Help Me Pick A Viscosity for my Honda S2000

[JSRT4]

I just picked up an 02 Honda S2000 with 55,000 miles on it. This has to 2L engine with 9,000 rpm. The car drives like new, as it is in mint condition. The previous owner ran it on Castrol Syntec 10w30 for short intervals of 4,000 kilometres.

After getting the car I pulled the valvecover to do a valve adjustment and saw the top end had some varnish in it. I scrubbed the valvecover clean with a solvent to get the stubborn brown stains out of it.

I want to start running Amsoil oil after doing a short cleaning interval. The owner's manual states that 10w30 is the preferred viscosity, but we can also run 5w-40 viscosity as an optional viscosity. The manual says we can run this viscosity if the weather in our area has temps down to -20C. My car will be in storage for winter but I will run it once a month to keep things from sitting too long in one spot. This car will be a garage queen only used on weekends in warm weather months, probably won't put more than 5-8,000 miles a year on it, I'll probably change the oil based on time rather than mileage.

Amsoil 10w30 has 100 degree C cst 10.8, 40 degree C cst of 63.3 , -25 degree cp viscosity of 4450, noack volatility of 5.7%, 4 ball wear scar of .35mm.

Amsoil 5w-40 has 100 degree C cst of 13.7, 40 degree C cst of 79.7 , -30 degree cp viscosity of 5121, noack volatility of 8.7%, and 4 ball wear scar of .44 mm.

To me it looks like the 10w30 oil actually flows better in cold weather than the 5w-40, please correct me if I'm wrong. It also has better volatility numbers and lower scar wear numbers. Before I read the specs of the oils I thought running the 5w-40 viscosity might be best for reduced wear in the long term, but I'm not so sure, the 10w30 specs look pretty good.

Any opinions on what viscosity I should run for long term protection, and year round use ?. How about a recommended oil change interval ?. This is a high revving motor, it runs about 4200 rpms at 80 mph. I'm not sure what viscosity may work better considering the higher rpm design of this engine, despite both viscosities being suitable by the manufacturer. I'd appreciate any opinions on this.

 

[Johnny]

Run 10w30 as Honda recommends. The 10w30 works great in the S2000's.

 

[fxrider]

I would use Pennzoil Platinum 10W30. its better than the Amsoil and half the cost.

 

[Miata04]

+1 on the Pennzoil Platinum, although I use M1, the PP is excellent. There are better filters than the factory Honda filters......

I wouldn't run the engine unless you actually drive the car enough to get the oil temp up to where it should be. Just running enough to warm the coolant, does not evaporate the water that condenses in the oil. It would be better to pick the occasional time when there is no salt on the roads and just drive it for 20-25 mi or so.

Also, the vaunted 4-ball test is for greases, not motor oil, Amsoil likes to tout this, but it means little. Not a bad oil, but the PP will serve you better and at a lower cost.

 

[JSRT4]

thanks for the quick replies, so 10w30 is sufficient. Is the current Pennzoil Platinum as good as the original version ?, I wouldn't have thought that it is better than Amsoil though. I've always avoided running Amsoil due to the cost as I drive a ton of miles on my daily drivers, and I never cared for long intervals. But on this car it won't cost me much to change the oil as I won't be driving it very much as it isn't a daily driver.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
I would use Pennzoil Platinum 10W30. its better than the Amsoil and half the cost.


PP might be cheaper, but it's certainly not superior to Amsoil.

 

[fxrider]

Pennzoil Platinum is way better , and 10W30 will be perfect.

 

[chevrofreak]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
Pennzoil Platinum is way better , and 10W30 will be perfect.


Less expensive, yes. Better, no.

But I'd still go with Pennzoil Platinum 10w30, maybe even the new Shell Rotella T6 (the new 5W-40, it's thinner than before)

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
Pennzoil Platinum is way better , and 10W30 will be perfect.


Please tell us how PP is "way better" than Amsoil, and be specific for us.

 

[gregester]

i was trying to figure that out too...

 

[brandini]

Run the Amsoil 0w30 (SSO) for longer drains, their ASL for medium, and the recommended PP (preferably a 0W-XX) if you do shorter drains. use your lab of choice to get oil analysis to determine drain interval. If you decide to autocross or hit a track day shorten your drain interval.

Ontario gets pretty cold so you'd do well to keep it a tad thinner.

It would be cool if BITOG made your location click-able to see climate info...

 

[fxrider]

Try a little harder, Do a test and see what one you like and stick with it. Amsoil made my Chevelle ss 454 lS6 (solid lifters) tap like crazy.. remember Pennzoil has been around a heck of a lot longer Than that stuff,,

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
Try a little harder, Do a test and see what one you like and stick with it. Amsoil made my Chevelle ss 454 lS6 (solid lifters) tap like crazy.. remember Pennzoil has been around a heck of a lot longer Than that stuff,,


I highly suggest doing more research before making the claims you're making.

