Honda 2.0T Recommendations

Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Messages
8
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Looking for recommendations for Honda 2.0T (K20) - 2018 Accord Sport. Driving is primarily highway with some city mixed in. I'm not hard on it. I live in Phoenix, so it sees high summer temps as well. I know the 1.5T has (or had) oil dilution issues, but haven't heard that applies to the 2.0T. I've been using Mobil 1 0W-20 EP so far and just changing it when the maintenance indicator says to (usually around 8k miles). It is nearly out of powertrain warranty (I'm at 56K), so not necessarily stuck on OEM specs. Just want to know what's "right" and to see if there are better options than what I'm using. I rack up the miles pretty quick and I intend to keep the car for a while. Thanks in advance!
 
There is nothing wrong with M1 EP, but any d1g2 synthetic should be fine. Napa Synthetic (Valvoline) is on sale for $3.39/qt for 2 more days, and if you still prefer M1, Napa has it for $5.49/qt. The EP is on sale for $5.99/qt
 
Today's oils are capable of protection far beyond any requirements of engines. Just pick any name-brand oil on the shelf at Walmart in 0W-20 spec like Honda says and don't give it a second thought.
 
Any 5 or 10w30. I'm currently running 5w30 magnatec in my 1.5T honda (another 2 oci worth of magnatec left). Then will jump onto 5w30 mobil as. Stashed up last year quite heavy. Don't bother with 20 weights
 
Looking for recommendations for Honda 2.0T (K20) - 2018 Accord Sport. Driving is primarily highway with some city mixed in. I'm not hard on it. I live in Phoenix, so it sees high summer temps as well. I know the 1.5T has (or had) oil dilution issues, but haven't heard that applies to the 2.0T. I've been using Mobil 1 0W-20 EP so far and just changing it when the maintenance indicator says to (usually around 8k miles). It is nearly out of powertrain warranty (I'm at 56K), so not necessarily stuck on OEM specs. Just want to know what's "right" and to see if there are better options than what I'm using. I rack up the miles pretty quick and I intend to keep the car for a while. Thanks in advance!

Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 is an excellent oil that's about 70% PAO so it has a very high tolerance for heat. If you drive like a normal person then use that. If you want something that offers more protection then move up to the Castrol EDGE 0W-40 a it will be better suited for a Turbo Charged engine in a hot climate. If money is no object, get Red Line 5W-30, as it will offer the most protection. The 0W-20 is a CAFE recommendation and in an engine like yours in most other countries a stout oil like a Castrol EDGE 5W-30 API SL or Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 would be recommend. Turbos tend to cook the oil inside the spooler because she turbo is either attached to the exhaust manifold or is part of it. And yes, Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 is also a great choice, Porsche recommends it for there twin-turbo engines.

Bottom line is get something with a HTHS of 3.5 or higher. Don't randomly take strangers advice on a forum, do some of your research. And don't put Valvoline in your engine, there isn't a single good reason to do it when there is Mobil 1, Pennzoil, Castrol, QSUD and other great motor oil options available. Use a good filter like FRAM Ultra or Purolator BOSS. Good luck!

[Edit]

Change your oil every 5000 miles to account for possible fuel dilution issues and work your way up from there by doing some UOAs. Don't just blindly follow the OLM, it's a bad idea.
 
If you are keeping the car for the long run - switch to Mobil1 0W-40 and you'll never look back.
Hard to beat its performance in that price range. Not many oils can "wear" as many approvals as Mobil1 0W-40 does, and all those approvals are backed up very well with thousands of successful UOAs and happy drivers.




P.S. Some racing teams are known to use that exact oil (not even the Mobil Racing version) due to what results and wear measurements they get during engine overhauls/rebuilds between races. That's saying something, at least to me it does.
 
@Vladiator that's also an excellent recommendation. If you look at my signature, I use both oils. However, in any direct injected turbo charged engine that has fuel dilution issues I would always use the Castrol EDGE. It's a PAO + Group III oil so it stays in grade better and is less succeptieble to shearing due to fuel dilution. It's for the same reason many Ford F150 owners run it in their EcoBoost engines. Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 is 20% PAO (or less) and the rest GTL. It is very easy to dilute with fuel and lower the viscosity of it. Heck, I managed to dilute it with 15 oz of Lubegard - 7 quarts of oil. I can see it in my oil pressure gauge. My hot idle at 212F dropped from 37 PSI to 34~35 PSI just like that.
 
