Oil recommendation for new Mazda MX-5

R

RickH

Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
8
Hi,
I am brand new here and looking for some oil advice. I just bought a new 2020 Mazda MX-5. I love the car and want to take good care of it. I have always run my cars (my two other cars are Toyotas) on Amsoil SS with the EA filters. I change the oil on Toyotas OCI of 1 year/10K. However, I think I am going to stick to Mazda's 5K recommendation and use an API certified oil while under warranty. I am going to use Mazda's OEM filter. My dealer will put in whatever I want to bring (even Amsoil SS if I want to). The car is primarily a daily driver. Mostly highway - 25 miles per day total. I live in Virginia. The summers are in 90s frequently, but it is very rarely below 25 in the winter. I have used Amsoil exclusively since about 1990, so feels weird to make a change. I am certainly no expert on oil which is why I am here. Would something like Pennzoil UP be a good choice? I am just looking to use a really high quality oil. Cost doesn't matter. I dont mind spending a few bucks more (which is why I have used SS for so long). I will likely keep the car a long time and switch to Amsoil SS after the warranty is over.
 
You can run any major brand of 0w20 and be confident. The OEM Roki filter is a great choice and that is what I use on my CX5 along with Mobil 1. 5000 miles is a good easy number to go by.

Congrats on your new MX5.
 
Congrats on the new ND! I have spent some time in a ND1, both on the track and on public roads. It really is a fantastic chassis.

From what I understand, Mazda only states an using an API oil in North America, so any 0w20 will be fine. Run something from Amsoil if it makes you feel comfortable.
In the Australian owners manual, it specifies API SL/SM/SN or ILSAC GF-III/GF-IV/GF-V (Amsoil Signature meets API SN+, along with many other 0w20's) Basically, as stated by PimTac, any major brand 0w20 should have you covered.

The ND series should not be very hard on engine oil, however, they are known to run hot in both the manual transmission gear oil, as well as the differential oil. The guys I know using this vehicle for track days run a premium 75w140 gear oil in these components. If I were only using the car for street use, I would change those fluids with the Mazda recommendation on an annual basis.
 
Good recommendations above.

Any major brand 0w20 is going to work well in this engine @ 5k mile intervals.
 
Congrats on your new miata, post some pics! I have a 2019 and used the following:
3,000 - Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 & Mobil 1 108A
7,000 - Mobil 1 0w20 EP & Mobil 1 108A

From here on out I will change every 5k, since I do mostly city driving and high rev's. Severe service is 5k with a flexible option on the computer as well. I had no problems at all with the Mobil1 filter that I got on rebate. For my next change I got a 3 pack of OEM filters to try. My next oil change will be Mobil 1 5w30 ESP because I take this to the canyons and let it rip high in the rev range. The 0w20 is fine for normal driving, but if you expect to track the car consider a thicker oil. As others have mentioned the same engine in other countries allows a wide range of oils. I also plan to swap out the transmission and differential fluid with Redline 75w90.
20200922_083207.jpg
 
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RickH said:
Hi,
I am brand new here and looking for some oil advice. I just bought a new 2020 Mazda MX-5. I love the car and want to take good care of it. I have always run my cars (my two other cars are Toyotas) on Amsoil SS with the EA filters. I change the oil on Toyotas OCI of 1 year/10K. However, I think I am going to stick to Mazda's 5K recommendation and use an API certified oil while under warranty. I am going to use Mazda's OEM filter. My dealer will put in whatever I want to bring (even Amsoil SS if I want to). The car is primarily a daily driver. Mostly highway - 25 miles per day total. I live in Virginia. The summers are in 90s frequently, but it is very rarely below 25 in the winter. I have used Amsoil exclusively since about 1990, so feels weird to make a change. I am certainly no expert on oil which is why I am here. Would something like Pennzoil UP be a good choice? I am just looking to use a really high quality oil. Cost doesn't matter. I dont mind spending a few bucks more (which is why I have used SS for so long). I will likely keep the car a long time and switch to Amsoil SS after the warranty is over.
Click to expand...
With the way you've structured your question you can walk into Walmart and pick any name-brand synthetic that has each of those attributes and it will make zero difference which one you pick. Except for cost perhaps, so pick the cheapest one that fits.

Since you mentioned Amsoil several times in your post, why not just buy their OE product if that seems to be your favorite? It is certainly a "high quality oil" and if "cost doesn't matter" then why not?
 
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Any name brand 0w20 will work fine for your usage and service intervals. Yes PUP would be a good choice, as would Supertech which meets the spec and is a great value, but it doesn't really matter what brand. Just be sure you keep up on all the required services while under warranty. Enjoy the new ride :D
 
PP, PUP, Castrol Mag, or another name brand full synth will work. At 5k mile OCI and OEM oil filter, when you remove the valve cover at 150k miles to replace the gasket, you'll be amazed at the nearly perfect condition it's in.
 
Thanks for all the help, guys. I appreciate it. If I may indulge in some OCD for a minute, I have a couple more questions. I will try to keep this brief. I have read more about oil in the last week or so than I ever have in my life. I read some of the blackstone info where they say oil brand makes no difference. I read the 540 RAT blog and the counterarguments in the threads here. So, for those far more knowledgable than I am, I take it that good synthetics these days are essentially interchangeable with a good filter and a "reasonable" OCI? Correct? If I change at 5K with any decent synthetic, my car has a good shot of exceeding 200K (not sure I will keep it that long) regardless of what I use? Is that the correct conclusion? There is no meaningful advantage for any brand over any other for a daily driver in terms of engine wear and longevity, right? Logically, this makes sense to me as my father used to run toyotas for over 200K back in the 70s and 80s on dino oil. I guess I am a little anxious because I have never spent $35K on a car before and want to take good care of it. If what I wrote above is accurate, I will most likely just go with Amsoil OE or.XL for no other reason than I have used their oil since about 1990 (I had a celica with a bypass filter back in the day). Brand familiarity and habit would be the only reason. :)
 
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