types of oil

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wilbanks51
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Car: 2003 G 35

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I have a 2003 g 35 coupe with 60,000 miles on it. I have used conventional oil up until now. synthetic has become cheaper priced and I was wondering if it would hurt my engine or cause any problems by switching to synthetic?
thanks


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MinisterofDOOM
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Certainly won't cause any problems or hurt anything, either switching to synthetic or (should you decide to down the road due to pricing) switching back from synthetic to conventional.

As long as you're sticking to an appropriate oil change interval, you're fine either way, but if you want to give synthetics a try, there's nothing to be afraid of.

I know there are myths of synthetic oils leaking more and things, but it's all just that: myth. If you're doing okay on conventional oils, you'll be fine with synthetic and may even be able to move to a longer OCI to offset the cost difference (you can get oil analyses done to help determine what a sensible OCI is for a given oil in your car if you're interested in such things).

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Yeah you should be fine either way. If you think a prior owner or something may have neglected oil changes, or for some reason you're getting sludge buildup, feel free to run some synthetic through there for a change or 2. It should help clean things up a bit.
If you're going to race the car for prolonged periods of time (not just doing a quick 0-60 romp), I'd also recommend synthetic. Otherwise, you're fine.

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Bubba1
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Agree ^^^. Both are fine as long as you use the correct grade (or better) and follow the recommended change intervals. As far which is best? The answer is there is no right or wrong, unless the manufacturer specifies synthetic only. In that case, you must use synthetic. But As far as which is better for you, that depends on several things. For example, I have a 350Z that gets prolonged, severe use at racetracks. I use synthetic in it. But in my son's corolla, which sees maybe 3000 non-abusive street miles annually, I use the old fashioned fossil oil in the grade that Toyota spec'd. Zero issues in either car and both cars are 10 or more years old, plus both were designed for fossil oil. Another example, If you put a lotta miles on your car, you might consider synthetic as you can significantly extend the oil change interval saving time. And with cost of synthetic coming down, it becomes more compelling. If you think more about the type of usage you plan for that car, I'm sure you'll make the best oil choice for you. Good luck.


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