Ok you guys, I just bought Mobil 1 10W-30 Full synthetic motor oil and a K&N Gold oil filter. The label says that the oil has proven protection for 15K miles. My question that I could never find an answer to is will the oil turn dark by 15K or will it turn dark at 3K like conventional oils and still be able to protect for the remaining 12K? Also the K&N oil filter I heard that it is good for like 3 or 4 oil changes. What do you think? Any pointers for me as well.

PS: this is the first time i ever used synthetic so I am kinda iffy about the whole deal...

 

I use the exact same oil and I have no problems with it.

 

First, always change your oil filter at each oil change, no matter what the filter says it "can" protect up to...as for the Mobile 1 "extended performance" motor oil,I made the mistake of trying this oil and it only resulted in a massive amount of oil consumption and some extemely ugly oil at the 15k mark. I would never use the Extended Performance 15k protection oil ever again...I switched over to Penzoil Platinum and never regretted the decision. And as far as the correct oil weight, unless you live in an area whee its very cold (sub-zero) frequently, just use 5w-30. Just an FYI for your future oil changes...

 

hmmmm i use 10w-30 as well.... will i run into problems here in northern NJ? or am i ok?

 

No, you wont have problems with the 10w-30 unless you get into higher temperatures...the 10w-30 is just formulated for colder climates thats all...

 

higher temps meaning what? the engine temp or the outside temp?

 

Outside temperature. Breaking it down to its very simplest as far as the two oil weights max/min as far as temperature goes...the 10w-30 is for sub-zero, the 5w-30 is for 100+. Theres other factors obviously, but Chrysler recommends the 5w-30 unless your in an area that experiences sub-zero temperatures.

 

UHHHH..... NO! NO! NO!

0W-XX oil are rated at -35F
5W-XX oils are rated at -30F
10W-XX oils are rated at -25F
15W-XX oils are rated at -20F

The XX portion be it 20, 30, 40, or 50 are rated at 212F. Approximately operating temperature.

So the 5W-30 oil will protect the engine down to lower temperatures than a 10W-30. A 5W-30 will also be closer to operating viscosity at 70F than a 10W-30 thus providing generally better start-up protection than 10W-30 oil even in MIAMI, FL (for those who live in Ohio). Some older cars used to recommend (some new with old engine designs still do) 10W-30 in summer due to the lower Noack Volatility numbers and thus lower propensity for thermal breakdown and thus a more stable oil.

Synthetics with a decent oil filter such as K&N, Mobil1, Wix, or Amsoil EaO series have been shown to go 10K without any difficulty and keep wear number at or below 3K changes with synthetics and still leave less oil carbon deposits or varnish behind. So 15K can be pushing it but with proper monitoring and depending on driving styles and usage could be perfectly acceptable.

Spend some time over in the BITOG and look at the results of many oil changes and extended length Synthetics and you can see for yourself. But basically almost all cars in decent order can go 5K on modern Dino and 10K on modern synthetics and suffer no ill will or damage in any way. That is just how long it will last. To go longer you'd need to look into Amsoil and their EaO filters for optimum performance. I personally switched to Amsoil and am running a 6.5K interval on initial switch over and then will be on to 10K OCI. I have the extra protection of the Amsoil and EaO microglass filter. Right now I am at 4.3K and it looks like Dino at 1K. It is awesome.

Don't worry so much about color. Not a big indicator for the most part.

 

5-30w Penzoil Platinum here...

Almost 30 bucks an oil change, but it felt like a new car afterwards.

 

Great oil and will last 10K if you choose without fear.

Great choice.