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Car Forum / Honda Cars / March 200504 honda pilot engine oil
Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil instead. Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. you can put in vegetable oil if you want > Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil > instead. > Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. I don't know about you, but if the engineers who develop the engine say that their engine needs 5w-20, I would not take the chance with another grade. Also, more and more stores have 5w20 and its is only a few dollars more an oil change. So let me see.. 30k for the car... and I want to save a measly 5$ per oil change... don't think so. Cheers > Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 > oil instead. > Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. > I don't know about you, but if the engineers who develop the > engine say that their engine needs [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > for the car... and I want to > save a measly 5$ per oil change... don't think so. Well - Honda didn't redesign many of their engines when they made the official switch to 5W-20. Ford is back dating their recommendations to use 5W-20. I doubt 5W-20 is some magic potion, but its use is possibly a concious decision that fuel economy is more important than ultimate engine longevity. The cheapest 5W-20 oil I've seen is Coastal at an AutoZone. I wouldn't use it, but it's a fully API certified oil with the donut, starbust, etc. For those who are really freaked out, Mobil 1 now comes in a 5W-20 version. I know it won't be an option for the original poster because of the price, but it might work for those what are squeamish about usingeven a semi-synthetic 5W-20. I'm supposing the biggest problem would be excessive thinning out at high ambient temps, and the Mobil 1 will likely be better in that regard. Some manufacturers that normally recommend 5W-30/10W-30 also say that other (heavier) weights can be used with lots of towing and/or in hot climates. Most engines are alleged to be fairly tolerant of a wide range of oil viscosity. If I lived in (let's say) Texas, I'd seriously consider using a 5W-30 (or even 10W-30) during the Summer. Honda recomends 5w-20 weight oil for emission and fuel economy reasons. 5w-30 weight oil will probably will not cause any problems to the engine. If the engine had a turbo I would be concerned. Check out http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/ford5w20.htm > Honda recomends 5w-20 weight oil for emission and fuel economy reasons. > 5w-30 weight oil will probably will not cause any problems to the > engine. If the engine had a turbo I would be concerned. Check out > http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/ford5w20.htm to paraphrase: "using another grade of oil doesn't invalidate your legal rights. so let us sell you amsoil." what a tech-free croc. i wouldn't buy amsoil on principle. /anyone/ attempting to distribute a product through an ariadne's web of hype like that will never get my dollar. > > Honda recomends 5w-20 weight oil for emission and fuel economy > > reasons. 5w-30 weight oil will probably will not cause any [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > to paraphrase: "using another grade of oil doesn't invalidate your > legal rights. so let us sell you amsoil." Redline fudges with many specs too, but they don't get much scorn for it. They seem to be more realistic in their sales and advertising. > what a tech-free croc. i wouldn't buy amsoil on principle. /anyone/ > attempting to distribute a product through an ariadne's web of hype > like that will never get my dollar. I don't care for Amsoil's sales practices, and I never intend to buy any of their products. I don't believe they're garbage either, and its use seems to be working well for people without an axe to grind for or against them. That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. The "mandating" of 5W-20 was likely more a business decision than an engineering choice. The same (or similar) Honda engines sold elsewhere in the world are doing fine on 5W-30 or 10W-30. In a temperate climate where I live, it might be fine. If it gets really hot, I'd worry that the oil might be excessively thin. I'd think anyone who's really freaked out, but still wants to follow the 5W-20 recommendation might consider installing an aftermarket (fin type) oil cooler. >>>Honda recomends 5w-20 weight oil for emission and fuel economy >>>reasons. 