Hello fellow Honda owners

No, I do not own a S2000 (as much as I would like one), hence this post.

I am conducting some research about Factory Recommended Oil Viscosity Weight based on Ambient Temperature. So, my questions are:

1) What does the owner's manual say about factory recommended oil viscosity weight based on ambient temperature for both the engine and transmission? Please include engine code and model year. Also, please include any type of applicable oil weight based on ambient temperature....not just factory recommendation (basically whatever your oil chart says).

2) For Europeans and non North American owners, does the owner's manual state to abide by API (American Petroleum Institute) guidelines or does it state to abide by ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeans d'Automobiles) guidelines?

What I am trying to accomplish is to research the recent movement from Ford North America and Honda North America to recommend 5W20 weight oils for 2002-up models. It would be great to hear from the Non-North Americans as they are not as obliged to comply with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) policies.

I greatly appreciate any info that you can provide me.

Regards,

Oz

 

Oz, I'm in the US and my owner's manual tells me to use 10W-30 from -5F to 100F+ and 5W-40 from -20F to 100F+. Of course, it tells me to make sure it has the API seal of approval on the oil container. It says that you may use synthetic oil if it meets the SJ classification. The engine code for the S2000 is F20C and mine is a MY2001.

It doesn't mention anything about the transmission oil, other than to use Honda MTF. It does say that as a temporary fix, you may use motor oil, either 10W-30 or 10W-40 , preferably an SG classification.

Have fun on your research project,
Bob

 

Oz

I have a MY2002 also with a F20C and mine has a graph showing the same numbers as Boiler (above). There is a paragraph that says, "An oil with a viscosity of 10W-30 is preferred for optimum fuel economy and year-round protection in your Honda. You may use a 5W-40 oil if the temperature in your area goes below 0*F (-20*C)."

Everything else is as Bob (Boiler) said.

Good luck on your project. Let us know if you need any more info.

 

Rob, Bob,

Thanks for the info!! There were rumours circulating that the 2002 models are 5W20 recommended by Honda North America. Maybe, it's prevalent with the 2003 models (hint, hint ). Anyway, based on both of your information, I'm surprised some S2000 owners are using the 5W30 oils.

Thanks again. This info will go a long way when I discuss it with fellow oil techheads who analyze oils for a living (not me, them ).

Regards,

Oz

 

Living in Canada as I do, you must also understand the severity of our winter extremes. Although the "book" says to use either 5W40 year round or 10W30 during the warmer times, it is a personal choice, at least with me, to use 5W30 in the winter. Owner's manuals are written with a broadbased set of guidelines and is intended to cover as much of the more common and "anticipated" environments as possible. I base my decisions on what the "book" says AND on over 35 years of car ownership experience. If I lived in a climate where the temps reached into the mid to high 30's (*C) for consistently long periods of time, I might elect to go with 10W40 for part of the year. The "book" cannot cover every extreme scenario.
Honda (and other car makers) can only hope and keep their fingers crossed that the way they make their cars and the info that goes out with them is adequate. As can be seen with the oil bolt situation in Europe and the spark plug episode world wide, Honda lost on those ones. The oil viscosity thing is probably a safer bet.

 

I attended an "Owners appreciation night" a few months ago. The evening was hosted by the service department of my local Honda dealer. It was for new owners of all models.
One of the more interesting things that they said was that Honda was now recommending 5W30 (they might have meant 5W20 as they kept referring to it as "lighter" oil) in order to increase the fuel milage. According to the techs, this has a significant effect on mpg.

I had not heard that before but people who should know about these things seem to agree.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ralper
[B]I attended an "Owners appreciation night" a few months ago.

 

Bob

I thought that might happen so I put Mobil 1 5W30 into my 4Runner. So far, the milage has been exactly the same as before (after two tank fulls). I'm hoping the milage will increase, it's awful on the 4Runner (16.79 mpg over the course of 76,000 miles).

 

Rob, I think that you are more likely to see an improvement with a smaller, lighter vehicle?

Since the rolling friction of a small vehicle is less, you can more easily detect a small improvement in the lessening of the engine's internal friction. With a heavier vehicle, the small improvement in the engine's performance wouldn't be as noticeable because of the greater rolling resistance.

Does that make sense?

Bob

 

Bob

I think that you are right. Still, I'm a bit disappointed as I'd hoped to see some increase in the mileage. Actually, the 4Runner has been an amazing vehicle except for the mpg. That has been the one disappointment.

I'm still a long way from Mobil 1 in my S. I only have 2500 miles and I've been told to wait until at least 7500. I do hope to see the same kind of improvement that you did. Currently I get about 21.45 mpg. I'm hoping Mobil 1 will bring me to 24.5 or 25.

Rob