Using 5-30 in a car that is spec'd only for 5-20?

[Throckmorton]

So I couldn't help myself but to buy a 5qt bottle of QS QTorque Synthetic 5w30 for $20 because it came with a $15 mail-in rebate. At a net cost of $5 for 5 quarts of synthetic it just seemed to good to pass up. But, my Accord V6 only specifies 5-20.

I can also put this in the V6 300Touring, but that car calls for 10-30 only.

I'm pretty sure it will be okay to use this in the Accord, but I wanted to get the opinion from forum members anyway. So what does everyone have to say?

 

[bar1]

Yes you can. That Accord runs on 5w30 and 5W-40 in the rest of the world...

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally Posted By: bar1
Yes you can. That Accord runs on 5w30 and 5W-40 in the rest of the world...
Is that for the V6 or just for the 4 cylinder?

 

[dorkiedoode]

i'm pretty sure its both

 

[Merkava_4]

In Texas I'd use 10w30 for both of those cars; 5w30 is for ambient temperatures below zero F and not to exceed +68F.

 

[Merkava_4]

I like this chart I found on Google for the Dodge Ram:

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
In Texas I'd use 10w30 for both of those cars; 5w30 is for ambient temperatures below zero F and not to exceed +68F.

Huh?

 

[Merkava_4]

Here's another interesting chart from Google:

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Throckmorton
Huh?


Maybe not on your Honda, but on some cars like BMW's, absolutely.

LUBRICANTS & FLUIDS
Engine Oil
Grade 1......SM
SAE 10W-40 XL Synthetic Motor Oil
SAE 10W-40 Synthetic High Performance Motor Oil
Synthetic 5W-40 European Engine Oil
-20 To 10°F......10W-30
-20 To 20°F......10W-40
Above 5°F......15W-40
Below 32°F......5W-20
Below 50°F......5w30

 

[Merkava_4]

This one is hard to see but the fine print says:

"SAE 5w30 and 5W-40 are not recommended for vehicles equipped with a 318 4 Bbl engine when operating at ambient temperatures above +60F (+16C). "

 

[Merkava_4]

This chart here says 5w30 synthetic is 'da man!

 

[Merkava_4]

I like this one too:

 

[Merkava_4]

Here's an interesting one. Apparently the Swedes haven't gotten the mean letter
from the CAFE board yet.

From Amsoil:

2006 VOLVO S80 2.5L 5-cyl Engine Code B5254T2 Turbo

LUBRICANTS & FLUIDS
Engine Oil
Grade 1......API*
SAE 10W-40 XL Synthetic Motor Oil
SAE 10W-40 Synthetic High Performance Motor Oil
Synthetic 5W-40 European Engine Oil
Below 86°F......5w30

 

[Johnny]

Where do you dig up this stuff? 318 4 Bbl, API SF/CC. Just a little out of date for todays standards. My Honda manual says to use 5W20 from New York to California, from summer to winter, and my Prius manual says the same thing, except it says 5W30. I lived in Texas for 40-years and drove like a bat out of _ _ _ _ and always used 5W30 year round in every car I owned. And I'm not talking about synthetics either.

Throckmorton, 5W30 will be just fine in your Honda.

 

[Pablo]

It won't hurt anything, but 0W/5W-20 will be better for wear and MPG. Not sure why people still think higher viscosity is better. That one will take a long time to die. Thicker feels better in the human mind, I guess.

I need a signature that says something such as:
Quote:
Tribology - what do feelings have to do with it?
(I just realized we don't have the :hippie: gremlin any more.)

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I like this one too:

That looks like it was stolen from the pages of the manual for my 1988 Mustang GT.

 

[Seth]

I had the same fear. My Mitsubishi Outlander was specd for 5w20. For the same exact vehicle/engine it is specd for 5w30/10w30 in Japan.

Notice how for 3.0 ltr, if you ran 5w20 in Japan, then you'd be running a grade thinner than recommended which is a no-no to some on BITOG here.

 

[bar1]

Originally Posted By: Throckmorton
Originally Posted By: bar1
Yes you can. That Accord runs on 5w30 and 5W-40 in the rest of the world...
Is that for the V6 or just for the 4 cylinder?

Both.

 

[bar1]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
It won't hurt anything, but 0W/5W-20 will be better for wear and MPG. Not sure why people still think higher viscosity is better. That one will take a long time to die. Thicker feels better in the human mind, I guess.

Are you shure about that? MPG will be better with xW-20 but nobody knows what gives less wear...

Only fact here is that in markets without CAFE, those engines (Honda/Ford/Mazda/Toyota/etc) are required to run on 5w30 and 5W-40.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Where do you dig up this stuff? 318 4 Bbl, API SF/CC. Just a little out of date for todays standards.


That was meant to be a joke, but I guess it didn't go over too well.

The point I was attempting to make is that I believe 5w30 is not too thick for the OP's Honda; I may have however, gone a little overboard with the temperature charts.