Sure, if that's what you want to pay for. Synthetic oil is very good and you can forget about the old wives tales about it causing oil leaks. However, synthetic is best suited for high stress applications and a waste of money for a humble lawn mower engine. I use whatever is handy or left over or the cheapest motor oil from Walmart.
Engine Synthetic Oil Use
- Thread starter jd322
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Sure, if that's what you want to pay for. Synthetic oil is very good and you can forget about the old wives tales about it causing oil leaks. However, synthetic is best suited for high stress applications and a waste of money for a humble lawn mower engine. I use whatever is handy or left over or the cheapest motor oil from Walmart.
Retiredcarguy
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Respectfully, I'll spend a few extra dollars for synthetic, the superior lubricant, for my not so humble X575 in every location possible.
Synthetic lubricants are the best long term choice for those interested in extended service life and long term performance, in machines on the ground and also in the air.
Suit yourself. I can replace my mower for $500, but my car might take $5000. If you use synthetic oil, use it for the performance, not to extend oil change intervals. It's preferable to change your oil often rather than try and make expensive oil last a long time.
Ric
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I don't see where you get superior from. I was just looking at the Operators Manual for the ZTR that I have and it doesn't say anything about using synthetic oil in my FX, FS or FJ Kawasaki engines. People say you can run synthetic longer without changing oil like 100hrs is what people say. My manual says the service interval after the first eight hours to change the oil every 100hrs using the recommended conventional oil, change more often in dirty or dusty conditions which is what a mower runs in 99.9% of the time. If you have an engine that call for synthetic like the Corvette I had or my wifes Mini does fine use the synthetic other wise use what you want.
I paid nearly $12,000 for my mower that spends most if its time at full throttle, I'm not going to cheap out on the oil.
Ric
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Well Yea it's synthetic, and they use it for there High performance Motorcycle engines that turn 10 to 12000 rpm. Check the manual for your mower engine it will say the same as my FS, Oil type Detergent oil (API service SF.SG,SH, SJ, or SL) doesn't say anything about using synthetic.
This is Kawasaki brand for power equipment not motorcycle oil. I might be new to a zero turn but ive owned many kinds of high performance machines, from mega horsepower race cars and 19 Harleys and a dozen 4x4 off road machines and if you don't think synthetic oil has benefits over conventional oil then you haven't done the research I have. That said will it make a huge difference in a L:awn Mower, no, will the motor benefit, absolutely it will same as all other motors. Todays oil is way better than the oil of the old days, any good oil will work as long as you change it at suggested or sooner intervals. I would not leave any oil in longer even synthetic. And I also change the filter every time. I mean, a Kawasaki motor uses 2 ouarts, the cost difference it the two oils is very minor imo, so I choose to use what my research shows to be the better oil.
Ric
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The thing is they all have there own oil, Kawasaki, Honda, Briggs and most of the others. There probably all the same oil truth be told, they just use their labels and it's no better than the stuff you buy at Walmart. The cost may be minor to you but not to me, the Mobil Super 5000 is like 2.50 a quart, the cheapest synthetic is like 6.00 a qt. and my Kawasaki FX takes 71ounces with filter so that means I'm into a third qt. and when I change oil every 50 hours there is no benefit to using a synthetic, it just cost me more money.