5w-30 weight oil will probably will not cause any [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Redline fudges with many specs too, but they don't get much scorn for > it. They seem to be more realistic in their sales and advertising. can't say i've waded much farther than their 4-ball test. that is /so/ unrealistic for vehicle engine apps, it's not even funny. it makes no account of changing chemical load, changing particle load, thermal breakdown - it's just a joke. >>what a tech-free croc. i wouldn't buy amsoil on principle. /anyone/ >>attempting to distribute a product through an ariadne's web of hype [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > really freaked out, but still wants to follow the 5W-20 recommendation > might consider installing an aftermarket (fin type) oil cooler. you don't need to reengineer the engine - you reengineer the oil. as long as it maintains its film & lubricity in the face of the kinds of conditions the 4-ball test doesn't consider, who cares? as far as i'm concerned, any oil, dino or syn, that uses the same technology as that which can keep a 18,000 rpm, 1,000+ hp, at i-don't-know-how-many-degrees F1 engine on the track for two hours is quite good enough for me thanks very much. "thinness" is irrelevant. >> That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. The >> "mandating" of 5W-20 was likely more a business decision than an [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > F1 engine on the track for two hours is quite good enough for me thanks > very much. "thinness" is irrelevant. An F1 engine isn't going to be using Pennzoil 5W-20. Last season, the Ferrari team was using Shell Helix F1SL785, which isn't exactly available to the general public. I was under the impression that among similar oil "chemistries", a higher viscosity (operating temp) oil also has higher film strength. Add extreme conditions (cooling system failure) and the film strength of a thinner oil may not be enough. Although 5W-20 may be good for most applications, it's still a "once size fits all" solution that seems to be geared towards fuel economy. I still wouldn't use it if I owned a Pilot and was towing a small boat. Maybe 10W-30. I have heard that the API standards for 5W-20 oils allow for slightly more zinc, and that many of the 5W-20 oils contain high levels of molydenum. That - and pretty much all of the 5W-20's are essentially semi-synthetics (as the term "synthetic" applies these days). That doesn't mean I trust that the average 5W-20 will protect an engine better than an average 5W-30. >>> That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. The >>> "mandating" of 5W-20 was likely more a business decision than an [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > the Ferrari team was using Shell Helix F1SL785, which isn't exactly > available to the general public. maybe, but some definitely use mobil 1. istr valvoline being a prominent sponsor as well. my point was that the /technology/ used in F1 is still used in ordinary oils. > I was under the impression that among similar oil "chemistries", a > higher viscosity (operating temp) oil also has higher film strength. i'm not a tribologist, but i don't believe that's true. you can use air as a bearing/lubricant in some applications, so viscosity isn't the final factor. as i understand it, the ability of the oil to stick to the surface of the material is the key. the additive packages in some modern oils are pretty darned impressive. > Add extreme conditions (cooling system failure) and the film strength > of a thinner oil may not be enough. Although 5W-20 may be good for > most applications, it's still a "once size fits all" solution that > seems to be geared towards fuel economy. I still wouldn't use it > if I owned a Pilot and was towing a small boat. Maybe 10W-30. with respect, this is just supposition. i want facts. last time i was in a tire shop, i was listening to a guy make his choice based on which "looked more aggressive". was he a hydrodynamasist? how about polymer scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire dude". > I have heard that the API standards for 5W-20 oils allow for slightly > more zinc, and that many of the 5W-20 oils contain high levels of > molydenum. That - and pretty much all of the 5W-20's are essentially > semi-synthetics (as the term "synthetic" applies these days). That > doesn't mean I trust that the average 5W-20 will protect an engine > better than an average 5W-30. > with respect, this is just supposition. i want facts. last time i was in > a tire shop, i was listening to a guy make his choice based on which > "looked more aggressive". was he a hydrodynamasist? how about polymer > scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed > decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire > dude". http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14148345&BRD=2311&PAG=461&dept_id=4822 60&rfi=6 An interesting read on racing oil weights. 