I picked up a bunch of Rotella Gas Truck 0W-20 for cheap (AAP clearance) and it's been good. I will be 100% honest in saying I tried Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 in my 2020 Accord Touring 2.0T and the turbo spooled a LOT slower with. With that said, I went back to 0W-20.
 
I picked up a bunch of Rotella Gas Truck 0W-20 for cheap (AAP clearance) and it's been good. I will be 100% honest in saying I tried Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 in my 2020 Accord Touring 2.0T and the turbo spooled a LOT slower with. With that said, I went back to 0W-20.

Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 barely, just barely qualifies as a 5W-30. After shearing it's closer than ever to a 5W-20. Taking into account the temporary shearing under pressure mandated by ILSAC GF6A, it behaves like a 5W-20. Your turbo spooling slower must have been a placebo and your imagination, because the turbo spool has nothing to do with the oil viscosity, and considering how hot the bearings inside a turbo charger get, a thin 5W-30 would have made no difference to the turbo. It's like giving an alcoholic Jack Daniels for the first time after drinking Jim Beam his entire life... He won't know the difference as long as it has an effect on him.
 
Change your oil every 5000 miles to account for possible fuel dilution issues and work your way up from there by doing some UOAs. Don't just blindly follow the OLM, it's a bad idea.
So he shouldn't blindly follow the OLM but he should blindly follow the advice of an armchair tribologist? Or should he follow your advice to not follow your advice?
 
OPs scenario is a good example where BITOG'rs should, but just can't for some reason, just recommend staying with his regimen. Best to install doubt rather than affirming that his choices will lead to another 400K car with just following the mfg recommendations.
 
0 or 5w20 will get you the most fuel economy, not that they aren't protecting the engine the temps of Phoenix just go with a 5w30.. I wouldn't bother with a 0 winter spec. As mentioned in another post NAPA SYNTHETIC is an excellent oil especially when they run the sale.. It's formulated by valvolive just not sure what the additive pack is and how it compares to latest GDI/TURBO spec'd oils.

My opinion stick with OE filters they can bought up at a good price if you ebay or Google search Honda OE parts... I do for my Toyota filters and plug washers..

My picks on oil.. Castrol.. Valvoline/NAPA.. Super Tech.. Mobil 1.. If you can buy Idemitsu at a reasonable price or price isn't a concern .. that's also a great choice.
 
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So the OP is good to use Valvoline or filters other than Fram or Purolator, then yeah ?

Your sentence makes no sense.

FYI, Valvoline doesn't have a great reputation on this forum and I tend to agree with that. Their gear lube and ATF fluids seem to do okay, however, there isn't any good reason to buy their motor oil over any other brand that's out there. It's not cheaper, it's not better, Valvoline doesn't excel at anything but you pay the same money for a 5-quart jug of Valvoline as you do for Pennzoil. I'd pick Pennzoil any day over Valvoline.

So he shouldn't blindly follow the OLM but he should blindly follow the advice of an armchair tribologist? Or should he follow your advice to not follow your advice?

OP should do his own research so he understands what he's doing to his own vehicle. He asked for advice on the Internet, and he got some, however, on the other hand, he should do some research himself. He went 50K+ miles doing the same thing over and over again and now all of a sudden he wants to change something. He must have a reason for it and that reason I believe is that he wants to make his vehicle last.
He needs to understand what he needs to do to get results. Do you think it would be okay if someone recommended him to use Marvel Mystery Oil or a quart of Lucas every oil change? I doubt it.

The OLM is a dumb instrument and it mostly counts miles. If the OLM could offer sound advice when to change your oil then what would be the point in doing oil analysis? But oil analysis is important if you want to establish wear trends and want to know how much you can go before performing an oil change. What happens if an injector o-ring starts leaking or you get coolant in your oil, but you keep going strong on your 8000 or 10,000-mile OCI totally oblivious to what's going on inside your motor. I only told OP to exercise caution. At the end of the day, he is the one who cares for his vehicle.
 
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Your sentence makes no sense.



