8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post - GC (aka German Castrol)

***Jrfish007*** · 08-04-2006, 10:38 AM

The simple answer is not really.

But as always, a little further discusion is needed. Some people have asked about this stuff and I really haven't gott into what it is and why it isn't that great in MOST Honda's, there was even a thread on it about amonth ago HERE.

Anyway, German Castrol (GC) is Castrol Syntec 0w30. It is distiguished with different markings and if in doubt you can look at the back and see if it reads Made in Germany. Note that some Castrol Syntec 0w30 is made in the US and this is not the same. All other Syntecs are not made in Germany and do not have the same properties. It comes in 2 flavors, Green or Gold. The green flavor is the older formulation from what I gather and I have never actually seen it in person. The gold, I have used this before, is what is currently aviable. And as I mentioned there is the standard US 0w30 that really isn't GC. Here are some photos of them

What makes it so different?
First of all is the base stocks are Class IV, which means it is a complete synthetic oil unlike the standard Syntech which a class III stock base, class 3 is considered "convential oil". It also has a different addative package.

The problem with GC:
GC was formulated for German cars, i.e. Benz and BMW mostly. These engines run some what large gaps in their eninges, precise but large when comapred to Japan cars, still smaller than most US cars. These larger gaps require an oil that is a little thicker, some people with M3's actually go even higher than 30 weight to reduce oil consumpution. As a result Germany decided they would make their own oil, hence GC. This oils is actually quite thick, very close to a 0w40 actually. This also give it tendency to "quite" the motor down, of course this is an objective thing.

Japan cars, specially Honda's, generally run tighter cleanrances and also have a tendency to be more "happy" at higher revs. For this type of situation a thinner oil, like Mobile 1 tends to be a better choice.

I'm not saying that GC is bad oil, but from what I have seen and read GC tends to work well for what it is made for, German cars. You can certianly use it in a Honda, it won't hurt anything, but most people report a slight loss of power at high end with GC in a Honda.

This oil may also be REALLY good for those select few with turbo's on their Honda's.... Just a thought.

In short if your car is speced at 5w20, probably not the best oil. WHat about the Si, it need 5w30? Probably not, because the Si revs pretty high and the thicker oil will not help to much, but that is just speculation.

Here is some more reading for those interested:

Some people with GC in their Honda/Acura, some like and some don't, all agree on the engine being less rev happy though

Or yout can go to Bobistheoilguy, they have an entire forum dedicated to this stuff....

08-04-2006, 10:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
*Jrfish007* STIG: a tamed race driver Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 32 Posts: 1,631	GC (aka German Castrol) - Good for Hondas? The simple answer is not really. But as always, a little further discusion is needed. Some people have asked about this stuff and I really haven't gott into what it is and why it isn't that great in MOST Honda's, there was even a thread on it about amonth ago HERE. Anyway, German Castrol (GC) is Castrol Syntec 0w30. It is distiguished with different markings and if in doubt you can look at the back and see if it reads Made in Germany. Note that some Castrol Syntec 0w30 is made in the US and this is not the same. All other Syntecs are not made in Germany and do not have the same properties. It comes in 2 flavors, Green or Gold. The green flavor is the older formulation from what I gather and I have never actually seen it in person. The gold, I have used this before, is what is currently aviable. And as I mentioned there is the standard US 0w30 that really isn't GC. Here are some photos of them What makes it so different? First of all is the base stocks are Class IV, which means it is a complete synthetic oil unlike the standard Syntech which a class III stock base, class 3 is considered "convential oil". It also has a different addative package. The problem with GC: GC was formulated for German cars, i.e. Benz and BMW mostly. These engines run some what large gaps in their eninges, precise but large when comapred to Japan cars, still smaller than most US cars. These larger gaps require an oil that is a little thicker, some people with M3's actually go even higher than 30 weight to reduce oil consumpution. As a result Germany decided they would make their own oil, hence GC. This oils is actually quite thick, very close to a 0w40 actually. This also give it tendency to "quite" the motor down, of course this is an objective thing. Japan cars, specially Honda's, generally run tighter cleanrances and also have a tendency to be more "happy" at higher revs. For this type of situation a thinner oil, like Mobile 1 tends to be a better choice. I'm not saying that GC is bad oil, but from what I have seen and read GC tends to work well for what it is made for, German cars. You can certianly use it in a Honda, it won't hurt anything, but most people report a slight loss of power at high end with GC in a Honda. This oil may also be REALLY good for those select few with turbo's on their Honda's.... Just a thought. In short if your car is speced at 5w20, probably not the best oil. WHat about the Si, it need 5w30? Probably not, because the Si revs pretty high and the thicker oil will not help to much, but that is just speculation. Here is some more reading for those interested: Some people with GC in their Honda/Acura, some like and some don't, all agree on the engine being less rev happy though Or yout can go to Bobistheoilguy, they have an entire forum dedicated to this stuff....
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