2018 Type R Oil Change Info

CTR1633FK2

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Looking at the tolerances chart for oil viscosity, and me living in California (lowest temps we see here are ~35 Fahrenheit and can get as hot as ~110 Fahrenheit during the summer. If I don't track too often, but do drive the car spiritedly a few times a month, would it be better for me to use 5W-30 instead of 0W-20 or 30?
It does not matter that much. These 3 are close to each other. The best is to get a oil temp gauge and watch the engine oil temperature. Too bad the FK8 does not have one. The FK2R does have one built in. If the oil temperature never gets higher than 100 degC (212F), then 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30 are all fine. The 0W-20 oil has to be the Honda Type 2 oil or equivalent.
 

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It does not matter that much. These 3 are close to each other. The best is to get a oil temp gauge and watch the engine oil temperature. Too bad the FK8 does not have one. The FK2R does have one built in. If the oil temperature never gets higher than 100 degC (212F), then 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30 are all fine. The 0W-20 oil has to be the Honda Type 2 oil or equivalent.
I read the sensor is in there, it's just not shown to the driver. If you get a tune and hack your infotainment system, you can get a oil temp readout but not 100% sure.
 

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There was a post a while back about a tech bulletin circulating from Honda telling dealerships not to change the factory engine oil early since it was specially formulated to aid in the breaking in of the motor since that oil wasn't available as retail.
 

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There was a post a while back about a tech bulletin circulating from Honda telling dealerships not to change the factory engine oil early since it was specially formulated to aid in the breaking in of the motor since that oil wasn't available as retail.
Ok I need to find that.
 


OneSickFK8

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I jacked this from another thread. Great post! The entire reason the MM takes it so far is to accelerate wear on the engine and rings. Now it's your vehicle and you need to do what you see fit. I'm almost at 3000miles. I'm going to hold back a little longer and shoot for a change around 3750 miles. That's where I feel comfortable. Not to early. Not to crazy at 5000+.

CORRECT :)

These are the only break-in requirements for new Hondas. There are no limits on engine or vehicle speed and no requirement to avoid driving at the same speed for extended periods like some makes in the past.



INCORRECT :(

The oil that is poured into the engine at the factory is the same Honda-branded oil made by Phillips 66 to their specifications that is sold in quarts over the counter and in drums to dealers (for dealers who use Honda-branded oil - most don't). The factory uses large tanks that hold thousands of gallons of this oil that get refilled regularly from oil delivery trucks. Remember - you've got vehicles rolling off of multiple lines every minute or two that each use 1 to 1.5 gallons of oil. The factory uses a LOT of oil!

The factory fill contains high levels of moly, but that's left over from the assembly lube that is used to coat moving parts when the engine it put together. It's only there to protect those parts until the first time the engine is started and oil begins flowing. It has no further function. If you perform an analysis on the factory fill, you will find a higher-than-normal level of moly. The moly is not present for break-in purposes.

The idea behind leaving the factory oil in until the Maintenance Minder tells you to change it is to accelerate wear initially for a better ring seal. A better seal results in improved power and fuel economy with less oil consumption. You won't harm the engine by changing the oil prematurely, but you'll extend the time it takes the engine to reach peak performance and waste money and resources.

Sources: Honda ServiceExpress (subscription required) and employees of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama during a plant tour.
 

tinyman392

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I jacked this from another thread. Great post! The entire reason the MM takes it so far is to accelerate wear on the engine and rings. Now it's your vehicle and you need to do what you see fit. I'm almost at 3000miles. I'm going to hold back a little longer and shoot for a change around 3750 miles. That's where I feel comfortable. Not to early. Not to crazy at 5000+.
Which makes sense, and supports the claim of the bulletin that says to leave it in until the MM minds you. Basically, wear the rings so they seat properly in the cylinder. It's also kind of weird that the MM for the first oil change came up for me at 7000 miles. I was driving the car very easily and very chill during this time... Yet all my maintenance minders after were much longer than 7k miles, mainly 8k, 8k, and 9k.
 

OneSickFK8

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Which makes sense, and supports the claim of the bulletin that says to leave it in until the MM minds you. Basically, wear the rings so they seat properly in the cylinder. It's also kind of weird that the MM for the first oil change came up for me at 7000 miles. I was driving the car very easily and very chill during this time... Yet all my maintenance minders after were much longer than 7k miles, mainly 8k, 8k, and 9k.
Yes and no. There is a fine line between too much wear and where a motor goes from tight to loose. Remember that Honda said all this about there TDI engines and now have to offer extended warranties on them. I'd prefer to be on the tighter side and let the very final break-in happen with AMS Oil which is what I'll be running for the life of the car. Also remember that it's a blend and full synthetic oil is technically smaller on a molecular level. So going full bang on a blend and then going full synthetic may result in oil consumption down the line.
 

tinyman392

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Yes and no. There is a fine line between too much wear and where a motor goes from tight to loose. Remember that Honda said all this about there TDI engines and now have to offer extended warranties on them. I'd prefer to be on the tighter side and let the very final break-in happen with AMS Oil which is what I'll be running for the life of the car. Also remember that it's a blend and full synthetic oil is technically smaller on a molecular level. So going full bang on a blend and then going full synthetic may result in oil consumption down the line.
You're talking about the oil dilution issues where gas was getting into the oil? Yes, it looks like Honda did extend warranties on it, but the underlying issue (according to them) wasn't the fact that the break in was done improperly or properly... They made a statement in which they said that the issue occurs more with cars that are in cold conditions. Meaning, their investigation linked the issue with the cold, nothing to do with the break in procedure or lack there of. This statement lead a lot of people to believe that Honda was running their engines too rich in colder temperatures leading to the issues.

I'm not sure if Honda extended the warranties because 1) customers were angry and this was a quick fix 2) actual damage was done to the engine and or 3) it's an underlying issue with the design of the engine. I'd wager (1) for sure, possibly (2), I'm doubtful on (3) though. In the past we have seen other manufacturers cover up design issues that would lead to catastrophic failure down the line, Nissan and Ford both with their transmissions (CVT and DCT). I'm not sure if this falls into the case, but I'm not lead to believe that a proper, nor improper, break in procedure with the motor was the cause of the oil dilution issue.

Edit: was the official fix an ECU update to fix the issue? If the problem was mechanical (as you would claim it is, due to over-breaking in of the motor), wouldn't the fix not be software based and rather hardware based? And I'd also argue that if the FK8 did have this issue you're speaking of, we probably would have read about it by now in the 5 years the motor has been used (2015 was the first year the motor was used, 2020 models are on their way, 5 years).
 
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The Vyzitor

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It's also interesting to note that in the manual @The Vyzitor showed (it does differ from the US manual I have which he does state), Honda recommends a different grade of oil if genuine Honda oil isn't available, specifically they recommend 5W-30 or 0W-30 vs the 0W-20 stock oil. It's also possible that Honda specifically formulated an oil for the 2.0T CTR motor that doesn't get as thin as "conventional" 0W-20 oil at higher temps.
the other important and telling thing to note, is that they recommend if you’re not using Honda oil, to use an oil that is ACEA A3 or A5 rated. ACEA A5 oils start at a HTHS of 2.9 mPa and goes up, and ACEA A3 start at HTHS 3.5. You will have trouble finding many 0w20 oils that meet such a HTHS rating. Most are A1. Redline 0w20 just makes the grade at 2.9 mPa and that is one of the hardiest 0w20s on the market
 

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I just got the oil changed the other day at 7850 miles, was at 20% oil life. Dealership where I bought it did oil change for free and also rotated tires. They used Honda oil and the Honda dealer closest to my house uses Quaker State so don’t think I’ll be going there anytime soon.
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