I was told recently that synthetics burn faster than conventional oils,so oil levels must be checked more often. If this is the only problem with synthetics, I will be running Mobil 1 tomorrow. Actually a good compromise is probably 1 qt of synthetic in the mix with conventional - gives more than half the reduced friction and there will be less to burn.

Wrex8

 

OMG can somebody please lock this thread.

 

Hi,
This is my first post, but I have been watching the threads for some time on this topic. I recently bought my RX8 and was advised by my dealer to put synthetic in it. I have been using Castrol GTX Magnatech 5 / 30w fully synth.
Should i change to mineral, and can I do this by simply topping it up as normal, or will i have to drain the synth out first?

From the threads it sounds like they can both coincide and after 3 refills it will be all mineral.

Please let me know what you think,
Tocher.

 

Pretty Please?

 

Hi All:
I searched this thread for Gas Treatments and Gas Additives but found nothing. The reason I ask: I just recently got interested in this discussion. I have 47K on my RX-8 with ordinary Dino and sometimes bargain gas (tho always Premium). So, I was thinking after reading the thread: If the warning against syn oils is not for real, maybe the caution against gas additives need not be obeyed either, and maybe I could help burn out any accumulated sludge? Suggestions?

PS: I hope I am not the last guy who ever reads this thread.

 

Thanks, anyway. I found the thread for this. lol

 

I still want to read your mail from Mazda ppl in Japan.

 

I run Royal Purple 5w-30.
Can I do an extended oil drain interval safely?
Has anyone else done this?
I would still change filters every 3k or less.
Ideas for how long?

 

life is a risk..

i change at 5k miles..... lots of highway..

but what do i know..

beers

 

Slightly off topic, but, here goes...

Last week I had a chat to a head Mazda Mechanic at Australian Motors, Edwardstown in South Australia, Australia.

I once worked there and Russel Wakefield has been a mechanic for over 20 years (he is part of the furniture )...

Subject came up about the RX-8 and engine rebuilds, I ask how many have been done at his dealership..he said 5, ALL were replaced with brand new out of the crate RENESIS's from the factory...
I asked why so many...his reply...the owners just kept on driving their cars without refilling or checking their oil levels!!!!
As he said "when you drove them onto the hoist they would "rattle" go to drain the sump and there was next to NO oil draining.
Good old Mazda replaced them all free of charge (under warranty).

I also said that in the US they had many engines replaced a few years back during a hot summer mainly in the Nevada region, he said yes he had heard, it was Mazda gossip between on road service reps, and the reason...again...
little to NO oil in their sumps...
I said what about the warning lights..."amazing isn't it" he replied.
Anything to do with the synthetic or mineral oil debate..."No"...just not enough oil in their sumps!

So, the moral of the story.....CHECK YOUR ENGINE OIL LEVELS!!

 

I check my oil level about every 5 fill ups. I premix anyway so I guess I dont have to worry too much about it(but of course Running dry is a bad thing to the Ecentric shaft and other bearings)

Its true that most people never check their oil ....

 

thanks for the info Swoope

 

I sorry, but I can't do that. I asked my father the favor to contact Mazda Japan (Powertrain Engineering since he deals with them on a regular basis @ his job),and he got a repply from Mazda, but it is a company e-mail for "internal use only", and I could get in trouble if I disclose any "internal" e-mail communication or any contact address info...

 

Do you race on a race track on a regular basis? If then, go ahead and use Idemitsu..Synthetics tend to hold up better under extreme engine stress (film strength is more resistant on synthetics)...

but for regular use (street use), synthetics don't justify the extra money... But then again, anybody has the right to use whatever they want to use.

 

hmm ... ok ....

 

So, redact any incriminating information from the e-mail and post it.
Otherwise, I think it is quite apparent that you are likely full of crap.

 

My 2007 BB M/T 8 is going to get RP synthetic from now on. I've only had 1 oil change at 1000 miles just to get rid of any engine crud or metal shavings that may have deposited during my personal 1000 mile break in. I appreciate your input on Mobil 1 as I used it in my Mustang for 8 years and would have used it in my 8 had I not read your thorough posts. You input is always appreciated by NEARLY everyone and I for one enjoy them and learn from them. Don't let the naysayers bring you down. Looking forward to future posts.

