Does anyone hav experience running 0-50w synthetic oil? I saw some at the store and the brand was ENEOS (Nippon oil). Its the supplier of the Honda f1 team. Im wondering what would be the benifits and cons of running an oil at this weight. My car never has cold starts (san diego) nor does it see 100+ degree weather. Its daily driven and spanked on the weekends up in the mountains. Snake oil or good stuff?

comments appreciated.

 

It might be a fine oil but since you have no need for the wide viscosity range it probably would be best to avoid it. It your climate the recommended 10/30 appears to be the best choice.

 

Castrol Syntec 10W30 here.!!!

 

The lowest range you really need for the S2000 (in any climate the car can operate in at least) is a 5W30. The thickest is a 10W40. I use Amsoil synthetic (Euro formula) 5W40 in the summer and 5W30 in the winter. Both work quite well. Any 50 weight oil is way too thick for an S2000 at operating temperature. This can cause some problems down the line.

 

So if the range is too great than it wont be as responsive? The label said its a race oil. What exactly would a 0-50 oil be good for? Fully built motor? FI?

 

Is your S2000 an F1 Car? No...read the owners manual 10W30 in all climates.
Use that...Done.

 

0-50 would be good in a race engine that sees high temps because it will retain viscosity when hot, but flow very easily when cold. Some people run 5w30 in the winter because it will flow easier when extremely cold to better protect your engine on cold start. Some may run 10w40 in summer if they live in extremely hot climate. Stick to 10w30 in SoCal.

 

A 50 weight oil is only appropriate for engines with clearances large enough to accommodate its resistance to flow. Wider clearances do not necessarily mean sloppy design. Most race motors are built this way for several reasons that I don't have the time to cover. That would be a technical posting in and of itself. A 0W50 would be appropriate for racing engines in relatively colder climates. It would likely be too thin for a racing oil pump to circulate immediately on a hot day.

Here's a link that explains viscosity numbers (and a lot more) in reasonable detail:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question164.htm

Long of the short ... think of the first number as the apparent viscosity number of the oil when it's 'cold' and the second number when the oil is at 'operating temperature'.

A 50 weight oil is too thick for the S2000's engine. You will loose power and will very likely starve engine parts of oil at high RPM.

Hope this helps.

 

i don't believe everything i read in owners manuals. manufacturers will tell you anything because most customers believe the company is looking out for them. f1 engineers are a little more concerned with reliability than fuel economy. thicker oil wil provibe better protection at high loads at the expense of economy and power.
if it wansn't too expensive, i would give it a shot.
it flows better when cold, and provides better protection when hot than 5w40

 

The issue with a broad viscosity range is reported to be the volatility of the viscosity enhancers that are added. Supposedly they leave deposits when exposed to higher temperatures. It is also said that shearing increases as the range is stretched. For these reasons a range less than 25W is recommended.

Without access to data from very rigorous testing it is hard to know much regarding the impact of different lubricants on engine longevity and performance. I do think that the vast majority of recommendations are traditional, supposition, or rumor, so using manufacturer recommendations may be the safest (although maybe no more scientific).