0W-5! > with respect, this is just supposition. i want facts. last time i was > in a tire shop, i was listening to a guy make his choice based on which > "looked more aggressive". was he a hydrodynamasist? how about polymer > scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed > decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire dude". Interestingly enough, the tire people know this. That's why you get funky tread patterns. Not because they do anything, but because they sell the tire. > >>> That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. The > >>> "mandating" of 5W-20 was likely more a business decision than an [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > prominent sponsor as well. my point was that the /technology/ used in > F1 is still used in ordinary oils. What I was getting at wasn't the technology, but that the final product isn't going to be the same. The Ferrari team wasn't using an off the shelf motor oil in their F1 engines, and its viscosity was probably too thick for your average street car driven in sub- desert temps. I wouldn't be surprised if the oil was somehow preheated. I doubt there's any technology going into these 5W-20 oils that one can't find in current off the shelf 5W-30. > > I was under the impression that among similar oil "chemistries", a > > higher viscosity (operating temp) oil also has higher film strength. > > i'm not a tribologist, but i don't believe that's true. you can use air > as a bearing/lubricant in some applications, so viscosity isn't the > final factor. as i understand it, the ability of the oil to stick to > the surface of the material is the key. the additive packages in some > modern oils are pretty darned impressive. I was only thinking it's one of several factors. My understanding is that all things being equal, a thicker (operating temp) oil will have a higher thin film strength. Of course not all things are equal. The API standard for 5W-20 allows for more zinc (compared to 5W-30/10W-30), and several of the oils in this weight are reputed to contain rather high levels of molybdenum anti-wear additives. > > Add extreme conditions (cooling system failure) and the film strength > > of a thinner oil may not be enough. Although 5W-20 may be good for [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed > decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire dude". I wasn't thinking "thicker is better" under all circumstances. A good many automakers do have additional recommendations for extreme conditions such as towing or desert heat. My latest owner's manual says to use straight weight (30 or 40), 20W-40, or 20W-50 in such cases, when 5W-30 is the recommended year-round oil for normal driving conditions. If I lived in Arizona, I'd probably just junk all that and use Mobil 1 10W-30 year round, and throw in a yearly oil analysis to make sure it was working OK. I just sent a sample to Blackstone Labs this week. >>>>>That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. > [quoted text clipped - 129 lines] > to make sure it was working OK. I just sent a sample to Blackstone > Labs this week. oil analysis is a /very/ smart thing to do every now & then! >>> That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. The >>> "mandating" of 5W-20 was likely more a business decision than an [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > the Ferrari team was using Shell Helix F1SL785, which isn't exactly > available to the general public. And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? > And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very > different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? Nope. >> And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very >> different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? > >Nope. This year they have to go two races. Unless they blow up in the first one. >>>And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very >>>different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? >> >>Nope. > > This year they have to go two races. Thanks. > Unless they blow up in the first one. There's always a loophole! >>And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very >>different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? > > Nope. I believe engine rebuilds occurred in the past. I recall reading and article in AutoWeek about Ferrari selling several of their used F1 cars for a cool $2M each. Apparently each engine had a service life of 300 miles, which could be doubled if the rev limiter was dropped 1000 RPM. Most F1 races are under 200 miles I believe. I seem to recall there are (or it was proposed) rules that an F1 engine must be able to last an entire race weekend, including qualifying. >>>And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very >>>different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > engine must be able to last an entire race weekend, including > qualifying. Two races this year. >>And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very >>different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race? > > Nope. I'll bet they aren't run 100,000 miles, plus, either. > Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil > instead. Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. 5W-30 will do fine. The part-synthetic 5W-20 is intended so that Honda can more easily comply with government CAFE fuel economy regulations.  