i am new to this board and i have been considering switching to synthetic oil for a while now i have a 1997 honda civic coupe ex with the 1.6l di6y8 i currently use mobil 7500 drive clean i believe its called and was wanting to switch to syntheic to prolong the life of my engine. my car has never been beat it has 80,000 miles i use 5w30 what honda recomends and its not to hot or cold here in ohio. i use a supertech oil filter only because i was comparing it to fram and it claims to be more effiecnt. so i have heard that once you swithc to synthetic you cant switch back, not that i would want to but is this true. Do you have to do anything special when swithching to synthetic? also would using a genuine honda filter be better? i want the best fuel efficiency and what will help prolong the life of my engine. im looking for the best filter/ oil setup i dont mind spending a lil cash but i still want whats best for my car. brad
advice about oil
- Thread starter bradly31406
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Brad,
I use Amsoil 0W-30 syn oil and their new EAO20 oil filter. I am pleased with the oil's performance, quieter engine, better fuel mileage, no leaks, no oil burn off. I drive a 1993 Civic, 176,000 miles. The engine (1.5)is noticably peppier, it just wants to take off. If you don't moniter the vehicles speed closely, you will find yourself going faster than you intended. As long as I keep it under 3000 RPM, I am averaging 38.5 MPG. My highway average is 48.8 MPG, that was on a 3000 mile trip.
I use Amsoil 0W-30 syn oil and their new EAO20 oil filter. I am pleased with the oil's performance, quieter engine, better fuel mileage, no leaks, no oil burn off. I drive a 1993 Civic, 176,000 miles. The engine (1.5)is noticably peppier, it just wants to take off. If you don't moniter the vehicles speed closely, you will find yourself going faster than you intended. As long as I keep it under 3000 RPM, I am averaging 38.5 MPG. My highway average is 48.8 MPG, that was on a 3000 mile trip.
I would recommend the Amsoil 0w-30 as well. That is probably the best synthetic you'll get. As for the oil filter - go with what harry j said.
You don't have to do anything special to switch to synthetic. At least I didn't.
If you do go with Amsoil check out Pablo here. He is our Amsoil sponsor. You can order through him.
You don't have to do anything special to switch to synthetic. At least I didn't.
If you do go with Amsoil check out Pablo here. He is our Amsoil sponsor. You can order through him.
harry j, what civic variant do you have? hatchback? 48.8 mpg is outstanding!
I have the 4 door DX model
Bradly,
First off,
You can switch back to conventional oils at any time. It won't hurt a thing.
A lot depends on how often you plan to change your oil/filter. Are you going to just do a 3000 mile interval? If so, using a product such as Amsoil will be a waste of money. Get a good conventional and stick with it.
However, if you plan to stretch out those change intervals to 7K or more miles consider changing to a quality synthetic and backing up your decision with a used oil analysis.
I can't stress the UOA enough, especially right at first. I "assume" your Honda will be fine but your driving style, climate, engine all may combine to prove me wrong. So back up the assumptions with a UOA so you know how the engine does with 7K on the OCI and you know how long you can safely stretch your oil changes.
First off,
You can switch back to conventional oils at any time. It won't hurt a thing.
A lot depends on how often you plan to change your oil/filter. Are you going to just do a 3000 mile interval? If so, using a product such as Amsoil will be a waste of money. Get a good conventional and stick with it.
However, if you plan to stretch out those change intervals to 7K or more miles consider changing to a quality synthetic and backing up your decision with a used oil analysis.
I can't stress the UOA enough, especially right at first. I "assume" your Honda will be fine but your driving style, climate, engine all may combine to prove me wrong. So back up the assumptions with a UOA so you know how the engine does with 7K on the OCI and you know how long you can safely stretch your oil changes.
Any syn oil with an oversized Purolator 20073 or WIX 51347 oil filter.
My wife has a 98 Civc EX (5 speed) and my best MPG on the way to North Carolina is 40 MPG @ 70 miles per hour.
