i bought a used ram a few months ago with 74,000mi on it. im almost at 77,000 now and its oil change time, i was considering going synthetic, but i really know nothing about it. what would you recommend and any brands that are better than others? also anyone use Zmax?

 

i bought mine at 74k too and went with synthetic from the first oil change. i used quaker state 4x4 synthetic for a long time then switched to valvoline full synthetic for a long time and now i'm going back to quaker state.
synthetic fluid resists heat better than conventional and doesn't need to be changed as often. conventional oil swells seals and if you have a high mileage vehicle and switch to synthetic then theres a chance that the swelling in the seals can go down and you will develop leaks. the only leak i have is my rear main seal but i have 125000 miles on my truck so i think its an age thing and not because i've been using synthetic for the last 50k.

 

All our vehicles run nothing but Amsoil Severe Service full synthetic. It works great in the newer and older trucks alike. No leaks to speak of.

 

Synthetics are great. People mostly get "leaks" with syns because the syn cleans the sludge out that was blocking the leak and it exposes the faulty spot in the gasket.

I run Mobil 1, really good synthetic and cheap at Walmart. The high mileage version will swell seals a bit to stop leakage on older seals.

Zmax is crap. Nothing in it works at the high heat that the engine sees. Looks good on TV, but not so much in the truck.

If you want an oil that really protects engine parts, try Schaeffers, it's got a crap load of moly in it.

 

i just switched to mobil 1 as well. before when i had conventional oil, i would ALWAYS lose about half a quart after the oil change, and it would stay there. but contrary to popular belief, after switching to synthetic, i haven't lost one bit of oil. weird eh? lol

 

I use Royal Purple. It's just the brand I like. I've used Mobil 1 before though in both bikes and cars and I've used Amsoil quite a bit in bikes in the past.

 

You'll pay more for synthetic up front as opposed to conventional oil. But the longer intervals between changes,(I go 7k on my 01 5.2 using royal purple) help offset the cost. One footnote though, don't go cheap on the oil filter to save a few pennies. If your gonna spend extra for the oil, spend extra for the filter. Myself I prefer Wix, or the KnN wrench type one I have gotten good results with. Basically if your gonna go longer intervals, you'll need a better filter, the store brand ain't gonna cut it.

 

I use Mobil 1 in all of my vehicles. Have for the last 10 years. My Silverado has 145,000 on it, and the has been changed every 5,000 along the way with Mobil 1, and a Mobil 1 filter. When I check it at 4500 miles it still looks like virgin oil. It does cost a little more, but if you are making payments it is damn sure worth the extra $$$.

 

+1. I laugh at some guys that buy relatively expensive Royal Purple or Mobil 1 oil and then go use a FRAM filter.

Honestly, a WIX filter costs just a handful of dollar bills more, if that, and it is much higher quality. FRAM uses cardboard on the inside of their filters, really high quality stuff, let me tell you...

Purolater
Mobil 1
Wix
K&N
NAPA Gold (made by Wix)

All tested, good filters.

Also try to avoid filters made by Mopar. Mopar doesn't make their own filters, but hires someone out. Sometimes its a decent maker like Wix, other times its FRAM. No way to really tell for sure unless you crack it open.

 

i usually try to get the k&n filter not only for the good quality, but the kick-a** 1" wrench end on it. makes life so much easier than using a strap wrench lol.