Well guys, I changed my oil in my car for the first time since i owned it! My dad helped me out since it was my first time ever changing oil. I put in Royal Purple w/ a Mobil 1 oil filter.

The question i have is how many miles does Royal Purple last since it's a full synthetic. I know it will last A LOT longer than 3,000 miles, i just don't know how much more. 7,500? 12,000? 15,000? I know my family's Mini Cooper runs on full synthetic and it lasts about 12,000 miles before the oil needs to be changed. So how long will it last before the next oil change is needed?

 

I love royal purple. I have 2,300 miles on my oil and its still clear lol




Royal Purple recommends following the manufacturer’s maintenance intervals while the vehicle is under factory warranty. In clean engines that are no longer under warranty, oil change intervals may be extended up to every 12,000 miles or annually, whichever comes first. Oil filter changes should be done as recommended by the filter's manufacturer and oil should be topped off as needed.

In dirty engines, Royal Purple recommends the standard 3,000 to 5,000 mile oil and filter change interval until the engine oiling system is clean and free of deposits left by lower quality oils and / or poor maintenance or mechanical problems. This will allow time to gradually remove existing deposits without overloading the oiling system. Mechanical problems such as fuel dilution, coolant leaks into the crankcase, poor air filtration and / or failure to maintain proper oil level are all detrimental factors to the service life of any engine oil. Any one of these factors can significantly shorten the useful service life of any oil.
thats straight from the rp site

 

Did you jack it up on both sides or drive up on some stands? Btw why are you worried about how long since you want to sell it in the spring?

 

don't sell it, it's a beautiful car.

 

He wants a LS1 WS6... and although he likes his car he would rather have a WS6 than do a LS1 swap.

 

i want to sell my ss for a ls1 swapped 3rd gen. lol i found one, just need to get my asking price for the ss. Got a few offers without telling anyone i'm selling it

 

just because its still clear after 2300 miles doesnt mean its "good" oil. im not saying RP is bad cuz i seen the tests and stuff for it and it is good oil. but im just saying dirty oil just means its doing its job at cleaning contaminates out of the engine during the combustion cycle. nothing wrong with that

 

except for the fact that dirty oil means your filter isnt doing its job as well.

oil is only as good as its filter.

i dont care how long they say the oil will last, if a filter will only do its job for 3k, then im changing my oil at 2800

 

true. i dont care what type of oil im using if its synthetic or regular its getting changed every 3,000 miles or less. theres no way i would have the same oil in my engine for 12,000 miles no matter what they claim it can last

 

well, another thing to keep in mind is with the smaller engines out there, they dont wear the oil out (usually) as fast as we do romping around in our V-8s. lol


i had a guy tell me that his car could run 35,000 miles on the same oil because the oil company did a test running that many miles. i laughed in his face cus the company did run that many miles... but basically, they took an engine in a lab, and spun it at a certain rpm for 35,000 miles with external cooling. so it wasnt subjected to the real world condition our cars go thru.

 

dont sell it for that

 

I run 20W50 and a K&N oil filter. My oil gets changed in the car at 3000 miles or 3 months. Even if the car only gets 500 miles a year, 3 months and it is changed. Oil breaks down even if the car just sits with the oil in it. As soon as it comes out of the bottle, count down begins for me. While others might not agree with me, ever wonder where the saying 3 months or 3k miles, which ever comes first. Even though the newer synthetics say you can run longer, they said the same about Dexcool and 100k miles. Well we all know how that turned out.

 

****************, i run 15w40 and i thought that was heavy oil lol

 

you mean its still purple?

 

the operating temp weight is the 40 in your instance and 50 in his. the 15 is cold startup weight/viscosity

 

Yes I run race oil in mine and it only moves after it is at operating temp. It is not for a daily driver. Plus my car may see 500 miles in a year.

 

Jacked up the drivers side front end, let it drain...then lowered it and let it drain the rest of the way...then put the new oil filter on, and the bolt for the oil pan, and filled her up!

And I was just curious so I could let the next owner know...

 

Accidentally hit the post button before I was done. Sorry gang.

 

Thanks man, that was a really long read, but very informative!

 

Hello egott_91Z28. You made a wise choice in using a synthetic oil in your car. If you're really, "into", your engine, you may notice it running a little quieter and cooler. You chose a very good oil filter to use. Nice to see someone using quality products for their expensive engine instead of the cheap stuff. I'll bet you had fun with your Dad helping you out. Sounds like you have a great Dad!

