How many miles do you go on a oil change in your car or truck? I just switched to synthetic on the last oil change in my commuter car. Most days my round trip commute is 100-160 miles. The bonus for switching is that I have been averaging 2mpg better since switching.
Around 5k. I do it myself and never pay more than $35 for the whole thing so its no biggie changing it sooner than later.
I run 10k between oil changes or once a year, some vehicles don’t see a lot of miles.
7500 – 10,000 miles depending on oil consumption.
8-10k trailblazer mobil 1
Once a year or 10000 miles.
7000k for me,
BTW – I am a amsoil dealer if you want the good stuff let me know 
7500 for me.
6000 on Mobil 1.
If using synthetic make sure to use a filter that can handle a longer time between oil changes.
If using synthetic make sure to use a filter that can handle a longer time between oil changes.
Some guys change the filter between oil changes. My neighbor changes the filter at 5000 miles, oil every 10000. Obviously you have to add some to replace that displaced by the filter.
I have been changing mine every 7500 miles or so. I just did my 3rd oil change in my truck this year and I have 20,000 miles on it. Bought it new last November. I don’t even know how I pile on the miles so fast. I only have a 12 mile commute to work. LOL
What does your manual state for miles between changes? Most newer cars have a 5k 7500k or 10k recommended for synthetic oil?
I’ve been going 7000 to 10000 miles between changes since 1989 when I first started using Mobile 1. I’ve never had a single issue that could even be remotely blamed on oil and in the 8 vehicles that I’ve had since then, none of them used any significant amount of oil between changes, even when they were well over 150,000 miles.
Both of my current vehicles have 7000 mile oil change indicators so I’ve been pretty much going with that although sometimes I stretch it out to 8k. Now that there is some competition in the synthetic market, the prices have come WAY down and since I cahnge all my own, it’s no biggie to change at 7k. Mobile 1 used to almost never go on sale, and it was over $4.50 a quart even back in the 90s when common conventional oils were $1.29 on sale. Now the Walmart regular price on 5 quart jugs is cheaper than I could buy 5 quarts in the mid 1990s.
Grouse
10K Oil and water separator.
What do you guys think about what the interval between changes should be on the semi-synthetics? On my 14′ F-150 I use the recommended Motorcraft 5W/20 weight…RR
Here’s a related question: How do oil life monitors work as far as conventional/synthetic? My truck states to change the oil when the oil life monitor gets below 20%. Does that interval increase with synthetics? Should I just track mileage?
What do you guys think about what the interval between changes should be on the semi-synthetics? On my 14′ F-150 I use the recommended Motorcraft 5W/20 weight…RR
I would go with the conventional oil change intervals for semi-synth blends.
I could never get my head around what the point of synth blends is because the regular oil in the blend will have all the disadvantages of, ummm, regular oil. Just in slightly small proportion. Seems to me to be a marketing gimmick that defeats the purpose.
With a ’14 truck, why not switch over to full synth? No, it does not void the warranty.
Grouse
Here’s a related question: How do oil life monitors work as far as conventional/synthetic? My truck states to change the oil when the oil life monitor gets below 20%. Does that interval increase with synthetics? Should I just track mileage?
I’d be interested to know if any vehicle out there has a true system that “tests” something in the oil and adjusts the change interval in some way.
All the systems I know of are simply mileage counters. They count out a set interval and then ping you when it’s time to change. My GMC Acadia and Mrs. Grouse’s Lincoln go off at 7000 miles on the dot. I believe on Mrs. Grouse’s Lincoln, you can set the interval in the Settings menu.
Grouse
the only reason for semi-synthetic (IMHO) is to ease those who won’t use synthetic, to give it a try, and it saves from having to use 1/2 quart of petroleum oil. Our government of course, wants everybody using synthetic and at longer intervals… that is the BIG push to using synthetic, less dependent on foreign/domestic oil.
Chrysler products use, ambient air temperature, barometric pressure, miles and idle time to determine change intervals.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>roosterrouster wrote:</div>
What do you guys think about what the interval between changes should be on the semi-synthetics? On my 14′ F-150 I use the recommended Motorcraft 5W/20 weight…RRI would go with the conventional oil change intervals for semi-synth blends.
I could never get my head around what the point of synth blends is because the regular oil in the blend will have all the disadvantages of, ummm, regular oil. Just in slightly small proportion. Seems to me to be a marketing gimmick that defeats the purpose.
