what kind of oil?

[pizzaguy]

I'm planning on keeping my 1.8 in nt form but will add bolt and pistons etc. in the future. But i was wanting to know what type of oil I should use (reg. or synth blend, or full synth) for my car, and which brand you guys recommend.

[ginsu417]

The million dollar question... How many miles?

On a new motor, or a recently rebuilt motor, synthetics are a godsend. They reduce friction and keep your engine cleaner than traditional oils. They turn black rather quickly when you first start to use them, but this just means they're doing thier job - picking up rubbish and depositing it in the oil filter. Engines will almost last forever if you run synthetics all the time.

Synthetics are slicker and better penetrating than traditional dino oils. So they get into seals and keep them from drying up and cracking. Thier chemical make-up is different then dino oils in that traditional oils chain multiple molecules together to make up the viscosity and heat tolerance. But every molecule of synthetic oil is rated at a higher break-down temperature, and thus the manufacturers have "more room" in a quart to give you more detergents and additives without sacraficing any lubricating qualities.

Unfortunately, when they penetrate through high milage, dried up or severely dated oil seals the detergents break them down and carry them away, opening up oil leaks. This includes crankshaft seals, valve stem seals - even areas of the head gasket. So switching to synthetic on a motor with high milage is not advisable, unless you plan on dealing with the leaking seals. However, if you've been running synthetic for a long period of time without any leaks, your oil seals are in excellent shape and by all means, continue to use it.

-K


- Edit -

Another note - Synthetics will pick up a lot of crap initially when you put them in. this is just the oil cleaning up the crud our other oil left behind. So it's important to change the oil when it turns dark brown/black. Not JUST at the intervals. If it's dirty, change it. Doesn't matter if it's 3000 miles or 300 miles. Common sense, people. If you take a shower, and you go outside and someone throws dirt on you, are you gonna say "no, I'm not taking another shower because I just took one"... Never mind, I don't want to know...

[Spyder1gdsm]

Thanks for the advice too, oh and nice little analagy Kalani. :)

[LackDaddy]

If you have a dealer near you, id use Royal Purple synthetic oil..... its a little pricey, but there are proven dyno results that it helps free up horsepower... and i didnt see it earlier in G's post, but dont break in your engine with synthetic oil, it wont let the valves seat properly nor anything else... use Dino oil for the first part of the breakin id say for the first 3000 miles...anyone beg to differ?

[jd1828af]

it looks like i will be getting a 91 tsi and i was just thinking about the oil. It had a new engine put in about 20000mi ago so would i be able to use a synthetic in it or is it too late.

[ginsu417]

Anyone who doesn't have oil leaks or old seals can use synthetic. 20,000 miles is a pretty new engine.