is at risk from worn-out oil.

Another benefit of synthetic is that it will last a long time without deteriorating. Let’s say you drive 7k miles per year. At this rate, assuming a 5k mile oil change interval, you’re only going to need an oil change every 9 months, based on mileage. Since regular oil starts to wear out after 6 months, you should either change your oil sooner than necessary or you should think about using synthetic. It may save you money to pay for one synthetic oil change a year instead of two regular oil changes, and it will definitely save you time.

Other than synthetic’s breakdown resistance and long life, there’s one other common reason you should consider using synthetic. As natural oil gets hot, it starts to breakdown. The longer it stays hot, the worse the breakdown. So if you regularly operate your vehicle in such a way that the engine temperature is always high, you should run synthetic. Letting your vehicle idle for hours at a time, such as on a jobsite, will overheat the engine. So will driving in high ambient temperatures, like in the desert, or altitudes of over 10k feet. As a rule, high temperature desert air doesn’t cool your engine very well, and neither does “thin” mountain air. If you live in these areas, consider running synthetic oil. Finally, synthetic oil is often used in high performance vehicles. If you are utilizing your vehicle like a high-performance car (high speeds, fast turns, you know who you are) then synthetic is a smart choice.

There are a lot of entities that recommend using synthetic oil, even to people who don’t need it. For example, synthetic is recommended for anyone that drives in stop-and-go traffic. But since all of us drive in stop-and-go at some point, that’s a bad recommendation. You should only use synthetic if you’re driving in stop and go traffic long enough that your engine’s cooling fan turns on, and only if you’re doing so daily. Also, if you only drive short trips, people may recommend synthetic oil as a way to protect your engine. However, short trips, regardless of your choice of oil, can damage your motor. No matter whether you use synthetic or regular oil, your engine was designed run for at least 20 minutes. Running synthetic in these situations might be better, but tests have shown that the benefit is minor.

If you’ve recognized yourself in one of the above situations and have decided to opt for synthetic oil, be careful when you go to make the purchase. You may be offered a synthetic “blend” instead of pure synthetic oil to save money. However, you probably won’t know exactly what’s in that blend. It could be equal amounts of synthetic and regular, or you might even be getting almost entirely regular oil with a splash of synthetic. If you’re going to go synthetic, it’s best to go all out and get the real thing, or not do it at all. Of course, if the blend is provided and produced by your vehicle’s manufacturer, then it’s probably safe to use - but that’s the exception.

Last but not least, what do auto manufacturers have to say about synthetics? Most state that “any oil that meets API standard specifications can be used in your vehicle.” That means normal oil is just fine. For most people, new cars will operate for a very long time without the benefit of synthetic oil so long as they are properly maintained and used normally.