romer

accord1999

Synthetic isn't stated specifically but it's implied because non-synthetic 0W-20 oil is not very common.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Running non-synthetic oil in a turbocharged engine, regardless of oil or vehicle maker, is a recipe for an early turbo replacement; even if the 7,500 mile OCI is adhered to.

russianDude

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Well, sort of; there is a Honda branded Synthetic Blend 0W-20 oil currently on the market.

• https://smile.amazon.com/Genuine-Hon...FRO/ref=sr_1_2

frankjnjr

FWIW: Many cars, mine, for example, operate under (SEVERE) conditions. According to my Owner's Manual, "DRIVING LESS THAN 5 MILES, PER TRIP, OR IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES, DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MILES PER TRIP. DRIVING IN EXTREMELY HOT, OVER 90 DEG. CONDITIONS. ETC." Consequently, the ideal operation , oil change interval recommendation, of 7,500 miles, or one year, is halved, to 3,750 miles, or 6 months, whichever comes first. Most vehicles, I am familiar with, DO NOT, operate, under ideal conditions!

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

This is just me, but I pretty much ignore the "Severe" service recommendations (I think they are effectively irrelevant when running synthetic oil). That said, 99% of our trips are 10+ miles, regardless of the weather.

hondu

I'm confused. Where in the 2019 RDX owner's manual does it say to change the oil every 7,500 miles? The version I have read says to change according to the MM (or every 12 months). Nothing about miles driven.

mrgold35

I've stuck with Mobil 1 5w-30 in my 1st Gen RDX and I still don't use any oil between my 5000-6,000 M.I.D. oil changes after +151,000 miles. I would stick with blend or full syn oil that meets or exceeds the recommended oil for the 3rd Gen RDX. I imagine the 2.0T is spinning up faster and getting hotter compared to my old 1st Gen RDX 2.3T 240hp/260tq and it needs that syn oil to cool things off.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

I don't think full synthetic is necessary for every car. But I don't think I'd run anything but synthetic for a car with a turbo. Between the operation of the turbo itself as well as the added stress and heat in the engine, a synthetic would be cheap insurance. The brand isn't a huge factor - Mobil 1, Valvoline Advanced, Pennzoil Platinum, whatever. It's not that much more expensive than conventional and is a very small price to pay for some added protection. Also, I recommend you use whatever viscosity the owners manual indicates. I used to use a grade thicker but based on some recent personal experience and the overall sentiment on the inter-webs, I believe the correct viscosity is the way to go.

idgystinks

My 2 cents. A Porsche dealer sold me a 6 month old VW GTI once. They changed the oil with a semi synthetic blend on hand. This of course VOIDED the warranty as VW due to turbo issues requires very specific oil (502 standard)

Now, last night I noticed Mobil One full synthetic is $22 for 5 QTS at the world of mart (AKA W.M.). I usually buy a box of 12 Honda filters on line for $30 with the precious oil pan washer. What is that $25 bucks for a synthetic oil change. (assuming 5 qt capacity which I did not check)

Why would you not use the best lubricant at this price point on a $40-$50k car? Me I would be at 6 months, 7,500 miles regardless of what any book says. The true value of high quality synthetic is known at the 100,000 mile mark. My GTI would go just fine on the cheap oil put in it but how many miles would it subtract from the useful life had I not drained it immediately.?

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

That's the thing. I think the discussion between conventional vs. synthetic is kind of silly. They'll flame ya over at bobistheoilguy if you even bring it up. Decades ago synthetic was a lot more expensive, but now-a-days it's so cheap that it's like buying the store brand groceries for $0.25 less when you know the name brand is really good. You're saving only a small amount of cash rather than going with a superior product. If it was a frequent purchase then yeah, I could see how the extra $10-$15 between the two might be an issue but we're talking what, 2-3 times a year? That's like, $50 max.

Sure, there's a chance that the Kroger pickles are as good as the Vlasic but why bother when the Vlasic is $3.99 and the Kroger is $3.49? Just get the good stuff for a bit more. BTW, my wife picked up Kroger pickles and they were . Vlasic pickles for life yo!

romer

Page 530 under 'Canadian models.' It speaks to several ranges of miles based on conditions.

romer

The dealer has been using a 0-20 synthetic blend for all the oil changes since I bought my 2016 Advance RDX.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

For the second generation RDX with the J35 motor, a 0W-20 synthetic blend is more than sufficient, however, for the third gen with the blown 2.0T motor, only someone who didn't care about the health of the turbine bearings would use a synthetic blend.

hondu

Oh well, I guess my manual must be different than yours. Please see my attached page 530. Talks about the differential fluid, but not the OCI.

romer

Totally agree. As I said in the OP, I favor synthetic, period, and surely will use it in the 2019. I was just sharing the fact there is a synthetic blend 0-20 and Acura recommends and uses it in the second generation RDX six cylinder engines.

MI-RDX

To the best of my knowledge all 0w-20 oils are, at least, synthetic blends. Consumer Reports also found that to be the case.

"In checking various sources online, we could find no 0W-20-weight oil that wasn't synthetic."

