What is the best oil for a car? Is high mileage better than trad. What about synthetic?

Question

I drive a 2003 Taurus Wagon. It has 83000 miles. I see a lot of marketing for high mileage oil for my car. Is it truly better? With so many brands of oil to choose from, how can I decide? What brand should I use, and why? What about synthetic, is that a good option? I heard that using synthetic can cause a leak because it can tear away a seal or something like that.

Also, should I use 10w30, or what? I know nothing about cars, but I want to make informed decisions. I want to get a good oil for my car, but I don't want to waste money on "high mileage" if it really isn't any different. Can someone please clarify this for me. Thanks

Answer 1

unless you have more than 75,000 miles on the car, you dont need a high mileage oil. as for synthetic oils causing leaks, BS. if you switch to a synthetic oil, and the find a leak, theleak was already there just plugged up by deposits left by mineral oils. a synthetic oil is very aggressive at keeping an engine clean inside, thus when the junk is removed, the leak reappears. synthetic oils are very good at their job, they have a much wider operating range temperature wise than a mineral oil does. also synthetic oils are more stable than mineral oils. engine oils are made up of long molecule chains, and when the chain in a mineral oil breaks it unravels. when the chain in a synthetic oil breaks, you just have two smaller chains. as for specific recommendations;

pennzoil
quaker state
castrol
valvoline
royal purple

these are the best on the market. as i recall ford recommends a 5w-30 weight oil.

Answer 2

You need to consider just how you are driving the car. Some places with colder temps, a 5W-30 may be appropriate for better lube on startup. Just moderate temps a 10W -30 is ok. I think more applicable to oils of any type is how you drive the car, short hops pollute oil with water and blowby and its better to change the oil frequently, like every 3000 miles or so under severe conditions like in the southwest where I am. I dont pay too much attention to the higher miles for oils unless I am driving lots on the open road with infrequent stops and under good conditions.

Answer 3

Castrol Oil is what I have put in all my cars! I would never put any other oil in, and its for high and low mileage cars. You don't want to put synthetic in, if your car doesn't recommend it. And you should use what your car recommends for weight of oil...my truck takes 5w30. Its usually under the hood or in your owner's manual. I won't waste your money on high mileage oils, when there really isn't much difference and your car at 83000 isn't that many miles.

Answer 4

I have found over the years, that using mobil 1 synthetic oil really does increase the life of your engine. before I used it, my vehicles averaged around 180,000 mile max before needing major engine work. Now, I use Mobil 1, I usually have around 275,000 to 300,000 miles on them before I trade them off. I started using it after seeing the original testing that they did on Mobil 1. After using it from day on in new motors, at 100,000 miles, they pulled the motors apart and found no appreciable wear at all. It is more expensive than regular oil, I get my in 5 gallon jugs at walmart for $25.00, but the nice thing is, you can go twice as long between oil changes, so it works out to about the same cost. Now, if the car is under warranty, you still need to change the oil as directed to maintain the warranty. But mobil 1 does meet or exceed the requirements of ALL car manufacturers. But don't fall for the "change the oil every 3000 miles" nonsense that these oil change places try to sell you. Read your manual and go with what the dealer says. Usually, the first one is at 5000 miles and at 7500 miles after that.

Answer 5

Keep doing what you're doing-regular oil changes.

Answer 6

10w30 synth