Conventional 5w 30 here on a 2.8L... with a good quality oem filter

 

Only use the Castrol syntec from europe. It says made in Germany on the back of the bottle. Hard to find. AutoOne carries it and usually local enthusiats ****** them within dye of shipment arriving. Though when I rarely dnt have any I use the german pentosin that ECStuning sells in their oil service kit. Very good oils.

 

Formula.... I know your one of the audi experts here, but i dont understand why the synthetics are so highly praised... we had a 1998 twin turbo supra, and never used synthetic... conventional every 3K, its what the dealer even recomend. we sold that car with 60Kmiles on it (dumbest mistake ever), and at 3K, that oil looked as clear as honey... And believe me I beat the crap out of that car, just was religous with oil changes and let the car cool down properly... it was as reliable as a camry. (except in the snow)

Im sure our supra was a higher compression engine, and definately more high performance than my Audi (2.8 engine) and im sure the 2.7 bi turbo. the supra I believe was all aluminum block, and heads etc. while audi is steel... if anything the aluminum engines would warp from heat.

so.... is this just preference, and because audi recomends it? I know now the standard is to recomend synthetic, especially for a sports car... i just want some insight, I personally wont spend the extra money.... shoot, my buddy had a grand national turbo charged, and a GMC cyclone and he used conventional as well, and that was in the late 80's and mid 90's.

just tell me if im just stuck in some old school thinking and why

 

Here ya guys go, this is the official approved oil by Audi themselves: http://www.audiusa.com/etc/medialib/....0023.File.pdf

(found at http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/e...ce/Owners.html)

 

Can i use synthetic in my 98' 2.8L 30v? I was told not to by a guy at partsource, however his cheese seemed to have slipped off his cracker...so please let me know.

Cheers,

 

I have been running Castrol Syntec 5W-50 on my car. I have 90K on my motor and figure it might need extra protection at the top end.

FYI, this maybe related or may not be, but when I got the car, the previous owner used dino. I seafoamed the car and changed to synthetic, (5w-30 at first) and she was pissing oil everywhere. Changed cam adjuster seals, cam seals and valve cover gaskets and it was fine. I was talking to some gearhead buddies of mine, and they mentioned that build-up can be loosened by changing oil type and create new leaks. I am not quite sure whether it is 100% true, but it seems to make sense.

 

5W40 Syntec synthetic oil is often on sale locally. If you live in extreme climates, then a different viscosity oil may be required based on the lowest or highest ambient temperature. So above the Arctic Circle you would need an oil which would not turn in to jello. In Death Valley you need an oil that will not thin out in the heat.

 

I have a 98 2.8L as well and have been running Mobil 1 5W-30 fully synthetic for 5 years now. Engine runs great and is clean as a whistle. No sludge.

The part source guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

nm3210 said it best: check the list that the VAG group puts out as to acceptable oils. That's your best place to start. Lots and Lots of us go with Mobil 1. It might not be the best synthetic out there (indeed, Motul, Agip, Amsoil are better in some ways), but it's the most widely available. Wal-Mart even has it.

More pragmatic view: We spend $$ on these cars. The few extra bucks for synthetic is well worth it. Now, given that you have a naturally aspirated vehicle, a high-quality dinosaur oil should be just fine, given that you stick to the 3-4k oil change "rule". But around here (NJ), the difference between regular and Mobil 1 is about 2 bucks a quart, so it's a difference of about 10 bucks for a oil change. That's cheap insurance.

Insurance, you say? Yup. Why? Synthetics flow better in the cold and really, really deal with heat well. They're the next evolution in oils, much the same as when detergent oil replaced non-detergent back in the 60's and 70's.

Sure someone can argue with me up and down on these points, because a lot of motor oil selection is basically voodoo. We can't test it ourselves, so we trust all of the reviews and such, half of which are BS and the other half of questionable quality.

Get a good filter, get 6 quarts of Mobil 1 5-30 or 5-40, and call it a day.

(And yes, for those of you who read my sig, I use 0-40 in the 2.7t, 5-30 in the 2.8, both Mobil 1. The bike gets Agip.....but then again, its shift point is at 11k rpm!)

 

I've been using STP oil filters since day one. Does anyone know if this is considered a quality filter? I've been thinking about buying some Mann filters online.