difference between 10w-30 vs 10w-40 on fuel saving

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hi everyone. i recently change on my honda civic 2000 lx with 238k write now on odometer from 10w-30 to 10w-40 using valvoline maxlife. will i'am gonna loose on a gas milege switching to 10w-40 oil, or is just a small difference on fuel saving between 10w-30 vs 10w-40 weight oil?
 
Originally Posted By: max45
hi everyone. i recently change on my honda civic 2000 lx with 238k write now on odometer from 10w-30 to 10w-40 using valvoline maxlife. will i'am gonna loose on a gas milege switching to 10w-40 oil, or is just a small difference on fuel saving between 10w-30 vs 10w-40 weight oil?


You are going to feel a loss of power and maybe an MPG or two.

Does the engine have something going on with it that you did this? You can put 5W-30 in that car, high mileage oil will help with any consumption if it was doing that.

These are good cars but 5W-30 is the ideal grade for it. Seriously. Pick a high mileage oil and use it 5W-30, if you went to 10W-40 are you trying to fight consumtion? First thought (not mad at ya, it will be ok, just asking)
 
i was thinking because is got high miles on motor to switch to 10w-40 weight oil, i'am going to desert area one of this days, where temp will be 95f +.i don't know it's just my thought, maybe i'am wrong
 
Originally Posted By: max45
i was thinking because is got high miles on motor to switch to 10w-40 weight oil, i'am going to desert area one of this days, where temp will be 95f +.i don't know it's just my thought, maybe i'am wrong


You are not "wrong," i understand the logic, had car or newly acquired so you think going one grade up on oil preserves its innards better. FWIW, your car will run fine on 10W-40 or 30.

What you are worried about is the oil "thinning." Does the car overheat? It takes some getting used to, but if the 30 had no issues, then it will protect the SAME in high heat, as long as it doesnt degrade or get too thin in the engine at high temp. There is a measure called "KV100" as to how thick it is at operating temp, and your oil may get a bit hotter than 212 degrees fahreneit. There is a more reliable measure called HT/HS, and that is how "thick" the oil will be while in your engine.

Long story short,if the 10W-40 feels good keep using it. There will be pages as to why its not ideal, but if it works it is fine and it may make your engine feel "different" some like the wait feels thicker, some thinner. I could go either way, and your choice is ok. (You could have also left it the same but i understand your thought train, max45.)

If you start going the thinner is better route, you will never stop trying to find the very thinnest oil you can get in there
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For your car, a 30 was originally spec'd, and a 20 was possibly back-spec'd (meaning the manufacturer said it was Ok after it was produced.) Your oil choice is, in the end, up to you.
 
Originally Posted By: max45
i was thinking because is got high miles on motor to switch to 10w-40 weight oil, i'am going to desert area one of this days, where temp will be 95f +.i don't know it's just my thought, maybe i'am wrong



Where do people get the idea to start using thicker oil on a "high mileage" engine. (by the way, 200,000 miles isn't high mileage, the engine has just finished breaking-in and is good to go for another 200k) I just don't get the thought behind this.

The engine is designed to run on 5w30 from FREEZING temps all the way to the HOTTEST temps that you're able to find on the surface of planet earth.

Your engine will not benefit one bit from the much thicker 10w40 oil. It's a tiny Honda 4 cylinder. It's even back spec'd by Honda to run on 5w20!!
 
Originally Posted By: Artem
Originally Posted By: max45
i was thinking because is got high miles on motor to switch to 10w-40 weight oil, i'am going to desert area one of this days, where temp will be 95f +.i don't know it's just my thought, maybe i'am wrong



Where do people get the idea to start using thicker oil on a "high mileage" engine.


Its passed on from older generation where people with the car now think the engine "needs" it, due to being worn down. Nobody stops to think that if the oil wgrade in it was OK then, that it will continue to be OK.

I suppose older engines needed the thicker oil to keep them going if they were very well worn, or not maintained properly? The words "clearances" come to mind, where if they were worn they MAY need thicker. This could be totally incorrect, but this is most prevalent reason for wanting to put in a thicker grade. It is a stigma that has remained for a looong time, and may have its roots partially in truth and partially in exaggeration.

Hope this helps as to why people want to run out and buy 10W-40 when they buy a new-to-them car, or when it gets hotter than 90-100 degrees outside. Their owners manual also *appears* to give credibility to that, until they simplified them.
 
Originally Posted By: max45
...i'am going to desert area one of this days, where temp will be 95f +.


This is a case where the condition of your cooling system should be of concern, not the viscosity of your engine oil.

Follow the good advice of others responding to your inquiry in this thread.
 
You will neither see a change in fuel economy nor feel any difference in how the engine runs.
Going up one grade, particularly in Socal, will make no difference at all.
Try the 10W-40 Maxlife and see for yourself.
 
I've run Xw40 weights in saturns spec'd for 30 and not noticed a change in the 38.5 MPG. Seasonal changes in air density, gas formulation, snow tires are all very noticeable. But not oil weight. This car is similar to your civic in MPG pursuit.

What RPM does it spin on the highway? 3500? 4000? You will have tons of pressure with 20 or 30 weight, and will be bypassing into the pan. The thinner you go within reason the faster it'll go through your bearings (and the greater percentage won't bypass) and get back to cooling off.

Note that 95'F vs 75'F feels radically different to people but cars are meant to run at 195'F so the heat spread is only 20% different to the car and well within design spec.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
You will neither see a change in fuel economy nor feel any difference in how the engine runs.
Going up one grade, particularly in Socal, will make no difference at all.
Try the 10W-40 Maxlife and see for yourself.


Agreed...
 
Smaller engines most certainly respond to oil thickness/viscosity.
If you can't tell a difference, your threshold of realization is numbed and higher than normal.

If you are not burning oil, why even consider a thicker oil?
 
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