SignatureTeGGeR? The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ >> Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil >> instead. Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >The part-synthetic 5W-20 is intended so that Honda can more easily comply >with government CAFE fuel economy regulations. Everybody says that, but is there any case where a car's EPA rating went up after Honda began recommending 5W-20? Maybe the CAFE numbers are based on fuel economy figures calculated to three decimal places, but I can't believe that this switch increases economy by even 1 mpg. > Maybe the CAFE numbers > are based on fuel economy figures calculated to three decimal places, > but I can't believe that this switch increases economy by even 1 mpg. I'm sure they are--even if it only goes up by 0.1 mpg, consider the fuel savings over 1,000,000 vehicles. >> Maybe the CAFE numbers >> are based on fuel economy figures calculated to three decimal places, >> but I can't believe that this switch increases economy by even 1 mpg. > > I'm sure they are--even if it only goes up by 0.1 mpg, consider the fuel > savings over 1,000,000 vehicles. Precisely, Watson. For this very same reason, automakers will spend months working to to save 18? on one single part. Tiny things add up to big savings. And in the case of fuel consumption, the government is looking at results of carefully-controlled tests, and are interested only in aggregate figures extrapolated over an automaker's entire fleet. 0.1mpg per car is significant when measured over several million vehicles. SignatureTeGGeR? The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ >>> Maybe the CAFE numbers >>> are based on fuel economy figures calculated to three decimal places, [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > extrapolated over an automaker's entire fleet. 0.1mpg per car is > significant when measured over several million vehicles. I thought CAFE was Corporate Average Fuel Economy...and had little if anything to do with total fuel used. >>>> Maybe the CAFE numbers >>>> are based on fuel economy figures calculated to three decimal places, [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >I thought CAFE was Corporate Average Fuel Economy...and had little if >anything to do with total fuel used. Precisely right. And a 0.1 mpg gain only matters if you are below the mandated number (I think its 27 for cars and 21 for trucks) or are banking credits in anticipation of dropping below in coming years. Are these numbers publicly available? They should be. It would be interesting to see how much difference a little oil viscosity makes. >Precisely right. And a 0.1 mpg gain only matters if you are below the >mandated number (I think its 27 for cars and 21 for trucks) or are >banking credits in anticipation of dropping below in coming years. According to the CAFE site http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/cafe.html the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line that gave you an extra 0.1 mpg would be worth $5 per car. Yeah, I know times 6 million vehicles that's $30 million but this is big business and you are still only talking about $5 on a $20,000 car. And if your CAFE is already 27.5 its worth nothing. >Are these numbers publicly available? They should be. It would be >interesting to see how much difference a little oil viscosity makes. Lots of interesting stats at this site but nothing by manufacturer. (Did you know that 54.4% of all asian imports in 1982 had front wheel drive?) > the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So > if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line > that gave you an extra 0.1 mpg would be worth $5 per car. Yeah, I > know times 6 million vehicles that's $30 million but this is big > business and you are still only talking about $5 on a $20,000 car. > And if your CAFE is already 27.5 its worth nothing. $30 million is $30 million. Doesn't matter what kind of business you're in, $30 million OFF YOUR BOTTOM LINE is VERY significant. Considering that in most businesses about 90% of your gross (or more) ends up being bills to be paid, you protect the remaining 10% as best you can, hence the existence of 5W-20 part-synthetic. Who knows how close Honda is to that 27.5 limit?If they slip below, it's an instant $30 million tax. Smart businessmen are careful not to let that sort of thing happen. It may well be that CAFE is one reason Honda is not currently heavily involved in light trucks, and not in V8s. North America, primarily the US, is the world's foremost market for large engines with low fuel mileage. And the US is the *only* country with any sort of CAFE nonsense. CAFE costs Ford tens of millions every year, again, right off the bottom line. Honda does not want to be Ford; Ford loses money. Honda does not. It may also be that Honda is planning for further expansion into larger vehicles (think Ridgeline), and is banking CAFE credits in preparation