Synthetic Oil... Yes or No?

[Dubs13]

I recently swapped my CX engine with a ZC DOHC. It had approximately 60,000 km on it and I've put roughly 5,000 on it so far. I've been told by many experienced people I know to switch to synthetic, one of the reasons being that I tend to drive hard sometimes and synthetic is better for that. Along with other reasons which I'm aware of.

I'm asking those who really know this engine well, does it handle syntheic oil well or would I be making a mistake in switiching to it? Thanks.

[t0p_sh0tta]

I wouldn't bother. Your motor doesn't run hot or hard enough to necessitate the use of synthetic. Keep up with you oil changes and you'll be fine.

[SpoolinSol]

I don't know if it necessary, but i like to be nice to my car (most of the time :) ) So i've put in Mobil 1 synthetic since i've owned the car. Gotta put in regular oil for the break-in after the rebuild, but then going right back to synthetic...

[hondajosh]

If you plan on road racing Mobil 1 synthetic will break down!

[transzex]

not with a good oil cooler setup :)

DD = Dino, I prefer Exxon Superflo 5w30

Turbo or tracks days, Mobil 1

[xxbrualxx]

ive switches to syntehtic..i dont remember y i did..i heard good things about it...its a lot more pure comapred to conventional oil...the bonds synthtetic has are more stable then regular oil...they are designed to ahve high temp oxidation resistance..have better film strength..so it coats everything ebtter for less friction. and because of its stability..after being sued up it has a low rate of which it forms deposits in the engine..and at low temps they tend to flow better..qhich is good for those cold weather warm-ups if uw ant ur oil to flow regulary through ur system...

it is also suggested like mentioned above not to use synthetic oil for a new car..or a rebuilt engine...conventional oil has deposits in it..taht in essence although contradictory to the purpose of oil..they help the car to wear nicley..so that all the seals and rings seat nicley...synthetic oil ebcause of its film strength..does not allow this to happen...which in the long run could lead to build-up of oil on ur walls..which in turn causes more oil to burn...

well thats pretty much what i think i know..

edit: not saying that conventional oil is bad...i mean people ahve been using it for yearss..not a problem with the engine..just synthetics were formed just to have more of the qualities of regular oil..without the impurities

[Jcazz]

Royal Purple or Mobil 1 syn FTW......5w 30....... :beer:

[SpoolinSol]

Royal Purple or Mobil 1 syn FTW......5w 30....... :beer:

i change my oil every 2500 mi (even less than that lately..) so i don't want to spend so much money on royal purple, all though i'm sure its 'da bomb'...

[xxbrualxx]

i change my oil every 2500 mi (even less than that lately..) so i don't want to spend so much money on royal purple, all though i'm sure its 'da bomb'...

lol..yeah Mobil 1 i really like...i think my oil changes come up to 40 bucks..oil/oil filter...i usually get 6 quarts...for extra

my last vivist it came up to 50 bucks..but i bought that lucas oil stabilizer stuff..just to c if it will lsow my oil burn down...

[Volitech]

If you plan on road racing Mobil 1 synthetic will break down!

any facts to back that up or any reason why you say that? I've been using mobil1 synthetic I don't road race but I do drag race and I've never had any problems...

[Haysoos]

I've never heard of synthetic being bad for an engine unless: 1. you have a high milage engine, the synthetic will remove deposits left by conventional oil, and bits of the seals the deposits were on, leading to burning oil and all kinds of badness, or 2. using cheap, no name synthetic oil.

1. I have heard a lot and make sense.
2. I have nothing to back this up.

[xxbrualxx]

I've never heard of synthetic being bad for an engine unless: 1. you have a high milage engine, the synthetic will remove deposits left by conventional oil, and bits of the seals the deposits were on, leading to burning oil and all kinds of badness, or 2. using cheap, no name synthetic oil.

1. I have heard a lot and make sense.
2. I have nothing to back this up.


i just checked howstuffworks.com..they ahve alink on tehre about syntehtic..cause i was checking ot make sure the stuff i said was right..for the most part it was..check it out...

[t0p_sh0tta]

i change my oil every 2500 mi (even less than that lately..) so i don't want to spend so much money on royal purple, all though i'm sure its 'da bomb'...

If you change your oil so frequently, what's the point of running synthetic? Mobil 1 has got to last longer than that...

[dubbedcorde]

i use mobil1 synthetic 5w20 and i have sine 2,975 miles on my car. i dont know if it helps performance much i just like the added protection it offers.

[rushi]

WTF, 5W-20? Are you serious?

[dubbedcorde]

swear to god man 5w20 hehe it comes stock in the 2006 R18s

[EG8SIR]

I run that in my SOHC ZC Vtec as well, 5W-20 Dino though

[drunkinmaster1]

i dont thinks its necessary to run a synthetic on a n/a motor unless its taking a hell of a beating.
so that being the case i run cheap mineral oil in my n/a z6 and check the oil regularly to see how dirty it is.
on my vitara 4 door i run redline 5w30 with a k&n filter

[Volitech]

Synthetic won't get as thick as regular oil in really cold weather alowing oil pressure to come up a little quicker and not so much wear on your engine....

[nzcivicracer]

I use Honda High Performance 10-30 as recommended by Honda for the ZC, but have been thinking about trying Motul 5-30, or would this be too thin?

[d-ranged]

it never hurts to have added protection i myself run a full synthetic blended with a little lucas to even better protect my internals.

[Volitech]

I use Honda High Performance 10-30 as recommended by Honda for the ZC, but have been thinking about trying Motul 5-30, or would this be too thin?

If your in an area with cold weather than yeah you should use 5w-30 in the winter it will be easier on your engine.... But if your in an area that stays relatively warm through the winter than you can stay using 10w-30...

[rushi]

I use fully synthetic Castrol EDGE Sport 0W-40 here in Finland, all around the year. We could have -38C (-36F) at mid winter and +35C (+95F) at summer, so both temps are pretty extreme.. I think 0W-40 is most popular synthetic here (most dealers use Mobil 1) or cheaper 10W-40 semi-synth for older cars.

[SpoolinSol]

If you change your oil so frequently, what's the point of running synthetic? Mobil 1 has got to last longer than that...
I beat on my car a LOT, so I just like the extra protection.. Lots of synthetic oil is advertised as being able to last for 5000+ miles; i bleieve the oil will last that long, but when you use it that long its still gonna be dirty as hell; so you should still change it ~3000 mi.


on my vitara 4 door i run redline 5w30 with a k&n filter
k&n gold oil filter FTW! How much does the redline cost? i've heard good things...

I use Honda High Performance 10-30 as recommended by Honda for the ZC, but have been thinking about trying Motul 5-30, or would this be too thin?
I don't remember ever hearing of 10w30 being recommended for a D.... o well, if it doesn't get very cold you should be fine...

[xxbrualxx]

I beat on my car a LOT, so I just like the extra protection.. Lots of synthetic oil is advertised as being able to last for 5000+ miles; i bleieve the oil will last that long, but when you use it that long its still gonna be dirty as hell; so you should still change it ~3000 mi.


yeah they state that u can change syntehtic around 7500...but i stick to 3000 give or take 50 miles...i dont beat on my car like i used to..but every once and a while ill give her a good spanking..lol

one thing taht i notice as a big difference..at least for autot ransmissions..is changing tranny fluid..wow..talk about smooth shifting...feels almsot like CVT or should i say the lack of feeling the shift..i think i might start changing tranny fluid every 2-3 oil changes...

anyways back to topic...if you are a hwy driver..then synthetic can run u the 7500 miles easy.....and i added some of that lucas synthetic oil stabilizer..14.99 from autzone..i substititude about 1/3 of a quart of it instead of oil..i think its helping...its been about 500 miles since my oil change...and usually by then i c the oil on my dip stick start to recede just under full...but right now..its still full..ima check again at 1000 miles

[Tsunami]

one thing taht i notice as a big difference..at least for autot ransmissions..is changing tranny fluid..wow..talk about smooth shifting...feels almsot like CVT or should i say the lack of feeling the shift..i think i might start changing tranny fluid every 2-3 oil changes...
Put some lucas transmission stuff in there too and your in smooth shifting heaven.

As for oil. I just use the good ole normal stuff.. Can't beat 4qt + Filter for $12. But then again I change every 2,500~3,000mi

[myHonda1]

Put some lucas transmission stuff in there too and your in smooth shifting heaven.

As for oil. I just use the good ole normal stuff.. Can't beat 4qt + Filter for $12. But then again I change every 2,500~3,000mi

i don't know about Lucas, i've read that because Lucas is pure petroleum, it doesn't have any of the additives that conventional oil has. therefore it foams up inside your motor creating more heat. or somthing like that. makes sense...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

[xxbrualxx]

Synthetic lubricants have several advantages over conventional mineral oils:

excellent low temperature fluidity
low pour point
high natural viscosity index
excellent oxidation stability
high flash, fire, and auto-ignition points
low volatility
non-corrosive and non-toxic
Synthetic lubricants have been in use for some time in applications such as jet engine lubrication, Arctic lubrication, and fire-resistant hydraulic fluids. These applications tolerate the extremely high cost of synthetics because they are the only products that do the job. Synthetic lubricants are now beginning to replace conventional petroleum lubricants in some applications. Despite their higher purchase price, synthetics may offer operating advantages that can make them more economical in the long run. (For example, reduced oil consumption, longer oil life, improved fuel economy, and easier starting at low temperatures).
taken from Howstuffworks.com

[rushi]

Lucas, The Prince of Darkness.
Even hearing that name keeps me away from it, no matter is it fluid, electrical or whatever component..:alky:
I wouldn't add anything to synthetic lubricants, they're already blended with correct additives.

[Sohc Wrath]

Why not, im using royal purple on my boosted y8, but I think im gonna switch to somthing else when spring roles around...

[kruel.t]

royal purple has done me well for sometime now.

[Sohc Wrath]

royal purple has done me well for sometime now.

Same here, some say it is junk and some say it is great. It all has to do with personnal experience when it comes to stuff like that. I have had a few people tell me it is to thin of an oil for my setup and some said it is the best oil for a turbo LOL...

[sql_civic]

This topic has been disgused at length on H-T. For what it's worth I run Royal Purple because I am way too busy to change my oil every 3000mi or so. Royal Purple claims that you can run for 12,000mi between changes. Honda recommends 7500mi for a daily driven car. So I'm thinking that Royal Purple will do a nice job at allowing me to run without a change till 7500mi. That may not make sense for you with boosted or racing setups.

When I was running my 84 Accord I changed the oil every 3000mi like clockwork but then I got married, got a house, got kids, etc, so it often went until 7500mi on Quaker State or Castrol - and I still ran it for 18 years and 300k miles.

Another small plus that hasen't been mentioned: Using synthetic oil keeps a few more dollars from funding foreign governments that are not friendly to us.

[drunkinmaster1]

k&n gold oil filter FTW! How much does the redline cost? i've heard good things...


i get it from a local guy who owns his own performance shop. he happends to be a redline dealer so he sells it to me for $8 per quart. i think normally it goes for between $10 to $12 a quart.