I have owned my '99 1500 with 6 years now and have 176,000 miles. I have always used Castrol GTX High Mileage 10W30. Thinking about switching to a full synthetic, would it be worth it? I havn't experienced any issues, and my engine seems to run just fine. I am religious about changing the oil every 3K miles. When I change it, the oil is always a dark amber color, never black, but obvious that its doing its job. I just wonder if synthetic would make it even better, and offer more protection, or if at this point, its not worth it, and only lead to problems. It seems a lot of drivers prefer Mobil One.

 

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...motor-oil.html

 

Whenever I buy a used vehicle or motorcycle I change it over to Full Synthetic using Castrol or Mobil 1, never an issue. I usually extend the drain interval by a 1000 or so miles except on the motorcycles. Last Subaru I sold had 264,000, ran great and used no oil. You will probably get alot of answers here pro and con so good luck with your decision.

 

Personally I only use full synthetic on lower my lower mileage (under 50k) cars. I have heard switching to synthetic on higher mileage vehicles can result in oil leaks. Have no earthly idea if there is a shred of truth in that at all but I personally don't want to risk it.

 

Really? If it's doing its job, where is the fly ash that all internal combustion engines produce, if not in the oil turning it black? Modern, tighter engines produce less ash, but if you're not seeing black in the oil of a small block Magnum, ya gotta wonder where it is.

 

What tends to happen is, the dino oil gets baked in to various spots over time, switching to synthetic, with better detergent additives... tends to clean that out, and results in leaks.

Also, synthetic oil is supposedly 'slipperier'.... and can find its way out thru smaller holes......

 

I switched from Castrol GTX to Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic at 186,000 miles. No problems. I personally don't see the need to use high mileage oil unless you have one of the problems that those oils will purportedly fix or contain (such as slowing down leaks or burning oil). Having said that, those high mileage oils are really good oils and many people use it in brand new cars right from the start. If you're happy with it, stay with it!

3k mile oil changes are pure overkill. Any name brand conventional can do 5k mile oil changes easy. Any name brand synthetic can easily do 7k-10k. Changing your oil at 3k is just money down the drain and has shown in some instances to actually increase wear on the engine.

Lastly, synthetics aren't more "slippery". This is one of those myths that simply won't die. There was a problem in the early days with gaskets leaking after switching to synthetic due to the gasket material not being compatible with the synthetics at the time. This problem however has long since passed.

Oh and just in case you might have thought about using it...keep that Lucas Oil Stabilizer crap out of your engine. It's unnecessary snake oil. If you want thicker oil, buy a higher viscosity.

 

with 176,000 miles on your truck i would stay with the high milage. the oil is usually a higher viscosity than full synthetics and will help prevent oil leaks

 

Complete BS. Today's engines are sealed better and have tighter tolerances than back when synthetic oils first came out.

I've done the switch to synthetic oil on a vehicle with over 50K and no leaks. That myth, like the 3,000 mile oil change, refuse to die.

 

Tell my engine that. I switched to Valvoline High Mileage (semi-synthetic) at 100k miles and started seeing it under the truck the next afternoon.