i just rebuilt my heads and installed new rings and rod bearings in my 306 about 100 miles ago. i have always run valvoline straight 30 weight. thinking of going to a synthetic. anything special i have to do in the change? is it worth the extra money? what weight and brands are good?

i put about 6000 miles a year on my car. not a daily driver but a frequent driver. i take it on 500 - 1000 mile trips from time to time.

 

A lot of the oils that say synthetic are really petro based, look for a true synthetic like mobil one, redline or amsoil.

 

I dont use anything but mobil 1 in my car I think it is worth the money

 

There have been a few tests as to which synthetic oil is best, and Royal Purple, Amsoil, Redline and Mobil 1 usually head the list of the best ones to use. Go ahead and use the dino break-in oil to get your rings set, then switch to the synthetic. The advantage of using something like Royal Purple and Mobil 1 is that you can get it locally, and not have to go through a dealer. Mobil 1 is even available at Wal-Mart. Using a straight 30 weight oil is not a good idea as it doesn't have the sudsing action to keep your engine clean. A 10-30 synthetic will suit your needs just fine. There have also been studies done on filters. Wix and Motorcraft are good filters for our cars. Just don't ever consider Fram filters. We have these studies in the FAQ section if you care to read them. More info here. http://www.synlube.com/oil.htm

 

with the mobil 1 or the redline - how often do you recommend changing the oil and/or filter?

i always use the motorcraft filter. it just feels right. gladt to know it is also the best.

 

Most synthetic oils are designed to run 10K miles or even more, with an oil filter change at 5K miles. These are conservative figures, as they don't want to get sued.

 

do you really wait that long in between oil changes? maybe Im changing mine more than I need to I always change it every 3000 miles

 

Yeah, with dino oil, the 3-5K miles between changes has been traditional for eons, but with synthetic, you can double the mileage with a filter change at around 5K. If you are changing every 3K with synthetic, you are wasting money. The synthetic does not break down as soon as dino, and with the filter change you are eliminating much of the pollutants.

 

go with Mobil one or Royal Purple, i use the Mobil one filters and run 3,000 miles or so for every oil change, with the way i drive thats like once a month, it maybe a little obsessive but my Toyota Previa has 318,xxx and is still going strong, my 99 V6 has 164,193 and is still doing great!

 

cool than Im not due for an oil change after all