I ran into another Spyder owner today & we got into a discussion. One of the topics was oil. He asked what oil I was using in my '08 GS, & I replied "XPS Synthetic 5W40"...he mentioned that I should be using a synthetic blend rather than a full synthetic. This was the 1st I heard of this, so I checked the manual when I got home and it says to use the exact same oil (full synthetic) that I am using. I don't know this guy from Joe, so am a bit skeptical of his info. I searched threads on Spyderlovers and find nothing about not using a full synthetic on older spyders. Many posts about which oil is best for the Spyder's wet clutch, but nothing about full synthetic versus a synthetic blend. What is the general consensus out there...which is best, the full or a blend???
It is amazing what people can come up with when they don't know what they're talking about. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. I think it's happened to all of us more than once. It is easy to spout something that you heard from an 'Expert' source not realizing it's nowhere near right.
His 'Facts' are simply not true. You're always better off running a full synthetic over a virtually non-synthetic 'Blended' oil, all other factors being equal.
your fine with the oil you are using. As long as the oil meets the specs in the manual you will be fine. I use XPS synthetic blend because of where we ryde and the fact full synthetic don't mix well with non types. Just me but never had a problem...:thumbup:
Actually, not true. Otherwise you wouldn't have a 'Blended' oil in the 1st place.
Blended oils are exactly that, synthetic (usually about 10%) mixed with standard mineral oil (usually 90%). No different than putting standard dino oil in with a full synthetic like Amsoil or the full synthetic BRP offering. They mix fine.
People that are thinking about running Amsoil full synthetic ask me all the time what they can do on a long trip if they need some Amsoil to top off. The fact is you can add any oil that meets BRP's specs, synthetic or not, will do the job.
Of course anytime you mix a non synthetic oil with a synthetic you are degrading the capabilities of the full synthetic, (though not by much when you use a blended with only 10% synthetic to start with). But just topping off a full synthetic with a good quality non-synthetic isn't going to be a big deal.
Personally, I think blended oils are a rip-off. If you calculate the prices of a non-synthetic and full synthetic oils, then figure the difference in cost when they add just 10% full synthetic to the cheaper oil, you'll find that the price per quart is much higher than the small amount of full synthetic would account for.
To me, why mess around with a measly 10%? Just go all the way for a few pennies more a mile, or less than the blended if you extend your oil changes.
opcorn:
