Froth.

Well, I guess I should start by saying that I believe there is nothing better than piece of mind. In this case that would be knowing exactly how the oil you're using is doing and how the engine in your car is wearing over the life of the oil. You can't put a price on piece of mind, which is why I've done a Blackstone Oil Anaylsis on every oil change for most of the vehicles I've owned(the modifed ones, anyway...). If you're not sure what an analysis involved or what can be gained by doing it you're in for a surprise. Even as a Mechanic for a living, this information is irreplaceable to me.

Here is the breakdown for my Analysis:

Vehicle: 2002 S2000
Engine: F20C1
Oil: Valvoline Synpower 10w-30
Oil Filter: Pureolator Pure-One
Air Filter: K&N (FIPK)

This is the breakdown from Blackstone: (sorry if this seems big, I use a large monitor/resolution) - The left most column with 5614 miles is the Valvoline change.



The report is exactly as you get it from Blackstone(I removed personal information) so what you see is exactly what you get. The cost can vary depending on what you'd like tested but the test kits are entirely free which is why I keep 3-4 around at all times. Basically what the report is telling you is that A: My engine is perfectly Healthy and B: I can go longer on my Oil than I did before. Now, there's nothing lingering in the back of my mind about this engine and furthermore I can now save even more money by going much longer on oil changes. Changing oil at the old-school "every 3000 miles" is simply untrue and a waste of money if you're using anything resembling a modern oil. As a matter of fact, I even double-change my oil filters meaning that I only change the filter every other oil change due to the fact that the Pureolator Pure-One is an extreme quality filter and can sustain 10-15k of use without hesitation, this doesn't mean it will work for you...but it does for me because I've tested it and re-tested it. While I'm thinking about it, it should be mentioned that the first analysis I had done(the one furthest to the right, 3021 miles) was done on the factory oil fill from when I purchased it which was an unknown oil.

So, In a nutshell:

Valvoline Synpower 10w-30 is a seemingly great choice for the S2000 (Available at Wal-Mart for $21 per 5qts!!!)
Pureolator Pure-One filters are worth the $6.

A total of $27 +/- tax etc for my oil change which can last 7500 miles. That's less than .004 of a cent per mile.

Bottom line...Oil Analysis gives you irreplaceable piece of mind with your vehicles engine. That's about all you could ever want.

-Froth

S14 to S2k

thanks for the info...i would still go w/ a pcx filter but i went w/ pennzoil at walmart because it was cheaper than mobil 1 hopefully that should yield similar results.

s2000maniac

why go with diff oil filter..when honda specifically designed the PCX oil filter for the s2000???

Froth.

Because The Pureolator Pure-One is better quality, and nothing more. Using something just because Honda "designed" it for it is crazy. Do your own research if you'd like or believe what you want. The Pureolator Pure-One will filter oil better for two times longer than the Honda PCX filter ever could.

Choice is yours.

-Froth

SpitfireS

Froth. Posted on Sep 16 2010, 06:14 AM
Hmmm....
Based on the Pureone website you'll get the (P)L14459 oil filter for the S2000, a 2001 Prelude 2.2 I4 and a 2003 Odyssey 3.5 V6 and probably a lot more Honda's and/or other makes/engines.
Hmm... 3 completely different engines (at least), different rev range (especially the V6) and most likely different oil pressure / rpm.
I'm not bashing Pureone filters, just stating some easy to find facts after doing some pretty simple research.

I like the 15400-PCX-004 you get for the S2000 and not for any other Honda.
I think that's for a reason
So my choice is the PCX.

Nice UOA btw
Thanks for posting.

NFRs2000NYC

While I will not comment on the PureOne filter, the reason Honda recommends their own filter is NOT because of it's filtering quality, but for it's flow. The F20/22 needs oil, and FAST, so the extra flow holes allow faster/more flow. I personally don't run Honda filters, as I run Amsoil, which have the correct number of flow holes AND better filtration medium.

zeroptzero

yeah it's a balance between oil flow and oil filtration and I would rank oil flow as being most important. I agree that the Pureone filter is a high quality filter. You just never know how aftermarket filters flow (any aftermarket filter including Amsoil ), they're just required to flow better than a minimum standard, and it isn't like you can get test results on oil flow from filter manufacturers, but I respect that it's an individual decision and everyone has their preferences.

That's a pretty good oil analysis, despite the low levels of anti-wear additives in that brand of oil, it's good to know your K&N is filtering decently, we've seen some wild results on different setups with aftermarket filters, your's looks pretty good.

The oil in the previous run had thinned out pretty fast, it was down to a 20 weight. I've got a sample out there being analyzed right now, hope to have my results in soon. I personally like to see single digit iron wear levels on a 3k-5k oil run, but you are pretty close to being in that range. I'm not a big fan of this oil as the additive levels are pretty low. It seems to be working reasonably well for you though, but I'd be tempted to test out a different brand and see how it stacks up, even something like Castrol or Havoline if you don't want to get into the ultra expensive oils.

thanks for posting the info.

Froth.

Bottom line is, if the filter was bad the UOA would show it as additional bearing materials in the Oil due to starvation. The PureOne is one of the best commercially available filters you can buy. And yes, their filter is within S2000 protocall for flow and has a large increase in filtration and longevity. The UOA doesn't lie

-Froth

Petah78

Thanks for the info. Did you ever track your car during the 54xx miles while on this oil?

INDYMAC

Froth,

Thanks for posting the UOA. The Synpower is working well, and so is your engine. I like that you only had 1qt make-up oil in 5K miles too. That's pretty good for a F20 engine with 95K miles.

I like the PureOne filters too. I think they have the best ADBV (anti-drain back valve) of any commercial filter. They also have incredible filtering ability and flow rates. The only downside IMO is that the can seems pretty flimsy. Do I use them? Yes, on my 2000 Tundra V-8. Would I put one on my S2000? Maybe. I actually bought one for it a couple of months ago. So far, I've only used the PCX 004. We'll see what happens when I change the oil next time.

Jack