Which Synthetic Oil To Run??

[dlbelcher]

HELLO ALL.. I HAVE A 2005 PILOT AND WANT TO RUN FULL SYNTHETIC OIL IN IT. I WOULD LIKE TO RUN MOBILE BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A 5W20..WHAT OIL IS GOING TO BE THE BEST FOR THE PILOT? THANKS

[ncelk]

I have used Mobil 1 5W30 and 0w20. Both work well. I now use the 0w20.

It has been discussed several times on the board, you can find it by doing a search.

0w20 is the recommended grade by Mobil as their version of the 5w20.

[thomasj2]

Hit your cap lock key.

I run Mobil1 0W30 in the winter and 5W30 in the summer. I switched to synthetic oil and have extended my oil change interval by 2X based on used oil analysis. I've also seen a slight increase in gas mileage with the synthetic. For me it's cheaper to run synthetic and its a lot less labor. I do all my own oil changes and stock up on oil and filters when they are on sale, (less than $20/oil change). With the Fumota drain valve I can do an oil change in under 10 minutes.

[dlbelcher]

does putting any other weight oil except 5W20 void the warranty?? I want to run the synthetic mobile..

[john802]

dlbelcher - Wait until you reach between 5000 miles and 7500 miles before changing the oil/filter on your pilot. The Honda factory put in a special oil for break-in purposes.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by dlbelcher
does putting any other weight oil except 5W20 void the warranty?? I want to run the synthetic mobile..

0W20 is an aceptable substitute for 5w20.

0w30 or 5w30 is not, HOWEVER, with that said, Honda has at times said 5W30 is acceptable. (and earlier versions of the same engine specified 5w30)

The chance of you havi9ng a warranty issue is slim to none, because Honda would have to prove that the WRONG oil CAUSED the problem.
It is hard enough just proving that any oil caused a problem.

[humanoid]

thomasj2, where did you get your Fumota drain valve from?

[thomasj2]

Here's where I got my last 3 Fumoto valves: http://lubespecialist.com/product.ph...section=fumoto

With the Pilot, make sure you order 2 adapters. The drain plug is recessed and with 1 you cannot get the valve as tight as I wanted.

[humanoid]

Kewl, thanks! BTW, you mean order 2 of the adaptors, ADL-106, and 1 F-106 (valve), right?

[sblvro]

Originally posted by N_Jay


0W20 is an aceptable substitute for 5w20.

0w30 or 5w30 is not,

why can't 0w30 be used instead of 0w20? the mobil one website will show that both synthetic oils 0w/20 and 0w/30 are closely similar except 0w/30 can take a higher temperature.

[thomasj2]

Originally posted by humanoid
Kewl, thanks! BTW, you mean order 2 of the adaptors, ADL-106, and 1 F-106 (valve), right?

Correct. with a single adapter you don't get the clearance you need to torque the valve down properly. What I did was to assemble the 2 adapters and torqued them to what Honda wants the drain plug torqued to, (my manual is out in the garage and I'm too lazy to run out), I then put the drain valve in the adaper and tightened the valve with an open end wrench until the torqued adapter slipped a tiny bit, now the entire assembly is at the correct torque.

With a single adapter I couldn't get the valve tight before it would hit the oil pan, because the drain plug is recessed. 2 adapters and it worked like a charm.

It makes oil changes a breeze and no worries about stripping a drain plug or oil pan.

[thomasj2]

Originally posted by sblvro


why can't 0w30 be used instead of 0w20? the mobil one website will show that both synthetic oils 0w/20 and 0w/30 are closely similar except 0w/30 can take a higher temperature.

I agree, I'm running the 0W30 in both the CRV and the Pilot and have had great used oil analysis on both vehicles. The 0W gives great cold weather starts and the 30W gives you a little more insurance/oil film on those days when you are running the car hard.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by sblvro


why can't 0w30 be used instead of 0w20? the mobil one website will show that both synthetic oils 0w/20 and 0w/30 are closely similar except 0w/30 can take a higher temperature.

The whole issues falls to two points (Slightly over simplified, but a safe assertion for most peoples understanding)

1) The viscosity of the oil under normal operating temperatures.

2) the viscosity of the oil under cold start.

1) On the first one you can assume that the internal temperature of the engine is fairly constant once warmed up over the normal ambient temperature range. This is why you do not NEED heavier oil in the summer anymore.

The second number is a fair representation of the "Normal Hot" viscosity. xW30 oil is thicker then xW20 oil after the engine is warmed up, it stays thicker, and the few degrees hotter the oil may be in the summer is insignificant.

2) On the second point the concern is that during cold or very cold start up you do not want the oil to be too thick (too viscous).
At any particular temperature the first number is a fair representation of how viscous the oil will be when cold.

Since the oil is NEVER thinner cold than hot, a lower first number ALWAYS cover requirements for a higher number
i.e. 0wXX can always replace 5wXX,
and 5wXX can always replace 10wXX

Going higher is a risk.
i.e. Will the 10wXX oil on my coldest start be thicker than the specified 5wXX oil at the coldest temperature recommended?

I hope this helped.

[Caf2461]

Here is the data on Mobil 1 oils from their website:

SAE Grade 0W-30
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 56
cSt @ 100ºC 10.3
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 175
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -54
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 234

SAE Grade 5W-30
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40º C 56
cSt @ 100º C 10
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 167
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -45
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 224

SAE Grade 0W-20
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40º C 43
cSt @ 100º C 8.4
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 165
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -57
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 232

Note viscosity index of 5w-30 is lower than the 0w-30.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by Caf2461
Here is the data on Mobil 1 oils from their website:

SAE Grade 0W-30
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 56
cSt @ 100ºC 10.3
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 175
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -54
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 234

SAE Grade 5W-30
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40º C 56
cSt @ 100º C 10
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 167
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -45
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 224

SAE Grade 0W-20
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40º C 43
cSt @ 100º C 8.4
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 165
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -57
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 232

Note viscosity index of 5w-30 is lower than the 0w-30.

So what is the Viscosity Index for us laypeople?