Is Synthetic Oil the best choice for my Tundra?

This is a question I hear all the time — "I just got a new Tundra and I want to treat it right — should I use synthetic oil? If so, should it be full synthetic or synthetic blend?" Unfortunately, the answer is complicated. Generally speaking, because synthetic oil has fewer impurities, better properties at high temperatures, slightly better viscosity, and it is more resistant to breakdown than regular oil, synthetic is better for AN engine. However, whether or not it’s better for YOUR engine depends on a few things.

If you are the type of person that changes your oil exactly when you're supposed to , then there's a pretty good chance you don't need to use synthetic. On the other hand, if you've been known to skip an oil change or if you can go more than six months between changes, synthetic is a perfect choice for you. Synthetic oil can save your engine if you forget to maintain it, but if you're good at changing your oil than you won't see one the biggest synthetic oil benefits (protection against long term breakdwon).

For instance my aunt drives about 7k miles per year. At that rate she's only going to see an oil change about every 9 months. Since regular oil starts to wear out after 6 months, she should use synthetic. The best advice I can give you is think about who is in charge of maintaining the vehicles in your family and recommend synthetic oil to those people that will exceed the time threshold or those people that might space an oil change.

If you’re good at changing your oil on time, there’s really only one other common reason you would want to consider using synthetic. As natural oil gets hot, it starts to breakdown. The longer it stays hot, the worse the breakdown. So, if you regularly operate your vehicle in such a way that the engine temperature is always high, you should run synthetic. For example: Letting your vehicle idle for hours at a time (like on a jobsite) will overheat the engine. Because you’re not moving, there is no high-speed air circulating around the engine to keep it cool. In this case, excessive heat can build and normal oil will break down. Also, constant operation in high ambient temperatures (like the desert) or at high altitudes (over 10k feet) will also lead to higher engine temperatures. High temperature desert air has poor cooling properties, and while the air above 10k feet is usually cool, it’s “thin” and also has poor cooling properties.

The last example of a high-temperature use that would benefit from synthetic oil would be racing. Hopefully, if you’re racing, you’re using the best oil you can and changing it often.

There's quite a bit of advice out their about using synthetic if you drive in a big city with lots of bad traffic, or if you only drive short distances. As far as traffic goes, it's all relative. If you're maintaining an average speed of 20mph in your commute, you're ok to run regular oil. As for the short distance advice, I can't stress enought that no oil will protect your engine from the damage of a three mile trip once a day. Engines are supposed to ran for a few miles before you shut them off, otherwise oil doesn't circulate properly and you will see premature engine wear. My advice to you is to drive farther if you can.

If one of the above situations applies to you, take care when you purchase synthetic oil. Many places will suggest a synthetic blend as a way to save money (instead of full-synthetic), however the "blend" is often times a mystery. Maybe you're getting a 50-50 blend, or maybe you're getting 1% synthetic and 99% regular oil. I say go full synthetic or don't bother -- unless the blend suggested is provided by your vehicle's manufacturer. That blend would be OK.

So you say that's all fine and good, but what do the people that MAKE the vehicles think? Toyota has no stance on synthetic oil, they only want you to use good oil and change it regularly.

Bottomline: Unless you’re subjecting your new 2007 Toyota Tundra (and the oil that’s in it) to extreme conditions, save money and use regular oil.

Article Source: http://www.articles.ask-me-about.com

About the author: Jason Lancaster has been working in the auto industry and with the Toyota Tundra for almost 10 years. Get more Tundra Info at his website, www.tundraheadquarters.com.
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