0w20 or 5w20? Why? - Got the ok to change G/F's '03 Civic EX oil

[Seth_TJ]

hey everyone,

I think i'm going to try to find some Mobil 1 SuperSyn oil for her 03 Civic EX. Are there any objections or better choices than this? I'm not sure if she'll let me order Redline or Amsoil, I probably have a small window of oppurtunity to get this done. I hope the Mobil 1 is available locally! I think the synthetic is the way to get to keep her mileage up and cold performance good.

She will be doing 120 miles round trip to work the rest of the summer then when she switches jobs it will be short trips to work (12 mins one way) and she will be jumping in the car in the middle of winter (Ohio, cold as 0 sometimes), firing it up, and jumping directly on a 60-65mph highway when it is cold. KEEP this in mind!!!

Should I get a 0w-20 or a 5w-20 (5w20 is what is recommended by Honda, I am thinking I should stick with the manufacturer recommendation). What are the pros/cons of either? Please take into consideration her driving conditions. It is still hot here so I need whatever will work the rest of summer and fall and into the cold of winter.

I will also be using a good quality filter, maybe Mobil 1 but i'm afraid of flow issues when she jumps on the highway with cold oil and nails it?? Would this be an issue? If so I guess I should grab a Purolator pureone or wix?


Thanks everyone!
Seth


This is a followup to the Civic EX oil choice thread:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007718

 

[GreenElixer]

Seth_TJ,
Well I'm glad to hear that you'all are keeping the '03 Civic. I'd suggest running the M1 0w-20 w/ a good quality filter. I live in Indiana (howdy neighbor

), so I have very similar weather as you do in Ohio. No sweat w/ the M1 0w-20. As I mentioned before in your earlier thread, I have used a Fram XG7317 filter and currently use a Baldwin B1431 which is about an inch longer than the OEM filter size. I'm sold on the Baldwin filters. They do a nice job for my vehicles. Enjoy the Civic! It's really a great little car!

 

[Seth_TJ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GreenElixer:
Seth_TJ,
Well I'm glad to hear that you'all are keeping the '03 Civic. I'd suggest running the M1 0w-20 w/ a good quality filter. I live in Indiana (howdy neighbor

), so I have very similar weather as you do in Ohio. No sweat w/ the M1 0w-20. As I mentioned before in your earlier thread, I have used a Fram XG7317 filter and currently use a Baldwin B1431 which is about an inch longer than the OEM filter size. I'm sold on the Baldwin filters. They do a nice job for my vehicles. Enjoy the Civic! It's really a great little car!

---

Yep your weather is probably the same man!

Will the Mobil 1 0w20 void the warranty? What is it's advantage? Is it heavier or lighter? Should be a little heavier right?

I'd have to order Baldwin filters, I will just get a Mobil 1, Wix, or Pureone I guess.

thanks

 

[Jay]

The M1 0w-20 will be your best choice for cold temperatures. It has outstanding CCV and cold pumping specs. The dino 5w-20s have mediocre cold temperature specs. Mobil could have (and probably should have) called M1 0w-20 5w-20. There are no lower limits to CCV and cold pumping viscosity for any SAE "w" designation, so 0w-20 also qualifies as 5w-20.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I would not bother with syn if I was using 20 weight oil. I would not worry about using a 30 weight either as most shear into the 20 range quickly anyway. In a new car, I swear I'd just stick with HC syns like Motorcraft. You will not void warranty with ANY API-Approved oil.

 

[427Z06]

Seth_TJ, Mobil 1 0w20 will not void your warranty.

In fact, it's the synthetic oil Mobil/Exxon recommends for your vehicle. Since the Mobil 1 0w20 has superior cold starting properties it is the oil to use in very cold weather. And being a PAO synthetic with a good add pack, it will do well in the summer too.

Any quality filter should do, Wix 51356, K&N HP-1010, AC-Delco, Amsoil equivalent.

And finally, if it's apparently this hard to get her to do oil changes, use a good synthetic like Mobil 1 that'll last a long time.

Best of Luck to Ya'.

P.S. Don't forget the aluminum crush washer!!!

[ August 26, 2004, 12:41 AM: Message edited by: 427Z06 ]

 

[mikep]

What about the Motorcraft 5w-20 which is a syn blend? At $1.42/qt it is awfully hard to beat.

 

[Whimsey]

quote:

---

Originally posted by mikep:
What about the Motorcraft 5w-20 which is a syn blend? At $1.42/qt it is awfully hard to beat.

---

I've used the Motorcraft 5W-20 oil in my 2002 F-150 4.6L V-8 since it was new. In this section of NJ we get weeks of low teens to below 0 temps. and the Motorcraft 5W-20 always started the engine without any hesitation or ungodly noises

. I'm sold on this oil for 3,000-5,000 mile oil change intervals year round.

