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SpacemanSpiff
07-05-2002, 02:06 PM
As I inch towards my first oil change, I've been putting a lot of thought into what type of oil I want to use.

Here is what I know:
In the USA, Honda recommends 5W-20 weight in the SI & base RSX, 5W-30 in the RSX-S.
In the UK (Thanks to hondaforums.co.uk) Honda recommends 10W-40 weight in the Civic Type R
In Japan, Honda says that 5W-30, 5W-40, or 10W-30 are ok for the Civic Type R (See attached Chart)

My thoughts:
I know that the Type R and the Si have different engines, but I think that the principle that heavier weights are ok for the Type R should hold true for the SI.
5W-20 weight oil is very light, especially for someone who wants to treat his performance car like a performance car, especially in the summer.
Living in NC, I don

SpacemanSpiff
07-05-2002, 02:08 PM
Here is the chart I got from Honda Japan for the Civic Type R

Mechanic
07-06-2002, 02:19 AM
With all due respect to the environmentalists among us (and I like trees too!), I really think that the oil-change specs in the U.S. owner's manual -- OC @ 5k mi; OC filter change at 10K -- stem from the "Greens" getting the upper hand. Stated more simply, it's just extraordinarily cheap engine insurance to change oil and filters more often than recommended in the manual. But that used oil has to go someplace, and I think those who wrote the new manual were asked/required to take that into consideration: few oil changes x thousands of users = a lot less used oil to be disposed of.

Also, the oil weight recommendation is, in my opinion, driven by fuel mileage considerations. A 5w-20 offer less resistence (flows easier because it's thinner) than a 5w-30; thus, the car gets better mileage (not much but somewhat better). That, too, is environmentally friendly. Because our typical use of our cars in the States is stop-and-go -- unlike the Europeans, who get to run their cars harder -- our lubrication requirements are less demanding.

As for me, I'll look for the 5w/20 in Mobil 1. But, I'm not going to lose any sleep if I have to go with 5w/30 if that's all that available. (5w/20 is a "new" weight here in the States). Finally, based on advice that I've gotten, my first oil & filter change is going to be sooner than specified.