'16 Honda Pilot 90.2k mi; 5W30 Kirkland 3.4k mi

Called the lab and inquired about their testing methodology. Essentially, testing equipment they use is “precise” enough to detect as little as 1ppm, however it doesn’t measure in decimals. So 1ppm doesn’t necessarily means there was a “whole” 1ppm detected, just presence of particular metal is identified and round to an even value.

Had a hard time getting them to run and actual fuel dilution test. Guy’s reasoning was they since viscosity was still in spec for 5w30, they just estimate. Sounded BS to me. Virgin Kirkland 5w30 starts at ~11 cSt. UOA measured at 9.3. Quite a bit of reduction if you ask me. After back and forth they finally agreed to run the darn test. Will post an update UOA once I receive it
Makes sense so 1ppm is their min. detection limit basically.
 
Most recent UOA for my Pilot. Oil was in use for approximately 4 months. First time using 5w30 in the Pilot, prior to that only 0w20 was used.

First time seeing Tin detected and reported. What would be the source for this metal to show up on UOA?

View attachment 261873
Looks great. How did the Pilot run on 5W30? Currently running Amsoil SS 0W30 in our 19 VCM disabled. Following the OLM down to 15%. About 5500 miles give or take. I’ve got some XL 5W30 that will be going in fairly soon. It sees a fair amount of idle time. I add one bottle of Redline SL1 at 60% and 20% olm since my wife runs what ever gas is near by.
 
Looks great. How did the Pilot run on 5W30? Currently running Amsoil SS 0W30 in our 19 VCM disabled. Following the OLM down to 15%. About 5500 miles give or take. I’ve got some XL 5W30 that will be going in fairly soon. It sees a fair amount of idle time.
I truly haven’t noticed any difference. I’ve been on 5w30 for the past 15k or so, can’t remember. But no difference on the mpg or in any other aspect. I just switched to simplify the oil changes between both of my Hondas
 
I have the 1st Generation of the Honda Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) enabled, and the engine is very hard on the oil, with extreme temperatures on the cylinder heads which can cook the oil due to the VCM and a poorly designed PCV valve. A mechanic recommended that I switch to 5W-30 as that would provide greater resistance to the extreme heat on the cylinder heads.

I had moved my Honda Odysseys from 5W-20 to 5W-30 about 3+ years ago, and primarily have been using Super Tech HMFS 5W-30 which is the same oil as Kirkland (both made by Warren).

No issues to report. Oil looks medium brown when changing at a 5,000 mile / 6 month (whichever comes first) oil change interval.
My vehicles don't consume any oil, so no top off oil is needed.

Both the Kirkland and Super Tech full synthetic oils are Dexos 1 Gen 3 approved.

I went to the Lubrizol website at:

https://360.lubrizol.com/Resources/Relative-Performance-Tools

The GM / Dexos 1 Gen 3 Specification scores a 7 for Sludge and a 6 for deposits (Varnish) protection (higher is better).
The API SP Specification scores a 5 for Sludge and an 5 for deposits (Varnish) protection.

So it's definitely a good idea to only use Dexos 1 Gen 3 oils or Euro speced oils. Using plain API SP is a spec with a lower bar.

Kirkland / Super Tech are very low priced, and the credit card cash back lowers their price even more.
For my applications, I don't see a reason to use anything else.
 
I have the 1st Generation of the Honda Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) enabled, and the engine is very hard on the oil, with extreme temperatures on the cylinder heads which can cook the oil due to the VCM and a poorly designed PCV valve. A mechanic recommended that I switch to 5W-30 as that would provide greater resistance to the extreme heat on the cylinder heads.

I had moved my Honda Odysseys from 5W-20 to 5W-30 about 3+ years ago, and primarily have been using Super Tech HMFS 5W-30 which is the same oil as Kirkland (both made by Warren).

No issues to report. Oil looks medium brown when changing at a 5,000 mile / 6 month (whichever comes first) oil change interval.
My vehicles don't consume any oil, so no top off oil is needed.

Both the Kirkland and Super Tech full synthetic oils are Dexos 1 Gen 3 approved.

I went to the Lubrizol website at:

https://360.lubrizol.com/Resources/Relative-Performance-Tools

The GM / Dexos 1 Gen 3 Specification scores a 7 for Sludge and a 6 for deposits (Varnish) protection (higher is better).
The API SP Specification scores a 5 for Sludge and an 5 for deposits (Varnish).

So it's definitely a good idea to only use Dexos 1 Gen 3 oils or Euro speced oils. Using plain API SP has a lower bar.

Kirkland / Super Tech are very low priced, and the credit card cash back lowers their price even more.
For my applications, I don't see a reason to use anything else.
Same here. I’m running this oil both in my Pilot and 1.5T civic, 5w30 for both
 
Same here. I’m running this oil both in my Pilot and 1.5T civic, 5w30 for both
The higher HTHS of the 5W-30 oils gives me piece of mind if I have 8 people + heavy luggage in my minivan,
and are going on a long cross country trip with long mountainous inclines in the hot summer with the Air Conditioner on and the engine temperatures climbing. I believe that all vehicles in the US would be speced for 5W-30 if CAFE fines didn't exist. I haven't used 20 weight oil in over 3 years and it's a nice feeling.
 
Last edited:
I sometimes drive my V6 manual transmission Accord coupe like a horse's ass (it likes to rev!) so I'm considering switching to 5W30 even though mine has neither direct injection or VCM issues. Seems like Honda engines tolerate oil thicker than the 0W20 pretty well and a little extra protection would be nice.
 
Tin-copper bearing overlays have become commonly used for rod and main bearings since lead-based overlays have been phased out. They're mostly tin, with a small amount of copper.

Tin Based Bearing Overlays

Yes, and copper is down, not up (lower than it has ever been) in this report.

So while the tin may come from bearings, it is of absolutely no significance that it is here today, but was absent previously.
 
Yes, and copper is down, not up (lower than it has ever been) in this report.

So while the tin may come from bearings, it is of absolutely no significance that it is here today, but was absent previously.
Tin based bearing overlays only contain ~5% copper, so 1 ppm of tin from the bearings should be accompanied by only ~0.05 ppm copper, which is insignificant. The copper in these reports is probably from an oil cooler.

Tin can only really come from rod/main bearings, or from brass bushings. Brass can pretty much be ruled out because it would be expected to produce around 10 times more copper than tin. If the tin is not from oil additives or lab error, it's very likely coming from the bearings.
 
Updated results with fuel dilution tested

IMG_5340.webp
 
My daughters 2016 Acura RDX 3.5 has never dropped a grade. I don’t recall fuel dilution in these non DI engines being a problem. I’d be concerned running Kirkland if it’s not holding up causing piston deposits and varnish.
 
My daughters 2016 Acura RDX 3.5 has never dropped a grade. I don’t recall fuel dilution in these non DI engines being a problem. I’d be concerned running Kirkland if it’s not holding up causing piston deposits and varnish.
Why would it cause piston deposits and varnish? At 3k miles OCI I wouldn’t expect any oil cause that. To me this oil looks perfectly serviceable and fit my use case. Especially at the price point it is
 
Why would it cause piston deposits and varnish? At 3k miles OCI I wouldn’t expect any oil cause that. To me this oil looks perfectly serviceable and fit my use case. Especially at the price point it is
Sorry I misunderstood or mixed up threads. I was thinking the oil sheared in only 3k miles and these engines are prone to varnish. I have stuck oil control rings on another vehicle on 5k oci’s but that’s a story for another thread.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom