Do any of yall use 0w-20 motor oil, in your accord? I heard it might improve gas a little but I also heard that it might wear down engine parts faster. Any thoughts? Thanks

Do any of yall use 0w-20 motor oil, in your accord? I heard it might improve gas a little but I also heard that it might wear down engine parts faster. Any thoughts? Thanks


Use it as you would a 5W-20, it will flow a bit better in really cold weather(below zero). If it is rated SM GF-4, your motor will outlast the rest of the car.

Does SM GF-4, pertain to the 0w-20 motor oil? Does brand name make a difference? Thanks

I found out what you are talking about. On Amsoils website it talks about GF-4 and 3, that it passed. Mobile 1 and Pennzoil also had the same but I think they where more less built for hybrids.
Do you think this would be a bad oil for higher temperatures? I live in Arkansas so by the end of March it starts to warm up. All the websites say that there oil is good for cooler temperatures. But as long as I am saving some gas money, I'll try it!

My truck recommends 0-20. I can't tell the difference in performance, but I'm sure 0-20 is nice for that cold weather. The only real difference is the viscosity at start up.

The thinner the better @ start up. Can't get any better than 0 for that.

I use Mobile 1 synthetic 5w-20 now. I saw that Mobile 1 does offer a 0w-20 but also a company named Amsoil. I checked out Amsoil's website and there oil looked convincingly better, on the test they ran. But none where on the oil that I use. They continue on saying more positive things about there oil, from reliability to better gas mileage. But my question is, how come it is so hard to find? I have to drive about 65 miles to find it for sale. So that kind of makes me think maybe this is not all it cracks out to be. I don't think this is a bad motor oil, just no one sells it. Does anyone know why? Thanks

I used it on number of OCI with no problem

Used it for four years.......terrible stuff! Damn car only gets 27 in town and 35 on the highway.

RTexasF,

Surely you jest.

Anyway, I'm currently using AMSOIL 0W20. There is nothing wrong with using any 0W20 in any part of the country. Higher outside ambient temperatures have the most impact on the cooling system, not so much the oil. However, if you are taking the car to the track, then oil temps can shoot up due to loads, etc.

AMSOIL is usually sold through local dealers. Some dealers are crackpots and don't really know what they are talking about just like many parts store employees. There are others that are very helpful, knowledgeable, and pleasant to deal with. You can also order directly from AMSOIL online. If you pay the $10 for a 6-month preferred membership (like Sam's Club) you'll get better pricing. If you want to buy from a dealer (or rep) then go to bob is the oil guy and look at the 3-4 site sponsors. They are top notch.

I looked at 1 auto store, in the little city I live in, and they only carried the Mobile 1, in a 0w-20. I bought 5 quarts for 6.25 a piece. I asked for Amsoil at first but they did not carry that brand, they said. But I just changed the oil and this stuff is very nice. It was about 33 degrees out today but the engine ran a little smoother. I only drove about 25 miles, so I did not see a change in m.p.g. But that is way too few miles to tell. But I would like to say that the 0w-20 runs great, so far!

RTexasF,

Surely you jest.

Anyway, I'm currently using AMSOIL 0W20. There is nothing wrong with using any 0W20 in any part of the country. Higher outside ambient temperatures have the most impact on the cooling system, not so much the oil. However, if you are taking the car to the track, then oil temps can shoot up due to loads, etc.

AMSOIL is usually sold through local dealers. Some dealers are crackpots and don't really know what they are talking about just like many parts store employees. There are others that are very helpful, knowledgeable, and pleasant to deal with. You can also order directly from AMSOIL online. If you pay the $10 for a 6-month preferred membership (like Sam's Club) you'll get better pricing. If you want to buy from a dealer (or rep) then go to bob is the oil guy and look at the 3-4 site sponsors. They are top notch.


Yes, I was just being silly. Good stuff use it without fear.

I bought 5 quarts for 6.25 a piece! :eek:

0 is best but I'll stick with Motorcraft semi-syn 5w-20 for 2.42 a quart @ Wal-Mart. Combined w/ a Mobil 1 oil filter I feel pretty secure about my motor.

