Originally Posted By: Donald
I think as someone already mentioned, the low oil capacity is a partial cause. Just causes the oil to be worked that much harder.
My Jeep with a 4.0L engine has a 6QT, the old Suburban with a 5.7L V8 was 5QT, my diesel pickup is 12QT.
Clearly is the engineers wanted the engine to last longer, they would add a larger sump.
And more oil will take longer to heat up to operating temp, thus delaying activation of the AW additives, resulting in more wear. Everything is a tradeoff.
3.9qt is plenty for a 1.8l N/A engine, especially in a light, aerodynamic body like the Civic. The engine doesn't work that hard. These engines go 12,000 miles (20k Km) in Europe on good quality synthetic.
Divide sump capacity by engine displacement. The R18 in the Civic holds more oil than your 5.7l Suburban, relatively speaking.