What is the best Oil.

[CanadianFZ6]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Wrightme43, while true, I defer back to the fact these are cars built with higher standards and tolerances. What's good for a Corvette certainly can't be compared to a Kia or Hyundai and maybe not even the FZ6.

The internet is chock full of why, should and shouldn't. Why my post? More for warranty relationship... stick with what the manufacturer asks to be safe. It certainly won't do any harm for the break-in period.

Ok, but the FZ6 manual does not say you can't use synthetic oil durning the break-in period... Oddly they push ther own oil. If it was that important to the break-in process, yamaha engineers would of had something mentioned in the manual about using synthetic oil during the break-in period, wouldn't they?. Now Yamaha has Ester based synthetic oil, will it be in the crank case of the 2009 model(s)?

As Wrightme43 said, modern manufacturing is so good, break-in is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Heck, in the manual of my '08 Ranger, break-in isn't even mentioned....

 

[GConn]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

First, in reference to the last paragraph, I care and a lot. The first few hundred miles of a new engine's life have a major impact on how strongly that engine will perform, how much oil it will consume and how long it will last. The main purpose of break-in is to seat the compression rings to the cylinder walls. We are talking about the physical mating of the engine's piston rings to it's corresponding cylinder wall. That is to say, we want to physically wear the new piston rings into the cylinder wall until a compatible seal between the two is achieved. Now, there are a couple of methods to achieve this. The standard method is to follow the manufacturers suggested break-in procedures. For me personally, I don't have the time to wait and after having built more than a few engines in my time, I want it all right from the start. So, in an effort to speed things up I can either fined a dyno or hit the road and find a long straight stretch with no traffic where I can do some acceleration, deceleration runs under load at roughly 80% of the suggested redline. This will seat the rings real quick and beyond this I can ride the bike or drive the cage as I see fit.

I thought this is where we all agree It's not the break in HOW TO we were discussing, it's the oil we use during the break in period.

Conventional oils will not now or anytime in the future perform as well as a synthetic. It will never achieve the wear characteristics, flash point, shear strength or relative lack of viscosity breakdown. This isn't to say the conventional oil won't allow an engine to live life to the fullest, only to say the engine will for all practical purposes live longer and more efficiently with a quality synthetic oil. This fact alone is why many manufacturers are using it right from the start. It's there dime as they will never achieve their 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty without them and they're not looking to spend a dime more than they have to to get the job done.

It's really like wondering if God really exists. I just can't find out for myself. I myself haven't tested any engines using different oil type, nor did anyone that I personally know. So, I can't form an opinion that I will obsessively stand for.

No, conventional oils will never have the wear characteristics of the synthetics. Thus you make much more frequent oil changes. I am not for or against synthetic oils. I know bikes that run synthetic from day 1 and run well for a lifetime. I also know people with bikes that never run synthetics and still run good.

The previous post was only to:
1) State the above
2) Inform people of what I had read in a magazine about Castrol's opinion.

 

[steveindenmark]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Because we should all do our bit to save what little planet we have left.

Steve

 

[GConn]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Because we should all do our bit to save what little planet we have left.

Steve

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpXM9bj-WPU"]YouTube - Captain Planet Intro[/ame]

Goooooo PLANET

 

[HavBlue]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

No, conventional oils will never have the wear characteristics of the synthetics. Thus you make much more frequent oil changes. I am not for or against synthetic oils. I know bikes that run synthetic from day 1 and run well for a lifetime. I also know people with bikes that never run synthetics and still run good.

The one obvious advantage to synthetic oils is their respective ability to extend the range of each oil change. This does not however extend the relative time necessary to begin the process of viscosity breakdown which begins to occur in the 1,500 mile range. However, synthetic oils have shown to lose their viscosity at a far slower rate beyond this benchmark hence the reason for extended life. Changing a conventional oil more often in one engine will not mimic the wear characteristics associated with the second identical engine that is using the synthetic.

The use of a synthetic oil does not come without hazards as in some cases engines that have had small leaks have shown to leak more with synthetics. Engines that burn oil or have a tendency to burn oil due to age have shown to burn oil faster when switched over to the synthetic. This has been attributed to the flow characteristics associated with the synthetic oil which is again, far superior to the conventional oil.

Yes, the use of a quality conventional oil should allow for long relative life providing it is changed as recommended by the manufacturer but what if you want more? What if you want less than 10% of the normal wear associated with that engine over a long period of time? The answer that will repeatedly come up is , use synthetic.

I gotta tell ya, all this reminds me of the horsepower wars when they were talking about aluminum v. cast iron years ago. The die hard cast iron folks swore there would be no difference until the dyno evolved and proved them wrong as the aluminum engine did prove to develop more horsepower every time when tested side by side with identically built cast iron engines.

 

[wrightme43]

Re: what type/brand of oil do you use?

And on that note LOL LOL LOL

Closing the thread.

 

[ToddB5150]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

I just had a long discussion with my mechanic regarding this issue. He recommends not going to synthetic until your reach about 3000 miles. And be aware that main and rod bearing clearances on the FZ-6 are between 0.0005 and 0.0008. So, make sure you do not use 20/50w oil !

 

[CanadianFZ6]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

I just had a long discussion with my mechanic regarding this issue. He recommends not going to synthetic until your reach about 3000 miles. And be aware that main and rod bearing clearances on the FZ-6 are between 0.0005 and 0.0008. So, make sure you do not use 20/50w oil !