I use Mobile 1 synthetic 5w-20 now. I saw that Mobile 1 does offer a 0w-20 but also a company named Amsoil. I checked out Amsoil's website and there oil looked convincingly better, on the test they ran. But none where on the oil that I use. They continue on saying more positive things about there oil, from reliability to better gas mileage. But my question is, how come it is so hard to find? I have to drive about 65 miles to find it for sale. So that kind of makes me think maybe this is not all it cracks out to be. I don't think this is a bad motor oil, just no one sells it. Does anyone know why? Thanks

Do you honestly think that Amsoil is going to have any information other than that which makes their product look good? I don't know of any company that would do that. You should always take information on company's websites with a grain of salt... remember, they're trying to get you to buy the product.

That being said, Amsoil is a good product. Many people use it and swear by it. The reason it is not sold in many places is because they are not a very big company. They only produce a fraction of what Mobil and Shell do, which means that they cannot beat these giants when it comes to price. Most people going into an auto parts store will have never heard of Amsoil, so they will be unlikely to pay more for a brand they've never heard of.

And I was thinking the same thing. Mobile, Pennzoil, Castrol, Havoline, and so on, are big componies run by oil manufactures. And like what sjlee was saying, that webcites are built so that they can sell you a product. As far as I know, they might just be the same oil, from the same hole in the ground.

And I was thinking the same thing. Mobile, Pennzoil, Castrol, Havoline, and so on, are big componies run by oil manufactures. And like what sjlee was saying, that webcites are built so that they can sell you a product. As far as I know, they might just be the same oil, from the same hole in the ground.

Oil actually does come from the "same hole in the ground". The differences between brands is the additives that they put into it.

Amsoil is a very nice product. It's a bit more expensive than let's say Mobil 1 but Amsoil is capable of longer OCI's. If you're going to change oil 5k or under, today's dino's are fine. 5k to 10k OCI's, I'd say a group 3 synthetic would be appropriate. Above 10k, I'd go with Amsoil.:thmsup:

AMsoil is a great oil, but totally unecessary in a stock Honda. So is any other synthetic.These engines usually outlast the rest of the car if serviced with dino. Doesn't stop me from using 2qt Syntec 5-20 and 2 1/2 qt Catrol GTX 5-20 with plain Puro filter.

AMsoil is a great oil, but totally unecessary in a stock Honda. So is any other synthetic.These engines usually outlast the rest of the car if serviced with dino. Doesn't stop me from using 2qt Syntec 5-20 and 2 1/2 qt Catrol GTX 5-20 with plain Puro filter.

I agree. I plan on running nothing but conventional oil in both of our Hondas. With the Pilot, I'm doing 7500 mi OCIs (currently have about 36k and no problems)... with the Accord, I'll do it when the MM system drops to about 5-10%.

You're a braver man than I. 5000 would be the max i would go on regular oil.

You're a braver man than I. 5000 would be the max i would go on regular oil.

Well, I can honestly say that I was a bit uneasy about doing it. On my previous car (Integra), I followed the severe schedule... 3750mi OCIs.

But after doing some reading on BITOG, reading the owner's manual and some curiosity, I figured that if Honda thinks that conventional oil can go 7500 miles, why not? Our driving habits match what Honda describes as "Normal", so I'm following the "Normal Maintenance Schedule".

As time goes by (we're at 36k miles), I'm more comfortable about it (no problems yet). Time will tell if the 7500mi OCIs will cause any problems. I figure problems won't start showing up for a while... maybe not even until after we sell it. If there are problems related to infrequent oil changes, then I'll know for sure what the limits of conventional oil are. Who knows... maybe a class action lawsuit would be in order? :lmao: Just kidding.

Your '07 has the oil minder system correct? Is it showing oil life remaining @ 7500 miles?

Your '07 has the oil minder system correct? Is it showing oil life remaining @ 7500 miles?

Reread my previous post... I'm doing 7500mi OCIs on our Pilot (no MM), not the Accord. I'm going to follow the MM on the Accord. The Pilot sees more highway mileage than the Accord (mostly city driving), so my guess is that the MM will drop to 10% around 5k miles.

Sorry......failure to thoroughly read post! DUH!