for that. Honda manufactures most of its large vehicles, like the Odyssey and the Ridgeline, in North America, so it has a separate CAFE quota to meet for those cars. Since there is literally no way to predict or plan for the consequences of any sort of governmental action, it makes sense for Honda to grab every straw that waves its way, since you never know when it might be needed. Hence the 5W-20 part-synthetic. There's also the "green" factor. Honda already is run by safety nuts, and they've been proponents of the "green" thing since CVCC days. I wouldn't be surprised if Honda is trying for that last 0.1mpg on philosophical grounds. SignatureTeGGeR? The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ >> the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So >> if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >$30 million is $30 million. Doesn't matter what kind of business you're in, >$30 million OFF YOUR BOTTOM LINE is VERY significant. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they don't just throw $30 million away. But, when your profit is about $5B, it is less than 1% - not VERY significant in my judgement. >Considering that in most businesses about 90% of your gross (or more) ends >up being bills to be paid, you protect the remaining 10% as best you can, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >fuel mileage. And the US is the *only* country with any sort of CAFE >nonsense. The system could be easily fixed but it would require the political will to do so. The big car companies didn't want it to change so it hasn't. But the big car companies (you know the two I mean) are getting smaller and they may be overruled some day. Or maybe gas will go to $6 a gallon and make CAFE irrelevant. >CAFE costs Ford tens of millions every year, again, right off the bottom >line. Honda does not want to be Ford; Ford loses money. Honda does not. IMO, the reason Honda makes money is that Honda looks forward beyond the next quarter. Saving $5 a car today is not worth pissing off even 1% of your customers. That's why I wouldn't be worried about running 5W-20 in a Honda that specified it. Higher price and limited availability would piss me off a little though. Ford loses money because they are greedy bastards. They will burn you to death for $5 a car. Great in the short run but it tends to discourage repeat purchases. >It may also be that Honda is planning for further expansion into larger >vehicles (think Ridgeline), and is banking CAFE credits in preparation for >that. Honda manufactures most of its large vehicles, like the Odyssey and >the Ridgeline, in North America, so it has a separate CAFE quota to meet >for those cars. Don't be naive, its much more complex than that. Ody, Pilot, Ridgeline are all trucks built in NA. As such they are separate from cars. And they may even be separate from each other if some are domestic and others are import. But, you say, they are all made in North America. They could still be either domestic or import depending on whether domestic content exceeds 75%. By manipulating the sourcing of a few parts you can flip NA factory output from domestic to import and back again to manipulate your numbers. Of course the ultimate dodge would be a Honda Suburban which is not even covered by CAFE. But, 0.1 mpg is still only worth $5 per car. >Since there is literally no way to predict or plan for the consequences of >any sort of governmental action, it makes sense for Honda to grab every >straw that waves its way, since you never know when it might be needed. >Hence the 5W-20 part-synthetic. Not sure I understand this. What is the part-syhnthetic? Does Honda require that in 5W-20? Is that why someone was saying it was "only" an extra $1 per quart? It sounds like Honda is just inefficiently transferring costs to its customers. Wouldn't you prefer that Honda just charge you $5 (or $15) dollars more for the car than get hit for a $1 on every quart of oil? (You might recover a third of that $1 on fuel savings but you won't notice that.) >There's also the "green" factor. Honda already is run by safety nuts, and >they've been proponents of the "green" thing since CVCC days. I wouldn't be >surprised if Honda is trying for that last 0.1mpg on philosophical grounds. Heh heh, I wonder if it was the safety nuts or the greens that set the Accord Hybrid to be the fastest model in the Accord lineup. I don't doubt that Honda has more of a soul than most car companies but I don't think they are quite as zen as to want their tree to crash in the forest if no one hears it. Honda has made great advances in safety and environment but they usually don't hide their efforts. > >Since there is literally no way to predict or plan for the > >consequences of any sort of governmental action, it makes sense > >for Honda to grab every straw that waves its way, since you never > >know when it might be needed. Hence the 5W-20 part-synthetic. > > Not sure I understand this. What is the