Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
And many of the exact same Honda engines spec 5-30 elsewhere all around the globe, except the CAFE burdened US. Maybe one day people will realize this, LOL.
Haahaa... maybe one day the rest of the world will know that these vehicles can go just as far on a spec'd 20 as they did on a 30, and that either is fine.
I was a thicker is better guy all my life til I found bitog and after reading all the posts,and a lot of googling I learned something.
I learned that engines using a 20 grade oil here last/stay on the road, just as long,and in many cases longer in North America than on any other continent.
And for many different reasons. Some countries impose large taxes on older vehicles and it's cheaper to buy new vs keeping an older model.
In some countries there are high vehicle maintenance standards that keep many vehicles from "roadworthy" status.
In North America we tend to have easier/lax automobile maintenance laws and some states and provinces don't require any yearly inspections.
Some require no inspection prior to operating a vehicle at all,so here we can see a brand new vehicle being followed by a flintstone car.
So truth be known,CAFE or no CAFE our vehicles aren't getting penalized with shorter lifespan,in fact when compared to the rest of the world it seems the contrary is true,so why not use a 20 grade.
I don't feel one size fits all in all circumstances though and still believe that how a vehicle is operated and ambient temps are an important consideration as well.
Honestly I don't really care about whether thick or thin makes an engine last longer because the engine is the least of my concerns when I consider vehicle maintenance.
There's lots of great running engines at the auto wrecker with over 300k on the odo,it's not the engines that doom a car to the crusher.
Oem's have torture tested the recommended lubricants in their equipment. They know what it needs.
Oem's will specify what's easy to acquire in the respective markets their vehicles are sold in.
Ever tried to get a 20 grade in Australia or New Zealand?
Engines will run on a range of lubricant viscosities,but only 1 can be optimal.