Get a new mechanic.... Talk to a petro chemical engineer instead. It's a old wives tale about waiting to switch.... Again, many new cars roll off the assembly line with full synthetic in their crankcase....:thumbup:

 

[stuntman/steve77]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Here's my 2 cents: synth oils will extend the time between oil changes and have better viscocity. But, FZ6 has a wet clutch like a lot of other streetbikes. Four people I know personally have had clutch slipping after switching to full synth under 5k. Three of the bikes were GSXR's, one was a '03 RC51 and it cost the dude a new clutch. Now Im in no way a streetbike expert but I know these guys well and work with them every day. My Yammi friends ( R6's and R1's) say to go half synth or full only after 5k or the same thing could happen.- steve

 

[Hellgate]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Many years ago to took and oath, an oath to never join a discussion on oil or aftermarket air filters. I have done this preserve my sanity and yours.

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

[BranNwebster]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Here is an article from consumer reports on motor oil. I use synthetic in everything. It's probably a waste of money but oh well.

The surprising truth about motor oils

None of the tested oils proved better than the others in our tests. There may be small differences that our tests didn't reveal, but unless you typically drive under more severe conditions than a New York cab does, you won't go wrong if you shop strictly by price or availability. Buy the viscosity grade recommended in your owner's manual, and look for the starburst emblem. Even the expensive synthetics (typically, $3 or $4 a quart) worked no better than conventional motor oils in our taxi tests, but they're worth considering for extreme driving conditions high ambient temperatures and high engine load or very cold temperatures.

 

[HavBlue]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Here's my 2 cents: synth oils will extend the time between oil changes and have better viscocity. But, FZ6 has a wet clutch like a lot of other streetbikes. Four people I know personally have had clutch slipping after switching to full synth under 5k. Three of the bikes were GSXR's, one was a '03 RC51 and it cost the dude a new clutch. Now Im in no way a streetbike expert but I know these guys well and work with them every day. My Yammi friends ( R6's and R1's) say to go half synth or full only after 5k or the same thing could happen.- steve

Here's a nickels worth on this one. The reason they had problems with their clutch was probably due to energy conserving oils and these should never be used in a system that has a wet clutch for obvious reasons. Regardless of it being 1 mile or 5,000 miles, if that clutch is going to slip due to the use of synthetic oils it's going to slip and the miles will have nothing to do with it.

 

[HavBlue]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Here is an article from consumer reports on motor oil. I use synthetic in everything. It's probably a waste of money but oh well.

The surprising truth about motor oils

Relative to the report, these folks are off there ever loving rockers. It's reports like this that literally drive the use of a finite resource that is clearly limited in its ability to attain reasonable comparison in terms of engine wear characteristics. Rebuilt engines, I love it..... That just threw all sorts of variables into the mix. Then lets talk about there unmentioned methodology for gathering oil samples and what the results of that relative testing were. In the tests why was oil temperature never mention and trust me, I have yet to see there not be a relative difference when two identical machines are tested with one using syn and the other dyno oil.

I didn't use synthetic till a couple of years after this report because the viscosity I wanted was not available and these guys were using sewing machine oils in terms of grade. Can ya tell I am not a big fan of Consumer Reports material????

 

[wrightme43]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

I decided the folks at consumer reports were basicly brain dead, after I learned about the scientific method.

 

[BranNwebster]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

Relative to the report, these folks are off there ever loving rockers. It's reports like this that literally drive the use of a finite resource that is clearly limited in its ability to attain reasonable comparison in terms of engine wear characteristics. Rebuilt engines, I love it..... That just threw all sorts of variables into the mix. Then lets talk about there unmentioned methodology for gathering oil samples and what the results of that relative testing were. In the tests why was oil temperature never mention and trust me, I have yet to see there not be a relative difference when two identical machines are tested with one using syn and the other dyno oil.

I didn't use synthetic till a couple of years after his report because the viscosity I wanted was not available and these guys were using sewing machine oils in terms of grade. Can ya tell I am not a big fan of Consumer Reports material????

I here ya. For the past 15 years or so I have used synthetics in everything starting with Mobil 1, now it's either Amsoil or now that it's easier to get here in Houston I'm probably going to switch to Royal Purple.

I have now 540 miles on my 07 and it's going to get synthetic next week or so, for an engine that has a cruising RPM of 7-8k there is no way I would take a chance at using Dino oil.

 

[dankatz]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

What kind of Mobil 1 oil do you guys use? Do you use the Motorcycle specific or not? If not, what grade do you use? I live in Boston and ride to work early in the AM, so temps can get pretty cold. Thanks for the advice!

 

[HavBlue]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

I decided the folks at consumer reports were basically brain dead, after I learned about the scientific method.

Plus 1.. Thank you...

 

[HavBlue]

Re: when should i switch to synthetic oil?

What kind of Mobil 1 oil do you guys use? Do you use the Motorcycle specific or not? If not, what grade do you use? I live in Boston and ride to work early in the AM, so temps can get pretty cold. Thanks for the advice!

Please take the time to read the attached. I use automotive oil in thee SAE 15W50 from Mobil 1. I use it in all the bikes with the exception of the 2 strokes and for me it works awesome. I generally pay about $5,00 per quart at Wal-Mart.

Motorcycle Oils vs. Automotive Oils

 

[snowmannn]

Oil change on my FZ6 S2 2007

Hi, I recently bought my FZ6 Fazer S2 2007 and I intend to change the oil and oil filter. The reason is I bought it second hand from Italy and I don't have a service record. I intend to put in original parts - Yamaha oil filter and Yamalube fully synth 15W-50. Do you think the fully synthetic oil is OK for a 3800km bike?

Thanks

P.S. I am having quite a difficulty removing the old oil filter . Is this common or mine is just too tight?

 

[GConn]

Re: Oil change on my FZ6 S2 2007

Usually the filter is too tight from the factory. That was probably not changed since new. This is an assumption though....couldn't know for sure.

For synthetic oil, there was actually a debate a few days back. Read a few threads about the issue and decide for yourself. I think you will be fine eitherway.