How do they False advertise yet still remain in buissness? They are straight telling a lie to the consumers? I find that hard to believe. What exactly do ya mean by a "Hyrdocracked Conventional" ?
A while back, Mobil 1 filed a complaint with the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau because Castrol Synthetic was actually made with a Group III base stock, not a true synthetic Group IV or Group V base stock. Castrol presented enough evidence to the NAD to convince them that their group III base stock could be considered a Full Synthetic since the hydrocracking process significantly modified the oil, they had PAOs and Esters mixed in and it performed much like a true full synthetic. These Hydrocracked Group III oils became what is now known as Group III+. Since then, every manufacturer started making Group III+ synthetics as their full synthetic offerings. The Group III+ have 2 advantages over the PAOs and Esters. 1, they are cheaper. 2, they hold Viscosity Index modifiers better than Esters and PAOs.
Think of a hydrocracked conventional as a SUPER refined conventional. Hydrocracking is used to create very even length molecule chains so it exhibits most of the properties of a synthetic at a much lower cost. True full synthetics use lab made Group IV PAO or Group V Ester base stocks.
Penzoil Ultra is NOT a true full synthetic. It is a group III+ base stock with PAOs and Esters added. The difference between it and Platinum is the additive package, which it uses to attain an extended drain interval so they would have a product that directly competed with the Mobil 1 synthetic's extended drain interval.
Budwich, it is actually a pretty well documented fact that "performance" air filters do dirty your oil. Even with good rings, combustion gasses NATURALLY contaminate your oil. When your engine is running, there are deposits of oil left on the sides of the cylinders on the up and down stroke, it is not all wiped off by the rings, even perfectly sealing rings, and it is not meant to be either. Without that oil there, you would be gouging your cylinder walls on every upstroke of the piston. That is one of the biggest reasons you need to regularly change your oil, and why you ALWAYS change your oil before storing a car.
That being said, an OEM paper filter is your best bet if you want to keep your engine clean and running good. The difference in flow between using a paper filter and a performance filter is MINISCULE, despite how much better the filters flow per square inch, and better flow = worse filtration. Either you are letting more through or you are not. Flow is not something you really need to worry about though, because the rest of the induction system is a bigger restriction than your filter. That is the reason your air filter is so much bigger than your intake pipe.
But, for those who are going to inevitably argue with me about how their air filter gave them 451.8 more horsepower and gave them 99 miles to the gallon, I'll leave
THIS article, where the writer demonstrates that air flow is not significantly affected by your choice in air filter.
Strangely enough... Those engineers that designed your car ACTUALLY knew a thing or two about fluid dynamics and how an engine works.
And I usually do every 3,000 mile intervals. Will that be too often with Synthetic?
These days, a 3,000 mile drain interval is short even for conventionals. Unless you are in constant stop and go traffic, like long commutes on those 6 lane parking lots they have in big cities, a 3000 mile interval is kinda wasteful. If you had a data center, the oil change reminder is based on time and engine revolutions, and in most cases, you will find they won't ask you to change oil for 5000 miles. Most full synthetics are good for about 10,000 miles or more, but you still want to change your oil AT LEAST every 6 months, because the combustion gasses that get in your oil will start becoming corrosive. Unfortunately, despite how long synthetics can hold their additive packages in suspension and their even polymer profile, oil still gets dirty to the point where the additives cannot prevent additional engine wear.
