RedLine 5W-20

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Fred Bear

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Apr 28, 2003
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Location
Arlington, TX
I am a user of 20 weights and have been very happy with the UOA results I have done.
I just switched to Redline 5W-20 (On a whim as I drove past a store that had it)
It has been in our Honda Pilot for 4 months and our MPG has gone from an average on 19.7 to 22.3
I just put it in my 97 Accord (4cyl with 102,000 miles). I just took a trip to Denver and back. I ran about 2000 miles. I had the cruise set on 75 and I got 36.4 MPG. Previous to Redline my high MPG on the highway was 32.
I know there are many variables in MPG but could the oil make that big a change????
 
I believe a Synthetic like Redline can improve mileage by 5%

If you add Redline or another synthetic like it to your drivetrain.....looks like you could reduce drag that much more 8%?
 
It would be very unlikely to see any benefits from a synthetic over a conventional oil. Generally the benefits are because of using a thinner grade (the synthetic). I have seen numerous reports over the years that indicated that if a synthetic oil is utilized in the tranny, differential, and engine the results are just under 3%. Your sample survey is too small to confirm this result.

FWIW over the last 15 years I have seen no milage benefits of using synthetics (Mobil 1, Amsoil, and Redline) in numerous cars.
 
I have used ONLY synthetic (Mobil 1) in the Accord since it was new. Mostly 5W-30 but have used 5W-20 for the last few years. The change was the Redline...
 
Well, anything's possible, but I've always experienced the same or very, very slightly lower mileage with Red Line compared with the same grade of some other oil. I have attributed this to its higher HTHS numbers and total lack of shearing.
 
I've heard of similar things happening with sythetics in general. In this case, if it turns out to be consistent, I think it is the ester based oil doing what it does best, reduce friction! That and if the the redline is slightly thinner hot, that would be part of it as well.
Let us know if it(mileage) stays this way.
 
Here's another data point:

http://racingarticles.com/article_racing-72.html

"As much as I don't want to believe it, there is hidden power in motor oil. When going from SAE 20w-50, to synthetic 30, and then to synthetic 20, 2-5 average points in power were found. Thin oil makes more power than thick; synthetic oil makes more power than regular. The gains aren't huge but they do exist and they are clearly seen on the dyno runs."

I tried Redline 5w20 in my Honda V6 and noticed an improvement in MPG too. I beginning to think this oil is a real sleeper for 5w20 uses. Although, I'm not sure how'd it do in really cold climates.
 
RL formulates for maximum power and low friction. I believe RL could have had a significant impact on increasing your MPG.
 
RL 5w-20 could just be the "ultimate" oil. Has the protection of a 30wt but the viscosity of a 20wt oil.
 
quote:
RL formulates for maximum power and low friction. I believe RL could have had a significant impact on increasing your MPG.
Click to expand...
I don't believe it's possible.
I also don't believe that RedLine oils are any more beneficial than the "regular" synthetics in the non-turbo, street driven cars.
I've switched from Redline to Syntec 0w-30 and so far haven't seen any changes in gas mileage.
IMHO, Redline is not worth the money (unless you drive a known "sludge monster")
 
I'm headed toward 400k with Red Line oil in a Civic that has never had the head off. Other oils might have done as well, but Red Line is also doing just fine. The engine has new spec compression and passes California smog, every time. I've done an Auto-RX treatment and under the valve cover it looks like new. Red Line may not be the best, or worth the price but it's doing a great job for me, in a car that can not be called a racer. So, it could be a good oil for daily drivers, if you keep them long enough.
 
Why AutoRx?
Redline should have kept your engine squeaky clean, regardless of mileage.
It kept mine for 55K miles. So will Syntec.
 
Why Auto-RX? Wanted to just try it out. I think that oil, alone, is not always enough. I use Lube Control on a regular basis too, just for a little extra help. I'm the kind of person that keeps cars a long while, and enjoy doing the maintenance. There may be others, around here, just like me.
 
Funny, my milage went DOWN with RedLine. I have a '04
Acura TL which was running Amsoil S2K at 22mpg in the
city. Went to RL for grins as I wanted a true synthetic
5W20 and I'm now getting 19-20 mpg.
Runs great just as it did with the S2K. As I purchased a case
I will use the rest but if the milage doesn't go back up
when it gets warmer I'm back to the Amsoil. Could be
the winter gas here in Detroit but that did't happen in
the first year of ownership and the engine should be
loosening up a little (almost 15k).

So that's my story.
Craig
 
Where are you guys getting Redline these days. The only place I have ever found it locally was at Advance Autoparts. Since they tossed it, bye bye redline. As I don't think we have any speed shops, would I just have to order it from Jegs or SUmmit or someone?
 
oh yeah....the same guys who had the Redline article that caused a stir about all synths except redline leaving deposits. $7 even is the cheapest I've seen it...
 
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