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Synth Oil for Chevy Sprint Turbo; Fuel/Econ/Perf/Enginelife Longevity
Topic Started: Nov 4 2009, 05:25 PM (2,676 Views)
sleeper boy
Fresh Fish
[ * ]
Obviously I'm a newbie...

Thinking hard about taking the BIG$$$ plunge. 1.0L/5sp/Turbo/AC. I hear sooooooooo much from soooooooooooo many experts...

"Nope, they don't like synth."...

"Try it. Can't hurt."

"How much do you like your car?"

What's the TRUTH...really?

Thanks
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starscream5000
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Got 70 MPG?

WTF kind of people have you been talking to??
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Murf 59
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:drivin I love my Metros. Welcome to the forum
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JohnDN


I'd say go for the synthetic oil. Most synthetic oils are just very highly refined "dino" oils. Some of the higher end oils such as Amsoil, and Castrol Edge do have PAOs in them (which is oil actually made by chemicals, "true synethic"). I think Castrol Edge is like 40% PAO. There is documented problems with seals leaking when using 100% PAO but I don't think there is any oil on the market that is 100% PAO. Synethetic oil, PAO or highly refined "dino" will stand up the heat and abuse that the turbo will put it under. Worried about seals leaking that much? Use valovline maxlife full synthetic. It has some seal conditioners to help swell the seals to keep it from leaking. But I think you'd be fine with any other synthetic really. I work at AutoZone and hear so many people comment how you aren't supposed to switch back and forth. And that was common in the older beginning days of synthetics, but oil companies want money so they make them 100% compatible with engines. You can switch around all you want, the old advice no longer holds true.

Be sure to put on a straight pipe muffler to complement that turbo for faster spool up times :) .
Edited by JohnDN, Nov 4 2009, 08:57 PM.
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Johnny Mullet
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Fear the Mullet

I run synthetic for one reason.............

Extended oil drain intervals.

I could care less if it gives me 1 MPG increase or not.
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Bad Bent
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Facetious Educated Donkey

Welcome to the forum, sleeper boy! :coffee
Well, that's one thing about opinions, eh. :banghead
I rarely put much stock in a really adamant opinion and never unless it's backed up with a "why." Then you want to test the "why" against some other rational evidence.
Sometimes it's just a preference. That's fine, as long as it's stated to be so. Everyone's entitled. :)

So, is a oil going to out right fail? Unlikely, but possible. Do synthetics last longer? Yes. Are there differences? Yes. I use 5W30 synthetic but I don't run a turbo. I think it runs a little smoother. I'd gather opinions from Geo Metro owners, with turbos, and see what you come up with.
And yes, I've seen a 50/50 blend.

Check out: Favorite Motor Oil
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mwebb
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FOG

if you navigate to the
John is the oil guy forum

you can study up on which oil is best .

if your brain works like mine;
you will see that 5w30 synthetic with a european specification of ACEA A3,B3-B4 is the oil to use.
here in My area in NYS the BMW LL01 oil supplied by BMW dealers is the cheapest way to meet this specification.


the new unreleased GM oil with GEOS specifications are looking good as well,
except Government Motors
will be adding a royalty fee to every quart sold
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nerys
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Grr

So how bad can it be to switch a 167,000 mile motor to synthetic? 175-175-170 on the cylinders no leaks. did a sea foam half can in the oil for 800 miles and changes the oil last night to 5w30 valvoline (on sale) black as black when I drained it :-) no leaks still.

