Oil choices

[Pinoy84]

I just bought my Si today and I love it. Which oil do you guys plan on using during the life of your car. It recommends 5w-20 but not sure if this is more or so flexible. Will probably be using Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w-20, how about you guys?

[rick77f]

Castrol GTX 5W-20. Every 3000 miles, forever.

[JSIR]

In conventional 5w-20 oil, Castrol GTX has the best formula bar none, they've loaded their 5w-20 formula with moly (anti-wear additive) far more than their other viscosities. I would take this oil over any other conventional oil including Honda's.

Once you get a few miles on the car and want to try synthetic, some of the better brands are Mobil1 ( soon to be released), Amsoil, Synergyn , who offer 20 weight oils.

I've stuck with Castrol GTX 5w-30 for most of the first 9000 miles, just switched over to Synergyn 5w-30 synthetic blend. After some testing I may decide what to run permanently.

[civic hatch boi]

hey in ur research on the oils.. u said castrol gtx 5-30 did really well.. so if u were to compare only the castrol gtx 5-20 vs 5-30. which would be better and why?

[George Knighton]

Castrol GTX here, too.

I am not a big supporter of synthetics, because (1)Honda says you cannot extend the oil change interval with synthetics, so you're just paying a hell of a lot of money fo roil, and (2)all the track hounds with ITR on Mobil One are all smoking. Nothing else seems to be wrong...but the Mobil One cars just smoke, and there doesn't seem to be anything to be done about it!

Between 5w20 and 5w30, I'd go with what Honda recommends, 5w20.

The 5w20 is formulated for our cars, and if you go w/5w30 you will just reduce your gas mileage and HP. Probably by a infinitely small and almost immeasurable amount, but you will. :)

IMHO, your mileage may vary, no warranty spoken or implied!

Castrol GTX!

[sonic imperial]

Since the dealer changes my oil for free I guess I'll be sticking to what they use (Honda 5W-20). I'm not overly concerned, it shouldn't hurt my car considering it's what honda recommends, plus if anything messes up due to an oil change it won't be my fault. It saves me a little cash.

[JSIR]

Originally posted by civic hatch boi
hey in ur research on the oils.. u said castrol gtx 5-30 did really well.. so if u were to compare only the castrol gtx 5-20 vs 5-30. which would be better and why?

oh damn, don't get me started on oil !.

In the Castrol brand, I think you are good with either their 5w-30 or 5w-20. I personally like the 5w-30 better for a bit more protection when the driving the car hard, no real reason why, just a personal preference, and you will give up a few mpg, and hp compared to 5w-20, a small amount - maybe 1%. It is interesting that Castrol beefed up their 5w-20 with the anti-wear additive "moly" in the neighbourhood of 250 parts per million. Their other oils such as 5w-30 only carry about 60 parts per million typically. So they know something others don't, and they are doing something to benefit your engine.

With an oil you have two things protecting you, first is the film thickness - boundary layer - the oil provides between two moving parts. Second is the anti-wear additives such as moly and zinc with phosphorous. When the oil thickness breaks down and shears, the anti-wear additives are there to protect you. The 20 viscosity is a tad thin and in certain situations engine parts may break through that boundary layer of oil, in which case the thing protecting you is the anti-wear additive - "moly" - that plates up on engine parts with use. The other anti-wear addtives such as Zinc help also, but the moly is really beneficial. I wouldn't really want to trust any other conventional 5w-20 oil unless it is like the Castrol product in it's chemistry. Honda dumps a lot of moly into their factory break-in oil - in the order 500 parts per million or more, but they do not include it in their aftermarket refill oil at all. The thing I dont like about Honda oil is that it comes from several suppliers depending on where you live, and who can supply it to Honda for the lowest cost, so you can get different variations of it. I would rather trust Castrol GTX 5w-20 and you can be sure you are getting the same product all the time with the added benefits it offers.

The synthetic brands should have enough boundary layer strength in them to protect engines decently without needing additives as much. Although Mobil1 Supersyn has introduced moly into their new formula since changing from the older TriSynthetic formula. So I would be inclined to try the Mobil1 product when it comes out, favouring it over other synthetics. But like George stated, if you change your oil regularly a good conventional oil is perfectly fine. If you look at my oil analysis comparison which I posted a week ago you will see that the Castrol GTX 5w-30 held up perfectly fine in comparison to the Synthetic 10W-30 Havoline oil I also tested for 3000 or 4000 mile intervals. A perfectly fine oil IMO. hth. :confused:

[lewjay]

I'm set to get some Amsoil 0w30s and their By-Pass Oil Filter (http://www.amsoil.com/products/bf.html).

