My Honda Dealer, ( Honda of Santa Monica ), told me they put in 0W-30 oil in my car. Any they charge extra for it because it's special. I'm not so sure the dealer's right, and I'm going to synthetic on my next change. Probably 10W-30.

 

http://www.s2000online.com/forums/showthre...p?threadid=1172

 

It's really funny this post is up today. I was in our parts department and there was a notice from Honda stating that the factory fill for the 2001 MDX is 5-20! It went on to say that all the '01s would be filled with the same 5-20! Very interesting!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Colin:
[B]...there was a notice from Honda stating that the factory fill for the 2001 MDX is 5-20!

 

IMHO the major benefits of a synthetic is you get oil pressure sooner on very cold mornings. They also don't break down like conventional oils at high temps so if you lose your cooling system it can save your engine.

Cold starts is when you put the most wear on an engine. Synthetics, engine block heaters and pre-oilers all try to address this.

 

Hey people,

Now to throw more confusion here...

My Type R specifies in the manual to use 5w30. Upon recommendations from several people in the motorsports arena that I respect, I switched to 10w40. A year later, and 15K miles of hard wear and tear, they suggested I substitute the 10w40 with 20w50. I currently use 20w50 Redline in that motor, and it's been built for a 9300rpm redline. I have no oil consumption problems, no blowby, and the engine is still relatively maintenance free.

As soon as the F20C motor is properly broken in, I will probably switch to a synthetic 10w40 or higher weight oil.

The higher weight oil (hot rating) protects the bearings better at high rpms. The greater the difference between the cold and hot rating, the more fillers and modifiers they use (think- those aren't lubricators, they don't protect the car...) which is why I don't use a 0w oil or any oil like a 5w50 or 10w50. Since my cars regularly see the tracks, I err on the safe side when it comes to lubrication. FYI, I use 15w50 or 20w50 synthetic in the GTR, which is factory rated for 7.5w30, because of the extreme pressures on the block that are significantly beyond factory specs but within race specs. Durability is a BIG issue with that motor...

-Nick

 

Once again, much like previous discussions that I've been in about oil, people are assuming that higher 'numbers' mean better heat resistance and protection. This is no different than the movie Spinal-Tap, where the guy was bragging about his amp going to 11. 'My oil goes to 50!... that must mean it's better'

There are so many other variables in oil production. I have to dig up some old links on this... There are shear viscosities, shear temperatures, coefficients of friction, quality of base stock. So many variables, not simply the number on the side of the bottle.

Bear with me while I dig up some good links on this subject.

 

OK... got some stuff. Please read the entire links, there is allot of good information in there (among some crap, but hey this *is* a UBB, right?)
http://forums.vwvortex.com/vwbb/Forum29/HT...TML/000881.html
http://forums.vwvortex.com/vwbb/Forum29/HT...TML/000884.html

Found this post over on the audio board:Revised Engine Oil Viscosity FAQ -- any last comments before I submit it?
Posted by John Wilkinson on 1999-11-19 10:39:49:
Engine Oil Viscosity FAQ
The question of which viscosity grade of motor oil is best for use in newer Audi engines seems to come up daily in the forums. Herein I will attempt an answer:

Any 5W-30 motor oil, conventional or synthetic, displaying the

 

Jason-

Good posts. Did you factor in wear on the motor? I would assume that would have a factor on what grade oil one would use from a brand new motor to a 200K mile heavily used one...

-Nick

 

LOL. Just look at what viscosity grade sports car manufacturers like Lotus and Porsche say to use. See for yourself.