 

You shouldnt doubt him *cough*

because he has *secret* connections with Mazda Japan *cough*

*cough* but he cannot leak any of the email details because its suppose to be top secret. *cough* he is not suppose to sell anybody out. *cough*

*cough*mazda japan*cough*bullshit*cough*

 

I've already told the details. Use 5w20 oil , dyno. No synthetic. Maybe their are saying this to cover their asses. Maybe, that's all they know.
I don't really have to prove myself, nor I feel like I have secret connections.

Frankly speaking, I dont' give a crap on what people use for their oil selection. I'm just sharing what I received.

 

Watch it mate, you are beginning to sound like me!..

There is a lot of truth to what you are saying, but, you are in a lions den here,
get out while you can...

My god man you live in the land of synthetic everything so this can not be a surprise to you can it... anything that is 'el-natural' is a no no...or inferior.

 

but what makes you think that Dino is the *way to go* ?

 

Mazda dealers in Japan use SYNTHETIC (Like Castro Synthetic). Famous Japanese rotary tuners like R-Magic, Re-Amemiya, Knight Sports, etc... use SYNTHETIC. Why is that?

The issue about synthetics is that some additive packages may not be good for an rotary engine. Such synthetics may leave deposits that don't affect piston engines but would not be good for a rotary. Mazda not wanting to test every synthetic or deal with the backlash of pointing the finger at specific companies, made a blanket safe statement about all synthetics. A statement that is very old and may not reflect on newer versions of synthetic oils and is definitely not true of all synthetic oils.

However, there are synthetic oils that are relatively safe for rotary engines. I can tell you that I think Castro synthetic is one such oil.

You as the user are free to choose what is best for you. But, if you choose dino you will not get the best anti-wear protection and your engine may wear faster than if you were using a good synthetic. It is relatively easy to look at test results between dino oil and synthetic oil to see the reality of what's going on.

Using 5w20 dino is really pushing it because it may shear down too thin under stress conditions. Its near crazy to use 5w20 dino in very hot climates. I would at least go 5w30 dino. 5w20 synthetic would offer better protection (including better heat protection) and less likely to shear down as soon. This includes Castro's hydrocracked quasi-synthetic being better than its dino version.

For Mazda, if your engine breaks down after your warranty, they don't much care. For the consumer, you should want your engine to be in top condition as long as possible.

 

has it been 2 months already???

beers

 

Nah, some people have super secret connections to Mazda Japan. Even tho Mazda Japan use Synthetic these *secret* connection will still say they use only Dino.

I read the whole thread and I gotta say ..... I use nothing but Full Synthetic oil (PAO IV, Royal purple 5w30) and I have yet to have a problem, yep, 0 problems.

Now bite me people. (not you sosonic)

 

The REALITY is, People that use a good quality "Dino" oil also have NO problems with their rotary engines, If you change your engine oil regularly and keep the levels as they should be then that is all that is required.

Yes, there is some truth to ALL of the comments in this thread about Mazda Motor Corporation not publicly recognizing Synthetics because the perception by Syth makers/users is that it offers "better" protection and this extrapolates to them thinking that its not as necessary to check oil levels as frequently, etc, etc.

As far as engine life is concerned, your Rotary will more than likely have a deterioration in the large cooling system's internal rotor housing seals "o" rings more than any deterioration of rotor bearings and or rotor seals because of the "type" of engine oil you use...

As I said if your regularly change your oil with a good mineral engine oil you can expect many years of trouble free "engine" motoring.

In general there is more of a issue with the engines "quality" of life due to a lack of use more than anything else.
Storing the car with No use will have a greater effect on a Rotary than anything else you do, the next equally worse scenario is to just start the car for 10 minutes to keep the battery charged and engine lubrication, then turning it off for many weeks/months.

You will not preserve any Rotary engine this way.