Hi all. I have a 03 TL at 90K now. Got tranny replaced once through acura. I was wondering if using Pennzoil 5w20 fully synthetic or similar oil is good at this mileage. I have been using high mileage oil (got suckered into doing this from monro muffler) and now i here that its not good to switch back to regular. If i use this would it be fine?

Also what kind of Oil filter should i get? I do ALOTTTT of highway driving and i drive like 200 miles a day sometimes. I want something that will protect the car for a long time.

Also does anyone have any other recommendations as to what stuff needs to get done at this mileage? I know timing belt is something to look out for. Are there any signs that would indicate the timing belt will go?

Any other suggestions to increase performance? I get between 18-23 mpg. Usually a full tank of gas gives me about 300 highway miles. Any thing that i can do to get more?

ps...i did search but nothing helped me out on the questions that i had.

Thanks for the help in advance!!

 

I have 88k miles on my 02 type s and I use Royal Purple fully synthetic 5w-30...Mobil 1 oil filter...I do not know if there is a way to tell if the timing belt is about to go, I doubt it though...You can probably try to look for visual wear on the belt, but other than that you are getting close to the time to replace it.
A CAI will increase your mileage. I would also run a dosage of Seafoam through the motor and replace your spark plugs....I did seafoam a while ago and did not change my plugs and I am getting just around 400 mpg highway (28.9 mpg to be exact!).

 

5w30 is okay to use? our manual says 5w20....and how much does that royal purple cost? do you notice any big changes in performance or anything else? BTW...sick car bro.....

 

Yessir. Its thicker so I personally like it better.
Its somewhere in the ballpark of 8 bucks a quart, yes I know its expensive, but the oil is more or less the blood of your engine, so keep it healthy.
Not really any differences in performance from the oil, maybe a lil smoother running if anything.
And thanks man!

 

You should get a little better mileage on the highway. What speed do you drive? Have you checked the usual items (you don't say), i. e. the air filter, alignment, tire condition and pressure, etc.?
Highway miles are easier on the car than stop & go city driving.

 

The ONLY reason honda tells you to use 5/20 in your car is to help them meet cafe standards. 5w30 is just fine and what they originally recommended.

You can switch back and forth between Regular Dino oil and syn all you want. What you heard is false.

 

my tires are set at the the settings on the inside of the door panel. Front tires are older and rear tires are newer. Tread wear is good...fronts are about 3 yrs old and rear are like 1.5 years. I have not changed the air filter since i hvae got the car (which was at 40K and now im at 90K). Dont know if the previous owner changed the filter either. Alingment has not been done recently. I typically drive between 60-75 mph on highway. Generally dont do more than that. I have the cruise on as well sometimes.

 

ok thanks...i bought 5w20 Pennzoil oil...should i get 5w30 instead? And does the type of oil filter matter?

 

i think most will agree with me & say ... yes it does, mainly meaning stay away from the shit oil filters -- basic cheap-o Fram filters are . do a search on oil filters & you'll get all kinds of useful info on this topic
although, i think there's one mod here with a ton of miles on his TL that says he's always used basic Fram oil filters (maybe i read that wrong months ago?)

anyway, imo, mobile1 ext performance filters are pretty good. everyone will have their preference i suppose

 

change the air filter! or get a intake. and seafoam like 3 times. dump some fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank the new time you fill up, that really helps.

 

Fstty is the one that swears by fram....That is if my memory serves me correctly.

 

you can put like 36psi in the tires, that should give you a little mpg boost

since you've already bought 5w20 you can use that...not really going to hurt anything, but either one works.

i think that was fsttyms1 and yeah i think he used the fram filters. i've never cracked open a filter after using it so who knows how much of the capacity is actually used. the mobil 1 extended performance oil is supposed to be good for 15k miles...since you do a lot of highway you should be able to get that.

 

Alright guys thanks. Im gonna get an oil change soon. Should I also change the spark plugs to NGK Iridium ix at the same time? I was thinking about seafoaming as well...can this be considered a fuel injector cleaner? Also just wanted to know....and i dont wanna start a whole big problem with this but some people say that the smoke that comes out of the car from seafoaming is just white smoke bc of the seafoam stuff....this is not true right? I want to seafoam cuz alot of you guys on here said that it works and it improves throttle response, better MPGs and other benefits. Just wondering thats all

Thanks to everyone who helped out btw....

 

Why haven't you replaced the filter?? Did you check it and it's not dirty?

 

If you do all 3 methods of seamfoam (Vac line, oil, and fuel), then yes it is a fuel injector cleaner. You will be happy once seafoam is completed. Better response, smoother and lower idle, and better mpg.

 

no i havent had time to do it lol.....btw where is the filter...i wanna see how dirty it is lol

 

it's the big black box on the right side of the engine area (next to the battery). 4 screws taken off with a philips head screw driver is all you'll need. takes 30-39seconds to do

 

Wow, thats pretty precise...

 

yea...i just tried to open the stupid cover and the screws are put on there soo tight that the (+) of the screw is shreading off!! I seriously think that nobody has changed the air filter since day 1...feels like machine tightend screws idk...any other ideas?

 

dude that sucks have u tried a slotted? less chance of slipping out and grinding out the + IF there is a slot. or use a small socket

 

Socket...Thats how mine was also, and then I used a socket wrench aka a "turny clicky thing" if you ask totaledTL and off it went.

 

Def. use a socket if it also has a hex head. Otherwise make certain the screwdriver you use fits well. Try several if necessary to get the best fit. Push down on the screwdriver really hard so it won't cam out & strip the head. If that fails use a dremel to cut a slot in in and try a regular screwdriver.