[televascular]

Originally Posted by Whocares05050

For oil changes it is always best to follow Honda's Reccomendations. You will get different answers from different people on when should do the first change should be. The only correct answer is follow what is reccomended. Some people have done the 1st oil change as soon as when they go home from the dealership and some have done it at 5k. Remember Honda built the engine and they know best.

It has been established that the "break-in" oil is nothing more than Honda factory oil (sourced by Mobil) mixed with assembly paste (which is high in Molybdenum Disulfide). Yes, the manual says to leave it in. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with changing it out. Honda does know their product best, but physics and chemistry don't lie.

Originally Posted by Whocares05050

CONVENTIONAL OIL
It is always reccemended to change conventional oil between 3000-5000 miles. Their is minimal anti-ware & cleaning additives in conventional oil. This oil in most cases will not hold up & protect past 3000-5000 miles.

This is kinda misleading. The level of additives in conventional oil is not "minimal". Additive levels are always different from oil to oil. There are plenty of dino oils that have more additives than synthetics, since they are all formulated for serving different purposes. And who recommends 3-5K miles?

Originally Posted by Whocares05050

SYNTHETIC BLEND OIL
Synthetic Blend formulas are a blend of premium conventional base fluids and a high-performance synthetic fluid. Also, these formulas offer an extra level of cleaning agents versus conventional oil. These oil changes are reccomended from 5000-7500 miles.

Again, where did you dig up this figure of 5-7.5K miles?

Originally Posted by Whocares05050

SYNTHETIC OIL
Yes Synthetic oil is better for your car. Yes you can go longer on oil change drains. Reccomended drains range from 7,500 miles / 6 months to 15,000 miles / 1 year depending on which oil company you go with. Yes it will help with getting better gas mileage. NO it will not fix internal engine problems. Again I am not gonna debate on which brand of synthetic oil is better or worse so I will just talk about Synthetic Oil in general. Just remember that with Synthetic oil if you are going to be extending your drains you should get a high quality oil filter that can handle the extended drains.

Some clarifications. Synthetic oil, while being a superior lubricant in many ways, provides very little benefit in gas mileage over dino oils. In fact, you will probably notice less than 1-2 MPG difference, if you see one at all. The viscosity grade of the oil, synthetic or dino, which have a larger impact.

Originally Posted by Whocares05050

To meet the demanding requirements of today's specifications Synthetic Oil uses high-performance fluids, including polyalphaolefins (PAOs), along with more additives then conventional. Each viscosity grade (5w30, 10w30, etc.) uses a unique combination of synthetic fluids and selected additives in order to tailor the viscosity grade to its specific application.

A court judge ruled that the word "synthetic" can be used by an oil company to describe a large variety of base stocks, even ones that are not truly synthetic (such as Group III). "Synthetic" is more of a marketing term than an actual property used to describe oils by those in the industry.

Originally Posted by Whocares05050

WHAT BRAND OF MOTOR OIL OUTSIDE OF HONDA SHOULD I USE?
If you ask what brand of motor oil to use outside of OEM Honda you will get different answers from different people. I say use Mobil 1, other people say use Royal Purple, some people sale use Valvoline, some people say use Amsoil, etc. ... There is no right or wrong answer on which oil to use outside of OEM Honda Oil. The best thing to do is so some research on each brand and see what floats your boat the most. Also you can call your Honda dealership and ask what they reccomend for motor oil.

This issue ties in with your estimated oil change interval recommendations. THE ONLY TRUE WAY TO DETERMINE IF A SPECIFIC OIL IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR SPECIFIC ENGINE IS TO HAVE AN ANALYSIS DONE ON THE USED OIL. For the average motorist, they do not care about wear rates or shearing or fuel dilution, so I can understand that people don't want to spend $30 to do a Used Oil Analysis. However, if you don't, you are only guessing as to how well the oil is protecting, and how long of a drain interval you can use. This is why I object to the estimated intervals you gave. As an example, Mobil 1 5W-30 may show excellent results in a GM engine and allow 7,000mi intervals, but show increased rates of wear and heavy fuel dilution in a Ford engine, and require changing every 3,000mi. (This example is representative only, and not actually true.) A particular oil, while it may be considered excellent overall, may perform poorly in a particular engine.

A UOA is the only true method of finding the proper oil for your car. I cannot stress this enough. If you are reading this and you really care about long term wear, look into finding a good oil analysis lab.

Also, let me quote myself from another thread...

Originally Posted by televascular

The truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter what kind of oil you use. You could use the cheapest dino oil you can find, do 5K OCIs, and still have an engine last 200,000+ miles. In essence, this debate about the quality of engine oil is for hobbyists, since no one else is concerned with the nuances of engine wear. Keeping this in mind, you must consider the synthetic vs. dino argument in context. Lower pour point temps, reduced oxidation rates, better surface tension and adhesion to metal parts for decreased start-up wear; these are all reasons why synthetic is better. Do you need it? No.

I find myself justifying the use of synthetic oil by saying I'm an enthusiast, using the best possible materials just because I care that much. But in reality, none of it is necessary. Keep this in mind if you are on a tight budget.