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Do you use the correct oil?

S

ShawnD1

Lifer
It seems like a lot of people are putting random shit in their cars like sandbags, 10w30 oil, and sometimes even SAE oil D: . The Fit and other small cars like Corollas and Civics take oil that is either 0w20 or 5w20 (see owner's manual). On some Hondas it even says on the cap "5w20" so there's no mistake what you should put in it.

From the Honda Fit forum, a thread about oil specifications:
http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/general-fit-talk/63223-2011-honda-fit-0w20-oil.html
Look at some of the replies.
I don't know about the fuel mileage difference between 5w30 and 0w20 being 1.5%... It has been closer to 10% for me.
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You were using 5w30 because.... why?


I'll save my money and use 10-30 from Walmart
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Yeah, those oil numbers probably don't mean anything. Whichever oil is the cheapest is the one I'll use :awe:


Is this common? I've always followed what the book says.
 
The only real difference between 5W-30 and 10W-30 is when the oil is cold. Once the oild is warm, they are both ~30 weight oils, so fuel economy is really not going to be affected in the real world.

I have to use 5W-20 because of the cylinder deactivation feature of my engine.

I doubt very much people would even notice the difference between 0W-20 and 5W-30 for the vast majority of vehicles. You are really only talking about a 20 weight vs a 30 weight oil once things are warm.

This doesn't stop all sorts of wild claims, though.

Perhaps it would be significant if you went from 5W-30 to 20W-50 for some odd reason...

And yes, I've seen the EPA claims about oil viscosity.

And yes, there are certain vehicles for which you must use only the specified oil.
 
AFAIK, heavier weight oil gives more protection if you drive higher RPM range. Since Honda engine is a symbol of high-rev engine, I can understand if the owner puts heavier weight oil if they drive aggressively. Disadvantage is of course mpg.

Many car companies that call/market their cars as fuel efficient, usually recommend lighter weight oil for mpg advantage, even if they are perfectly fine with slightly heavier weight. And of course, vice versa. Even though stock is 5w 40, you may put thick 0w 30 oil for mpg.

Of course, key word is 'slight'. It's definitely bad idea to put 10W 60 oil when manual says 5w 20. lol
 
Just follow the owners manual but if people followed what their owner's manual said, we'd have 99% less threads in here. That's no fun.
 
ShawnD1 said:
It seems like a lot of people are putting random shit in their cars like sandbags, 10w30 oil, and sometimes even SAE oil D: . The Fit and other small cars like Corollas and Civics take oil that is either 0w20 or 5w20 (see owner's manual). On some Hondas it even says on the cap "5w20" so there's no mistake what you should put in it.

From the Honda Fit forum, a thread about oil specifications:
http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/general-fit-talk/63223-2011-honda-fit-0w20-oil.html
Look at some of the replies.

You were using 5w30 because.... why?



Yeah, those oil numbers probably don't mean anything. Whichever oil is the cheapest is the one I'll use :awe:


Is this common? I've always followed what the book says.
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Why do you follow what the book says for oil but not for max vehicle weight?
 
maybe its the mentality of the car's owners.

Your speaking of civics/ corolla and fits. Most likely budget cars, for some they are their first cars. Some might know better but some might not.

from what i've seen on the G35 board, these guys think this car is god's chariot. They spend boat loads of money on engine part polishing and random stuff. But these guys mainly go for higher end synthetic oils in the correct formula or only get it done by the dealership. Same goes for the BMW and SRT forums i'm part of.

I'll most likely run the recommended unless it was some ungodly price. I normally go for 5w30 GTX. If my car wanted 5w20, i'll make an effort to find out the price and if its only a couple bucks per oil change then i wouldn't care. $5+ more i'll see what MPG and what blackstones states.
 
They have a recommended oil and a RANGE of oils you can use.
For Honda and Ford for yrs they used 0-20W not because of any engine spec but because the 1/2 mpg difference, and yes thats all it is, would improve the fleet avg for CAFE purposes. For you the driver? no difference, for Ford? trying offset the huge amounts of large vehicles they sell it helps them squeak in under the rules
 
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everydae said:
AFAIK, heavier weight oil gives more protection if you drive higher RPM range. Since Honda engine is a symbol of high-rev engine, I can understand if the owner puts heavier weight oil if they drive aggressively. Disadvantage is of course mpg.

