Oil Of Choice?

When I change oil myself (which isn't as much as it used to be... apartment living), I like to use Royal Purple or Mobil1. But, I've got a couple of remaining free oil changes from the dealership so it will be a little while before I am back to doing it myself.
 
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I had a 2000 trans am I ran RP in and I thought it was awesome but all I have ran in my civic so far is mobile 1 and I like it too, but I did think the RP in my TA made a difference in HP.
 
TheSlowAndTheSerious said:
that's what I was thinking man, RP 5w20 it is w/HAMP filter..sounds good? Have you heard of the Mugen filter? is that really worth the $30 or whatever JHP asks for it?
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Im a noob here, i live in vegas and my friends said that i should use 5w-30 instead of 0w-20 because of harsh environment.
 
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dane9thgen said:
Im a noob here, i live in vegas and my friends said that i should use 5w-30 instead of 0w-20 because of harsh environment.
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Welcome, dane9thgen!

Depending on the brand you use, most 20w oils are surprisingly robust. So the 20w is fine, even in triple digit temps. Having said that, if the engine doesn't live over 3,000rpm your fuel economy won't suffer with a 30w either, so why not get that extra level of protection? I've checked with Honda on the issue and they say 20w is for the better economy, but that's the only advantage. They told me I can use 30w (in my 2012 SI) if I don't mind the loss in fuel efficiency. The faster you drive (RPM wise) the more you'll notice the lower fuel economy. So I use both... the recommended 20w in winter and a tougher 30w in summer, always keeping the viscosity band as narrow as possible. In other words, a 10w-30 is better than a 5w-30.... because the viscosity modifiers (the lightest components) burn off first.

From what I remember, RP uses a lot of extreme pressure agents. That means the oil will perform well under stress but won't last as long. Take a look over at www.bobistheoilguy.com for more info...
 
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dane9thgen said:
thank you so much for enlightening me guru bruce!
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You are too kind, mr dane. But if i was a real guru i could understand the Reynolds Equation, which is the math behind internal fluid friction and posted for your edification and amusement here:
fa831d606649921c091c23730d1fc12b.png

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Let's not underestimate three key points about 20w oils:
1.) They are often OEM... specifically recommended for use in our engines.
2.) They do save fuel and $$$, which is often significant given the high cost of gas.
3.) They actually hold up better than the 30w oils made just a few years ago. Note, for example, that Amsoil's 5w-20 has a Four-Ball wear scar of only .35mm, lower than Amsoil's earlier Group V Series 2000 30w of .406mm, an amazing oil in its own right. The 5w-20 Data Sheet is below in PDF. Take a look at "typical technical properties" and the results of ASTM D-4172, the Four Ball Wear Test. I don't know why we shouldn't use 20w year round, at least with Amsoil.
 

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Anyone here have any thoughts on moving from a 0w20 Mobile1 full synthetic oil on my 1st oil change to the 0w20 Genuine Honda oil. This will only be the 2nd oil change in the life of my Si and was wondering if changing is a bad thing, being that the G.H. oil is a synthetic blend...

...or going from M1 full syn to Amsoil full syn? Or is full syn all the same and shouldn't matter?
 
Lib625 said:
Anyone here have any thoughts on moving from a 0w20 Mobile1 full synthetic oil on my 1st oil change to the 0w20 Genuine Honda oil. This will only be the 2nd oil change in the life of my Si and was wondering if changing is a bad thing, being that the G.H. oil is a synthetic blend...

...or going from M1 full syn to Amsoil full syn? Or is full syn all the same and shouldn't matter?
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Since M1 is only a Group III oil there's not much difference between the two.

As always, the performance of Amsoil clearly stands out based on engine wear data, but is their "Signature Series" still worth the super premium price? Probably not. At the moment the best bang for the synthetic buck is the Pennzoil Ultra made from Nat Gas. If you buy the case of three 5 quart jugs on Amazon for ~$90 that's a mere $6.00/qt for a very robust, long lasting lubricant. Otherwise it runs $10 - $13/qt. But at that price you should use the Amsoil.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JMCCSOI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

P.S. As Blackstone-Labs pointed out in this month's newsletter, almost ANY oil is good for 4,000 - 6,000 miles.
 
Here's an extensive report on motorcycle oils. For those who don't want to read it, some good charts are on pages 9 and following. Even if you don't ride a sport bike, these results are often indicative of the manufacturer's respective brands.

The bottom line? Stay away from oils that are often near the bottom of the rankings.
 

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I personally use Eneos on all my cars and even used it on my Motorcycles. Never had an issue with it so I stick with it, very reasonable price at Napa Auto.

If I am not mistaken the Honda motor Oil is still made by Mobile 1. I will go back and check my bottles later but I do remember seeing that at one point or another.
 
ClearCutSi said:
I personally use Eneos on all my cars and even used it on my Motorcycles. Never had an issue with it so I stick with it, very reasonable price at Napa Auto.

If I am not mistaken the Honda motor Oil is still made by Mobile 1. I will go back and check my bottles later but I do remember seeing that at one point or another.
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It doubtful you'd have trouble with 90% of the oils out there, even the newer (and degraded) Mobil 1. But no way of knowing for sure without oil analysis. I more or less race my SI so need to be more careful.
:driving:

Thanks for the feedback!
 
Lib625 said:
Thank you for all the good info @Bruce Bartlow I appreciate it!
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Hey Lib.... thanks for the kind words. You should try an oil analysis sometime, just to establish a baseline. That way you'll know whether to keep the car (if engine is still good) sometime in the future.

Here's my most recent oil analysis after 7500 miles on Amsoil....results show the oil is still good with minimal engine wear. Which is impressive after a high speed/high altitude cross country trip to the Dragon.

Enjoy your weekend!
 

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I work at Oil Can Henry's in my town. So I get a pretty decent discount ion oil. I'll be going with castrol Titanium 0-20
 
Dennis Rockholt said:
I use the Oreilly's brand (made by mobile 1) 0w-20 and it has proved pretty nice throughout. I will next summer, try a 30 most likely like @Bruce Bartlow mentioned above
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About the oil: a 20w is fine too (if it tests well on the 4-ball wear) and generally with less internal fluid friction for more power and better economy. I wouldn't worry about it either way. After all your upgrades, you're going to smoke me anyway.

... hey, i still remember our flat out run up the big 28 hill. (Well, it was @Cbland13Si on the way down and you on the way up) Great day... with an even better Happy Hour(s). Don't forget we're still on for May, right?

Oh, and thinking maybe the '13 sedans weighs more than the '12 coupe, no? If so that extra 100lbs can be the difference. Check it out and let me know.
 
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