My goal is to NEVER change the oil. BUWAHAHAHAHA.......:D

[IceD out N CALI]

the dealer does mine, i let them put in the honda 5w 20

[k20ASi]

gtx synthitic 5w-20 is what im going to put in this week

[Jpax]

Originally posted by IceD out N CALI
the dealer does mine, i let them put in the honda 5w 20

Honda oil = penzoil :mad:


I do Redline 10w - 30

or Moble 1 :D

[ep88]

thanks for the info JSIR!!! :p:D
Pinoy84, san ka pare?hehehehehe;)

[JSIR]

Originally posted by PaXiE


Honda oil = penzoil :mad:


actually Honda oil is made by a few different suppliers depending on location and who can supply it for the cheapest. Exxon does make some of the oil for Honda in the US, as well as Penzoil. In Canada Petro Canada makes some oil for Honda. Honda does spec that these oils must pass certain tests at double the length of regular oil tests, so the oils do have to meet tougher standards than normal, but the supplier can be different.

I've actually heard good things about the Motorcraft 5w-20 (Ford), it is reported to be semi-synthetic and passes some strict standards as well, particularly since they are running 5w-20 in Mustangs now.

[dw735]

castrol synthetic 5w-30. form 20 and 30, i think the biggest difference might be the emmisions, but not even that big. just dont put 15w or something that thick.

[AJ Racing]

For conventional oil, Castrol GTX is pretty darn good, as many have stated already.

For synthetic oil, I highly recommend Motul 300V. This is the oil favored by Spoon and most other Japanese race teams. We also use it in our own cars and I must say it is quite good on the track.

BTW, hi George Knighton! ;)

[SiRman]

Welcome to the board AJ Racing!

I live in Van. and actually just got my CTR H badges from you guys. Good to see you on this board.

[HK_EP3]

REDLINE 5W20!!!
ask any "EXPERT" about Redline, they'll tell u its the best on the market... castrol... HAHAHA, nothin compare to redline man!

[Mechanic]

There's a ton on this board -- in fact, on most boards (check out Corvetteforum.com, for example) concerning motor oil. Any question re motor oil inevitably generates lots of responses. In my (humble) experience, most posters, including myself, find an oil product they like and stick with it. Then, when asked, we swear it's the greatest product known to mankind and that anything else will destroy your engine.

Take Pennzoil for example. If you'd asked "Should I use Pennzoil in my EP?" the board would have lit up with responses about how poor a product Pennzoil is, how many engines have exploded on dealers' lots as a consequence of using Pennzoil, etc. However, as noted above, Honda buys its (rebottled) oil from -- ta, da! -- Pennzoil. Thus, several hundred thousand Honda owners who get their cars serviced annually at Honda dealerships (and most owners do just that), use Pennzoil. And they have not gone blind nor had their dicks fall off. Moreover, because most Honda owners are repeat buyers (and, thus, are satisfied with their cars, generally speaking), it's safe to assume that Pennzoil meets the manufacturer's standards and the owners' expectation re engine service life. And, the same can be said for Castrol or Valvoline or . . . . You get the point.

As for synthetics, their principal virtue is that they flow more quickly than conventional oils at low temps (freezing and below), and they can tolerate a lot more heat before the molecules begin to separate resulting in metal-to-mental contact. Also, because the molecules for a given weight oil start out and remain the same size over the life of the oil, they have less rotational resistence, and thus run cooler than conventional oil. That, of course, can make a big difference in extreme heat, pulling a load, constant high rpm.

But, if you live in a moderate climate and change your oil & filter often (3k), any so-called "premium oil" (Castrol, Valvoline, Pennzoil, etc -- fill in your favorite here) of the weight listed in your owner's manual is fine. If you are a compulsive-obsessive sort and wish to use a synthetic, Mobil 1 is excellent. As the ads say, it far exceeds the manufacturer's specifications. I use it, have done so for years in both street and racing motors, and recommend it because it does run cooler than conventional oil and it has lots of the detergent qualities I like. If you have money to burn, Redline is probably the best synthetic out there for use in a competition motor; it's virtues in a street motor are debatable.

In short, choose what you prefer among the usual name brands (Castrol's ok), and if it's worth the (extra) cost of a couple of CDs to you every three months, go synthetic.

One final point: If you plan to use your car as as street racer and routinely buzz yr motor to the redline, your can expect that the OEM rings will give up the ghost somewhere around 20k miles, tops. This has almost nothing to do with the oil you use. The pressure generated on the rings at 7-8k is simply tremendous. Those who build race motors rebuild them to compensate for the wear generated by constant high rpm. A Honda engine is no different than any other motor in this regard.

[RocketHatch]

For those of you that are getting there oil changed at the dealer. The oil they use may not be Honda oil. They buy there oil in bulk meaning in large drums and that oil could be anything. I have friends that are Techs at dealerships and they use QuakerState.

[George Knighton]

Originally posted by AJ Racing
For conventional oil, Castrol GTX is pretty darn good, as many have stated already.

For synthetic oil, I highly recommend Motul 300V. This is the oil favored by Spoon and most other Japanese race teams. We also use it in our own cars and I must say it is quite good on the track.

When you say it's quite good on the track, I wonder what you mean, exactly? You mean you don't consume it on the track?


BTW, hi George Knighton! ;)

LOL... There's no escape.