From this article: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...cars/index.htm

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

That article is way out of date; I believe it is correct to say, as of 2012 (when the article was published), the only 0W-20 oils on the market were full synthetic. Fast forward to something like 2015 or 2016 (if my addled brain is serving me correctly) and we saw the first entry of a synthetic blend 0W-20 enter the market place.

MI-RDX

It was probably even before then. I had an '11 Toyota Highlander that used 0W-20 and the Toyota version was a syn-blend back then.

Yeah, the CRS (Can't Remember Sh1t) Syndrome hits us all eventually. So says the guy who got his driver's license back in 1959 or 1960 - can't remember.

Madd Dog

lil12002

ednigma

Short trips are considered severe conditions because the oil doesn't get hot enough for long enough to burn off contaminants such as unburned fuel and moisture (which can turn acidic). Worse if winters in your area are very cold.

lil12002

ednigma

I guess the turbo should heat the oil quite a bit faster due the intense heating of the turbine bearings which are lubed and cooled by the oil. This is also the reason why it is recommended to not shut off a turbo engine immediately after extended high boost conditions, like extended travel on the turnpike and stopping at the service plaza for fuel or food - let the car idle for a few minutes.

KeithL

russianDude

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Assuming the new RDX is built like, geez, pretty much every turbocharged car since Chrysler started turbocharging their 2.2 liter four cylinder cars back in what, 1984, then the bearing is primarily cooled by engine coolant with some minor additional cooling from the oil.

Madd Dog

mrgold35

I've never notice if my Turbo cooling still happening on my 08 RDX after shutoff? No additional sounds once I turn the engine off (no fans or pump sounds). It gets pretty hot in the southwest and hwy speeds are 75-80 mph. Maybe the intercooler+oil+coolant can keep the turbo temps down where you don't need a turbo timer for the 1st or 3rd Gen RDX?

russianDude

ultramart

I would think a 2.0l engine doesn't get any turbo boost while cruising at 60 mph. Since it has already has more than enough power to do so...

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

While there may not be much boost, the turbine is in fact still spinning.

KeithL

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Like I wrote earlier, it is the coolant jacket around the bearing which does the bulk of the cooling; yes, there is some small cooling effect from the oil, but very minimal.

mgrody

Do you have a reference I could take a look at? I've had several turbocharged cars and everything I've read on the subject indicates that the primary purpose of water cooling is to keep the oil that lubricates and cools the turbine bearing from coking from heat soak after engine shutdown. For example, here is a passage I copied from Garrett's website:
:

"Garrett ball bearing turbochargers require less oil than journal bearing turbos. Therefore an oil inlet restrictor is recommended to achieve an oil pressure of 40-45psi entering the turbocharger for optimal performance. The oil outlet should be plumbed to the oil pan above the oil level (for wet sump systems). Since the oil drain is gravity fed, it is important that the oil outlet points downward, and that the drain tube does not become horizontal or go "uphill" at any point.Following a hot shutdown of a turbocharger, heat soak begins. This means that the heat in the head, exhaust manifold, and turbine housing finds it way to the turbo's center housing, raising its temperature. These extreme temperatures in the center housing can result in oil coking.To minimize the effects of heat soak-back, water-cooled center housings were introduced. These use coolant from the engine to act as a heat sink after engine shutdown, preventing the oil from coking. The water lines utilize a thermal siphon effect to reduce the peak heat soak-back temperature after engine shut down. The layout of the pipes should minimize peaks and troughs with the (cool) water inlet on the low side. To help this along, it is advantageous to tilt the turbocharger about 25° about the axis of shaft rotation."

To my uneducated eye it would seem that the cooling effect of water circulated through a working turbocharger would be minimal. An operating turbine is well over 1000 degrees and water at 16 or so psi boils and turns to steam at much lower temperatures.

frankjnjr

FWIW: I'm no OIL EXPERT, but I do know, that oil, essentially, NEVER WEARS OUT! It does, however, become contaminated. Two major contaminants, are CONDENSATION, AND RAW FUEL. A major contributor, to both contaminants, is operating any internal combustion engine, without allowing said engine, to reach normal operating temperature. Based on type of use, for someone driving 2.5 miles, one way, I would consider that, SEVERE SERVICE, and adhere to the FACTORY RECOMMENDATION, of 3,750 miles, or 6 months, assuming the use of Dyno, or Synthetic Blend type oil. It would seem to me, that even if Full Synthetic were used, Water and Raw fuel contamination, would still be a factor. It might be interesting, if one of our fellow members, running Full Synthetic, for One year, or 12K, would be willing to have Blackstone analyze a sample. I would be happy to do the same, just to compare the degree of water, and fuel, in each sample.

russianDude

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

You missed the key element of the quote, there is a very small amount of oil used in the turbine bearings (there is no way such a small oil supply could cool much), and if the water supply cooling the bearings is interrupted when the turbine is spinning at high speed, the oil will coke. It has been a while since I looked at the numbers (since like the mid 1990s), but if I recall, the coolant did over 90% of the job of cooling.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I've done Blackstone UOAs on high quality synthetic oil with 12,000+ miles on it in the past, but not with a J-Series engine. Even with the relatively low tech Detroit pushrod V6, 12,000 was still relatively conservative.