I tried the 0w-20 motor oil, all most 2 weeks ago. Over the weekend I drove about 200 miles and I could tell a difference in this oil! The car was running on lower r.p.m., at the regular speeds, and I know this b/c I always drive 70 m.p.h., down this same highway! The r.p.m. was running about 150 less reps than before! Every time I fill up my tank of gas I reset the trip odometer and I got about 30 more miles, on half a tank of gas. I have 240 miles on a little over half a tank! I have been checking the engine temperature and have seen no change.

You're a braver man than I. 5000 would be the max i would go on regular oil.

I guess I have to agree. I'm a frequent reader on BITOG and have yet to find an oil analysis that supports a dino OCI much past 5-6K.

I tried the 0w-20 motor oil, all most 2 weeks ago. Over the weekend I drove about 200 miles and I could tell a difference in this oil! The car was running on lower r.p.m., at the regular speeds, and I know this b/c I always drive 70 m.p.h., down this same highway! The r.p.m. was running about 150 less reps than before! Every time I fill up my tank of gas I reset the trip odometer and I got about 30 more miles, on half a tank of gas. I have 240 miles on a little over half a tank! I have been checking the engine temperature and have seen no change.

OK - here's a question about this observation. I'm not disputing this, because way back in the day when I worked for ARCO, they made graphite-loaded conventional motor oil called ARCOgraphite. It was pretty interesting stuff; apparently the graphite was submicron size so it went through the filter, but there were claims from at least tens of employees in the company newspaper about better mileage and lower engine rpms at a given mph. I myself saw a 100-200 rpm drop in rpm at 60 mph (back in the days of the double nickel).

I had another engineer ask me this question that I couldn"t answer and so I pose here. Consider this:

A drivetrain has a final drive ratio that is a fixed ratio of engine rpm to drive shaft rpm. Whether it's a manual or a slushbox with a lockup converter, this drive ratio should not change. It's a mechanical system. So how are the lower rpms at a given mph even possible? I can understand less fuel required because of reduced frictional losses, but to change the final drive ratio?

Can someone explain this to me?

And remember, I saw this effect. Or at least I convinced myself at the time that I saw the effect.

It is impossible. I decided not to challenge the post you are referring to but since you brought it up..... First off look at a Honda tach. Can YOU see a 150 RPM difference? In short it's wishful thinking and mechanically not possible. Absolutely imagined by the driver as well as the MPG increase.

I guess I have to agree. I'm a frequent reader on BITOG and have yet to find an oil analysis that supports a dino OCI much past 5-6K.

You need to search more... this guy has UOAs for both 5k and 10k OCIs...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1053743&fpart=1

In any case, are you not finding more UOAs that support longer OCIs because not many have tried doing 7500mi OCIs on conventional? There are many people who've done 5k mile UOAs and got excellent results... do you think that the last 2500 miles would be the problem?

Are you saying that I shouldn't trust Honda's recommendation for OCIs? If so, where do you draw the line with their maintenance recommendations? If you're willing to throw out the owner's manual when it comes to oil changes, what about the tranny fluid?

You need to search more... this guy has UOAs for both 5k and 10k OCIs...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1053743&fpart=1



Perhaps you should search more also. The link you offered relates to Mobil 7500, a synthetic blend, not just plain dino.

In any case, are you not finding more UOAs that support longer OCIs because not many have tried doing 7500mi OCIs on conventional? There are many people who've done 5k mile UOAs and got excellent results... do you think that the last 2500 miles would be the problem?

Possibly; that's my point. I don't dispute that you can go 5-6k on dino but at what point beyond does the oil become unserviceable?

Are you saying that I shouldn't trust Honda's recommendation for OCIs? If so, where do you draw the line with their maintenance recommendations? If you're willing to throw out the owner's manual when it comes to oil changes, what about the tranny fluid?
Obviously, you can do whatever you'd like with your vehicles. If you want to blindly follow Honda's recommendation, that's your choice.:thmsup:

As for me, I'd like to find some evidence (not opinion) that going 10k on regular dino (not synthetic blend) is OK for our Accords.:dude:

I am not making it up, that I have about, 60 miles added on to a tank of gas! And also my car is running at least 100 lower revolutions in the r.p.m. odometer! Now maybe it what I live around or how I drive. I live in Arkansas and the weather changes constantly from warm to cold. But I drive very conservatively to try and save every drop of gas.