OP should do his own research so he understands what he's doing to his own vehicle. He asked for advice on the Internet, and he got some, however, on the other hand, he should do some research himself. He went 50K+ miles doing the same thing over and over again and now all of a sudden he wants to change something. He must have a reason for it and that reason I believe is that he wants to make his vehicle last.
He needs to understand what he needs to do to get results. Do you think it would be okay if someone recommended him to use Marvel Mystery Oil or a quart of Lucas every oil change? I doubt it.

The OLM is a dumb instrument and it mostly counts miles. If the OLM could offer sound advice when to change your oil then what would be the point in doing oil analysis? But oil analysis is important if you want to establish wear trends and want to know how much you can go before performing an oil change. What happens if an injector o-ring starts leaking or you get coolant in your oil, but you keep going strong on your 8000 or 10,000-mile OCI totally oblivious to what's going on inside your motor. I only told OP to exercise caution. At the end of the day, he is the one who cares for his vehicle.

Except it’s entirely likely that OP could go on using the OLM and still “get results,” just like the millions of other cars on the road. No oil analysis needed. Even on Valvoline and a jobber filter.
 
Why not run Valvoline? It’s as good a oil as any.

Okay, first of all, anyone can run and should run whatever they want in their vehicle. Ultimately, it is their decision. I only made a recommendation. I provided an explanation bellow in my answer to @BLND1 's post.

Except it’s entirely likely that OP could go on using the OLM and still “get results,” just like the millions of other cars on the road. No oil analysis needed. Even on Valvoline and a jobber filter.

You also make a valid point. Hell, I was oblivious to any of this before I found BITOG and because I wanted to learn more about oils, maintenance and how to get the most of my cars. I also owned a few Hyundais and wanted to avoid engine issues, and we still own two. I think that it's better to be prepared and treat your vehicles as well as possible to avoid running into issues. But back to me being indifferent back in the day, no, I never had an engine blow up on me for using a jobber filter or cheap motor oil. I did however use Valvoline exclusively in one engine with 7500-mile OCIs and at around 30,000 miles it had problems making pretty bad ticking noises that would go up and down with engine RPM. Since the dealership kept giving me the runaround just to avoid dealing with the issue, as they do with many others, I traded it in at 35,000 miles. I swore off Valvoline at that point. It's been a good ten years since that happened, and I'm sure today's Valvoline might be better given all the competition they have, but I still have no reason to use their product. Then I saw the discussions about Valvoline on this forum. Others seem to think that it's a middle of the road oil as well. My main concern is Valvoline's consistency in their formulation. I don't think that it's Pennzoil good or Mobil 1 good or Castrol good, or name any other major brand. You know what, better safe than sorry. But hey, if you or anyone else want to use Valvoline, by all means.
 
Your sentence makes no sense.

FYI, Valvoline doesn't have a great reputation on this forum and I tend to agree with that. Their gear lube and ATF fluids seem to do okay, however, there isn't any good reason to buy their motor oil over any other brand that's out there. It's not cheaper, it's not better, Valvoline doesn't excel at anything but you pay the same money for a 5-quart jug of Valvoline as you do for Pennzoil. I'd pick Pennzoil any day over Valvoline.



OP should do his own research so he understands what he's doing to his own vehicle. He asked for advice on the Internet, and he got some, however, on the other hand, he should do some research himself. He went 50K+ miles doing the same thing over and over again and now all of a sudden he wants to change something. He must have a reason for it and that reason I believe is that he wants to make his vehicle last.
He needs to understand what he needs to do to get results. Do you think it would be okay if someone recommended him to use Marvel Mystery Oil or a quart of Lucas every oil change? I doubt it.

The OLM is a dumb instrument and it mostly counts miles. If the OLM could offer sound advice when to change your oil then what would be the point in doing oil analysis? But oil analysis is important if you want to establish wear trends and want to know how much you can go before performing an oil change. What happens if an injector o-ring starts leaking or you get coolant in your oil, but you keep going strong on your 8000 or 10,000-mile OCI totally oblivious to what's going on inside your motor. I only told OP to exercise caution. At the end of the day, he is the one who cares for his vehicle.
Should do his own research.......what the hell is the point of a forum if not for advice and opinions.
This is the best place online for oil advice. Period.
Some people dont have time to research oils for their cars.
Grow up and offer to help....
The OLM for Honda considered many variables not just miles.
 
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