absolude

I have been using Castrol and Mobil1 synthetic in both cars-Integra and 2001 Prelude-with no leaking.
Synthetic gives enormously better protection on very cold starts. In our winter dino oil becomes thick like honney and it takes a few minutes to get to the right viscosity.
Best for winter is Castrol synthetic 0W30., especially the one made in Germany. This oil has been used by BMW with 25.000Km changeing interval.

More about oil here http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

peter_bigblock

I use Mobil 1 5W-30 year round (live in Des Moines) and change every 5k. It works admirably in the winter, even on very cold mornings.

TSXmeister

I switched to synthetic oil 'cause I want the best!! and c'mon if you can afford and drive an Acura then it should be no problem putting the best stuff in your car so don't tell me its expensive otherwise buy a KIA... click on the link:

http://www.oilsandlube.com/myths.htm

'nuff said!!

jlukja

Back when I voted in this poll I was on the factory oil. I switched to Mobil1 at 10,000mi.

ilitig8

You might want to check your research on the M1 base oil. They quickly and quietly changed their formula when they lost the suit with Castrol as to what could be called synthetic! M1 is NOT what it used to be, though most people still think it is, it still has an above average additives package but the base oils are very similar to all the other "everday" oil companies. If you look at M prices over the years you will notice a drop to about the same as Castrol, Valvoline, QS etc syths right after they lost the suit. Bottom line if you want true PAO based oil you will pay a lot more than M1 charges.


Biggest advantage to syths is extended drains, if you can't stomach extended drains (as many can't) they are throwing money away.

bradykp

i heard that you should switch to synthetic at higher miles, and once you switch, you should not ever go back to regular oil. i'm getting a 2006 tsx, and i'm undecided what oil to use. i'm gonna talk to my mechanic, but thanks for all the useful information

SodaLuvr

No, M1 is still a PAO basestock and is not changing in the forseeable future. They did however stop using Esters in their formula with the introduction of the SuperSyn formulation in favor for something else that I can't remember at the moment. The new M1 EP formulation is much better, as it contains more of the SuperSyn, which allowed it to have a more stable viscosity and seems to show lower valvetrain wear. The EP formulation also has a higher level of anti-wear additives and greater detergency, well worth the extra $0.80/qt IMO.

QS, Valvoline, and Castrol are all GrpIII basestocks but may contain some PAO in the mix. Pennzoil Platinum is supposedly EOP, but depending on who you ask, may be GrpIII. PAO oils are generally superior to lesser basestocks in terms of oxidation resistance over longer drains, but some of the well blended GrpIII syns can perform just as well as the PAO based ones, a good example is that Amsoil XL 5w-20 outperforms the PAO based Mobil 1 5w-20.

"i heard that you should switch to synthetic at higher miles, and once you switch, you should not ever go back to regular oil. i'm getting a 2006 tsx, and i'm undecided what oil to use. i'm gonna talk to my mechanic, but thanks for all the useful information"
No, you can switch back to regular oil at any time.

aaronng

I'm using Castrol Formula R 0w-40 PAO synthetic. And I still follow the 6 month/6000mile service schedule.

They also sell Formula R 5w-30 here which uses a hydrocracked base. Our M1 sold here comes in 2 types. The one in the gold bottle comes from the states and is PAO based. The silver bottled one is cheaper and is locally produced in Australia. I'm not sure if this silver one is a PAO or hydrocracked synthetic though.

tsxflexer

I love Mobil1 syn but I like Royal Purple better. The royal purple syn seems to be alot cleaner when I change the oil. Its more expensive but you dont have to change oil as often. I used Royal Purple in my Civic for years and never had any problems. I used the beat on the car pretty bad and my oil loss was minimal.

formerRSX-S

always M1

kyotousa

when do we switch?
i just reached 4K....(bought the car at mid June) should i change oil now?

aaronng

I switched at 8k.

calgary2800

How can you buy a premium car and not use the best oil there is? WTF kind of cheapskate crap is that?

I use Penzoil Full syn, going to try Royal Purple next time because of word of mouth.

bradykp

it's not about using the best/most expensive oil. it's about using the best oil. and i think that's the point of this thread. some people are asking, is synthetic just a gimmicky waste of money or is it really worth it. the bottom line is, it doesn't work out to be much more $$ because you change the oil less frequently. i'm still undecided. every car i've ever had in my family has used regular oil for 4k - 6k, and every car we've had has gone well over 200,000. we have a malibu now that we've used synthetic in, and it's at 198,000. is it the oil, or is it the overall way we treat the cars? who know?

i keep hearing M1, but i think exxon mobil is evil. not fair, not fair! any alternatives to M1? Now we have Royal Purple? Who makes that?

arch

Mobile 1 going in next week for my first oil change at 5k.