Consider this:

A drivetrain has a final drive ratio that is a fixed ratio of engine rpm to drive shaft rpm. Whether it's a manual or a slushbox with a lockup converter, this drive ratio should not change. It's a mechanical system. So how are the lower rpms at a given mph even possible? I can understand less fuel required because of reduced frictional losses, but to change the final drive ratio?

Can someone explain this to me?

And remember, I saw this effect. Or at least I convinced myself at the time that I saw the effect.As you stated, it's NOT POSSIBLE!

If you're willing to throw out the owner's manual when it comes to oil changes, what about the tranny fluid?

I throw them out too. I don't discriminate. :D

Perhaps you should search more also. The link you offered relates to Mobil 7500, a synthetic blend, not just plain dino.



Possibly; that's my point. I don't dispute that you can go 5-6k on dino but at what point beyond does the oil become unserviceable?


Obviously, you can do whatever you'd like with your vehicles. If you want to blindly follow Honda's recommendation, that's your choice.:thmsup:

As for me, I'd like to find some evidence (not opinion) that going 10k on regular dino (not synthetic blend) is OK for our Accords.:dude:

You're right the OP in that link is using a synth-blend. There are other posts in that thread of owners who are following 7500 mi OCIs, but not the OP.

So, do you question all of Honda's recommendations or just their OCI recommendation? You trust them to design/build a reliable car, but yet mistrust their OCI recommendation. :paranoid:

I agree that there isn't a whole lot of evidence out there to support that 7500 mi OCIs are fine for an engine. My guess is that people are still too afraid to change old habits, so they don't even try. Heck, it took a while for people to move away from 3k mile OCIs (some still do it that often). This is why I've decided to see how our Pilot fares. This will be the first time I've gone with such long OCIs, but I figure if I don't try it, how will I (or anyone else for that matter) know if what Honda recommends is right or not. My guess is that other things will fall apart on the vehicle (tranny, rust, etc.) long before anything engine related happens.

So, do you question all of Honda's recommendations or just their OCI recommendation? You trust them to design/build a reliable car, but yet mistrust their OCI recommendation. :paranoid:

I don't trust the recommendations that are run through the marketing department such as the maintenance items. Also, it's not a matter of "trust" in the design/build of my car.

I don't trust the recommendations that are run through the marketing department such as the maintenance items. Also, it's not a matter of "trust" in the design/build of my car.

So, your assumption is that the maintenance schedules are written by the marketing dept, not by the engineers? What makes you think that?

No one has still answered my question... why is it you don't trust the recommended OCI, but you still follow the manual for other maintenance?

Anyway, I'm not saying that you're wrong... just trying to understand where you're coming from. You may actually be correct in saying that 7500mi OCIs are too long on conventional oil. I've decided to do a UOA when I do my next oil change to see what the results are. If the results come back with poor numbers, I'll shorten my OCIs.

In any case, I'll post up my numbers once I get them back.

Please do. I will be interested as well.

I don't trust the recommendations that are run through the marketing department such as the maintenance items. Also, it's not a matter of "trust" in the design/build of my car.

+1 :thmsup: Corporate wants it to appear their cars have lower maintenance costs than the competition to sell more cars. Dealers want to change the oil at 3750 to make more money. Somewhere in middle is prob ideal..like 5k.

Who knows what your getting with the dealer bulk oil.

10K OCI's even with synthetic oil is not worth the risk in my book. period. yeah the oil is better, but with warm up and cool down cylces of the engine, condensation forms. thus, water. now, there is a real, actual problem. here's a portion of a TSB from Audi. and currently we have two cars here in our shop right now with this problem. one had enough lack of oil to the head to destroy the cam journals, so that car is getting a cylinder head. warranty of course, but the guy's going to be without his car for at least a week, probably two.

Condition

Immediately following an engine cold start with very low ambient temperatures (below -10°C / -15°C or 14°F / 5°F).

• The engine oil pressure too low warning light is illuminated.

• The engine is abnormally noisy and rattling.


The complaint may occur on vehicles that are operated in extreme conditions such as mainly used for very short-distance operation or where the engine operating temperature is often not reached after a cold start.

