What is the best oil for my car?

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1. What kind of vehicle you have? Honda Civic LX (2011) 27,000 miles
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well?
Viscosity- 5w20, Change Intervals determined by oil change monitoring system. *I ignore this system and change oil every 5k miles for peace of mind.
3. Where you live? Indiana
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?) I drive easy and relatively slow. Keep rpm's under 2500.....
5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?) Short trips (16 miles round trip) includes 1 20 minute idle picking up my son from school.
6. Whether your car has any known problems? No known problems.
* I am concerned about wear at startup and especially during the winter, and I am also concerned about the 20 minutes of idling that I have to do 5 days a week to pick up my son.... therefore the oil I currently use is M1 EP 5w20 for the pao content and it's inclusion as a group VI oil. I want the best as I plan to drive this car until the wheels fall off. Thanks!
 
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Is the 20 minutes of idling a cold start idle or just letting it run to keep you warm once the engine is up to temperature?

That winter service is definitely severe, but I don't think it would warrant something like EP at only 5K intervals. I think a good conventional (you're only dumping at 5K) would be fine.
 
If you are interested in longevity and not replacing systems, put your maintenance dollars towards other fluid changes (brake, PS, coolant etc.)
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Why are you idling your car for 20 minutes? Turn it off.

Probably sitting in the car waiting for the kid while it's hot (cold) outside, so he wants to be able to run A/C (heat).
 
I idle while waiting in line to pick up my son from school. Was told stopping the car and restarting it was harder on the engine than letting it run for 15- 20 minutes.
I don't run the air during this time. In the winter I do keep the heat running, of course.
 
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Originally Posted By: Miller88
Is the 20 minutes of idling a cold start idle or just letting it run to keep you warm once the engine is up to temperature?

That winter service is definitely severe, but I don't think it would warrant something like EP at only 5K intervals. I think a good conventional (you're only dumping at 5K) would be fine.


What if I kicked it up to 6k oci? Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
You worry too much people, worry too much these days .

Agreed. Just use any name brand 5w-20 you catch on sale and find something else to worry about.
 
Originally Posted By: Burt
If you are interested in longevity and not replacing systems, put your maintenance dollars towards other fluid changes (brake, PS, coolant etc.)


I agree with that for maintenance!

My suggestion would be to go with 0W20 AFE, follow the OLM or at least bump it up to 7-8k. You'd definitely wasting your money changing EP at 5k. Take that money you're saving and do as Burt says with maintenance of other parts of the car.

Odds are, if you want to run this car forever, it's not the engine that will fail, and if it does, it's not likely to be oil related.
 
Originally Posted By: Burt
If you are interested in longevity and not replacing systems, put your maintenance dollars towards other fluid changes (brake, PS, coolant etc.)


Good advice. I'm current on all of these. Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Originally Posted By: Burt
If you are interested in longevity and not replacing systems, put your maintenance dollars towards other fluid changes (brake, PS, coolant etc.)


I agree with that for maintenance!

My suggestion would be to go with 0W20 AFE, follow the OLM or at least bump it up to 7-8k. You'd definitely wasting your money changing EP at 5k. Take that money you're saving and do as Burt says with maintenance of other parts of the car.

Odds are, if you want to run this car forever, it's not the engine that will fail, and if it does, it's not likely to be oil related.
I agree, some Mobil 1 0w20 AFE, the 0w will give you good startup protection in the winter and you can use it year round. I'd go 7,500 miles on it in your situation.
 
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Originally Posted By: Burt
If you are interested in longevity and not replacing systems, put your maintenance dollars towards other fluid changes (brake, PS, coolant etc.)


I agree with that for maintenance!

My suggestion would be to go with 0W20 AFE, follow the OLM or at least bump it up to 7-8k. You'd definitely wasting your money changing EP at 5k. Take that money you're saving and do as Burt says with maintenance of other parts of the car.

Odds are, if you want to run this car forever, it's not the engine that will fail, and if it does, it's not likely to be oil related.



Thanks for the reply.
So a lower viscosity... for the winter?
 
Originally Posted By: 2civics
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Originally Posted By: Burt
If you are interested in longevity and not replacing systems, put your maintenance dollars towards other fluid changes (brake, PS, coolant etc.)


I agree with that for maintenance!

My suggestion would be to go with 0W20 AFE, follow the OLM or at least bump it up to 7-8k. You'd definitely wasting your money changing EP at 5k. Take that money you're saving and do as Burt says with maintenance of other parts of the car.

Odds are, if you want to run this car forever, it's not the engine that will fail, and if it does, it's not likely to be oil related.



Thanks for the reply.
So a lower viscosity... for the winter?


They're both the same viscosity at running temps, the difference is that the 5W will be thicker at cold temperatures than the 0W. That theoretically means less startup wear, and faster warm up from cold starts.

btw, I've been running M1 0W20 AFE in my GF's '09 Civic down to zero on the OLM with plenty of oil life left, as measured from the UOAs.
 
Odds are, if you want to run this car forever, it's not the engine that will fail, and if it does, it's not likely to be oil related.[/quote] I agree, some Mobil 1 0w20 AFE, the 0w will give you good startup protection in the winter and you can use it year round. I'd go 7,500 miles on it in your situation. [/quote]

Since I only put 8k on it per year, there is no issue with the oil being in the car for a full year before a change?
 
I wouldn't call that driving severe, heck my GM had a worse life (10min idling, then a 15 minute drive) and the OLM had me go 10k. If the idling happens after the engine is warm then its an even easier service.

I also wouldn't worry about running the AC while sitting, with a car that new the coolant system will likely more more than capable of keeping everything at a good temperature.

Since its so new I would worry too much about maintance, about the only thing you may have coming up is a coolant change (in a year or two) and maybe a transmission drain and fill. So run EP if you want, but get an oil analysis to see how long you can really run it. You might be able to stretch it up to 10k.
 
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Just go by the MM monitoring system. Any decent 5w20 or 0w20 will work fine for your Civic. Even though synthetic isn't required, I usually use the cheapest synthetic on sale. However, you could even Kmart oil will be ok in your car, and if often goes on sale for $8.99 a jug.

Nothing wrong with M1 EP, but it is a waste of money for your use.

The MM says to change it at 15%, or a year, whatever comes first. Nothing wrong with leaving the oil in for a year, but that is the longest you should go before changing it.
 
Originally Posted By: 2civics
Originally Posted By: ]Odds are, if you want to run this car forever, it's not the engine that will fail, and if it does, it's not likely to be oil related.
I agree, some Mobil 1 0w20 AFE, the 0w will give you good startup protection in the winter and you can use it year round. I'd go 7,500 miles on it in your situation. [/quote


Since I only put 8k on it per year, there is no issue with the oil being in the car for a full year before a change?


Heck yeah, a one year change interval would be perfect. I would use 0W20 AFE unless the 0W20 EP is the same price, then why not EP. Change every year when the weather is good and you're all set.

I personally wouldn't worry about changing it at 15% on the OLM. The OLM is designed for a conventional 5W20, a synthetic can and will last longer. The last time around, we ran the '09 civic to -777mi on the OLM and the UOA came back with plenty of life left.
 
6K wouldn't be a problem.

The only thing that shutting off and starting is hard on is the starter and ring gear on the flexplate. Hot starts don't wear the engine.
 
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