My dad has built many racing engines and when I asked him about using synthetic vs regular oil he said...
If you're going to go synthetic, wait at least 1000 miles to switch. Give that fresh motor time to break in good. Once you switch to synthetic, don't go back to regular oil, ever.
If you are only driving the car during the summer months, it's okay to use regular oil because you're not putting that many miles on it. If you're worried about wear and breakdown, just change it more often (say every 1000 miles) and for sure at the beginning of the season. He also suggested using 10W 40 since that's what they used in these big motors.
So what am I going to do when my motor is broke in? I still don't know! The more I read this and the more I talk to my rellies, the more torn I am as to which way to go. I do know that my brother in law just put Valvoline 10W 40 in my fresh motor on Sunday as the 30 minute break in oil (just priming it..not ready to start, darn). Then we'll change it and he thinks 10W 40 is best too, especially during the extended break in period.
I guess changing oil more often doesn't really cost much compared to rebuilding the motor again.
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