Technical Background

The moisture collecting in the oil pan under extreme conditions may freeze with very cold temperature, and the resulting ice crystals may restrict the strainer of the oil pump intake pipe. This slows the buildup of the oil pressure at cold start.



moisture. water settles under the oil(oil floats on water, right?), and can, and aparently does form ice in cold climates. and the ice forms in the bottom of the oil pan, which guess what, that's where the oil pickup is. synthetic oil does not cure this problem as that's what's required for this given car anyways. it's the 10K change interval and moisture accumulation that results from it.

oil changes are cheap, I'll stick with every 3K miles. even with synthetic, just for this reason.

but, maybe I'm just old fashion.

but that's my take on it.

My cousin has a 93 Saturn manual that he bought new in 92. He doesn't know anything about cars according to him. He lives in the Chicago area..tough winters. His car has over 200k. The only thing he does is change the oil every 3k. It also has the original clutch.

I guess he learned something from his dad..he drives a ford sedan..I think a contour with over 200k also.

So, your assumption is that the maintenance schedules are written by the marketing dept, not by the engineers? What makes you think that?

No one has still answered my question... why is it you don't trust the recommended OCI, but you still follow the manual for other maintenance?

Anyway, I'm not saying that you're wrong... just trying to understand where you're coming from. You may actually be correct in saying that 7500mi OCIs are too long on conventional oil. I've decided to do a UOA when I do my next oil change to see what the results are. If the results come back with poor numbers, I'll shorten my OCIs.

In any case, I'll post up my numbers once I get them back.

I didn't say that the manual was written by the marketing dept but that it is run through them. Most of my maintenance items are determined by measurement, whether by UOA of oil & ATF, or tire wear, battery voltage, etc. The manual is merely a ball park recommendation (some are pretty big ball parks) until you learn the car under your driving and storage conditions. They totally missed it on the ATF interval as do many mfg. Remember that the car mfg goals do not usually coincide with my goals.

A conventional oil can go 10k miles w/o much of a problem under the right circumstances. The typical fuel diluting Honda is not such an environment. However, it may very well be ok to Honda based on their condemnation limits. My condemnation limits are lower than Honda's though.

My cousin has a 93 Saturn manual that he bought new in 92. He doesn't know anything about cars according to him. He lives in the Chicago area..tough winters. His car has over 200k. The only thing he does is change the oil every 3k. It also has the original clutch.

I guess he learned something from his dad..he drives a ford sedan..I think a contour with over 200k also.

What's your point? No one said doing more frequent oil changes would hurt your car. How do you know he wouldn't have had the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer?

10K OCI's even with synthetic oil is not worth the risk in my book. period. yeah the oil is better, but with warm up and cool down cylces of the engine, condensation forms. thus, water. now, there is a real, actual problem. here's a portion of a TSB from Audi. and currently we have two cars here in our shop right now with this problem. one had enough lack of oil to the head to destroy the cam journals, so that car is getting a cylinder head. warranty of course, but the guy's going to be without his car for at least a week, probably two.

moisture. water settles under the oil(oil floats on water, right?), and can, and aparently does form ice in cold climates. and the ice forms in the bottom of the oil pan, which guess what, that's where the oil pickup is. synthetic oil does not cure this problem as that's what's required for this given car anyways. it's the 10K change interval and moisture accumulation that results from it.

oil changes are cheap, I'll stick with every 3K miles. even with synthetic, just for this reason.

but, maybe I'm just old fashion.

but that's my take on it.

I change oil every 3 months, works out to a bit less than 3,000 miles OCI, it's just easy for me to remember to do it on 1st of Jan, Apr, July, and Oct. I may do a couple of long trips in one of those 3-month period, but it only varies the mileage by maybe 1,000 miles, still well under the OCI numbers discussed here.

Re: Moisture in the oil, that "should" not be a big problem IF the car is brought to operating temperature on a regular basis, the heat from the engine as the oil is circulating through it will boil off the moisture for the most part.

avio,

Moisture is not the issue usually but fuel and the nasties left over after some of it burns off.

What's your point? No one said doing more frequent oil changes would hurt your car. How do you know he wouldn't have had the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer?

I was replying to the previous post by Stevel about 3k oci's.

