WOW..ASIAN MODEL OIL REQUIREMENT

[NewCivicRs]

Scrolling my galery and found old photo.
LOL.. It's very simple, it mentions

"Honda Genuine Engine Oil"
"API Service SM Quality or Above"

and it also cites "0W-20 for fuel economy".

That's all, Honda? No Type 2.0 oil, ACEA A, B, C, ILSAC? Then I am gonna change from Amsoil SS to Moty's API SM or New Motul 300V API SN for better protection than Amsoil and already equipped with Anti LSPI formula.

But wait, below it shown temperatures degree, but there two 10W-30, bit confusing.. Oh my GOD Honda..

By the way it is Asian model, Thailand Production CIVIC FK4, lot difference than European or may be US model that requires ACEA, ILSAC, Honda Type 2.0.

What do you guys think?

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[Troy Jollimore]

They like to scare you by saying things like that. In most cases, they list and certify what they’ve tested. So if they only test one type or brand, that’s what they list! Also, the key words are ‘meets or exceeds’ the set standards. I’m betting Amsoil exceeds the ’SM’ standard.

In Indonesia, you could easily run a 10w30 oil, or even a straight 30w oil, since you never see cold temperatures. The thicker oil would probably decrease your fuel mileage a little. But 0w20 is what the factory uses, so I would be confident to keep using that, unless it were very expensive or unavailable.

 

[NewCivicRs]

They like to scare you by saying things like that. In most cases, they list and certify what they’ve tested. So if they only test one type or brand, that’s what they list! Also, the key words are ‘meets or exceeds’ the set standards. I’m betting Amsoil exceeds the ’SM’ standard.

In Indonesia, you could easily run a 10w30 oil, or even a straight 30w oil, since you never see cold temperatures. The thicker oil would probably decrease your fuel mileage a little. But 0w20 is what the factory uses, so I would be confident to keep using that, unless it were very expensive or unavailable.

I think Amsoil SS is for protection against carbon build up and gas mileage, not really for endurance at high load unless the extreme one type "Dominator".
SM and SN actually is how good the oil meets nowadays emissions. Usually performance oil dont really care at their API, ILSAC or ACEA Rating but focus on high load protection, LSPI and so on.

Viscosity is not straight forward about protection. Thicker oil does not mean better. Viscosity meaning is about the flow consistency at certain fahrenheit, different engine different oil characteristic needed, only engineer from factory who know it, that's why we stick to user manual.

But I will never use 10W30 in Indonesia nor 30SAE for this car, that's not really wise decision to me, in my opinion.
Although we dont have winter here, doesn't mean this engine doesn't require thin 0 weight oil.
This engine needs 0W or 5W oil to protect it from cold crank, I mean inside the engine. If we put SAE 30 then at cold crank the engine will be crying. Many Indonesian also think so that we dont need 0W, instead they go much higher 5W, 10W or 15W for small engine like 1.0 NA, 1.2 NA eco commuring car which is make the engine heavy and not circulate well inside Lol. They think "OH my temp is 33 celcius, I have to go much thicker" LOL.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

Okay. If you know all the answers, why did you bother asking the question? Like I said, you won’t go wrong with any of them, and the ‘Engineers’ list the temperature ranges in the manual, which seemed to confuse you.

0w20 is what is listed, and is what I use. In Canada, we see cold starts as low as -40C. So if it can handle that, I’m sure it’s overkill for you. But it will still work. Wonders of modern chemical engineering.

 

[Leaux]

Here’s my recommendation as a former Mobil Lube Oil Sales Engineer.

While in warranty, use what is recommended just in case something happens. Should Honda analyze the oil and find out it’s not “Honda”, it’s on you.

Once it’s out of warranty, use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic. I use it exclusively in all my cars. I had a Ford Taurus with 180,000 miles on it. The car sounded and ran better than my friend’s Taurus that had 60,000 miles on it. I also drive 10,000 miles between oil changes.

Before you scoff at this, Mobil 1 is the standard fill for Porsche, Corvette, and more.

 

[BriteBlue]

Here’s my recommendation as a former Mobil Lube Oil Sales Engineer.

While in warranty, use what is recommended just in case something happens. Should Honda analyze the oil and find out it’s not “Honda”, it’s on you.

Once it’s out of warranty, use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic. I use it exclusively in all my cars. I had a Ford Taurus with 180,000 miles on it. The car sounded and ran better than my friend’s Taurus that had 60,000 miles on it. I also drive 10,000 miles between oil changes.

Before you scoff at this, Mobil 1 is the standard fill for Porsche, Corvette, and more.

I understand Mobil 1 used to be the standard fill for the big Dodge Hemis but starting a few years back they use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-40 that meets Standard MS-12633. Unfortunately Mobil 1 does not meet that spec & only a few oils do. Do you know if Mobil 1 has any plans to be certified to meet that spec?

 

[geeeek]

You could probably run the cheapest "mpg" oil with similar results as the "best" ones with various standards like lspi resistance or strong anti-wear or whatever. It probably won't make a huge difference for a completely stock car which is what honda makes the manuals for.

Obviously if you are modified or have a specific motorsport use for the car then you'd want to look into it more deeply. But could you imagine if the manual had anything resembling the stuff discussed in BITOG? It's best to keep the published oil requirements simple for both customer service and legal reasons on honda's end.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

While in warranty, use what is recommended just in case something happens. Should Honda analyze the oil and find out it’s not “Honda”, it’s on you.

Aside from the Magnuson-Moss Act, Honda doesn’t require a particular spec oil beyond the standard API ones. So if you’re in North America, and you’re using the correct weight oil the manual lists, with an API rating of the correct type, you’ll be fine under warranty.

 

[Leaux]

Aside from the Magnuson-Moss Act, Honda doesn’t require a particular spec oil beyond the standard API ones. So if you’re in North America, and you’re using the correct weight oil the manual lists, with an API rating of the correct type, you’ll be fine under warranty.

Good point, also be sure to use the proper API spec too aside from SAE weight.

 

[curt d]

European manual

 

[NewCivicRs]

European manual

Yes.. it says "ACEA" is for european model only. I think regulation plays the role here.

 

[TonyTheTiger57]

I use Mobil 1 0w-20. Some people put way too much thought into motor oil. If you keep it changed regularly then the rest doesn't really matter.

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