part-syhnthetic? Apparently most of the 5W-20 oil (even the ones sold as "conventional") contain higher quality base oil. It may be PAO or a higher quality hydrocracked petroleum oil (which is sometimes marketed as "synthetic" these days). They might also boost certain other antiwear additives to compensate for the thinness at operating temps. It might cost more to make a properly formulated 5W-20, but I suppose it can be absorbed across the entire lineup of oil weights. > Does Honda require that in 5W-20? Apparently yes, with the caveat that 5W-30 is OK as an emergency backup. However - I don't recall that Honda is recommending 5W-20 except in North America for the exact same engines. > Is that why someone was saying it was "only" > an extra $1 per quart? It sounds like Honda is just inefficiently > transferring costs to its customers. Wouldn't you prefer that Honda > just charge you $5 (or $15) dollars more for the car than get hit for > a $1 on every quart of oil? (You might recover a third of that $1 on > fuel savings but you won't notice that.) Most of the 5W-20 oil I've seen on store shelves recently doesn't command a premium over the other offerings in the same "product line". OTOH - it's hard to find the 5W-20 in many of the cheaper brands. I rented a Mazda 6 last Dec. They actually took it to a quickie lube place and the sticker specifically said they used Mobil 5W-20. Newer Mazdas come with a 5W-20 recommendation similar to Ford's. <snip> > Apparently yes, with the caveat that 5W-30 is OK as an emergency > backup. However - I don't recall that Honda is recommending 5W-20 > except in North America for the exact same engines. Engines for other countries are never *exactly* the same as for the US market. Hell, engines for the California market are different from the ones offered in the other 49. It's no longer the case (as it was in the early years of emission/noise/etc. standards) that the other markets are unregulated. > <snip> > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > early years of emission/noise/etc. standards) that the other markets are > unregulated. In many ways the engines are exactly the same. I think what's different are the emissions control systems. Sure - Honda isn't going to offer exactly the same engines in all markets, but there are a lot of engines that are made from the same materials from the same designs. Sure - one engine might be cast and assembled in Ohio while another is done in India, but it's still essentially the same engine. What I'm getting at is that 5W-20 isn't necessarily something that is hardwired into the engine's design. I really doubt that using 5W-30 is going to kill any brand new Honda engine because of oil problems. >><snip> >> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > In many ways the engines are exactly the same. Which means they are not exactly the same - my point entirely. > >><snip> > >> [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Which means they are not exactly the same - my point entirely. However - my point is that there's nothing special about the engine design/materials/construction that makes 5W-20 more suitable than 5W-30. Mandating 5W-20 was a business decision. TeGGer® wrote: >>the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So >>if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > $30 million is $30 million. Doesn't matter what kind of business you're in, > $30 million OFF YOUR BOTTOM LINE is VERY significant. The significance varies, of course, depending on the company's bottom line. Big companies routinely report earnings of more than $1 billion / quarter [*], so $30 mil/$4 billion = 0.0075, which is fairly small. I'm not claiming, of course, that any company would take a sack of $30 mil and toss it out the window or dump it into the ocean. IIRC some auto manufacturers (Ford comes to mind) have accepted fines/legal judgments greater than $30 mil because it was cheaper than correcting a problem with millions of cars. > Considering that in most businesses about 90% of your gross (or more) ends > up being bills to be paid, you protect the remaining 10% as best you can, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > fuel mileage. And the US is the *only* country with any sort of CAFE > nonsense. IMHO you're being a little disingenuous here - other countries tax gasoline/petrol *much* heavier than the US does - enforcing a tougher CAFE without the need to codify one. > CAFE costs Ford tens of millions every year, again, right off the bottom > line. Honda does not want to be Ford; Ford loses money. Honda does not. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > There's also the "green" factor. Honda already is run by safety nuts, An unfair characterization, IMHO. [*] Microsoft's Net income for the fourth quarter was $2.69 billion http://www.microsoft.com/msft/earnings/FY04/earn_rel_q4_04.mspx GM's 2004 Net Income in (mil.) $2,805.0 http://www.hoovers.com/general-motors/--ID__10640--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml IBM ARMONK, N.Y., January 18, 2005 . . . IBM today announced ... It was IBM's strongest fourth quarter ever, with earnings exceeding $3 billion for the first time. http://www.ibm.com/investor/4q04/4q04earnings.phtml >Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil instead. >Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. There have been lots of discussions about Pilots and oil at http://www.hondapilot.org/. SignatureMike Iglesias Email: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926 Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069 > Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil instead. > Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. I had a little trouble finding 5w-20 for my Mustang in 1996, but I did. My 2003 Civic calls for 0w-20, and that's what I use. That's even harder to find, but you only have to find the source once. My '96 Mustang had 120,000 miles on 5w-20 oil when I sold it. My '00 Durango had 91,000 miles on 5w-20 oil when I sold it. My '03 Civic has 40,000 miles on 0w-20 oil. I change oil at the factory recommended normal service intervals. So longevity with 5w-20 doesn't seem to be the issue. I haven't noticed the price, but the 5w-20 seemed to be the same as other weights. Signature--- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 > > Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil > > instead. Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. > > I had a little trouble finding 5w-20 for my Mustang in 1996, but I > did. My 2003 Civic calls for 0w-20, and that's what I use. That's > even harder to find, but you only have to find the source once. First of all, your Mustang didn't come with a factory recommendation for 5W-20 oil, although I understand that Ford has back-dated their recommendation for 5W-20 to some cars as far back as the 1995 model year. Actually - 0W-20 is now near impossible to find. Mobil has discontinued Mobil 1 0W-20. They may still be making it for Honda, and you might be able to find it at a dealer. Sounds like you've got the Civic Hybrid. The Honda labelled 0W-20 was selling for $6/quart at one local dealer (I asked). > My '96 Mustang had 120,000 miles on 5w-20 oil when I sold it. > My '00 Durango had 91,000 miles on 5w-20 oil when I sold it. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > noticed the price, but the 5w-20 seemed to be the same as other > weights. It was a problem at first. The first brands of 5W-20 I saw on store shelves (Pennzoil and Motorcraft) were selling for slightly more than their 5W-30 or 10W-30 equivalents. > First of all, your Mustang didn't come with a factory recommendation > for 5W-20 oil, although I understand that Ford has back-dated their > recommendation for 5W-20 to some cars as far back as the 1995 model > year. Right. Mental slip. The Mustang was originally spec'd for 5w-30, which was harder to find, but not more expensive. Later the spec was changed to 5w-20. I think I continued with 5w-30. Still, you only have to find the source once. Mine was "Kragen". Not exactly hard to locate. Signature--- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 > > First of all, your Mustang didn't come with a factory recommendation > > for 5W-20 oil, although I understand that Ford has back-dated their [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Still, you only have to find the source once. Mine was "Kragen". Not > exactly hard to locate. Yeah - I've senn 5W-20 at Kragen. I've also seen various manufacturers' 5W-20 at obscure retailers like "Wal-Mart", "AutoZone", or "Pep Boys". > Hi, honda recommends to use 5w-20 oil but can i also use 5w-30 oil > instead. Cause they are easier to find in stores and are cheaper. Here's one thing to think of. Apparently most 5W-20 oil uses high levels of molybdenum antiwear compounds to reduce friction and to prevent metal to metal contact. There's a question as to how quickly the moly is depleted. <http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_article000052004.cfm> Fuel economy demands, in particular, are expected finally to propel these oils more deeply into the marketplace. Ford Motor Co. research cited by Igarashi indicates that 0W-20 engine oil can increase fuel economy by up to 3 percent over 10W-30 (currently Japan's most popular engine oil grade). "However, in order to [make] 0W-20 engine oil, the base oil must be Group III, or Group IV (polyalphaolefin)." Another driver will be the use of organic molybdenum as a friction modifier. With molybdenum, "you can gain friction reductions of up to 10 percent at low engine speeds. However, a big drawback is the loss of effect over time; the friction reduction is lost quickly due to additive depletion. By using Group III or polyalphaolefin base oil, there is better retention of the friction reducing properties," due to the oils' better oxidative stability, Igarashi explained. |
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