Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
My honda HATED the Idemitsu subaru 0w20 - the last case i bought was definitely a change in formulation from the first batch. Differing # and plant code, etc. I tried 4 combos and only with the LAST one running does the engine run what I know as proper. Smooth, powerful and low noise. QS defy 5w20 and the big one - WIX 71356 filter. The honda(fram) filter is terrible. Loose it. The car ran OK with a purolator, but, only with the wix was it 100% no issues. Its not oil thicknes either, as i tied an experiment adding 1L 10w40 M21 racing synthetic to the 0w20. No difference in noise except a tiny bit less deep knocking going up steep hills with hot oil. these engine are prone to carboning up (which can cause zero deck piston interference knock) with mild (economy) driving so run it wide open in the 4- 5700 rpm range a few times a week for a good five seconds to keep it clean. these engines are in a near RACE TUNE and need to be excercised and cropped HARD.
Interesting. Thanks for posting that. Your engine is of course a different series from mine. I'm not sure the common and different design elements between the L-series and R-series.
I can't say I've had the same experience. My R18 seems to run very well on the Idemitsu oil, at least as well as on the new C-P Honda 0w20, and not noticeably noisier than the factory fill. It's a bit hard to tell though, all engines make a bit more noise in the winter around here and I changed the oil in late February. I have the later SM version which has the API doughnut on the bottle.
I used the OEM filter for the first change in the car and have a PureOne on it now. Again, no substantial operational differences between the three oils and two different filters.
My car gets a fitting workout regularly in addition to goosing the fuel with a little Redline SI-1 at each fill. I may switch to FP+ though.