I wants to try synth for the longer engine life and lower temsp friction and mpg increase (even if tiny) but I don't want leaks :-)
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Dallas


just use a quality oil, whether its synthetic or not. dont go buy some cheap 1.99/liter oil, just your basic 5w30 is all these things really need, its just a matter of how well the oil was made and refined. I dont know enough about oil additives and refining and what not, but I do know that there is a difference between spending 10 bucks on a crankcase worth of oil, or thirty bucks. no sense spending 60. I do however run a quality full synthetic in mine, but thats because I believe mine needs it. quality oil filter is even more important
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badbilly59
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after i got my 91 metro i dumped the oil and put in 5w-30 amsoil.car has 113000 on it,no leaks but do to age and neglect it sips some oil.no worrys i just add a lil oil once a month.my main reason other than all thats been listed is its sure nice to crank an engine over fast and start easy at -25 degrees.
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mwebb
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FOG

badbilly59
Nov 5 2009, 04:31 PM
after i got my 91 metro i dumped the oil and put in 5w-30 amsoil.car has 113000 on it,no leaks but do to age and neglect it sips some oil.no worrys i just add a lil oil once a month.my main reason other than all thats been listed is its sure nice to crank an engine over fast and start easy at -25 degrees.
a good choice
but use the european spec oil not the GM Ford Chrysler spec

the AMsoil
with the european specification ACEA A3,B3 - B4
has better deposits control so the piston rings will be less likely to carbon up

current dogma suggests that
no currently available synthetic engine oil will create a leak where there is no leak now .
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cbvetrn
New Member
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Stay away from Amsoil, it's too expensive, you have to chase down a dealer and it's not any better then other syn. I prefer Mobil 1 as it is 100% pure synthetic mixture of PAO and esters, no dino. It's inexpensive and available at any parts store and Walmart.
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BillP
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A while back I check amsoil's credentials on their TCW certifications for 2 stroke oil. Amsoil wasn't officially certified by the NMMA...they only advertised to use in TCW applications. I verified this though emails with the NMMA tech engineer. If I was a betting man I'd say they are doing the same with auto oil certs. Their advertising lead people to assume incorrectly. In reality, using amsoil without official certifications will bust most vehicle warranties...and amsoil's advertising is misleading about that too. I used amsoil many, many yrs ago but wouldn't touch it now unless their certifications were real. :shit

Bill P.
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Murf 59
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Dallas
Nov 5 2009, 02:18 PM
just use a quality oil, whether its synthetic or not. dont go buy some cheap 1.99/liter oil, just your basic 5w30 is all these things really need, its just a matter of how well the oil was made and refined. I dont know enough about oil additives and refining and what not, but I do know that there is a difference between spending 10 bucks on a crankcase worth of oil, or thirty bucks. no sense spending 60. I do however run a quality full synthetic in mine, but thats because I believe mine needs it. quality oil filter is even more important
+1 Just use a good oil. None of our cars are even close to being under warranty. With todays economy. I would rather save a few bucks buying the oil. Than maybe save money in the furture with an over priced oil. Use a good name brand.
And BadBilly what part of N Nevada are you in man? Wow-25f That freaking cold
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91xfi1.0


Mr Murf 59
Nov 8 2009, 09:35 AM
Dallas
Nov 5 2009, 02:18 PM
just use a quality oil, whether its synthetic or not. dont go buy some cheap 1.99/liter oil, just your basic 5w30 is all these things really need, its just a matter of how well the oil was made and refined. I dont know enough about oil additives and refining and what not, but I do know that there is a difference between spending 10 bucks on a crankcase worth of oil, or thirty bucks. no sense spending 60. I do however run a quality full synthetic in mine, but thats because I believe mine needs it. quality oil filter is even more important
+1 Just use a good oil. None of our cars are even close to being under warranty. With todays economy. I would rather save a few bucks buying the oil. Than maybe save money in the furture with an over priced oil. Use a good name brand.
And BadBilly what part of N Nevada are you in man? Wow-25f That freaking cold
I agree Mr. Murf! In some senses, oil is oil. However, I stay away from the cheap stuff (unless someone can conclusively prove to me the cheap stuff is good! I like to save money, smile.) Also, oil is engineered to meet manufacturer requirements, and any modern oil we see in our stores far surpasses the requirements Suzuki put on oil for those engines.

Synthetic is a great idea for extending oil change intervals. However, I believe dollar wise it isn't always cost effective to do this, as synthetic oil is a bit pricey.
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