Syntec 5W-50 (yes 50) in '02 Acura 3.2 CL-S

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Ok I know that Manual recommends 5W-30 but since in some places like Australia people are using thick oils in Honda products then why not try for hot summer in southern Canada, here we often encounter 30 C
If not the 5W-50 then I will for sure try ELF 5W-40 visc 14.1 cSt @100C.
What do you all think am I looking for trouble??
The car has 138,000km 86,000mi has had regular 5000km changes with either M1 5W-30 3L + 1L M1 (15W-50 or 5W-50) or GC few runs of PetroCanada 5W-30 SynthBlend.

http://www.ew2.lubesinfo.com/frameset.asp?sid=156&bid=63&sc=1156&langid=1
 
It probably won't hurt a thing, but unless you are going to see some serious oil temps it isn't really needed.
 
Only thing it might hurt is your mpg and with gas prices where they are, I'd be moving in the other direction. .02
 
You're not going to hurt anything - modern 5W-50 oil are really the 'best of both worlds' for the Canadian climate and its extremes.

Problem is, on an engine like an Acura SOHC/DOHC engine, it MIGHT hurt performance - these engines use light rec. assemblies, lots of cams and valves, and high revs to make power. A thick oil will weigh down all this moving metal a bit.

If you were driving a slower-reving, OHV engine, you probably wouldn't notice it at all, so it might be a 'better idea' for those types of engines....
 
People seem to report a sluggishness when using heavier grades in certain torqueless Honda engines. Mine was one of them. GC made the 2.4L engine in my Accord sluggish.
 
Despite synth base I still get concerned about VII's breaking down.

The base is 5W and the VII's get the W50.

In your case, the break down would bring the hot weight closer to the recommended W30.

If you want thicker, I would do more common 5W40.
 
I'd go with 5W-40 before a 50 weight.

I generally think 50 weights are just too heavy for the vast majority of street driving and will only reduce fuel economy while really providing no advantage in engine wear or protection.
 
I use it in my KFX450R and it loves it
wink.gif
 
Thanks for all your responses I might actually cut it with some 5W-30 GTX orGTX HiMileage 50/50 to end up with something around SAE ~W-40.
Oh and my oil consumption is something like 0.25L per 5000km or 0.25 Qt per 3000mi so it ain't bad. Usually when I change oil with the same brand and type the consumption is closer to zero during next OCI, just so you know what my engine behaves like
The RPMs at 120kk/h or 75-80MPH are 2000-2100
 
What is the benefit to using a 50 weight oil in a 3.2L Acura? That's just making the motor work harder than it needs too. Have you seen some of the oil drain ports in these cars? They're small, clearly meant for thinner oils to flow quickly. Run a 5w-30 like the manual says, change it every 5K and the rest of the car will fall apart before you ever so much as crack a valve cover.
 
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