Date:         Thu, 02 Jan 1997 11:39:55 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Will Wood <wkwood@burgoyne.com>
Subject:      Re: Questions re:sysnthetic oils

At 11:26 AM 1/2/97 -0600, Scott Allred wrote:
>Happy New Year!
>
>I have been contemplating switching my '71 to a 20-50W synthetic
>engine oil. The engine (1835) has about 25,000 miles on it. I have 
>a full flow filter and cooler system. Any thoughts would be appreciated...
>
>
>-Scott
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Scott and Maggie Allred
>  '71 Westy -- The Wayback Machine 
>  seen at http://coyote.accessnv.com/wayback/ 
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

Consumer Reports just did a study on Taxis in New York.  Their findings
indicated
that regular oil changes at 7,000 mi (Hear that Q and Jiffy?) using SE-SF
grade 
oil provided the same protection as synthetic oils.  Essentially they
stated that 
Synthetics are mostly a waste of money.

Since we're talking an Aircooled upright with a FF system and cooler
(I presume the factory cooler is still there) my experience has been to
change it every 4-5000 miles using 10W-30 or 10-40W in the summer.  Around
my house that's about every 6 to 7 weeks
when I'm commuting.  The full flow system with cooler will provide the best
cooling of the oil.

The synthetics give you extended life since all crude based oils start
breaking down after
a while.

But it's the dirt that causes the most damage, that's why even using a
synthetic you need
to change it frequently.  Mobil One used to advertise that you could go
25,000 miles between
changes, imagine that in a Diesel motor. (Those of you with Diesels will
bear me out).

Synthetics also don't break down at high temperatures, but I'll submit that
if your upright
is running that hot, it'll be melted down anyway.