I've heard some things about synthetic oil that I would want to get cleared up if anyone can help...

First, I've been told that synthetic oil shouln't be used until there is a sertain amount of miles on your motor, 40,000 I think I was told, True or False?

Second, Is it safe to use regular oil after you have been using synthetic??

If not what happens??

Please inform me!!!!

Thanks

Philip

 

First - False. You've been told wrong. Your owner's manual with indicate that you should wait till about 7500 miles before even considering going synthetic, however, many here feel you should wait till your oil consumption has tapered off. This would be an indication that the rings have seated. Many owners wait till 10K miles.

Second - Yes. About the only time you don't want to switch is going from dino oil to synthetic if your engine is high mileage and it has developed leaks. Synthetic tends to find it's way out little leaks and turn them into big leaks.

 

I agree for the most part with xviper.

On your first question - it's certainly not going to hurt anything to do as xviper suggested.
However, every car I've owned for the past several years (6 cars) has been swapped over soon after the factory initial break-in recommendation.

I personally use Amsoil, and switched my S over after ~2000 miles or so.
I have a very specific break in process that's worked great for me:
For the first 500 miles I drive the car very gingerly - to allow the seals, rings, and bearings to initially 'seat in'. After that, I slowly work the car up in the RPM band until around 1000-1500 miles I'm hitting the redline relatively often (under controlled driving conditions). After around 2000 miles or so, I switch my car over to Amsoil and drive it 'normally'.

For note, I bought my S2000 in November 2003 and put over 35,000 miles on it since then (although it's in storage for 3 years while I'm in the Middle East), and my car averaged 0.3-0.5 oil consumption per ~4000 mile oil change interval. The highest consumption was a little over 0.6 qts in 2500 miles - and that was during the initial Amsoil fill. Other than that, it's been very consistent. I use 5W30 in the winter months and 5W40 in the summer, and the burn rates have been very consistent.

 

As for the second question - it doesn't hurt to switch from synthetic to mineral (or VS VSA).
I agree with xviper in that it's probable that a car with high mileage may develop a leak if you go from mineral based to certain types of synthetics - however, a lot of newer 'dino' oils have detergent packages (including synthetic additives) that may have the same affect. However, a lot of that really depends on the condition of the vehicle, how well it was maintained, and what kind of environment it was exposed to.
A more important factor would be the cost.
Is it worth it to switch car with high mileage to synthetic (also considering the possibility of leaks)? How long do you intend on owning it? What's the actual internal condition of the engine (leakdown test)? ...
You get the idea.
I ask folks that are thinking about switching their cars to synthetic oils to consider how long they intend on owning the vehicle, and if they intend on owning the car for 5 years or less to save their money for gas.

 

the reason you don't change to synthetic is because of our FRM cylinder walls mainly. honda engineers have determined that going to synthetic before 7500rpm is not a generally healthy thing for this engine. while no immediate effects are apparent, it affects the long term life of the engine.

 

That's a good article. While it specified 2000-2001 S2000s, I'm sure it has validity in later models as well.
Nevertheless, the motor in my S has operated flawlessly over its 35,000 miles and has experienced much less than typically reported oil consumption. However, given this information, I'd probably wait longer before changing oil (but not a full 7,500 miles).

 

yeah it doesn't sound like a definite that it will shorten engine life. but definitely a precautionary statement. so no need to lose sleep at night.

 

Interesting note - we just bought a new Odyssey - definitely not the same "high performance engine" as the S - still the owner's manual has the recommendation for checking the oil level with every fuel stop.

I was surprised to see it.

 

the article said oil consumption will taper off at 5-10K miles.

i'm at 42 and i consume 1 quart for every 1,500 miles. tooooo much if you ask me.

 

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