What's your point? No one said doing more frequent oil changes would hurt your car. How do you know he wouldn't have had the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer?

Maybe he was just doing what his owner's manual suggested?:dunno: If he was, he's doing the same thing as you're suggesting (following the manufacturer's recommendations).

How do you know he would have the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer? That's really the question you should be asking yourself. I can't argue with the approach when you get 200k out of it.:yes:

Maybe he was just doing what his owner's manual suggested?:dunno: If he was, he's doing the same thing as you're suggesting (following the manufacturer's recommendations).

How do you know he would have the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer? That's really the question you should be asking yourself. I can't argue with the approach when you get 200k out of it.:yes:

I don't know... but that's part of my point.

His post seemed to indicate that because his cousin did 3k mi OCIs he was able to get over 200k miles trouble-free on his car. My point is that 3k mi OCIs is a relatively short interval, and the car might have easily performed just as well with 5k mi OCIs.

WisAccord,

We should try to be doing a better job and pushing the envelope. Nothing new is learned being happy with the way we used to do things. That is my argument with the approach. Of course, I'm not saying to do things "willy-nilly" w/o thought.

He would get the same results, with everything else being equal, using 5k mile OCIs b/c many other people do.

What's your point? No one said doing more frequent oil changes would hurt your car. How do you know he wouldn't have had the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer?

Who knows.:dunno:

I think the better question is, "how do you know he would have had the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer?":yes:

I just got back from a 120 mile trip today. I got up to 415 miles and I decided to get some gas. The yellow light, had not come on yet though. I filled it up with about 12.5 gallons of gas. So I took 415/12.5=33.2 m.p.g. I do mainly highway about 70% but I do a lot of stop and go driving, around the city, I live in. So I go from about a 29.8 m.p.g. to over a 33 m.p.g. I obied the speed limits and did everything the same as usual.
A thought came across my mind today and that is, should I switch back to 5w-20, as soon as it gets warm? I mainly switched becasue of the cool weather but summers in Arkansas are hot and sticky. Do you think I should change back or just keep the 0w-20 oil? Thanks

I just got back from a 120 mile trip today. I got up to 415 miles and I decided to get some gas. The yellow light, had not come on yet though. I filled it up with about 12.5 gallons of gas. So I took 415/12.5=33.2 m.p.g. I do mainly highway about 70% but I do a lot of stop and go driving, around the city, I live in. So I go from about a 29.8 m.p.g. to over a 33 m.p.g. I obied the speed limits and did everything the same as usual.
A thought came across my mind today and that is, should I switch back to 5w-20, as soon as it gets warm? I mainly switched becasue of the cool weather but summers in Arkansas are hot and sticky. Do you think I should change back or just keep the 0w-20 oil? Thanks

I don't see a reason to switch. Both oils will be the same viscosity once they reach operating temperature.

No reason to switch at all. 0W20 is a very good oil, use it all year long. Switching from a 0 to a 5 weight for summer makes no sense whatsoever. They are both 20 weight oils, why would you switch back and forth?

Who knows.:dunno:

I think the better question is, "how do you know he would have had the same results doing 5k OCIs or longer?":yes:

I'm basing my opinion on the fact that today many people are doing 5k mile OCIs now and reporting that their UOAs have had excellent results.

The only way we'd be able to definitively determine if there's a real difference with different OCIs would be to drive three identical cars identically (same trips, same speed, etc. at the same time) and get a UOA on one at 3k, one at 5k and one at 7500 (or any other intervals).

I just heard that a thicker oil is better for warmer weather. But I think that I will stay with the 0w-20, for as long as I have this car.
I was thinking of running this oil for about 5,000 miles but the sticker says 3,000. But I know that, what ever oil I use, they are going to want me to come in every 3,000 miles. The Accords owners manual says that I can go up to 10,000 miles before a oil change. But as soon as I am over 3,000 miles I get worried. Any ideas of how long I should keep the oil running? Thanks

I just heard that a thicker oil is better for warmer weather. But I think that I will stay with the 0w-20, for as long as I have this car.
I was thinking of running this oil for about 5,000 miles but the sticker says 3,000. But I know that, what ever oil I use, they are going to want me to come in every 3,000 miles. The Accords owners manual says that I can go up to 10,000 miles before a oil change. But as soon as I am over 3,000 miles I get worried. Any ideas of how long I should keep the oil running? Thanks

Once warmed up, 0W-20 will be the same viscosity as 5W-20... so the "thicker is better" rule doesn't apply. In any case, you're fine running that oil.

