GC Gold in a 2002 Honda CRV? Do I dare!

[radiometer]

r961161,

You posted, "Now on most of their newer engines, Honda specifies a 5W20 oil and my dealer told me that this new oil is very good for my old 2001 CR-V as well????? What, did Honda changed the specs or clearances in my CR-V while I was sleeping so that all of a sudden the 5W20 becomes an optimal Oil?"
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Please take a look at my post this date about my conversation with the service people as I bought a new Honda Civic yesterday. I told them I do not want to use such a thin oil, a matter they told me has come up a few times earlier.

They told me I can use a 5/10-30 in winter and EVEN SUGGESTED I can use a 5W-40 in our warm summers with complete confidence. They assured me that the viscosities we were discussing IS NOT AN ISSUE for warranty.

I also learned there are no differences in engine clearances for which 5W-20 is suggested.

They have a few other owners useing oils other than the 5W-20 and they have no cause for concern.

 

[vad]

quote:

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I also learned there are no differences in engine clearances for which 5W-20 is suggested

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The same thing was a case with the Ford models when it switched to 5w20.
Common guys, please don't spread the myths about the motors specifically (re)designed to use 5w20.

 

[buster]

I put GC in my 2005 Accord with the 2.4L and it made the engine sluggish. I don't care what one wants to think or believe, fact is it made the car very sluggish. Get over your GC fetish, it ain't the end all be all. I put M1 0w-20 in and the car was much more responsive. GC is almost a 40wt oil. M1 10w-30 EP was also great, but it is a thin 30wt oil. Some engines see a difference, some don't. As the car ages and clearances open up, you'll notice less of a difference.

 

[vad]

quote:

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Get over your GC fetish, it ain't the end all be all.

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[Master ACiD]

my crv is currently using gc however i wonder what the reaction would be out of some of you guys if i told you i had run 20w50 in my crv for a couple oil changes.

 

[armasteel]

It seems so unreal to me that some cars become very sluggish after GC is put in them. Maybe it can be noticeable in a light car with a small engine. I have a Honda Element (heavy and does not get great mileage anyway – like the CRV) with the 2.4, and GC made the engine sound better at high RPM. It doesn’t feel faster or slower, but the fuel economy stayed the same.

I am tempted to run a test using my G-Tech to see if running a 5-20 would make my Element measurably faster, but I hate to drain the GC early.

 

[pscholte]

Ah, sluggishness, now what's the cause?
That makes my little motor pause.
Well, just between you and me
I'm not ready to blame that good GC

 

[r961161]

quote:

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I have a Honda Element (heavy and does not get great mileage anyway – like the CRV) with the 2.4, and GC made the engine sound better at high RPM. It doesn’t feel faster or slower, but the fuel economy stayed the same.

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This is exactly I felt right away with GC in the engine of my CR-V. Engine sound is very smooth at High RPMs.

 

[Auto-Union]

Bear in mind, if the engine is quieter, it'll "feel" slower. I am debating this issue with a new Honda 2.0. I have a bunch of M1 0w-30 here that I was going to use in my wife's 1998 CRV, but I think it'll be great in my 2006 RSX. She can get GC from the stash...the older MO-02&03 stuff and by the time I use up the Mobil 1, my engine will have more miles on it and the GC M-04 would seem more appropriate after some wear. Am I crazy? I was trolling for GC + Honda threads and am kinda surprised people use it in the newer cars.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Not a CRV but my outlander is now on 5w40. No differenece(a bit less raspy when pushed). It's a heavy 4 banger ute that's shaped like a brick viscosity matters little.

 

[Accord2005NJ]

We have 2005 Accord 4cyl Auto and 2005 CRV 4x4 Auto.

I have been using GC in CRV and it works great. My Accord used to run Mobil 1 5-30 extended protection syntetic and worked fine.

I am now using GC in Accord as well and I notice nothing but pure joy of the engine. I am puzzled by those who say they experienced noticable engine power loss and/or fuel economy loss after switching to any 30 weight oil from 20 weight. My power and fuel economy are the same.

I only used 5-20 for one oil change period. In both cars I am now running 30 weight (5/0-30) oils. In May I will switch to 10-40 oils for duration of summer.

 

[bar1]

I guess those Hondas are rated with less power in other markets than US

All other places those engines get 5W-30 oil.

 

[J Dub]

quote:

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quote:

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Get over your GC fetish, it ain't the end all be all.

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Blasphemy, I know.

 

[Patman]

My wife's 1.6L Honda engine didn't feel sluggish at all after switching it to GC, in fact it felt slightly stronger if anything. And that was coming from Royal Purple 5w30 (which actually spent most of it's time as 5w20) and before that Mobil 1 5w30 (which is almost a 5w20 too)

 

[pscholte]

quote:

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Get over your GC fetish, it ain't the end all be all.

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U-m-m-m, I don't recall ever hearing anyone say it was...we are radically enthusiastic about it, but I have never heard anyone say it was the oil for all engines at all times...

 

[radiometer]

After 1300 miles on one of our new '06 Civic LXs I changed the factory 5W-20 to GC 0W-30. According to the owner's manual there is 4.8 quarts in the car but an oil and filter change requires 3.9 qts, which means I still should have about .9 qts of the factory fill still in there.

My initial impression: I'm now back to the smoother idle I was accustomed to in the Sentras we had. Cold idle is noticeably quieter. In my driving during the four days since the change I notice no difference in performance. It's running the same as before. What I will look for now is whether there is a difference in MPG. My first tank gave me the same as before, but I believe I need much more driving to really determine this.

This is my first use of GC, which is the Gold, and I'm a very happy user at present. Unless I lose significantly in MPG, which I'll watch for, I think I've found my oil for this one.

My wife is driving the other new Civic. I'm not mentioning the improvements to her just to see if she notices anything when I change hers over to the GC. She drives hard and will notice any slight decrease in performace right away.

 

[buster]

Unless I had about 100 gallons of bad fuel, my car felt very sluggish on GC compared to M1 0w-20. Car is extremely smooth on this oil. I think many people want to believe their car is as smooth and fast with GC, but it's a thicker lubricant and mostly likely it's not. Unless the coefficient of friction is that good, I just don't see it.

 

[427Z06]

Hook up an OEM scan tool and check the IPW and in./Hg, LTFT and STFT values. The GC will use more fuel than a 5w20, PERIOD.

 

[vad]

by 1%?

 

[Bryanccfshr]

And at what cost is that 1%??