Are VVT systems really effected by different viscosity oils?
At a car show at the Peterson Museum I talked with a Honda tuner that turbocharges Honda B20 (I hope I've got the model correct) engines and several other models. He said the stock engine runs 0w-20 oil and they've mapped the stock continuously variable cam timing profile on the dyno. They run a 5w-50 oil in the high powered turbo versions that retain the VVT stuff and the stock valve timing pattern remains the same with their modified cams. He said that it appears that the viscosity does not effect the system enough to measure.
I'm asking this because a Honda dealer told a co-worker that he had to absolutely use a 5w or 0w-20 oil or it would cause poor performance and could damage the engine camshaft system and would invalidate the warranty on the engine.
The tuner did a burnout behind the museum in his Honda and when he got off the gas a neat looking flame shot out the back with a loud pop. That motor was producing a lot of power, nothing like a stock Honda. The work under the hood looked like a space ship. Everything was absolutely clean and neat. I especially liked the transparent blue tinted lexan air box that contained the air filter and the same style transparent valve cover so you could see the oil flowing while the engine ran. The turbo and NOS systems were impressive as well.
At a car show at the Peterson Museum I talked with a Honda tuner that turbocharges Honda B20 (I hope I've got the model correct) engines and several other models. He said the stock engine runs 0w-20 oil and they've mapped the stock continuously variable cam timing profile on the dyno. They run a 5w-50 oil in the high powered turbo versions that retain the VVT stuff and the stock valve timing pattern remains the same with their modified cams. He said that it appears that the viscosity does not effect the system enough to measure.
I'm asking this because a Honda dealer told a co-worker that he had to absolutely use a 5w or 0w-20 oil or it would cause poor performance and could damage the engine camshaft system and would invalidate the warranty on the engine.
The tuner did a burnout behind the museum in his Honda and when he got off the gas a neat looking flame shot out the back with a loud pop. That motor was producing a lot of power, nothing like a stock Honda. The work under the hood looked like a space ship. Everything was absolutely clean and neat. I especially liked the transparent blue tinted lexan air box that contained the air filter and the same style transparent valve cover so you could see the oil flowing while the engine ran. The turbo and NOS systems were impressive as well.
