Oil - Synthetic vs Mineral

[MerlintheMad]

Not maximizing oil life means we are all consuming MORE oil.

We have plenty. And oil is recyclable.

That means more petroleum is extracted which creates a greater environmental footprint.

If we removed every ounce of petroleum how would that affect the rest of what is in the ground? I don't see a problem. Petroleum that isn't turned into gas fumes is recyclable.

Used motor oil doesn't get recycled into new motor oil. It is cleaned and used in other applications such as hydraulic oil, etc. So the new motor oil we're putting in the car is not the recycled oil you dropped prematurely.

True I suppose. But moot, since we have more than enough petroleum for our perceivable future needs. There is always synthetic. The "premature" dispensing of motor oil does not mean it is wasted, as you point out in your example.

I will worry about our environmental footprint when we get rid of MAD. Until then, all such environmental talk is feckless posturing, usually for political agenda reasons (the good movements are co-opted by political movements, usually to beat the West, especially the USA, over the head with). If the nations can cooperate in eradicating the harm we do to the planet, and take measures to fix our mistakes, etc., then surely they can eradicate Nukes. And if they refuse to do that, I do not trust their altruism. As long as MAD is the yardstick of our sanity as a species, I do not hold out any hope for a long future of our species.

 

[MisterMac]

The point of this thread is conventional or synthetic...

 

[hummus]

I believe the availability of 5-quart quality synthetic (Mobil 1, Castrol Edge) for $20-$25 at Walmart--and often less when rebates are running--makes the decision easy.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

There is really nothing humorous about my post. 6.9L of used oil doesn’t naturally flow back into the earth. I was stating a fact. There is an environmental impact in not maximizing oil life and its amplified by the amount of oil this car requires. If that doesn’t matter to you then that’s fine. Perhaps it matters to others and that’s the intent of my comment.

In OZ we are charged an environmental levy when the oil is changed & used oil is recycled.

 

[Mike T]

I only use Mobile 1 full synthetic.

 

[FFR6288]

If you want access to more than you could ever want to know about automotive oil, check here:

A Review of Mineral and Synthetic Base Oils - Bob is the Oil Guy

For oil analysis, I use these guys:

Blackstone Laboratories – Oil Analysis – Learn What's Going On In Your Engine

The cost for the analysis is $28 U.S. I have it done every 2nd or 3rd oil change. It's good to know what, if anything, is going in in your engine. You can also see about how many miles you can go between changes.

HTH,

Rich