Your oil is a full synthetic, right? If that's the case, you'll have no problems going at least 5k miles between oil changes. In fact, you probably could go even longer. I think Amsoil warranties their oil for a certain mileage (check their website).

If you want to know for sure how well your oil is holding up, get a UOA (used oil analysis) test done.

WisAccord,

We should try to be doing a better job and pushing the envelope. Nothing new is learned being happy with the way we used to do things. That is my argument with the approach. Of course, I'm not saying to do things "willy-nilly" w/o thought.

He would get the same results, with everything else being equal, using 5k mile OCIs b/c many other people do.


I don't disagree that we shouldn't be open to trying new things (i.e. longer OCI's). But (for me at least) I'd like to see some data; nothing wrong with that.

Over on BITOG, people are regularly going 5-6k on dino. And if that's what the maintenance minder is recommending, fine. But what if your maintenenance minder is recommending a 10k OCI (like I think mine will)? On dino, I'd like to see some data. Maybe everything is fine; Honda knows what they're doing, but I'd still like to see some objective info. BITOG, so far as I know, doesn't have anyone running a 10k OCI on dino...that's all I'm saying. Maybe I'll be the first one, but it won't be because I blindly followed manufacture recommendations. It will be because I have UOAs to back it up.

The only way we'd be able to definitively determine if there's a real difference with different OCIs would be to drive three identical cars identically (same trips, same speed, etc. at the same time) and get a UOA on one at 3k, one at 5k and one at 7500 (or any other intervals).

Exactly!:thumbsup:

Or drive one car relatively the same way and test the oil at let's say 5k, 7.5k and maybe 10k if the previous UOAs warrant continued use.

Well,

and.

The manual is merely a ball park recommendation (some are pretty big ball parks) until you learn the car under your driving and storage conditions. They totally missed it on the ATF interval as do many mfg. Remember that the car mfg goals do not usually coincide with my goals.
Your goals probably represent a very, very small percentage of new car purchasers. While they are legitimate, the OEM may not be able to satisfy them as their maintenance schedule suits the needs of 95% (or higher) of their clients.

I don't think they missed it on the ATF. I talk to an engineer at GM on a regular basis who is very, very high up "there" and he tells me the tests that he runs. The conditions are far more severe that most users would ever operate their vehicle under.

Do any of yall use 0w-20 motor oil, in your accord? I heard it might improve gas a little but I also heard that it might wear down engine parts faster. Any thoughts? Thanks

Just switched to Amsoil 0W20. I drove on Amsoil 0W30 since 40,000KM. I have just over 382,000. I change oil+filter every 30,000. I am the living proof that some synthetic oils are as good as they claim. I had an oil analysis performed st 370,000. I think I can drive to the moon and back one more time.

I use Mobile 1 synthetic 5w-20 now. I saw that Mobile 1 does offer a 0w-20 but also a company named Amsoil. I checked out Amsoil's website and there oil looked convincingly better, on the test they ran. But none where on the oil that I use. They continue on saying more positive things about there oil, from reliability to better gas mileage. But my question is, how come it is so hard to find? I have to drive about 65 miles to find it for sale. So that kind of makes me think maybe this is not all it cracks out to be. I don't think this is a bad motor oil, just no one sells it. Does anyone know why? Thanks

This is funny. I asked the same question many years ago. Amsoil does not really sell off the shelf. They sell their oil through a multi-lvel marketing method (Pyramid), where Al Amathusio is sitting on the top of the pyramid. Works almos like AMWAY. I have driven for millions of kilometers, used at least 40 different brands ranging from pure 0 oil (not 0W20 etc) to some Russian castor racing oil. I now use Amsoil exclusively. I am convinced that there's nothing better under any operating conditions than Amsoil 0W30. If you want to purchase it go to Amsoil website and search for distribution centers in your area. You can become a member of the pyramid which allows you purchase their products at a discounted rate.