oil

[fordfan22]

i was wondering, but couldn't find a thread on the site about it. is it bad to switch back and forth from conventional oil to synthetic? or does it not really matter? thanks in advance

[Raymond]

Once you switch, you should generally stay with what you are using, there are marketed mixes of conventional oil and synthetic, but its better with one or the other, i recommend synethetic and lighter oil for higher milege engines, myself i have a 97' 4.6 4WD and i use Castrol Synetec 5w-50, works like a charm, plus you can go a bit further with out changing your oil.

[b4000]

From what I've read in a lot of different places, it really doesn't matter if you switch. That's a bit of an urban legend. As far as I know, there's nothing "magic" about synthetic oils. They're just basically a higher quality of oil. For my purposes, the main advantage is that synthetics have a little better cold weather performance. If I lived in a mild place like Vancouver, I probably wouldn't spend the extra $$$.

There are some good FAQs around on manufacturers's websites like Mobil and Castrol. Just google "synthetic oil FAQ".

[Blue Oval]

I'm no expert, but I agree with b4000.

Both are oil, which is there to lubricate and protect engine components. The biggest difference is the method in which they are manufactured - conventional comes out of the ground, whereas synthetic starts in laboratory.

I see no reason why you can't run syn in the winter when you'll reap the benefits and go conventional in the summer to save a couple bucks. On the other hand, if you can afford it, why not reap the benefits all year round?