5W-20??? Dealer insists?

[BLU BY U]

My dealer insists that it is ok to run 5W-20 in my si, but i didn't let them change it. They told me that is what they are putting in all the vehicles now? I dont know about you guys but if im going to be revving my engine to 8300rpms i better have the right oil.

thoughts?

p.s.- im doing 2 regular oil changes and then switching to mobil1 full synthetic.

[2evolved]

I'm going synthetic on my first oil change...

ughh...5W20 is a bit thinner isn't it?

I was going to go with 5W30

[Zesti1]

I think it says in the manual that you can use 5W - 20. I think it had something to do with the climate, but dont quote me on that one. I know for sure its in the manual though.

Up here in Canada they say to use 5W - 30.

[fesersoft]

Originally Posted by BLU BY U

My dealer insists that it is ok to run 5W-20 in my si, but i didn't let them change it. They told me that is what they are putting in all the vehicles now? I dont know about you guys but if im going to be revving my engine to 8300rpms i better have the right oil.

thoughts?

p.s.- im doing 2 regular oil changes and then switching to mobil1 full synthetic.

What does it say on the Oil cap? 5-W30.

Those dudes are hitting the crack pipe. Take your care to Sunnyside, they are open M-T 8 am till Midnight.

You can even bring your own oil.

I am running Mobil 1 5W-20 in the Sedan

[2evolved]

To also back that up... I brought my G35 to a dealership for an oil change and they told me to put in 5W15.

[tcel127]

i've had this discussion with a honda tech 2 days ago and this is their reasoning behind 5w20. This tech told me since the clearances on the rod and crank bearings is getting so tight that using thicker weight oil will not properly lube the area inbetween the bearings and the crank. I originally suggested i switch to 10w30 to keep from buring so much oil. the tech told me they are expecting 1 quart of oil burned for every thousand miles if the motor sees its redline on a healthy regular basis. stick with 5w30. you may burn oil too quickly if you switch to 5w20

[radiocontrolhead]

that tech is an idiot. where the hell wodul he get that information from? run thicker oil. when youve got about 10 k miles, run full syntech. only way to go in that car.

[twistedframe]

i may be wrong but last i checked the 1st number has to do with the actuall viscosity (thickness) of the oil. The second number is the oils "drip factor" for lack of me knowing the correct term. All the second number has to do with is how fast the oil will drip at a certain temperatures. If you are in a cold climate i would say don't go lower than 5w30. if you live in a hotter climate i see no problem running 5w20 or even 5w15.

[Deamon]

So should there be a poll conducted on this, everybody pretty much has their own opinion on what oil to run. I'd personally like to hear some advice on this issue as well.

[radiocontrolhead]

Originally Posted by Deamon

So should there be a poll conducted on this, everybody pretty much has their own opinion on what oil to run. I'd personally like to hear some advice on this issue as well.

you mean some professional engine advise? me too. haha. w/ a nice explanation.

[bluetroll]

basically, the first number is the weight of the oil when it's cold... and the 2nd number is what weight when it's operating at 100C

This is from wikipedia

Grades of motor oil

Single-grade motor oil
The Society of Automotive Engineers, usually abbreviated as SAE, has established a numerical code system for grading motor oils according to their kinematic viscosity. For single-grade oils, the kinematic viscosity is measured at a reference temperature of 100 °C (212 °F) in units of mm²/s or the equivalent older non-SI units, centistokes (abbreviated cSt). Based on the range of viscosity the oil falls in at that temperature, the oil is graded as an SAE number 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70. The higher the viscosity, the higher the SAE grade number is. These numbers are often referred to as the weight of a motor oil. The reference temperature is meant to approximate the operating temperature to which motor oil is exposed in an engine.

The viscosity of single-grade oil derived from petroleum unimproved with additives changes considerably with temperature. As the temperature increases, the viscosity of the oil decreases logarithmically in a relatively predictable manner. On single-grade oils, viscosity testing can be done at cold winter (W) temperature (as well as checking minimum viscosity at 100 °C or 212 °F) to grade an oil as SAE number 0W, 5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, or 25W. A single-grade oil graded at the hot temperature is expected to test into the corresponding grade at the winter temperature; i.e. a 10 grade oil should correspond to a 10W oil. For some applications, such as when the temperature ranges in use are not very wide, single-grade motor oil is satisfactory; for example, lawn mower engines.