My wife has a 98 Civc EX (5 speed) and my best MPG on the way to North Carolina is 40 MPG @ 70 miles per hour.
Pretty much agree with michaelc80.
After years and years of discussion, noone can say which oil is best-especially if you are doing a UOA of say 5000 miles. We all have our favoritse. I'm still switching. If any uf knew which is the best, this board would disapear.
Just read up on the discussions here and if you are using the Mobil 7500 several years from now and still haven't figured out which is best your car will be fine.
Nothing wrong with Supertech. I like the WIX (carquest) bc the bypass valve is located near the inlet and you don't (in theory) have recirculated oil carry debris to the filter outlet. But I'm not about to say they are best.
After years and years of discussion, noone can say which oil is best-especially if you are doing a UOA of say 5000 miles. We all have our favoritse. I'm still switching. If any uf knew which is the best, this board would disapear.
Just read up on the discussions here and if you are using the Mobil 7500 several years from now and still haven't figured out which is best your car will be fine.
Nothing wrong with Supertech. I like the WIX (carquest) bc the bypass valve is located near the inlet and you don't (in theory) have recirculated oil carry debris to the filter outlet. But I'm not about to say they are best.
Mobil Clean 7500 is an excellent motor oil. You failed to mention your oil change interval, but if you don't plan to go to extended oil change intervals, moving to full synthetic is good money wasted on a bad decision. (If you're adhering to 5,000 mile/six month or less OCIs, your car body will rust through before you wear your motor out.) There's nothing wrong with ST oil filters. They're an honest, midline product at entry-level pricing. (Just try to find another oil filter using synthetic-blend media for anywhere near $2.00.)
Check with your Honda Dealer.
If you buy a case of oil filters
ask for 10% off.
This is not uncommon.
Good Luck...
If you buy a case of oil filters
ask for 10% off.
This is not uncommon.
Good Luck...
The Filtech-manufactured Honda OEM oil filter (part# 15400-PLM-A01) is an excellent quality filter. It's available from many Honda parts stores, I bought a bunch for my sister's 2004 Civic here:
http://www.handa-accessories.com/civic98.html
There is another Honda OEM filter out there (part# 15400-PLM-A02 I believe) made by Fram, I'd avoid it as I've never been impressed with Fram oil filters.
I'd suggest the M1 EP oil filter--
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...Mobil_1_Extended_Performance_Oil_Filters.aspx
It's the most efficient oil filter I'm aware of (99.2% multi-pass @ 10 microns)--
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=003298;p=1
Better filtration==longer engine life.
I'd suggest the Amsoil EA air filter if/when available. It's the most efficient air filter I'm aware of.
http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/eaa.aspx
The Amsoil ASL, TSO, & HDD oils seem to be real hard to beat for least engine wear & longest oil change interval.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...Mobil_1_Extended_Performance_Oil_Filters.aspx
It's the most efficient oil filter I'm aware of (99.2% multi-pass @ 10 microns)--
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=003298;p=1
Better filtration==longer engine life.
I'd suggest the Amsoil EA air filter if/when available. It's the most efficient air filter I'm aware of.
http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/eaa.aspx
The Amsoil ASL, TSO, & HDD oils seem to be real hard to beat for least engine wear & longest oil change interval.
heck... couldn't he run water in it like the other guys???
Yeah, if you don't go past 10,000 miles on an OCI (oil change) - you can pretty much use any oil you want... If you want the BEST oil, go with Royal Purple, Amsoil, German Castrol, etc... But they are going to cost you more as they are better oils. But most of them are designed to go 25,000 miles without problems.
Otherwise, Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec, Mobil Clean, and all those other cheaper "synthetics" are good for 6,000 miles and will be cheaper if you don't do a longer OCI.
Otherwise, Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec, Mobil Clean, and all those other cheaper "synthetics" are good for 6,000 miles and will be cheaper if you don't do a longer OCI.
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