Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: CompSyn
Originally Posted By: KW
Heck give a 5 or 10W30 a try and see it it helps. I surely can't hurt a thing.
Or how about 0W-20!
By comparison, a GM LS1 engine calls for 5W-30 as per owners manual. ProStreetCamaro tried the 0W-30 and see what he found:
Originally Posted By: ProStreetCamaro
I'll tell ya this SSO is the first oil I have ever used in my LS1 that has complely eliminated the piston slap in my engine. To me that means less wear obviously and in order to eliminate piston slap it has got to be clinging to the metal parts which would mean even further wear reduction on startup. Maybe I am off base there but its the only logical explanation I can come up with. I am so impressed thats why im switching everything to amsoil.
SSO is Amsoil's 0W-30 Signature Series Oil.
Consider that a better flowing motor oil at engine start-up may be able to reach and lubricate the dry engine components quicker than a thicker oil.
Even though Honda calls out for 5W-20 in this case, I think you will find that 0W-20 would be a better choice all year round.
Piston-slap occurs because of excessive piston-to-wall clearance. When the piston expands when the engine heats up, the clearance narrows and the noise ceases. This has nothing to do with the oil brand.
A heavier oil will function as a better damper and make the noise less noticeable.
Yes, pistons contract as they cool but so do the cylinder walls. The issue is that motor oils are too thick at start up and cannot be pumped very well. Much of the motor oil at start-up is by-passed back to the oil pan and doesn’t make it to the parts that need lubricated. A thicker motor oil is the exact opposite direction StevieC should consider in this application, especially in the cold, cold Ontario Canada winters. A 0W-20 100% Synthetic Motor Oil will be the best choice for better start-up protection in that climate.
Still don’t believe me?
Consider reading the Dr. AE Haas writtings found
HERE
Below, an excerpt from the Dr. AE Haas writings that pertain to this subject.
Originally Posted By: Dr. AE Haas
Remember that most engine wear occurs at startup when the oil is too thick to lubricate properly. It cannot flow and therefore cannot lubricate. Most of the thick oil at startup actually goes through the bypass valve back to the engine oil sump and not into your engine oil ways.
I thought everyone knew that 90 percent of engine wear occurs during the startup period because oil is just too thick. Some think it is good to have a thicker oil for startup since the parts shrink when cold and would otherwise “rattle.” Sure, your piston diameter will shrink on cooling but so will the diameter of your bore. The net result is about the same clearance hot and cold. This is not true for your valves. They lengthen when extremely hot. In the Murcielago they use shims instead of self adjusting valve tappets. You need to put a millimeter of clearance there so that after expansion the valve will not be held partly open when it is supposed to be closed.
If it were true that thicker oils were needed at startup then the manufacturers would not be requesting oils that thicken less on cooling. They would just specify that one should use a straight 30 or 40 weight oil. Instead, over time, they are specifying thinner and thinner oils.
The manufacturers know what parts shrink or expand and the clearance changes that result. You do not have to worry about this. If it was that easy to design engines we would all be making them.
Some people have said they use thicker oils because they only use their cars every 2, 3 or 4 weeks. They are afraid that thin oils will fall off the engine parts and result in a lack of lubrication at startup. Think about your lawn mower over the winter. I gets gummed up solid. The oil and fuel thicken over time resulting in engine failure. Anyway, oil on the surface of parts does not lubricate. It is the FLOW of oil between parts that lubricates. Thick, old, waxy oil can only be bad.
I would like to go back to the worry that oil falls off the parts when a car is stored or sees long periods of inactivity. For the first oil change in my 575 Maranello I drained the Shell and put in 0W-30 Mobil 1. This was at 775 miles on the odometer. I drove the car home from work, put it on the lift and drained the transaxle and engine oils. I also opened and drained the oil cooler and took off every line that is in the oil system. I wanted to get every speck of the Shell oil out of there. For optimal results you are not supposed to mix synthetic oils of different brands.
The system takes 12 quarts with a “normal” oil change but took 15 quarts for this change. It all took about an hour. I then started the engine to check for leaks. The multitude of mechanical engine noises that followed nearly broke my eardrums for about 10 long seconds. Then it was suddenly very quiet. You could hear a pin drop. There was certainly the most possible amount of surface oil on all the internal parts as the engine was only off for an hour. But it was not until the oil circuit primed, filled then sent flow into all the parts that any lubrication was occurring. Hence all oil filters that are manufacturer certified have back flow limiters to keep the oil filter full even with the engine off.
