5k between oil changes?

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I know the old OEM oil filter wasn't favored by many, but with the much improved Comp Coupe derived oil filter, and Mobil 1 full synthetic oil having a great rep, is there a reason we can't go 5k between oil changes? Here's the article I was reading that made me think about this:

Oil Change Intervals - AOL Autos

 

[DrumrBoy]

I told a pal of mine who is relatively senior at ExxonMobil that I religiously changed my M1 every 3000 miles. His response was that I'm an idiot and wasting money while helping his stock and retirement fund.

He went on to get lubes experts, even one of the original M1 formulation geniuses to comment that there is absolutely no need to change M1 that frequently. They provided alot of chemistry-related support for their position along with empirical data from the DoD and other severe-duty M1 users....the kind of stuff Tom would understand but leaves most of us mortals' heads spinning.

Remember, these sources have every reason to recommend short interval oil changes....but they don't.

So, having read reams of information from experts who detail the carbon-chain chemical reasons you don't have to change the oil every 3K - I still change mine every 3000.

#1 - its inexpensive protection

#2 - its kind of therapeutic on a Saturday afternoon

#3 - it keeps my XOM buddies harassing me....otherwise I'd never hear form them!

 

[CPPRHD265]

I do mine every 3k. I know the oil could probably last double that... but it's the other garbage floating around in it I want to flush out. Just my uninformed opinion

 

[dave6666]

Another vote for 3K.

Yup, cheeeeeeeeeeeeap insurance.

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

I haven't changed oil in less than 5000 miles since 1976. I've gone many times to 20,000 miles on regular cars / trucks with oil analysis. Close to a million miles later...all is well. I've gone 10K miles on the Viper with the oil coming back good to go.....This included 2 track events and some xcrossing. 5000 to 6000 miles is the normal time I change the Viper oil , but wouldn't need to. 75K miles on the odometer now.

Amsoil--Amsoil filters. Same base stock as Mobil 1 -- potentailly better add pack.

....But then, from a financial standpoint, I say keep changing that M1 as often as you deem necessary as I have a chunk of XOM stock myself. Keeps the Viper in gas.

Steve

 

[SylvanSRT]

my wifes old MB E320 and current Toyota Sienna van both call for oil changes at 11,000 miles, per the manufacturer.

 

[plumcrazy]

its cheap insurance, i do it at no more than 3K. usually 2K

and id wait for tom f&L to answer before doing anything. but isnt the problem the filter after 3k miles ?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I know Viper drivers are not typical, but here's another attempt at educating everyone:

http://forums.viperclub.org/general-viper-discussion/612679-life-oil.html

 

[dave6666]

I know Viper drivers are not typical, but here's another attempt at educating everyone:

http://forums.viperclub.org/general-viper-discussion/612679-life-oil.html

Another vote for 3K.

Yup, cheeeeeeeeeeeeap insurance.

Sorry Tom, but after 47 years on this planet, 3K is stuck in my mind.

 

[ViperTony]

I've been changing mine every 3K miles. However, in my BMW the oil gets changed once a year about every 13-15K miles. It's a 530i, mostly highway driving. Ironically, the oil changes on the BMW have been the cheapest maintenance on that car and all is well after 100K miles. BMW doesn't recommend oil changes every 3K but rather whenever the car tells you its time. It uses Castrol Syntech.

On the next oil change for the Viper, I'm sending a sample to Blackstone for analysis. Like others, I'm certain I can go longer between changes, maybe 5K miles but I do worry more about the filter than the oil.

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

I've been changing mine every 3K miles. However, in my BMW the oil gets changed once a year about every 13-15K miles. It's a 530i, mostly highway driving. Ironically, the oil changes on the BMW have been the cheapest maintenance on that car and all is well after 100K miles. BMW doesn't recommend oil changes every 3K but rather whenever the car tells you its time. It uses Castrol Syntech.

On the next oil change for the Viper, I'm sending a sample to Blackstone for analysis. Like others, I'm certain I can go longer between changes, maybe 5K miles but I do worry more about the filter than the oil.

With Blackstone you need to take into account that they use statistical 'universal' data for particular car models. For the Vipers they regularly test -- that amounts to a 1500 mile drain interval. Driving 3 times as long is bound to produce more wear metals and/or depleted additives numbers. ....That doesn't necessarily mean the oil is used up. Aside from the metal analysis, the TBN tells the tale of the add pack. I think anything over 1.5 is OK. What you need to do if you're using Blackstone....or any other testing facility, is to track your particular car for aberrations to the norm. The reason to note this is that when you receive the Blackstone report back, it has the universal average column on the right hand side.....your numbers could be a litte higher, but it's likely not a big deal or cause for concern. I can say this because I have sent oil to them and another facility at the same time. The interpretations were somewhat different between the two companies..

Steve

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Sorry Tom, but after 47 years on this planet, 3K is stuck in my mind.

Well, save the planet and put the used Viper oil into another car for the next 5K.

 

[FATHERFORD]

I'm sure I'll go 5-6k between oil changes.. No need to change it at 3k unless you are driving the car really hard.

My 2004 F-150 I go atleast 12k between oil changes. I just change the filter out every 6-7k miles. Even with 15k on the oil, it will still come out purple(I run RP in it)

 

[pocketAA]

I change mine once a year in the viper. Then again I drive mine less than 5000 miles per year. It gets changed before I put it away for the winter. I change the oil in my truck between 4K and 5K miles.

 

[dave6666]

I'm sure I'll go 5-6k between oil changes.. No need to change it at 3k unless you are driving the car really hard.

My 2004 F-150 I go atleast 12k between oil changes. I just change the filter out every 6-7k miles. Even with 15k on the oil, it will still come out purple(I run RP in it)

DUH!!!!!!!