Many car companies that call/market their cars as fuel efficient, usually recommend lighter weight oil for mpg advantage, even if they are perfectly fine with slightly heavier weight. And of course, vice versa. Even though stock is 5w 40, you may put thick 0w 30 oil for mpg.

Of course, key word is 'slight'. It's definitely bad idea to put 10W 60 oil when manual says 5w 20. lol
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Heavier weight oil may actually be detrimental to a high revving engine. The volume of oil flow may be reduced at high RPM due to the thicker weight.

This whole idea that heavier oil protects better is nonsense. It is more important than ever to use the correct grade of oil with modern manufacturing tolerances. Use what the manufacturer says.

FWIW, there's nothing wrong with using straight 30 weight oil - as long as your engine calls for a 30 weight, and you live in Arizona. lol.
 
I use synthetic Quaker State 5w-20. 5w-20 is what is recommended by the manufacturer
 
I don't put oil in my car. It doesn't burn oil and since I don't change it myself I don't even know what kind of oil it takes. 😎
 
ShawnD1 said:
It seems like a lot of people are putting random shit in their cars like sandbags, 10w30 oil, and sometimes even SAE oil D: . The Fit and other small cars like Corollas and Civics take oil that is either 0w20 or 5w20 (see owner's manual). On some Hondas it even says on the cap "5w20" so there's no mistake what you should put in it.
Click to expand...



Sort of depends upon what the manual calls for and expected driving conditions will be, doesn't it? Take a 2001 Civic. Oil cap says 5W-20 while manual states 5W-30 is acceptable. The cap is the best all around suggestion but not always the only choice.

My '02 Blazer's cap says 5W-30 while the manual also lists 0W-30 and 10W-30 as acceptable. It also states 40W oil and thicker are verboten.

And, btw, what the heck do you mean by SAE? While oils are API certified, the viscosity ranges listed, such as 5W-30, etc., are SAE ratings. So your rolling your eyes at SAE is stupid, pointless, and ignorant. Any multi-viscosity oil sold in the U.S. is SAE rated.
 
Meghan54 said:
Sort of depends upon what the manual calls for and expected driving conditions will be, doesn't it? Take a 2001 Civic. Oil cap says 5W-20 while manual states 5W-30 is acceptable. The cap is the best all around suggestion but not always the only choice.

My '02 Blazer's cap says 5W-30 while the manual also lists 0W-30 and 10W-30 as acceptable. It also states 40W oil and thicker are verboten.

And, btw, what the heck do you mean by SAE? While oils are API certified, the viscosity ranges listed, such as 5W-30, etc., are SAE ratings. So your rolling your eyes at SAE is stupid, pointless, and ignorant. Any multi-viscosity oil sold in the U.S. is SAE rated.
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SAE 30 meaning straight 30 weight oil. Common enough way to say it here in Ontario.
 
I use 10W-40 in my Jeep Cherokee 4.0L pushrod even though the manual says 10W-30.

Why? Because the 10W-30 recommendation is for gas mileage. In other countries they recommend 15W-40 for the same engine because it protects better.

Chevron Supreme BTW
52922b.jpg
 
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Protects better in hot weather, 15W-30 would be like grease at -40 and offer little protection at startup when most of the damage is done. . .
 
desy said:
Protects better in hot weather, 15W-30 would be like grease at -40 and offer little protection at startup when most of the damage is done. . .
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Yes but I live in Hawaii. And it's 10W-40 anyway, so it should be the same at low temp.

Actually though, someone on a forum said that in Germany the Jeep dealers use 15W-40 at all times of the year.
 
Some newer engines, the internal tolerance is so tight, you have to use the thinner oils. Heavy weights like 10W30 or 10W40 or so, are best used in older cars or in a car with higher mileage, like over 150K or so, as it will help as clearances increase with mileage. Also if you do any towing or if you live where it is always hot, like Florida, Nevada or the like, the heavier oil will keep the engine a little cooler. And if you are in cold winter areas, be sure to use a low weight like 5W30 or similar, per owner's manual for winter. Car will start easier and oil will flow better on initial startup when it is real cold outside.
 
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