Civic_Nightmare

Hello i was just wondering what are your opinions on synthetic vs regular oil?

Now i know that (supposedly0 synthetic oil is better, but what do you guys prefer for your civic?

MindBomber

Royal Purple

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

redline 5w30

maxtierney

iTrader: (5)

Honda 5W-20

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

which one the old mobil1 dino, or new kendall synthetic blend?

maxtierney

iTrader: (5)

Ummm... Yes, that is correct. It's been so long since I've changed my own oil, I have no idea. Didn't even know that Mobil 1 or Kendall Synthetic is what Honda used. I guess I should have asked once in the 10 years I've been going to the dealer.

I'm going to crawl under my rock now. I feel like one of those guys in the comercial that didn't know that Geico could save you 15 perecnt. Haha.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i think honda switched to kendall about 6 months ago. they come in the darker black bottles now and there is more variety. i think some types are even full syn depending on the car.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

Synthetic is definetly better then regular especially if you do a lot of driving like I do. I swiched it over as soon as I bought the car. Castrol Syntec 5w-20 is what I use.

MarkieMark

i just use the cheapo walmart 5w30 supertech(synthetic) w/ a bosch premium oil filter. no problems here. oil change every 5k miles.

MonKy

Anyone feel that high mileage part synthetic blends like valvoline or castrol gtx are that much better than full synthetic? And is it really bad to switch from full synthetic to part synthetic

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

you can switch all you want. the valvoline maxlife synpower is very good. not a true synthetic (its a groupIII), but the only hi mileage synthetic worth mentioning. i tried it before switching to redline and couldnt tell a difference. i did feel a difference switching from regular maxlife to synpower synthetic maxlife. the only thing is its a very hard oil to find. i think only napa can special order it. not sold in any store ive seen. the regular semi-syn maxlife is sold everywhere but its not the same as the synpower maxlife.

Nosepicker

I've always used Mobile1 full syn on all my vehicles (zero mileage). Heck even for all my motorcycles (moto specific oil, of course) and never had any issues whatsoever.

I hear Amsoil is good but too pricey for me. An Amsoil rep even confessed Mobile1 is pretty much up there with theirs.

Civic_Nightmare

ive been trying to research all these oils but i just went with castrol GTX.... i want try something different next time but my local autozone has a limited selection..

Nosepicker

Honestly, I don't think there's any "Best" oil. I mean, when's the last time you heard anyone say, "Damn, my engine broke down because I used some crappy oil!"

They're all good IMHO...just make sure you use the right viscosity.

clamhammer99

Ams oil. full syn.

MarkieMark

exactly.
i was a former mobil 1 and castrol user but prices are just not worth paying for right now. now i just use supertech synthetic and even that is going up in price. i noticed NO differences between any of the oils.

OP, go on bobisthoilguy for a ton of info and tests done on different types of oil. i'm sure you will get a better answer there.

scot0410

Amsoil 0w 20 here.

Nosepicker

^^^
Dang, you must change your oil a lot!

scot0410

Every six months or six thousand miles in my current vehicles. Odyssey and Civic.

JohnHenry

Proven fact:
Synthetic oils such as Royal Purple, Mobile 1, Ams oil have dyno proven results and benefits for your personal harder driving needs and engine life... Less friction, means easier moving.... along with seal conditioners, additives to fight sludge, and nasty deposits. My fav was mobile 1 untill I read up on and tried Royal Purple---$8.99 a Qt. at local auto stores...


http://www.nolimitmotorsport.com/royalpurple/dyno.html

MindBomber

That is a very good link, +rep.

I pay $90 for 12 quarts by buying a full case at a time, works out to $7.50 a quart or about $30 per change.

I'll also comment, that although you don't often hear people complain that an engine died because someone used cheap oil, it's not uncommon at all to hear of engines dying because people didn't change the oil regularly enough. If you're busy and have difficulty fitting in time to change the oil, therefore pushing the change intervals, then synthetic is well worth the investment. I drive fairly hard on my frequent runs in the mountains, so I know realistically my oil will degrade quickly, and that's why I use synthetic.

JohnHenry

double post-- thanks to this un godly server slowness here.

JohnHenry

If you have a high mileage engine, synthetic is so slippery it can develop leaks as well, if you hit it straight with synthetic. I slowly convert over a couple oil changes off setting the ratio of synthetic vs. regular--still name brand effecient oil... Lower mileage enignes, theres nothing better than converting to synthetic. Less friction means easier moving, but also running cooler as well. As far as weight, if you don't know-----> find out, either on oil cap under the hood, or google/yahoo it-- year,make,model--oil specs. If you have worn piston rings, just tired engine, higher weight is better compression.

youmadeyou

Filters anyone ??????

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

mobil1, K&N, napa gold (wix), purolator pureone, amsoil (if you have $$).

MindBomber

Toyo Roki S2K filters or Hamp.

Nosepicker

I was a firm believer that it really didn't matter when you switch so long as you switched. However, I'm starting to believe what you may be saying could be possibly true...to an extent.

I believe if you already had a VERY SLOW leak only then will switching to synthetic oil cause the leak to be that much more evident.

kbook

You have a nice taste : ) I have never bought Hamp since it's quite expensive but I am tempted.