 

[goldcup]

Change the oil?What the hell do you mean change the oil?Are you telling me its not good for the life of the car?

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

Quote:
Originally Posted by FATHERFORD
I'm sure I'll go 5-6k between oil changes.. No need to change it at 3k unless you are driving the car really hard.

My 2004 F-150 I go atleast 12k between oil changes. I just change the filter out every 6-7k miles. Even with 15k on the oil, it will still come out purple(I run RP in it)


DUH!!!!!!!

DUH!!!!!!!

Easy there old Dave........I drive my supercharged car harder than most reading this and have never had a long drain interval issue. Simple oil analysis tells the tale. For most Vipers, using a good synthetic oil and changing every 1500 -3000 miles is a waste of money -- not cheap insurance. The Viper engine is a fuel injected push rod big block gas engine.........no different in principle than any other.


Steve

 

[agentf1]

How about if you do not put many miles on your car. How often should you do it, every year, or every 2 years. I have always been an every year or 3000 miles, whichever comes first.

My BMW just went 14000 miles before they would change it.

 

[ontilt]

Every 3000K miles is a waste of time and money... my dodge diesel with 160,000K+ miles with regular dyno oil goes 5-10K miles between changes and even that is over kill, the oil anayisis always comes back good.
My buddy works in mongolia and the equipment that runs 24-7 in the mines never get the oil changed unless there is a problem. The problems are usually water intrusion via gaskets or dirt intrusion via intercooler tubes/ filter problems. They sample and change filters.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

You guys should work with a diesel fleet for a while. Diesels will run up to 200,000 mile drains, run 80% load or higher, are highly turbocharged (high crown temperatures), 5%-8% of the weight of the drained oil is soot, and you can reuse it as permanent ink. The engines last 600,000 miles minimum and with some help, go to 1,000,000 miles.

You could *** into your Viper engine and go 1500 mile drains. (Not really, but said for emphasis.)

 

[okloneranger]

Quick question guys, I saw on ebay someone selling magnets which are to go on the outside center end of oil filter cartriges, supposedly giving oil much longer useability in that it removed metalic contaminates by holding them at the inside end of the filter. Can I get your thoughts and comments on this? Are we just talking overkill here? Also comments on those "tornado" fuel milage gimmics would be nice. Thanks.

 

[mad0953]

Dig this. A friend of my Dad's bought a new Chevy 2WD pickup in 1968. It had a small block in it with an automatic. He NEVER changed his oil. He would add oil when it was low and he change the filter once a year. He put 250,000 miles on it and it never had an oil related problem. He was a contactor so I imagine he hauled some heavy loads but never ran it too hard because he was old.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Quick question guys, I saw on ebay someone selling magnets which are to go on the outside center end of oil filter cartriges, supposedly giving oil much longer useability in that it removed metalic contaminates by holding them at the inside end of the filter. Can I get your thoughts and comments on this? Are we just talking overkill here? Also comments on those "tornado" fuel milage gimmics would be nice. Thanks.

Anything large enough to be attracted to the magnet will get caught on the filter. Anything small enough to go through the filter will be held in suspension (and small enough to not cause wear) by the dispersant additives in the oil. That's why the oil gets dark - it is cleaning and carrying the dirt around until you change the oil. The magnet won't affect the life of the oil.

Even if the tornado worked, it would only help carbureted engines that can't mix the fuel and air quick enough before entering the cylinder. A fuel injected engine easily atomizes the fuel and you can't put the tornado close enough to the mixing location anyway.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Either I'm getting smarter (doubtful) or Tom has really been dumbing down his postings lately for the IQ challenged such as myself. I'm actually understanding what he's been saying

 

[dave6666]

Quick question guys, I saw on ebay someone selling magnets which are to go on the outside center end of oil filter cartriges, supposedly giving oil much longer useability in that it removed metalic contaminates by holding them at the inside end of the filter. Can I get your thoughts and comments on this? Are we just talking overkill here? Also comments on those "tornado" fuel milage gimmics would be nice. Thanks.

What you should really get is the magnet that clips on the fuel line. It polarizes the atoms creating a semi-linear dispersion as the fuel enters the intake passages. Couple this with the electro-routing mode of polarized fuel in the presence of an injector pulse field and you have at least a 50 horsepower gain.

 

[ptiemann]

I was reading this thread because when I bought my Viper, it came without an owner's manual :-( ! and I wondered about the right oil change interval.

Here's a story to share. My parents (in Germany) have a 318 BMW, I think purchased in 2001, and about 40,000 miles on it now. Maybe 50,000. It still runs on the original synthetic oil. They told me they'll change at 100,000km = 60,000 miles. Supposedly that's what their manual tells them.

 

[InjectTheVenom]

You guys should work with a diesel fleet for a while. Diesels will run up to 200,000 mile drains, run 80% load or higher, are highly turbocharged (high crown temperatures), 5%-8% of the weight of the drained oil is soot, and you can reuse it as permanent ink. The engines last 600,000 miles minimum and with some help, go to 1,000,000 miles.

You could *** into your Viper engine and go 1500 mile drains. (Not really, but said for emphasis.)

Speaking about the diesel fleet at my work, we currently have an older Mercedes Sprinter with close to 500,000 kilometers on the clock and it's still running strong. It's noisy as heck and I believe the motor mounts have had the best of their life but it still hauls ass.

 

[voi9]

I still change the oil every 3,500 mi. eventhough I use Mobil 1.

 

[SSG CHIC]

Our local Viper Tech told us 6,000 miles. Shocked me. I've always changed the oil every 3,000 miles.

 

[OKViper]

I change once a year, in the fall. I don't put more than 4-5K miles on annually...