Does anyone know why Honda recommends 5W30 weight of oil. When I went to have the oil changed the guy who has been doing the changes told me that this would be a special order.
What if any are the implications of using plain old 10W30 weight oil.
i believe the thinner weight helps to achieve the higher gas mileage. i am not sure of the implications of using the heavier oil. poor gas mileage, slower to rev, etc.?
kinda weird that it (5w20) would be a special order. it is specified in quite a few fords and most late model hondas that i am familiar with.
bob z.
Robert Brennan, wrote the following at or about 8/25/2006 1:38 PM:
Just guessing but my thought would be that since Honda designed the engine, they just MIGHT know what is going to prove best overall in lubricating it, giving the best performance, etc.
This guy who changed your oil and told you that 5W30 would be a "special order," did he give you a kiss when he did you or just take your money and promise to call you in the morning?
Better to ask what the implications of using a lube store that didn't try to rip you off (if you can find one)
Stop by a Farm & Fleet/Fleet & Farm, Tractor Supply Co, or any other place you can buy oil by the case. Take a gander at the tremendous price difference between 5W30 and 10W30 in the same grade/brand. You'll be amazed.
If you are not going to do it yourself and are not going to use a Honda dealer than at least have all of your work done by a shop which specializes in Hondas and/or Japanese cars. 5W-20 is specified by Honda, Ford and others mostly for maximum fuel economy. However, ANY shop which says that 5W-20 is a special order item or (5W-30, your post is confusing) does not know what they are doing.
10W-30 is an antiquated specification which is called for in very few modern production North America applications.John
I agree that 5w-20 oils are by and large great oils though I I do believe the push is for nothing but better fleet, CAFE statistics. We can evidence this by looking at non-USDM oil recommendations for exactly the same powertrains. I run 5W-30 year round in the Mid-Atlantic and I bet I'll never encounter an oil related engine failure. If I reverted back to 5k mile oil changes, I would not hesitate to run a name brand 10w-30 in the hot months and 5w-30s in the winters.
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