Any real need to use synthetic oil in Series 60?

[belfert]

I have been changing my own oil for several years now and using synthetic because I have been getting it after sale price and rebate for $10 a gallon or even less.  The sale prices have been at Fleet Farm (formerly Mill's Fleet Farm).  The only sale at Fleet Farm was early this spring and I missed out because they were out of stock by the time I went to buy.  Usually on sale about once per month, but nothing since then.  The rebates also expired and no rebates at all right now.

Is there any real value to synthetic oil that makes paying twice as much worth it, or just use 15W-40 dino oil and be done with it?  I generally change the oil once a year and it has about 4,000 miles on it.

[CrabbyMilton]

It's your choice but all things being equal, it's better to go with 100% synthetic. Sure you pay more but get longer time between changes so you save money over time.
Engines like synthetic since the oil sticks to the internal parts longer. Plus, slightly better MPG.

[belfert]

Longer oil change intervals is not an advantage for me since I change oil once per year and typically do 4,000 to 5,000 miles per year.

[buswarrior]

For your purposes, it won't matter which oil you use.

Save some money, or spend some, the engine will be blind to your choice at 5k miles on an oil change.

And you know, the oil will go on sale the week after you change it...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[chessie4905]

When 60 series came out, Mobil advertised 1 million mile engine lifespan using Mobil Delvac 1300 series 15w40. Mentioned fleets that achieved these results.

[belfert]

 It looks like either dino or synthetic oil will be fine.  The only reason I was ever using synthetic was I could get it cheaper than dino oil in some cases.

[sledhead]

I have used 5-40 syn oil in the cat for years and spend the $30 and get a oil sample done and get a lot longer time between changes . so in the end I save $ by getting the syn oil on sale and not having to change it so much

I change my own oil on all my vehicles and after they are broken in I use syn oil on all

[tr206]

Cost about $180.00 for a dino oil change and about $4000.00 to put on 5000 miles . What a deal.

[Jim Blackwood]

$10 for a gallon?
How can that be right?

Jim

[belfert]

It wasn't all that long ago I could get a five gallon pail of synthetic 5W-40 diesel oil for $75 on sale and then get a $25 rebate on top of that to bring it down to $50 for five gallons.  Even in 2020 and 2021 I could still get it for $60 after sale and rebate so $12 per gallon.  This was all brand name oil like Delvac, Rotella, and sometimes Delo, not the store brand type oil.

The last deal I missed out on this spring was Rotella T6 for something like $60 after rebate.

[chessie4905]

Walmart has frequent sales on Mobil Delvac; both gas and diesel oil. It's  not advertised, AFAIK, but I check when in the store.

[sledhead]

I just got a rain check 4 four 5 gal. pails of syn 5-40 for $ 147 each on sale

last year it was $ 105 for 5 gal on sale

must be because of the price of gas and oil

or just a covid upcharge like everything else

[chessie4905]

Just bought Delvac 1 syn 15w40 for truck at Walmart in Anchorage for $25 and change per gallon. Local Jiffy Lube didn't carry Mobil products. They allowed me to supply my own.

[belfert]

I was expecting the price to have gone up, but it used to go on sale at Fleet Farm at least once a month.  The sale price was generally in conjunction with a manufacturer's rebate.  No sale prices in a number of months.

[TomC]

I had a customer come into LA Freightliner (I was new truck Salesman) with a Freightliner with Series 60. He did 140,000 miles a year and changed his oil 4 times a year-so every 35,000 miles! He used Shell Rotella 15W-40 oil. I was about to scold him when I asked how many miles on the engine-he had 1.3 million miles without overhaul yet.
Don't waste your money on synthetic-it is way expensive and serves no purpose with the low miles we put on per year. Good Luck, TomC