Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance Pro's and Cons of Mobil 1Syn???????

I am pretty sure that my engine runs a bit cooler since I switched to Mobil 1.

Ford now recommends 5W-20 for my car. You can check it out on www.motorcraft.com

There are not many choices for 5W-20. I will stick with Mobil 1 5W-30 for now. I also use either Mobil 1 or K&N oil filters. Motorcraft seems good to. Not FRAM though!

Originally posted by AirKnight:

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That's a mere 6HP, and consider the standard error on dyno it can probably turn out to be no gain. I'm not running synthetic because of the possible gain, but rather for better protection of the engine.

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First of all, anyone who says "a mere 6hp" just doesn't get it.

Secondly, the body of tests out there that show consistent, repeatable gains is considerably large, and I would say, significant. It's not always 6 hp, since it really depends on the engine, and of course the best gains come when the whole drivetrain is converted. But, geez.

Somebody said synth is "overkill." I suppose that's true for some, and dino is fine for most drivers. But I'm a devoted convert.

many of the people on here are trying to get every bit of performance out of their cars as they can (w/o turning them into full drag cars). i'm sure completely switching to synthetic will give you some gains, but on an engine with less than 200hp, it's not gonna show much, but still worth it.

I think I'll just strap a huge turbine engine to my car and "blow" the compition away...lol



Or blow my self up on the process.

Originally posted by RogerB:

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First of all, anyone who says "a mere 6hp" just doesn't get it.

Secondly, the body of tests out there that show consistent, repeatable gains is considerably large, and I would say, significant. It's not always 6 hp, since it really depends on the engine, and of course the best gains come when the whole drivetrain is converted. But, geez.

Somebody said synth is "overkill." I suppose that's true for some, and dino is fine for most drivers. But I'm a devoted convert.

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Then maybe you should run some 0-20 oil (if that exist), I mean it's going to be a lot thinner and you'll have less power loss to friction by the oil. Why not? And show me consistant result from dyno runs with absolutely nothing changes other than switching from dino to full synthetic oil, under the same temperature/humidity/time of day/facility.

Originally posted by delmar:

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My brother-in-law (a mechanic) gave me sh!t for running synthetic in my cars, stating that it wasn't needed for street vehicles, only race engines. He said the cost wasn't worth it.

This just solidified my stance as to the benefits of synthetic fluids, because if it's good enough for a race engine, it certainly won't hurt my street motor, and extra cost bedamned! It's cheap peace of mind!

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Maybe this has already been addressed, but let me point out some flaws in your logic. (Not a personal attack, mind you, so don't take this personally. After all, isn't this what many advertisers tell us about their automotive products? So I don't blame you.)

Professional racers build their engines for one purpose, the maximum power output over a very short lifespan. A NASCAR or INDY engine only needs to hold together for 500 miles.

In the case of engine oils, many race oils (I'm talking about those boutique race oils and not Mobil1 right now) don't have the additives that fight acids and other bad things that are produced in street driven, smog controlled engines. The race oil is used for 500 miles and drained, along with any acids, fuel washdown or other "things" that find their way into the crankcase.

With any high quality motor oil, designed for street use, there will be an additive package that is designed to mitigate or eliminate these harmful things that find their way into your oil.

So you get less power, but you can drive 5K miles between oil changes and your engine will last well beyond 100K miles.

So just because something is good enough for the professional race team, it doesn't logically follow that it is good enough for your street car. Two very different usage patterns. Well, unless you are going to change your oil every 500 miles.

I hope this is helpful.

BTW, Mobil 1 is better at operating extremes than most conventional oils. However, many of the new API SL rated oils approach some "synthetics" in operating characteristics. So I'd not worry too much if I used an SL rated conventional oil.

TB

Originally posted by AirKnight:

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Then maybe you should run some 0-20 oil (if that exist), I mean it's going to be a lot thinner and you'll have less power loss to friction by the oil. Why not?

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because engine not last for long with 0-20w in it.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

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because engine not last for long with 0-20w in it.

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That is EXACTLY my point.

Originally posted by AirKnight:

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Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

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because engine not last for long with 0-20w in it.

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That is EXACTLY my point.

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but engine will last with synthetic, i think i know your point (oil doesn't give true gains ((though it may give a little))),but how long it lasts isn't your point. or was it? since synthetic last longer than dino, good enough reason to use it, and withstands heat better, gave me a better idle,,, any performance gains are just an added bonus to spending $25 to change your oil (i'm guessing a bit more for duratec owners).

I run synthetic oil myself. But my point is, don't run it because of the possible gain. The gain just isn't much. I have yet to see really consistant dyno graph with the only changes done are using dino oil and synthetic oil (meaning, the same day, same dyno facility, same condition, same everything else).