uggg, I just read bobs oil website.... my head hurts now.... so, if I am reading his site correctly. The main advantage to Synthetic is the thinner oil at startup making it easier on your engine. and it having less additives to burn off. I live in germany so it gets pretty darn cold in the winter, I'm all about keeping my engine in tip top shape as I plan on having this truck for.... well... ever. If I understand everything correctly, a 10W30 synthetic oil will provide me adequate but not optimal starting conditions, as it will be thinner on startup but will go to the optimal thickness while driving. I see some others post that they are using a 5W20 synthetic oil making it even thinner on startup and thinner yet at operating temperatures. i guess I still dont' understand this, if 10 is the optimum thickness while driving, why would we want to go thinner (5) still?

am I just thinking too hard on this? or am I really just not that smart... lol

 

If it calls for 5w-20 in the owners manual (or is it 5w-30, can't remember, since I ...ahem....don't have access to my owners manual...), then that is what you should use, synthetic or not, at least that was my logic. Look at the chart in the manual on oil viscosities vs temperature and use the synthetic weight that best matches the conditions you drive in. I never did read that boboilguy site becauase I knew it would just confuse the heck out of me.

 

Around here, some of the dealerships out in the country will not put synthetic in. If you run in dusty environments all of the time, like country dirt roads, the oil - whether synthetic or conventional - gets dirty and has to be changed regularly, so synthetic doesn't make economic sense.

If you don't plug your block heater in at night in the winter, you might not be going anywhere anyway, so extreme cold isn't an issue for viscosity.

I switched over to synthetic when I did my first change on my truck - mainly for convenience - I do it myself and would rather do it less often. I look for a sale on Castrol Edge with Syntec Technology and store it in my garage. I plan on having to 5l jugs on the go, since it seems to take 6.3 l per change - why they couldn't make the pan a little larger to round it up to the 7l mark, I'll not speculate.

 

In 2007 the 4.7L started taking 5w-20 like the Hemi and most domestic cars because of its potential efficiency

 

I love bobistheoilguy.com, which is why I posted it. There is so much BS and so many misconceptions about motor oil. He tells the facts and lets the reader make choices based on the information provided. I've been using Mobil 1 for about 15 years exclusively on a variety of vehicles: Pontiac, Ford, Toyota, Mazda and Dodge. The only vehicle I don't use it on is my '95 Neon ACR drag car. The Neon is a N/A 2.4 that's dyno'd at 213 HP at the wheels. It should get to better numbers, but the injectors are maxed out and it needs a point or point and a half more compression (currently 10.5:1, it WAS going to be a NO2 car). I digress however....

Every engine I've used Mobil 1 in has performed flawlessly. I use 5K intervals with premium filters, Wix, K&N, Puralator ONE, depending on the vehicle. At the last oil change on the Dak, I put in a drain kit Curses on those dumba$$ Chrysler engineers.

 

thats interesting, i wasn't aware of that. Nonetheless i don't think that matters for us(06 4.7's) does it?

 

If you don't extend your interval, a waste of money IMO. Besides most here will trade their trucks in or sell within 3 years anyway.

 

Nope and switching would be a bad idea

 

Agreed. These newer engines are designed for a specific weight of oil. Changing it much could actually harm the engine quite a bit, unless of course you are in extreme conditions (really hot or really cold areas).

My wife's previous car, a 2006 Durango with the 4.7, used 5w-30. Her current Compass and my truck's 4.7 use 5w-20. I have seven quarts of Castrol synthetic 5w-30 leftover in the garage, meant for an oil change on the Durango that never came before we sold it. I will not be using it in place of the 5w-20. Trying to sell it, but so far, no takers...

 

Agreed

Yes, tis true!