Suburban Tahoe Using Synthetic Oil or Conventional Oil?

paulcoulston

Hi, I have a 1999 Suburban with a V8 5.7 liter engine with 98,000 miles and I have always used conventional oil. I do live in a cold area, so I was wandering if sythetic oil would be better suited for my car. I am planning to keep this car for a long time, so I want to do the best I can to prolong the life of it. Thanks for any help.

bk777

Sir, I personally have not seen any data that proves one is better than the other...in engine life cycle testing. One is certainly more expensive than the other.

The data may be out there...but I am not aware of where it is located...if it exists.

stever

The Engine Oil - A slippery subject Part 2 and Synthetic motor oil discussions have been hashing this out for years (just don't tell Shifty that I'm using dead dino and it hits 105 here most summers).

For the older engine part of your question, some suggestions may be found in the Fuel and Oil Additives discussion. They do market some oils intended for high mileage engines but I haven't paid much attention to them (my high mileage rig is just at 117k; barely broken in. :shades: )

bk777

Engine wear can be easily measured...using standard metrics techniques...used on critical components.

Engine life cycle testing can be done...where several engines are run continuously...on stands......with the oil changed at regular intervals...in a laboratory controlled environment...with different oils in their crankcases. This test can be done...with the engines run to the point of failure.

So why hasn't it been done? What keeps the lubricating oil producers from running this type of test?

Do they really want to know the answers to this question?

tjone752000

I have a 91 1500 suburban 5.7 liter, that`s never seen synthetic. I`ve always used castrol gtx high mile.I now have 206,000 miles after towing my sled`s to canada 3 times this year.But i do use lucas oil additive also [faithfully].

baute

I have a 2004 surburan.I have a rattling noise in the steering.sounds as though something is loose.the chevy dealer ship mechanic said it is the steering knuckle at the fire wall.common to all1500 vehicle in the early 2000 models.and is expensive to replace,any input

tidester

Try the Chevrolet Suburban Noises and Sounds discussion.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper