What Oil Grade are/will you Using?

Grade Using

  • 0W-20

    Votes: 55 74.3%
  • 0W-30

    Votes: 10 13.5%
  • 5W-20

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • 5W-30

    Votes: 6 8.1%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 2.7%

  • Total voters
    74
  • Poll closed .

MarcOTT

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You think engineers write the manual? HA!

0W-20 Is pushed hard in the US only for MPG reasons. You know what's different form the 2000 Accord and 2001? Nothing. But ones manual says 30, the others 20.

You run 20 if you want fractions of a % better MPG. You run 30 if you want better engine protection.
Amen . . . check out "540 rat" site on oil testing, his conclusion is 5W-30 is in general the best for wear protection, HP and cold starting, but extols the benefits of thinner viscosity for lubricating (cold starts) and cooling.
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hunter44102

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Amen . . . check out "540 rat" site on oil testing, his conclusion is 5W-30 is in general the best for wear protection, HP and cold starting, but extols the benefits of thinner viscosity for lubricating (cold starts) and cooling.
Wait a second. How could any 5W be better for cold starting? Did you know 0W is thicker at cold start than 30 weight at operating temp?

So why would you want it even thicker at startup with 5W. Doesn't make sense
 

un hombre

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Amen . . . check out "540 rat" site on oil testing, his conclusion is 5W-30 is in general the best for wear protection, HP and cold starting, but extols the benefits of thinner viscosity for lubricating (cold starts) and cooling.
I Think you got it a bit wrong, here.

Rat 540 says explicitly, that oil viscosity does not play a big part in engine protection - oil base and detergents do. In his statistics 30 weight and 20 weight oils have better protection than the higher viscosity oils - but it is mainly because those oils have better base and detergents.

What he also says is that the most important thing is oil pressure - get the thinnest oil you can get away with that maintains the proper oil pressure - for whatever driving conditions you experience.

That is his mantra and what he has been repeating over and over on his blog and q&a section.
 
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zx2down

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People need to spend more time on BobIsTheOilGuy. Quite a few actual Ford, Toyota, GM engineers post there and do Q&A's on occasion. Same with Oil makers.
 
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zx2down

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I Think you got it a bit wrong, here.

Rat 540 says explicitly, that oil viscosity does not play a big part in engine protection - oil base and detergents do. In his statistics 30 weight and 20 weight oils have better protection than the higher viscosity oils - but it is mainly because those oils have better base and detergents.

What he also says is that the most important thing is oil pressure - get the thinnest oil you can get away with that maintains the proper oil pressure - for whatever driving conditions you experience.

That is his mantra and what he has been repeating over and over on his blog and q&a section.
Oh so we should ignore that Honda itself says 30 weight is fine in every other country that's not the US? its only listed ONLY as 20 in the US because of the push for better MPG.

Rat 540 is just guessing hes not an expert on the 1.5T anymore than you or I. The fact the manual says its okay, means its okay.
 


Nessism

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Bob is the Oil Guy has a long thread about fuel dilution with the 1.5T engine...https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4438264/1
This is posted elsewhere on the forum but it does bear repeating because with fuel dilution the viscosity will go down.

Clearly the CAFE requirements are a prime driver for the 0W-20 oil recommendation since it results in a smig more fuel economy, however for those that don't care and want to hedge against fuel dilution in the oil moving to a 30 weight oil wouldn't be the worst choice.
 

MarcOTT

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I Think you got it a bit wrong, here.

Rat 540 says explicitly, that oil viscosity does not play a big part in engine protection - oil base and detergents do. In his statistics 30 weight and 20 weight oils have better protection than the higher viscosity oils - but it is mainly because those oils have better base and detergents.

What he also says is that the most important thing is oil pressure - get the thinnest oil you can get away with that maintains the proper oil pressure - for whatever driving conditions you experience.

That is his mantra and what he has been repeating over and over on his blog and q&a section.
I agree, but "540rat" supports better oil flow over pressure, high pressure can mean lower flow, and vice versa, it's a balance especially in cold weather when flow is low and pressure can be high.
 

un hombre

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Oh so we should ignore that Honda itself says 30 weight is fine in every other country that's not the US? its only listed ONLY as 20 in the US because of the push for better MPG.

Rat 540 is just guessing hes not an expert on the 1.5T anymore than you or I. The fact the manual says its okay, means its okay.
I am just saying to @MarcOTT what is Rat's message from the blog - I am not questioning or justifying Rat's findings or outcomes.

All I know is that he sounds reasonable to me and I can see no hidden interests in his work.
I respect him for doing all this for everyone's benefit, in his free time.

The most important thing for me is that his results put 0w-30 Amsoil in the highest rated category - enough justification for me to give this oil a shot.
 
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You think engineers write the manual? HA!

0W-20 Is pushed hard in the US only for MPG reasons. You know what's different form the 2000 Accord and 2001? Nothing. But ones manual says 30, the others 20.

You run 20 if you want fractions of a % better MPG. You run 30 if you want better engine protection.
This is what I keep reading/hearing about 0W-20. I could careless about fuel economy.
 

andromeda

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Anyone who deliberately deviates from what is specified is just plain nuts ! There seems to be some myth, that higher viscosity oils somehow protect better. That the engine will run quieter. OK, put some sawdust in the oil and it'll really run quiet ! Some are ignoring the fact that lower viscosity will get working to bearings sooner, particularly during the critical start/warm -up period.
 


andromeda

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[QUOTE="You know what's different form the 2000 Accord and 2001? Nothing. But ones manual says 30, the others 20.
[/QUOTE]
You say "Nothing.", but apparently Honda didn't agree, at least as far as the overall situation. They make the car and they had some reason for the change. Have you asked them ? Could be only that they gained some critical info relative to their product. Probably can't tell much, reaching back more than a decade and a half. Not sure what your point is. Are you saying, viscosity doesn't matter ?
 

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Anyone who deliberately deviates from what is specified is just plain nuts !
Coming from the Supra community, someone that deviated from what's specified, found a manual transmission fluid for the V160 that cost 1/4 of the factory fluid, which is essentially dexron 2, and shifts WAY smoother. Another group of idiots, deviating from factory recommendations, figured out how to make a stock bodied Supra do sub-7 second 1/4 mile passes without blowing up (most of the time).
There seems to be some myth, that higher viscosity oils somehow protect better.
If that were that case, we'd all be running 10w-60, 20w-50 etc. I've looked at 540 Rat's data, and find it interesting. I've looked at thinner oils in a new light. The BMW rod bearing failure issue with 10w-60 was a real eye opener. I will definitely look at QSUD 0w-20 in the colder months, and maybe do a UOA to compare to Amsoil SS 0w-30. Oil viscosity is almost always a compromise, and I'm not convinced that 0w-20 is perfect for every situation.
 

un hombre

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Anyone who deliberately deviates from what is specified is just plain nuts ! There seems to be some myth, that higher viscosity oils somehow protect better. That the engine will run quieter. OK, put some sawdust in the oil and it'll really run quiet ! Some are ignoring the fact that lower viscosity will get working to bearings sooner, particularly during the critical start/warm -up period.
Engine runs quieter on 0w-30 - especially on higher revs. I have experienced it myself. If you are driving like a granny - you will not notice it. If you rev up to redline - you will notice the difference.

On picture attached is the page from European instruction manual. Can you show me, where it says, that:

- 0w-20 is the only recommended engine oil?
- 0w-20 protects engine as well or better than higher viscosity oils? Remember - same engine as in your country, but different market.

I will answer that for you.

0w-20 is not the recommended oil - it is specced as one of 3 allowed oil types. ACEA A3 and A5 are European oils spanning from 0w-30 upwards...

0w-20 was defined only for fuel efficiency only - that is what it says in the manual. The lesser friction and better fuel consumption the worse protection - in general. This does not necessarily hold true to all 0w-20 oils, best quality synthetics with great additives may protect as good or even better than higher viscosity oils.

This is European manual, Americans have no viscosity choices in their instruction manuals and should use 0w-20.

Honda Civic 10th gen What Oil Grade are/will you Using? IMG_4942.PNG
 

MarcOTT

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Engine runs quieter on 0w-30 - especially on higher revs. I have experienced it myself. If you are driving like a granny - you will not notice it. If you rev up to redline - you will notice the difference.

On picture attached is the page from European instruction manual. Can you show me, where it says, that:

- 0w-20 is the only recommended engine oil?
- 0w-20 protects engine as well or better than higher viscosity oils? Remember - same engine as in your country, but different market.

I will answer that for you.

0w-20 is not the recommended oil - it is specced as one of 3 allowed oil types. ACEA A3 and A5 are European oils spanning from 0w-30 upwards...

0w-20 was defined only for fuel efficiency only - that is what it says in the manual. The lesser friction and better fuel consumption the worse protection - in general. This does not necessarily hold true to all 0w-20 oils, best quality synthetics with great additives may protect as good or even better than higher viscosity oils.

This is European manual, Americans have no viscosity choices in their instruction manuals and should use 0w-20.

IMG_4942.PNG
Interesting, why does Europe get all the well tuned cars and detailed engine oil information many of us miss in Honda manuals of old. Thanks . . .
 

hunter44102

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Engine runs quieter on 0w-30 - especially on higher revs. I have experienced it myself. If you are driving like a granny - you will not notice it. If you rev up to redline - you will notice the difference.

This is European manual, Americans have no viscosity choices in their instruction manuals and should use 0w-20.

IMG_4942.PNG
I believe its a combination of:

1) higher speed limits (or no speed limits in Germany) - so engines may run hotter which would thin out the oil more.
2) availability - 0w20 is not found in every auto shop and dealer like in the US (remember when it was tough to find here?). So customers may not even have the choice and automakers have to provide available options.
3) EPA/CAFE - in the US, the car does not meat CAFE (for the stated mpg) if the owners manual specifies anything but 0w20. In Europe they don't have this, so Honda will allow an additional range of oils
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