My Honda Insight uses 0W-20...any other cars use this viscosity?

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I see Hondas/Fords use 5W-20, but does any other car use the >0W
No, just yours.
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Originally posted by buster:
No, just yours.
grin.gif


Wow, I feel so special.
cheers.gif


But seriously... I think it's weird that Honda recommends 5W-20 for all of its cars, except the Insight. I wonder why? Got any ideas?
 
quote:

Wow, I feel so special.

Glad you have a sense of humor. The other guys summed it up, it's all about MPG. If your considering a good 0w-20, Mobil's should be available at the end of the month. I think these oils will be fine for today's tightly built engines. And for peace of mind, 20wts have been around since the 60's I think.
 
I just learned that the Civic Hybrid also uses 0W-20.

So Honda recommends 5W-20 for all of their cars, except the hybrids. Interesting. I guess the reason for the 0W is because the hybrids turn off their engines sometimes. Still, I don't see why it's necessary. Even while turned off, the Hybrid engines still stay hot at ~200F. The W rating of the oil should not matter.

Troy
 
The 0w oils are still thinner than the 5w oils at COLD temperatures. Thus, they give better fuel efficiency at colder operating temps before the engine has warmed up. In addition, since the engine is starting and stopping when not moving, a thinner oil at cold temps helps here too before the engine warms up (or if the engine cools significantly when stopped at a light for example - when its -20F with any wind, things cool down fast!)

In addition, it should be noted that engine oil temps significantly lag those seen on a gauge for the anti-freeze / radiator. People whi have owned cars with both gauges have all commented on that behavior. On that basis, just because the anti-freeze comes up to temp in 5 minutes does not give any indication the oil has reached temp yet.

When you are building cars exclusively to get good gas mileage, those types of issues do come into play, thuse the use of the 0w oils.
 
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