With a ’14 truck, why not switch over to full synth? No, it does not void the warranty.
Grouse
So at 24K I could make the switch to a full synthetic and that is OK to do for the engine moving forward? I like it…RR
I have an 02 Chev Silverado with the 5.3 and I change my oil every 5,000 miles or so. I run Mobile 1 synthetic.
I am a little over 5000 and have not needed to add any yet. I will keep running it for a couple thousand more and keep a eye on it. Since more than once I have heard to use a quality filter. What do you guys use?
Did research on oil filters a few years ago
HASTINGS #1 for me,
with WIX # 2
Purolator PureONE Oil Filters / will not give it a # / but there good to clean dirt out
Don’t fall for all the hype on the others
8 to 10 thousand for me on Amsoil. Use Amsoil in the Yammie F150 also. engine and gearcase.
On my 1 ton duramax work van we run 15,000 between changes I change filter and grease job at 7,500 ,I’ve ran AMSOIL for most of the miles,I think we started at about 50,000 ,I’ll have 300,000 shortly no oil consumption, just other issues the ground cable rotted off and it wouldn’t start 3 days ago
Stan 
Here’s a related question: How do oil life monitors work as far as conventional/synthetic? My truck states to change the oil when the oil life monitor gets below 20%. Does that interval increase with synthetics? Should I just track mileage?
The OLM is a computer algorithm. The computer doesn’t know what type of oil is being ran in the engine (synthetic vs conventional). Factors such as engine revolutions, temperature (startup and operating), soak time, etc. all are accounted for to determine the percent of oil life left. In theory a car that is short tripped a lot will have a short OCI then the one that is driven on the highway for long periods of time. As long as the oil that is being used meets the specifications the mfg requires (aka GM Dexos) the OLM should be accurate. On my 2014 Sierra it’s usually just under 7500 miles. I have been using M1 0W-20.
Was apprehensive about synthetics till I started using them. Impressed! Would have never thought a guy could go 10K. Tried it and the oil looked like almost new oil. Was still very slickery and didn’t have the almost granular feel of regular oil after 3K.
It sure smokes less in 2 stroke applications.
5K using Rotella T6 in the 6.0 Powerstroke.
Runs a lot quieter with the Rotella vs other synthetics.
Even though its a diesel I go with 5K because of the HEUI high pressure oil system. Could go longer but…
Better safe than sorry with the 6.0
Got a question for you guys that know your oil. I’ve got an old 67 Buick Electra that I’m working on in my spare time. It hasn’t been run and in storage for 23 years. I got it running and changed all the intake gaskets to bring the vacume to where it was to supposed to be, from 4 lbs. up to 12 lbs and still working on it to see if I can get it to go higher.
I changed oil before I ever started it and the guy at the counter said to put Rotella diesel oil in it because it had additives for diesels that would be good for the motor, and I chose 30 weight just because I’m used to using that weight. He said beings its an older motor, a 430 ci, he would go for that type. I can see it not harming it but would a synthetic be better or just stick with the Rotella. I’m used to using Castrol in my cars but took his advice. With the machining and the grade of the alloys in the rings and bearings of those older engines, what would you do if anything. It runs good, and doesn’t smoke a bit and responds well all in all its a good motor. Stay with Rotella or go with synthetic? 98,000 miles is on the motor.
Dan,if it were me,I would stick with the Rottella for a couple of reasons,one its a fantastic oil and will work great in that motor.
two,that old motor has rope type seals in it,the synthetic oil will probably creep past those seals fairly easily and make a mess.
the synthetic would be fine other than that issue,now if the seals have been upgraded to the neoprene or viton type by you recently,then synthetic would be fine.
as far as having that many miles on it,the synthetic will clean up all of the old crud trapped in the interior of the motor,replace the filter every five or six hundred miles for the first oil change period of around 2400 miles,then go from there.
dont be surprised if it starts using a little oil but it should dry up after a while,its only cleaning up the rings,pistons and such.
I have made this switch many times without issue other than one time a motor that would not quit using oil with the synthetic switch,put the old style back in it and it quit it after a few hundred miles.
I am guessing on that one particular motor the rings were worn enough that the synthetic was just too slippery for it and they were hydroplaning on the oil allowing it to get past the rings.
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