Solid lifter noise has nothing to do with the quality of the oil. Our solid cam 1,100hp car clatters like crazy no matter what oil or viscosity is used.

 

[BuickGN]

To the original question, I would run nothing less than a conventional 10w30 for shear stability or a 5w or 0w30 QUALITY synthetic. I bet Redline 0w30 would do great in this car in that climate.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Nice car, I have '04 AP2 (my redline is only 8k !!!) and using conventional 10w30 with 6k/6mo OCI for few years, but it has Mobil 1 10W30 in it now and I'm planing to do 8k/1yr OCI.

For your climate I would use Mobil 1 0W40 with 1yr OCI since you don't drive much. You should check oil level frequently, at least once a month or at every fill up, because AP1 is known to consume oil if you redline it several times a trip. For oil filter, use the Honda "PCX-004" only, it is designed specifically for S2000.

 

[dsmith41]

Another vote for PP and even though I am not an Amsoil fan by any means, fxrider is crazy.

Amsoil makes a good product. Tell me if I am wrong fellow BITOG'ers, there is no one best oil. And I also believe there are far more good oils out there than bad.

 

[Johnny]

I won't say fxrider is crazy, just maybe a little over loyal to a specific oil. I too am a big fan of the Pennzoil Platinum line, but if I were looking for a xxW-30 synthetic for extended drains, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better product than the AMSOIL Signature Series 0w30.

 

[jtfmdyk]

Originally Posted By: Miata04
There are better filters than the factory Honda filters......


Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
For oil filter, use the Honda "PCX-004" only, it is designed specifically for S2000.


I am going to have to go with HTSS_TR here. 2003 AP1 myself and years of lurking over at S2KI. There may be filters of better construction or material (emphasis on may), but the PCX is designed specifically for that car and has performed very well for a decade of hard driving. Torque is critical on the filter and a lack of spec has caused more than a few to back off. Consider a tie down of some sort (it is too early, maybe this afternoon I can get a pic posted of my setup). I believe Spitfire posts here (if not, pop over to S2KI and search for his posts on the matter), he is very knowledgeable about the S2000 and has quite a few ideas about oil for it in different climates. If in doubt, I would follow the Honda spec, Pennzoil Platinum 10w30 for me. Enjoy the car, it is a lot of fun.

 

[INDYMAC]

Congrats on your new purchase!

I have an AP2 and really can't disagree with any of the advice given so far, except you should try to stay with the Honda 15400-pcx-004 oil filter. Also, the pcx-003 is a great air filter too.

I don't have any experience with AMSOIL ATM, but on paper it looks to be a perfect choice for you. It should keep that bullet proof engine perfect until your ready to give the car to your grandchildren. The only thing that I'm aware of that will hurt the engine is a mechanical over-rev. Most owners have experienced this, but the lucky ones are always ready to push the clutch back in, should they make a mistake.

I do have experience with Pennzoil Platinum 10w30. The original EOP formula was exceptional in my AP2, both in performance and on a used oil analysis. But when the new formula came out, the engine started to develop valvetrain noises on cold start-up. I have not ried it again since.

The timing chain auto-tensioner (TCT) on AP1's apears to develop problems (noise) and seems to have a strong correlation to using Mobil 1 10w30. I know this has been discussed ad-nauseum over at S2KI.com, so you might want to investigate prior to using Mobil 1.

As I mentioned to you over at S2KI.com, I have run a bottle of Auto-Rx through my engine already and recommend that you do the same. There shouldn't be any sludge or varnish under your valve cover yet. I recommend that you use it prior to starting up your AMSOIL usage, so maybe start with the Pennzoil Platinum and ARX first. And then take the VC off again to see what you have.

Good luck, and enjoy your new 2 door motorcycle before the weather turns on you!

 

[JSRT4]

thanks for all of the great replies, so quickly. I didn't want to turn this into an oil brand debate, I was really wanting to focus on the viscosity choice that I have. But based on the replies I think the 10-30 should work best for me.

This car has had the auto tensioner replaced due to noise issues, and the car has been run on Castrol Syntec 10-30, to my knowlege it has not seen Mobil 1. I will definitely run the Honda oil and air filter exclusively, oil pressure and flow is critical and I always beleive OEM filters take that into consideration as top priority. I've swapped in fresh Honda MTF in the transmission, Amsoil 75w-110 in the differential, Honda Brake fluid in the brakes and clutch, new Honda PCV valve, and done a valve adjustment/inspection. So the final decision is choosing an oil viscosity.

Winter temps in my area (about 2 hours north of Detroit, and 2 hours west of Buffalo) will kiss -20 degrees Celsius for a few days in winter, but I won't be driving it in those conditions. Most of the winter will hover around -10 degrees Celsius for the most part, but it will be stored indoors in my garage.

Thanks again for the help on this.