Multi-grade motor oil
The temperature range the oil is exposed to in most vehicles can be wide, ranging from cold ambient temperatures in the winter before the vehicle is started up to hot operating temperatures when the vehicle is fully warmed up in hot summer weather. The difference in viscosities for any single-grade oil is too large between the extremes of temperature. To bring the difference in viscosities closer together, special polymer additives called viscosity index improvers are added to the oil. These additives make the oil a multi-grade motor oil. The viscosity of a multi-grade oil still varies logarithmically with temperature, but the slope representing the change is lessened. This slope representing the change with temperature depends on the nature and amount of the additives to the base oil.

The API/SAE designation for multi-grade oils includes two grade numbers; for example, 10W-30 designates a common multi-grade oil. The first number associated with the W is not rated at any single temperature. The "10W" means that this oil can be pumped by your engine as cold as a single-grade 10 weight oil can be pumped. "5W" can be pumped at a lower temperature than "10W". The second number, 30, means that the viscosity of this multi-grade oil at 100°C (212°F) operating temperature corresponds to the viscosity of a single-grade 30 oil at same temperature. The governing SAE standard is called SAE J300. The motor oil grade and viscosity to be used in a given vehicle is specified by the manufacturer of the vehicle.

[ChiZX]

So which Motor Oil brand would be recommended for the 2006 SI? I found these full synthetics from leading manufacturers...

Mobil 1
Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic
Castrol SYNTEC
Quaker State Advanced Engine
GReddy GR-3

I think I'm going to stick with 5W30 since that's what it says on the oil cap and in the manual.

Cheers,

[1slowk20fg]

what is your climate? that is a really big factor in your oil selection.

Originally Posted by BLU BY U

My dealer insists that it is ok to run 5W-20 in my si, but i didn't let them change it. They told me that is what they are putting in all the vehicles now? I dont know about you guys but if im going to be revving my engine to 8300rpms i better have the right oil.

thoughts?

p.s.- im doing 2 regular oil changes and then switching to mobil1 full synthetic.

[[IVI]]

Wouldn't it be adviseable to put the type of oil that the manual says, keep all your receipts from oil changes and if your engine blows up, take it back to Honda and tell them "I used what you told me to use"

Just a thought.

[eugenekim.net]

stupid dealers... they told me the same and i knew they were wrong. they could have sworn they were right too. maybe they should taken classes or maybe read the manual.

[CMByrd]

For synthetic Ive always ran mobile 1. That said I obviously dont have anything else to compair it against, but on the other hand Ive never had any reason to change to anything else either. *shrug*

Here in south georgia, mine says 5-30 on the oil cap. The manual (p221) says 5-30 for year round protection, 10-30 if it never goes below 20F where you live. The not Si models use 5-20 which is (probably) where your tech got his ideas from.

[slowmo9494]

I think I'm going to stick with 5W30 since that's what it says on the oil cap and in the manual.

Cheers,
[/quote]




I think that is smart move, just use 5W30 Full synthetic and you'll be fine

[OHSiGuy]

Originally Posted by BLU BY U

My dealer insists that it is ok to run 5W-20 in my si, but i didn't let them change it. They told me that is what they are putting in all the vehicles now? I dont know about you guys but if im going to be revving my engine to 8300rpms i better have the right oil.

thoughts?

p.s.- im doing 2 regular oil changes and then switching to mobil1 full synthetic.

Walter, are you talking about Rick Roush?!? I plan on going to them for my service as well.

[OHSiGuy]

Originally Posted by fesersoft

What does it say on the Oil cap? 5-W30.

Those dudes are hitting the crack pipe. Take your care to Sunnyside, they are open M-T 8 am till Midnight.

You can even bring your own oil.

I am running Mobil 1 5W-20 in the Sedan

Maybe I'll go to Sunnyside...did they give you any problems when you told them you had your own oil? Did they actually use YOUR oil?? I've heard the stories about that...not at Sunnyside.

[fesersoft]

Originally Posted by OHSiGuy

Maybe I'll go to Sunnyside...did they give you any problems when you told them you had your own oil? Did they actually use YOUR oil?? I've heard the stories about that...not at Sunnyside.

I use Sunnyside and never had any issues.

You can bring your own oil if you want or just have them do it.

They are open till midnight m-thurs.

I think the oil change was 17 bucks for the filter, labor and tax.

Steve is the guy I deal with most of the time.