How long a synthetic oil lasts is much more about the additive package in the oil than the base oil itself. The additive package present in a bottle of oil, is a group of chemicals designed to enhance the performance of the oil in a number of different area's, such as chemicals used to suspend dirt in the oil so as to be filtered out by the oil filter, chemicals used to enhance high and low temperature performance, anti-foaming chemicals, etc. The additive package can make up to as much as 25% of the volume of the oil. Once these additive package chemicals have been spent, the oil should be changed, regardless if it is a synthetic oil or not.

The main issue with the additive package of an oil and how long the oil will last, is what is called by us folks in the oil industry as its TBN, or Total Base Number. This represents the ability of the oils additive package to attack and neutralize harmful contaminants present in the oil, such as corrosive acids and blowby contaminants. The higher the TBN, generally the longer the oil will last before needing to be changed. Higher quality/performing additive package chemicals cost more money than lower quality/performing additive package chemicals and thereby raise the price of the high quality synthetic oils. Lower priced synthetic oils tend to have comparatively low TBN numbers in the oil and as a result, don't generally last very long before the oil needs to be changed. We do tend to get what we pay for and this holds true with oils too. To find out your oil's initial TBN, you can look at what is called the Product Data Sheet of the oil and it should list the TBN of the oil, along with many other standard oil industry test results. The Product Data Sheet for an oil is usually available from the given companies website. If you're into oils and how they perform from brand to brand, (as I am), comparing Product Data Sheet results can be very interesting and revealing. The test data revealed on the Product Data Sheet is where its at. An oil company can talk the talk, but if it can't walk the walk, (show good test results on the Product Data Sheet), then its merely a pretender. Don't let yourself be swayed by bells, whistles, fancy slogans, impressive looking race cars, celebrity endorsements, special seemingly magical additives in the oil, etc. The Product Data Sheet reveals the facts of how well an oil will perform, or not. That's just my general advice when evaluating the performance of any oil.

A laboratory oil analysis will tell you the current TBN of the oil in your Camaro's engine. Laboratory oil analysis usually runs about $15 - $20 and is available from many differnet oil analysis laboratories across the nation. It costs $20, (including pre-paid postage to mail in the oil sample), from my oil analysis laboratory, (meaning the one I use for my business). Oil analysis will show the wear rate of all the different engine wear metals in PPM, (Parts Per Million, a very tiny measurement), water, fuel, antifreeze and dirt present in the oil. The laboratory uses equipment that costs millions of dollars to analyze your oil sample and make any pertinent recommendations about the oil, the engine and any recommendations regarding drain intervals, filtration, etc. So I think $20 is a steal to have this information about your engine. I've used oil analysis with my vehicles for years as it gives me an exact idea of what is really going on inside my expensive engine and if any corrective measures need to be taken before resulting expensive engine damage occurrs. Oil analysis test results can also be very useful when it comes time to sell a vehicle and you can prove to the prospective buyer that the engine is in very sound shape and has been well taken care of. In many cases, a laboratory oil analysis report can seal the deal when selling a vehicle. Along the same vein, having an oil analysis completed with a vehicle you are considering buying will provide you with great information about the internal condition of the engine that would be otherwise impossible to obtain.

If the engine in your Camaro was previously on a diet of dead dino petroleum oil, , then there is most likely residue, varnish and deposits left behind inside the engine from the dead dino oil that over time, the synthetic oil will remove, which is one of the benefits of a true synthetic oil. But in the process, this will serve to contaminate the synthetic oil and shorten the safe drain interval. A laboratory oil analysis will give you an accurate method to determine the proper drain interval for your oil and engine. The vast majority of discount auto part store available synthetic oils are manufactured for merely standard drain intervals, using lower cost/lower performing chemicals in the additive package of the oil, so beware before you hand over your hard-earned money for that, "synthetic oil at a deal price". Synthetic oils are not all the same, no more than cars are all the same.

I read the other recommendations people made to your question and one kind person even posted the recommended drain interval from the oil company you chose, so I wont repeat that. With an engine that has used petroleum oil for a long time though, I think it is prudent to use a high quality engine flush before switching over to the synthetic oil, so as to remove as much of the residue, varnish, deposits, etc., left behind from the lower performing petroleum oil. Doing so will enhance the performance and protection the synthetic oil offers vs the petroleum oil that was previously in the engine.

I hope this has been of help in answering your questions. If you have any other questions, feel fee to ask and I'll do my best to help you out.