<p>My H has used synthetic on his cars for a long time now. A few of the new cars he’s had have come with it from the manufacturer - Mini and a couple of BMWs. He has a new Subaru which didn’t come with it but he’ll have it changed to synthetic at the first oil change.</p>
<p>Well, I have built several engines for racing use (Porsche, BMW and Alfa) and the key to a smooth higher-revving motor is using lighter forged pistons and rods, very careful assembly using the lowend of the tolerances and micro-balancing of all moving parts. Every racer I know uses synthetic oils in the engine and gearbox.</p>
<p>I think there are some benefits to synthetic oils, although for the average motorist I think plain old conventional oil is just fine. The most important thing, of course, is to do regular oil and filter changes regardless of what kind of oil you’re using. Beyond that, unless you’re driving some sort of super high performance racing machine I really don’t think you need to bother with synthetic. </p>
<p>I suppose it’s kind of like the difference between ‘regular unleaded’ and ‘premium gas.’ Despite endless experts saying that unless you have a specific high compression engine that specifically demands high-test gas, then regular unleaded is all you need… some people still waste extra money on the high-test just because it’s a ‘better gas’ even though that ‘better gas’ isn’t going to give them any reasonably better performance.</p>
<p>My familly owns a car repair place, and my advice is: Whatever you do, stay away from Pennzoil! Also stay away from those high milege oils.</p>
<p>My car takes regular to premium but performs better on higher grades. I usually toss in a tank of special or premium when doing a lot of mountain driving.</p>