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Stick with what has worked so well up to now. Good quality petroleum-base oil, changed frequently with a good (eg: Mann) filter.
Synthetic oil is a little better at lubricating, has a more stable viscosity/temperature relationship, does not oxidize as rapidly as petroleum oil, and some other properties which can be useful in certain instances, such as trailer towing in hot weather, subzero cold starts, extended change intervals, etc. The "leak rumors" of synthetic are just that, rumors - at least for the past 10+ yrs. The earlier formulations of synthetics could cause engine seal problems but that was taken care of long ago. But synthetics can have an increased detergency effect on high mileage engines with some petroleum oil sludge buildup. You don't want to stir up whatever is in there (probably not much if the engine has had regular oil changes and not a lot of cold weather or short trip usage). For the same reason I would avoid any of those engine "flushes" or cleaning oils. Your engine is apparently running happily with whatever deposits are in there now, so let it be and just keep on doing what it's used to. Here's to the half-million mark!
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Bob (81-244GL B21F, 83-244DL B23F, 94-944 B230FD)
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Would switching to synthetic oil be a bad idea at 416K? [200][1980]