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Average Member
 
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This is not a bike question so much as a need to know about synth oil, filter life, and time between changes. However, it could be applicable to bikes.
One of the reasons I switched to synth oil is for the longer distance between oil changes. As in the case of my car, the oil manufacturer states I can go up to 15K miles between changes. There is no way I would do that unless I knew that they would pay for all motor maintenance “should” something go wrong (yeah, right). But I will change the oil in my car between 7K and 10K instead of the 2500 to 3000 normally. That said, my question revolves around the filter. I can understand how an oil would last longer but a filter still fills just as fast right? Ok, granted there is less wear with synth oil so in theory the particles that the filter would screen are fewer, but the equation does not make sense. I mean that if you cut the particle generation by fifty percent, you should only get twice the distance from your filter and oil. Therefore, it seems to me that the filter becomes the weakest part of the chain.
What am I missing here? Does the oil filter now determine the time between oil changes more so than the synth oil itself? Or have I been led down the “ignorant path” through advertising hype and I should change my oil just as often?
The "Z" MAN - North Carolina
1995 BMW R1100R - MOA #115950
Olympia, Scorpion, Gerbings, & Alpinestars
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Senior Member
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| I have not yet heard of any oil filters for syn oil. While I recogzine that syn oil has some better features than fossil....I will contine to use fossil because I just can't justify 5 bucks/qt . When fossil becomes as expensive as syn...then...I'll buy syn. No problem. As far as increased span between changes...seems reasonable. NOT 15,000 miles tho. I change my fossil and filter every 3000. Syn oil...I would change, (arbitrarily) 6-8000 miles. But even so....5 bucks a qt.....I'll wait. Might I add...that with unleaded gas...and the improved motor designs and construction....except for any major internal failure, the oil filter, IMO, is just fine for the 6-8000 mile oil change. jimmy
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Junior Member
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| Is it really true that a synthetic oil is a better lubricant which in turn will result in less wear on an engine? As I understand it, synthetic oils can stand up to engine heat and viscosity break down overtime better than regular fossil based oils which is why one can go longer between oil changes. I think it would have to do with some sort of relationship with engine wear vs. time and/or mileage on an oil. I know that MCN has done a few articles on motor oil that have been pretty technically in depth. Maybe someone can find those in the archives for a better answer or this could be a good Downtime Files question.
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jerseyjim (7/3/2006)
I have not yet heard of any oil filters for syn oil. While I recogzine that syn oil has some better features than fossil....I will contine to use fossil because I just can't justify 5 bucks/qt .When fossil becomes as expensive as syn...then...I'll buy syn. No problem. As far as increased span between changes...seems reasonable. NOT 15,000 miles tho. I change my fossil and filter every 3000. Syn oil...I would change, (arbitrarily) 6-8000 miles. But even so....5 bucks a qt.....I'll wait. Might I add...that with unleaded gas...and the improved motor designs and construction....except for any major internal failure, the oil filter, IMO, is just fine for the 6-8000 mile oil change. jimmy JJ, You might be interested in this article by the designer of Mobile 1 V Twin 20W-50 -- He rides a Harley. What do you think? http://myfilez.net/uploads/misc/Scan001.PDF
Curt
'03 VFR
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| I really don't get the saving money on oil and filters thing. Most of us spent between $10,000 to $30,000 for our rides. To me it is no big deal to spend $6 for a filter and $15 to $20 for oil every 3000 to 4000 miles. I would think changing the filter every 6000 miles would be a minimum.
Torqueman
Battle Creek, MI
V-Strom 06
Goldwing 03
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Junior Member
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| There was fellow on the Suzuki Bandit forum that had over 100,000 miles on a Bandit 1200 with ONLY two oil changes, one at 53K the other at just over 100K. He used Shell Rotella T Synthetic in a 5W-40 weight and changed filters fairly often, about every 6-8 K if I remember correctly. He added a bit of oil to make up for the filter change, but other than that he had added NO oil between changes. He reported that the bike was running strong with no problems. While I don't feel that long a change interval is for me, my experience with synthetics and oil analysis suggests we are wasting natural resources by changing oil too often. Blackstone Laboratories in Fr. Wayne, IN has done several analyses for me on motorcycle and car oil over the past few years. I use Mobil 1 products exclusively, 15W-50 in the bikes and 5W-30 in my cars. In every case, at change intervals of 8-10 K miles they reported an acceptable Total Base Number (TBN) and noted NO abnormal numbers on the materials they look for in the analysis. The solid comtaminants were below normal and they indicated I could safely use the oil for about double what I was doing. Their analysis, at $30 including the TBN test, was accompanied by a written evaluation and a table of results for each measured material. Check them out by doing a search for Blackstone Laboratories. Contact them and they'll send sample kits along quickly. Turn around time for an analysis is about 7-10 days. That's my two bits worth on the subject. Ray Nielsen, in Minneapolis and back from an afternoon ride.
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I've been using Mobil 1 Synthetic oil for over 20 years. Back in the late 80's my wife had a Plymouth Reliant station wagon with a 4 banger. At 125,000 she wanted a new car. I sold it to a guy I work with who traveled 68 miles one way to work. He continued using synthetic oil. After I moved from the area I heard from him and he said at 195,000 he opened the engine and it was clean as could be and wasn't using any oil but a drop or two would leak from the gaskets. Syn oil is thinner so it has a tendency to do that as the gaskets get old. His wife got the car in the divorce so I lost track of it.
I don't use synthetic for the savings on oil changes. I use it because I run the heck out of my vehicles and I want them to last. With 3 vehicles its easy to keep track. Every 10,000 miles I change oil and filter. At 5k intervals I change the filter and add a qt and g | | | |