My buddy just went to jiffy lube and got 5w30 mobil one put in, and he called me freakin out cuz the manual says he should be using 5w20....

So as anal as he is.. he called the dealer and they said for him to drain it, and put in 5w20....

Hes fine with 5w30 mobil one, rite?

Does that sound right to you guys?!?!?!

Oh he has a 2003 TLS if that matters.

 

i just changed my oil and switched to Mobil 1 5w-30 super synthetic. the manual calls for 5w-30 for 2001 CL-S but im not sure for 2003. i really think he should be alright with it.

 

im going 0-20

 

5W-30 is fine...

 

I called him back and told him that 5w30 is fine... and he tells me hes just going to listen to the dealer and get it drained and put in 5w20....


WHy do people bother to call me if they wont listen to me!?!??

Dumb honda owners!!!

 

I was using 5w30 for the first 8 months or so. Once the case was gone I switched to Redline 5w20.

I had zero problems with the 5w30....

BTW.. I also have a TL-S.

 

I run 5W30 and they do recommend 5W20.... as long as he has the 5W he is fine... the weight is what matters.... he can run whatever his little heart desires... I don't think Mobile 1 even makes a 5W20... The higher the number 20,30,40.. the easier the oil flows.. Some people run higher numbers in the winter and lower in the summer when it is hot.

Smitty

 

yeah u'll notice on the '01 CL's it'll say 5w30 on the oil caps and '02's+ it'll say 5w20

i personally use the Mobil 1 SuperSync 5w30

 

FYI, the W in 5W30 stands for winter, not weight.

 

Mobil 1 does not make a 5W20, they do make 5W30 and are coming out with 0W20 this month.

Although the 2002 and 2003 manual states ONLY 5W20, the engine is still the same J32A2 and took 5W30 in 2001.

The reason for the change has to do with Honda (and Ford) getting envirnmental 'breaks' from the government by decreasing their fleets MPG by a decimal point with the lower viscosity oil. Car companies have a lot of energy/environmental unfriendly SUV's and trucks that need to be 'subsidized' by the more economical side of their fleet.

5W30, 5W20, and 0W20 should all be OK to use. Personally I'm still using dino 5W20, just like the manual says to do.

 

 

umm that doesnt sound right. Then why do people in the south use 5w30 all year round? :o

 

I use 5W30 and I'm in Texas.

 

W absolutely stands for winter and represents the cold viscosity of a multi-vis formula.

 

I think it's the other way around. A lower viscosity grade indicates a thinner weight oil; higher=thicker.

 

There is also a test for low-temperature viscosity that is designated by a "W" suffix on the SAE viscosity rating.
A SAE5W oil takes less than 6000 seconds to fill the flask at 0F.

 

correct... 5w30 would be thicker then 5w20 which is why some people run 5w20 in the winter and 5w30 in the summer....

 

Switching from a 5w 30 to a 5w 20 can save you 1-1.5 % on gas. I always wondered if the car would perform better with 5w20 cause thats what Im switching to Amsoil 5w20. I believe the price is $5 a quart just about the same price of Mobil 1. Do you think it changes the compression at all. I know that people often switch oils during winter and summer but in our manuals 2002 and up the manual tells us to use 5w20 all year round.

 

I use first cold-pressed extra virgin, imported from Italy of course.

 

Fun reading

http://www.desertsundirectsales.com/ford5w20.htm

 

Look in a member’s 2001 CL Type-S manual; it says the engine wants 5W-30 (well, mine sure does).

Look in a TLS and or newer CLS manual and it now says 5W-20.

I use the current Mobil-1 in 5W-30.

If you really want to save a few pennies in gas savings, get some 5W-20 from one of the other vendors...

Just change the oil when it need changing...

YMMV

 

Very interesting article. I've been planning on switching to synthetic 5w 30 but I was wondering if it wouldn't be good since my manual says 5w 20, now I won't worry about it.

 

I only use Mobil 1 5W-30, and just now switched to 0W-30 for the winter. As everyone said, the engine is no different now than it was in 2001 when the CL-S engine only required 5W-30, and the switch to 5W-20 is purely to increase MPG numbers for Honda and other companies. When Mobil 1 does finally introduce a 5W-20, I am still going to stick with the 5W-30 and 0W-30.

 

where do you guys buy your oil? Whats a good price? I found mobil 1 for $4qt, is that a good price?

 

Because in the south there are four seasons, including winter.

 

i think costco has it for fairly cheap

 

mobil 1 for $4 is good.
fyi, 5/20 means the oil's visc range. in cool temps the oil's "thickness" is at the higher number visc. after reaching operating temp the oil is at the lower range. so you would run lower visc in winter time for ease of lubricating the engine esp. during cold start-up and vise versa for summer conditions. i used to run 20/50 in my camaro, ofcourse that was not with a stock motor

 

Acutally, Costco doesn't really have that good of prices on Mobil 1, or any oil for that matter. There's always some store that has it on-sale, which will save you a buck or two.

 

i get my SuperSync at Target...roughly $5, and that's pretty standard here on Long Island

 

Actually you have that backwards, when cold it pours like a light, thin 5w oil, but protects like a thicker 20w oil when in the engine at normal operating temps.