I like Toyo Roki filter also, I used to use it when I was in Chicago and It was many years ago. Now, I can only see Filtech (A01) and Fram-made OEM (A02)

Here's what I used to fill. Without Used Oil Analysis, It's hard to tell but my philosophy is find the deal in the ads all the time

Even the fake synthetic (group III) but 2$/bottle after rebate, it's worth every penny. However, it's pretty good so I do not mind using Group III at all.

Oil

All-time favorite: Valvoline Synpower 5W-20

Most Trusted: Mobil 1 5W-20

Cheap day: House brand (O'Reilly Fully Synthetic) I think it may be group III because it's too cheap. It's $2.xx /quart

Penzoil Platinum 5W-20 is also received a great review by the BITOG (Bob is the oil guy forum)

I stopped using Castrol syntec 5W-20 for the fact that they overpriced. (this is my very first synthetic oil brand I filled)

I used to use Amsoil 5W-30 since at that time there is no 5W-20 XL, It's but I also trust its spec. Since there are lots of amsoil product line. This is the signature product which i believe that they use true synthetic based oil. Now, it's about $10/ quarts. Amsoil 5W-20 XL is not the same based used in the signature line at the time I read which was many years ago. They might change the formulation. This is cheaper than the top line and the last one I just found at O'Reilly is the Amsoil O.E. synthetic 5W-20 it's about $7 a quart. I have no idea what kind of base oil and the spec.

I just filled my CR-V with Castrol EDGE 5W-20, the engine noise is quieter than the oil filled from the dealer which I don't know what they filled. I will see what I can observe during this winter.

Oil Filter

I like Honda OEM (A01) made by filtech. I don't like the A02 made by Fram (Honeywell) for some ** PAPER ** reason.

other good fiilters

- Mobil 1 Extended, usually buys with motor oils (cheaper) ** $10 (very good filter just like K&N)
- BOSCH (old style black can) i don't see them anymore. it used to be $3.75
- WIX filter, NAPA GOLD also made by WIX.

Running Riot

Ok I don't understand why everyone keeps saying that synthetic oils will leak if used or blah blah blah unless someone can give me irrefutable proof otherwise the only difference between conventional and synthetic oil is that conventional oil is BASED on a natural source of oil aka crude. Synthetic oil is based on a synthetic crude. One is not slipperier than the other. Why? viscosity. Viscosity is a rating that explains how easily a liquid moves from one place to another. Ok so now that this is explained and understood, how can you say a 5w30 syntec is slipperier than a 5w30 conventional? it isn't. Synthetic protects better because crude (being pure organic) decomposes. Synthetic, being not of organic base does not....as quickly or easily. That is it. That's the difference. One wont make it leak or whatever. That whole if you switch thing is for old old cars. Chances are unless you have a civic older than your mom you will be fine switching back and forth. NBD.

There is really only three places that oil can leak to the exterior if memory serves me correctly. The oil pan, the oil sending unit/pressure switch or the cam/dizzy seals. Can someone fill me in as to how these seals will leak oil when switching from synthetic to conventional oil? Where else can oil leak from? Ah yes, the oil rings. The oil rings are made of what again? oh yeah, metal. So we can leave that at that.

To the OP I have been using Honda Original Filters and Castrol Tection 5w40 and am very satisfied with my experience. I have used Rotella and the Mobil Diesel oil as well and have also been pleased with those as well. I have used them in a D16y7 D16y8 B16a B18c and B18b and have never been let down and each one has impressed me beyond any synthetic or conventional gasoline engine oil.

kbook

Running Riot, you're such a riot. I am kiddin'

Alright, you are asking a lots but i'll try my best to explain them.

Synthetic Oil will leak? without additives added to the synthetic based oil yes it will shrink the seal. I'll get to that.

What consider true synthetic group IV and group V based oil. It's human made by compressing methane gas or what ever. The chemists did that.

Group IV PAO stands for Poly-alpha-olefin is used by lots AMSOIL is one of them.
Group V ester based - Redline for instance.

I am not sure if ester based will cause the seal shrinkage or not but some claimed it will cause the swollen to the seal. This one I have no answer to that. In contradiction, the poly alpha olefin based will cause the shrinkage of the seal. If you have an old car which the seal is not good and you pour the synthetic in there, it might break the seal even more. Now you can see the picture.REFERENCE TO PDF

Look under seal compatibility section of the document.

To me, dino(saur) oil (I love this word) or crude oil may contain lots of impurities that it cannot isolate it out like wax and etc compare to the synthetic oil which the manufacturer process is control so I think more purify.

Slippery or not? Yes both are slippery, they are all hydrocarbons anyway. The crude oil are longer chain hydrocarbon and refinery will crack the long chain into shorter chain. I do not think slippery is good word to compare. It doesn't provide any measurable.

In term of reducing friction or in your understanding, I think they put lots of additives into motor oil to reduce friction between the pistons and cylinders. Molybdenum is one of the key to reduce friction since the moly will fill cylinder wall's micro pores and smooth them out hence it reduce friction. However, I will ask my Organic Chemistry tomorrow about the slippery between synthetic and dino.

But my guess, the longer chain of hydrocarbons the more viscosity. I hope this should answer your questions.

READ MORE HERE

VERY GOOD PRESENTATION BETWEEN GROUPS II III IV

MOTOR OIL Good one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocracking
Synthetic oil

Ester in lubricant