Re: oil change, synthetic or....
 

yeah our colder climate is one thats really hard on our oil... if you actually take the time to read up on the motor oil.
First you'll see that they have different flow rates at different temperatures, and you need to figure out what the temperature is where you actually turn over your engine... and where you actually drive it to... once its warm, it'll stay warm... extreme cold, insulate your pan, and lines.

and if you start your engine in the bitter cold of the night, a oil designed to run so cool will flow adequately and protect all components...

From my experiences with synthetic, you want to make sure you put it in things you dont change very often, transmissions, and axles... but in your engine, if you have a high revving engine, (in excess of 6500 RPM for sure (dont go by your gauge, i can get one that says 10,000, go by the programmed RPM limiter.)

id use synthetic if it were put in a vehicle that makes short and frequent runs...
If money doesn't matter, use synthetic, change it at the first signs of getting dirty, and use a high efficiency filter.

And Turbocharged/supercharged engines want a oil that keeps a coating on all the components, thats the key to them making power... they typically run hotter than a naturally aspirated engine, and its that thermal breakdown of the oil that creates the colour change, which when its black it doesn't lubricate as well...