Whimsey

 

[Seth_TJ]

Well guys i'm going with the Mobil 1 0w20 SS in her Civic. I'll be coupling that with a Mobil 1 filter either a M1-110 or a M1-104 soon as I figure out which one fits and which one is better and won't give me or the person changing the oil any problems. Hopefully this gives her little cars engine great protection the rest of the hot summer days and will give it great cold start protection and good flow when it gets really cold this winter! Maybe she'll see a mileage increase over the unknown oil and filter!

 

[dustyjoe1]

I ditto 427z.... m1 is good , as is wix, you'll get much better value out of the motorcraft 5w20/ st 7317 or wix combination. I think they will offer all the protection you need. its 107 down here today and i'm running the motorcraft 5w20 with the st 7317, a/c full blast. probably close to 150 degrees on the blacktop. Been working great for me (02 civic ex)

 

[Seth_TJ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by dustyjoe1:
I ditto 427z.... m1 is good , as is wix, you'll get much better value out of the motorcraft 5w20/ st 7317 or wix combination. I think they will offer all the protection you need. its 107 down here today and i'm running the motorcraft 5w20 with the st 7317, a/c full blast. probably close to 150 degrees on the blacktop. Been working great for me (02 civic ex)

---

I'm sure that works great but you also get to change it whenever you want at a set interval like you said 3-5k miles. She won't be changing her oil for another 10k after this goes in there.

 

[GreenElixer]

Seth, You da' man! Excellent choice M1 0w-20. It'll make that civic purr real nice! M1 0w-20 will not void warranty and it has shown in many cases on this forum great UOA on small 4 cyl vehicles! As for the OCI..you'll get many opinions from us oil-heads on this forum, but the best answer will come from you. That's the way I learned what is best for my own driving conditions and how I treat my vehicle. Rely on UOA to tell you where you should be...5k, 7.5k, 10k, 15k, or higher. Weigh out the data and do what you think is right. You'll learn a lot as you go! Most well built, quality engines can take a lot of abuse and still go on strong. My experience over 25 years of driving both American and foreign, V8's, V6's, and 4cyl. engines and changing my own oil since I was 16 years old, says it's really pretty hard to screw it up! Nice work!

 

[Seth_TJ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by mikep:
What about the Motorcraft 5w-20 which is a syn blend? At $1.42/qt it is awfully hard to beat.

---

Everyone seems to think it is a great oil and I probably wouldn't hesitate to use it in my vehicle but in this case I think the correct thing to do is get a good full synthetic in there to get the maximum protection for extended OCI and keep her fuel mileage up, cold starts protected, and her wear down.

 

[dustyjoe1]

If you are going to go 10k, M1 is the correct choice. MC is good, but I don't think I'd run it 10k. It MAY make it that far in a civic, but I'm with you - the M1. I really don't think the filter makes that much difference, althought I wouldn't go with fram. This is my first use of st on my civic. I was a little leary of the black rubber vs. the usual red on the wix, but the car seems to like it just as well as the wix or m1...best of luck
r.

 

[TC]

Since they don't market a syn 5w-20 oil, in the Mobil 1 0w-20 spec sheet Mobil specifically states that "Mobil 1 with SuperSyn 0W20 is engineered specifically for Ford, Honda and any other vehicles where a 0W-20 or 5W-20 engine oil is recommended." They don't specify seasonal issues, so evidently they consider it an appropriate year-round oil, and not just a cold weather lube. In their spec sheets, none of the other Mobil 1 weights make a claim as to being a replacement for Ford/Honda/Mazda 5w-20, so Mobil 1 0w-20 appears to be the OEM replacement lube.

Conventional 5w-20 oils (going by the Pennzoil spec sheet) typically have a Borderline Pumping Temp of about -31F, which basically means they're safe down to that temp. Just so you know, your occasional 0F temps there in Ohio will not be a problem for even a low cost 5w-20 such as Motorcraft, Havoline, etc -- you're still well within the -31F spec. Syn oil would be helpful, but not necessary so long as dino change intervals are not extended in winter -- it's a pocketbook decision. I wouldn't worry about flow so long as you're using an appropriate name brand filter. My guess is that at 0F they'd all go into bypass mode for a period until the oil warms up a bit, some educated speculation.

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAUSENPVLMOMobil1_0W-20.asp

 

[Jay]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MikeySoft:

Jay,
So, if I understand you correctly, a 5w-30 qualifies for a 10w-30 but a 10w-30 does not qualify as a 5w-30. Correct?

---

Right. If you look at the SAE J300 chart carefully, you'll notice that none of the SAE "w" designations have lower cranking or pumping viscosity limits to them. They only have upper limits. 0w is the most stringent designation, so it automatically qualifies for all the less stringent designations (5w,10w,etc....).

 

[MikeySoft]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jay:
...
There are no lower limits to CCV and cold pumping viscosity for any SAE "w" designation, so 0w-20 also qualifies as 5w-20.

---

Jay,
So, if I understand you correctly, a 5w-30 qualifies for a 10w-30 but a 10w-30 does not qualify as a 5w-30. Correct?