Ive been using Mobile 1 in all my cars. I still have my first car 1993 Civic with well over 600k all Mobile 1 baby! Yeah the rear main seal leaks oil, but the car still runs good. Daily driver in Houston stop and go traffic, not to mention our humidity and high temps!

SodaLuvr

Oil is supposed to be dark; it is suppose to be doing some cleaning inside the engine during the course of the drain...it is perfectly normal for the oil to turn dark and I'd personally expect it to.

If I were to use a synthetic in the TSX, here would be my choices in this order:

1) Amsoil Series 2000, 0w-30: Recently reformulated to 10.5cst, for better fuel efficiency...it should offer better fuel efficiency than other oils due to its better flow. If you can gain 1MPG during the course of 10,000 miles, this oil can pay for itself.

2) Mobil 1, Extended Performance 10w-30: Very good deal for less than $5/qt at Walmart, performs significantly better than the regular M1 SuperSyn for 10,000 mile intervals.

jlukja

Michael, why not 5W-30? I thought TSX took 5W-30.

SodaLuvr

Either is fine Mr. Bond, I was just nitpicking.

Generally, 10w-30s will maintain a more stable viscosity during a drain, but some shearing won't be a problem anyway in this application as I've seen a TSX run just fine on 5w-20.

I'm seriously VERY interested in seeing someone run the new, Series 2000 0w-30 in the TSX and see what kind of fuel economy they gain, as they've supposedly solved the thickening problem with this oil and its now formulated as a very light 30w, so this oil should offer maximum fuel efficiency. If Amsoil does indeed have the problems with this oil resolved, this could be a killer, maximum fuel-efficiency oil for all xw-20 and xw-30 apps.

minkl81

iTrader: (2)

just bought 6qts of Mobil1 SuperSyn @ Costco for $27.99.
so what is preffered interval for oil change with Mobil1 syn?
thinking of changing every 7500mi.

mg7726

^^ imo, change out the filter at 3k; change the oil and filter at 7.5k. that's what i am doing.

Luke7

I have changed the oil in my Honda products for 20 years at 2-4k intervals. My last two Honda 4 bangers had OVER 300,000 miles on them when I sold em. Use Castrol GTX everytime. I have a problem extending the change to 10,000 miles with synthetic since regular old dino works so well for me. Also the fact that the oil in our engines comes out so dirty, it just doesn't make sense to me to extend the interval change/using synthetic, paying more for it when HISTORY proves you don't need it. I never had even one internal engine problem in my 86 Prelude or 91 Accord using Castorl GTX so guys
#1. Why would you spend the extra money on Synthetic. Unless you are racing or had a turbo etc.??
#2. Why run dirty oil through your engine at longer change intervals if you can change it for less $$$ for twice the amount of changes at 3 to 5K intervals?
#3. History proves=at least on my cars that you DON"T need to use synthetic.
#4. Personally changing the oil at 3 to 4K intervals enables me to look under the car, check the constant velocity joint boots, look for amy leaks and potential problems with my 99 TL Navi.
#5. When the garage technition adjusted my valves in the 91 Accord at 290,000 miles, he commented that it was amazingly clean for that many miles.
#6. I'm tired of the synthetic talk=IT"S JUST A WASTE OF MONEY if you aren't racing or are using the car in extreme heat/cold climate. That's just my opinion and I know everyone doesn't share it.
Happy oil changing guys!

Luke7

Yes guys that's 300,000 miles not Kilometers

R J Poseidon 6

+ Honda/Acura say that you don't need it.....

BusyShifter

This is a new concept!! Do you mean that you change the oil filter without draining out the engine oil?? I assume you are using synthetic so you change oil at 7.5k interval.

go7fatherg7

8100 Eco-nergy
MOTUL
SAE 5W30
100% Synthetic

kolodzie240

Who is using Amsoil ?

Are you going the whole 25K with out changeing it?

club_euro2

Would you recommend using it on a leased car? Also do you it is wise idea to purchase the car at the end of the lease?
Thank You,
Umair.
2008 TSX AUTO NON-NAVI, PWP

davidspalding

Have used full synth in my 1987 Jeep for over 10 years. Runs great at 158,000.

Haven't done a change in my new CPO TSX, but ... will soon. Already have the case of 5W-30 in my garage.