Hot take: I don't think premium synthetic oil is worth the extra cash for most daily drivers

I was helping a buddy swap oil on his 2012 Honda Civic last weekend, and he swore by the $10 a quart synthetic stuff. Then I looked up some actual lab tests from Project Farm on YouTube that compared cheap conventional oil against expensive synthetics in normal driving conditions. The difference in wear metals after 5,000 miles was way smaller than I expected, like maybe 5% less wear for triple the price. I still use synthetic in my turbo cars, but for a grocery getter that sees easy miles? I'm not convinced anymore. Any of you guys run conventional in older commuters without issues?

3 comments

3 Comments

marydavis1mo ago

Would a blend be a good middle ground for those older daily drivers? I have a 98 Camry that gets conventional every time, and it's clicking over 230k miles with no sludge issues at all. The money you save on two changes a year can go straight into other maintenance like transmission fluid or coolant flushes.

ben_lewis1mo ago

@marydavis you on conventional still - what's your oil change interval?

gibson.morgan1mo ago

...and honestly the bigger issue nobody brings up is how often you actually check your oil between changes. I've seen more engines blow from running low on oil than from using conventional vs synthetic. A lot of people spend extra on synthetic then forget to top off when it starts burning a quart every thousand miles. That 98 Camry of yours at 230k probably gets checked more than some guy's BMW that "requires" synthetic but never pops the hood until the light comes on. The oil type matters less than making sure there's enough of it in there.