I know I am absolutely overthinking this, but I am getting ready to perform an oil change on my 2014 Titanium 2.0. The manual suggests Motorcraft 5W-30. I did an oil change over the summer and used this and didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until I went to rebuy that I noticed it was a blend. I almost purchased the Kirkland Full Synthetic, because the price is right and everything I’ve read seems to suggest full synthetic is best for EcoBoost engines, not the blend Ford is recommending. Maybe I’m just looking for someone to slap sense into me. Is there any reason I should keep using Motorcraft blend versus any old Full Synthetic?
No, as long as it’s synthetic 5W-30, you are all good.
Either one is fine. I tend to change my oil sooner with a blend over a full synthetic, but they both more than meet the requirements for your engine and the IOLM change interval, which is likely close to 10,000 miles or a year if not driven much.
Ford lists either a synthetic blend or a full synthetic, but I am sure you could find a conventional motor oil that also meets the requirements (they state this in the owner’s manual as well).
It just needs to be:
- API SN (Plus) or higher (even though Motorcraft label says SN Plus, it is likely SP).
- API certified for gasoline engines.
- 5W-30 (
unless ambient temps reach -30C, then 0W-30 is recommended for that environment).
I usually go with 6-7K oil changes with my turbo-engined vehicles and run full synthetic since it is readily available at a price similar to most blends. I will go 10,000 with a blend in my non-turbo cars.
I use Super Tech High Mileage Full Synthetic with a Super Tech filter every 5K miles. In the winter, I’ll do 3K just because I let my car idle more, and idling can cause oil thinning (fuel gets past the rings into the oil). I’ve done this for years on multiple vehicles and never had a problem.
We only use Motorcraft Full Synthetic at my dealership.