Honda Ridgeline oil help....

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andrewg

andrewg

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I know that it get's tiresome with these types of questions. I also know that I could do tons of searches to obtain info on this site. But.....I could really use some help deciding what oil to use in my Ridgeline once the factory fill is changed out.
Please give me opinions on ONLY these oils (readily available in my area) and ONLY in 0w-20 Synthetic.
1.Pennzoil Platinum
2.Toyota Synthetic
3. Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy
Driving habits: Mixed city/Hwy, no trailering, some mountain passes.
Expected OCI: MM use, approx, 6 to 8 month, 6k to 8k miles.
Oil Criteria: Only 0w-20, Synthetic (no blend or dino), excellent wear numbers, engine cleanliness, quite at idle.
Thanks in advance.
 
Does the ridgeline have VCM?

Anyway, they are all fantastic oils. I would order them 2-1-3, the Toyota has a really high viscosity index, really good base stocks. The latest formulation of PP must as well, based on it's sub 10 noack score. Nothing wrong with Mobil 1. The J series V6 is proven and robust, short of some long oci sludging issues on the VCM versions. And any of the above oils would make the maintenance minder OCI without issue.
 
The Ridgeline does not have VCM. I have run both M1 and PP 0W-20 in our Acura and they're both fine. The M1 runs quieter (it does in both of our Honda engines as a matter of fact). I personally have no desire to use the Toyota oil because of the higher cost and lower availability.
 
Does the 2012 Honda 3.5L spec 0w20 now? If not, I don't see the point in using it over a 5w20 for this application.

I surely wouldn't want to dump a high dollar 0w20 earlier than ~8K miles.
 
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You're lucky to have PP in that weight there. I'd use that. I use PP 5w20 in my Pilot and it's spotless inside. Usually gets about 7k on the MM.
 
I have run Mobil 1, PP, PU, Motorcraft and Peak in my Ridgeline. The MC was the only blend as all others were synthetic, while the Peak was the only 0W-20 as all others were 5W-20. Of these the PU was the quietest and smoothest running followed by PP. Mobil 1 was the opposite although still a good oil though, so my preference based on your options woul be PP first. Never tried Toyota so I can't give an opinion on it. My next several OC's will be Napa Synthetic (with .5qt of Synpower each OCI) as I have 2 cases of it sitting in my garage. As these engines are not VCM I think sticking to the MM/OLM should not be an issue regardless of which oil you finally decide on.
 
You're making a wise choice going to full synthetic for your Ridgeline. Any of the choices you mentioned should work just fine for you. As my sig shows, I'm using Amsoil 0W-20 in my Ridge; the engine runs great on it and gets good gas mileage (well, for a Ridge anyway). If I were you I would consider only M1 or PP as I think either would be cheaper than the Toyota oil and do just as well.

Most Honda engines built since 2003 can use either 5W-20 or 0W-20 oils.

Remember to change your rear differential fluid whenever the MM tells you to, especially since it looks like you're doing a good bit of mountain driving. I used the Honda rear diff fluid on mine but maybe there is an alternative from one of the major oil manufacturers now.
 
Rear diff go with Honda
Front diff, any good syn will work
Trans go with Honda

I use any major brand syn from my stash for engine.
 
If I was under warranty, I'd go for the Mobil 1 or Pennzoil. I'd choose Mobil because I'm a fan, but I would feel confident with either.

While the Toyota is officially good, I can just see an unknowledgeable dealership saying "you used toyota oil."
 
Originally Posted By: raffy


Most Honda engines built since 2003 can use either 5W-20 or 0W-20 oils.



I'm sure they can, but WHY 0w20 in the 3.5L that swills gasoline like a V8? What is 0w20 going to do for you over a 5w20 using Honda's MM for OCIs?

FWIW, I've got this engine in our 2008 Honda Odyssey LX and like it. I've done every oil change on our van since new. Even at a ~7K mile oil change interval with a synthetic 5w20, the oil is black and nasty and there is always some black graphite looking debris on the dirty side of the filter when I open them up.

My point is; Given the fuel these engines blow through, I don't think they're ideal candidates for extended OCIs. For the cost of 0w20, you're wasting your money if you change it at Honda MM intervals. These engines will go 300K miles on a cheap 5w30 changed at reasonable intervals.
 
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Originally Posted By: JTK
Does the 2012 Honda 3.5L spec 0w20 now? If not, I don't see the point in using it over a 5w20 for this application.

I surely wouldn't want to dump a high dollar 0w20 earlier than ~8K miles.


Yes...it specs 0w-20 and that is what I want to stay with for now.
 
Originally Posted By: JavierG
I have run Mobil 1, PP, PU, Motorcraft and Peak in my Ridgeline. The MC was the only blend as all others were synthetic, while the Peak was the only 0W-20 as all others were 5W-20. Of these the PU was the quietest and smoothest running followed by PP. Mobil 1 was the opposite although still a good oil though, so my preference based on your options woul be PP first. Never tried Toyota so I can't give an opinion on it. My next several OC's will be Napa Synthetic (with .5qt of Synpower each OCI) as I have 2 cases of it sitting in my garage. As these engines are not VCM I think sticking to the MM/OLM should not be an issue regardless of which oil you finally decide on.

Thanks for the input. Yes, if available in 0w-20 I would use Pennzoil Ultra....but unfortunately it is not. I do like PP....but lately some buzz has been that the Toyota oil may be at least equal to it.
 
Originally Posted By: stockrex
Try them all
I am serious, and drive it
Use ur butt dino and ears to figure out which one is better.

Simple....and good point.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: raffy


Most Honda engines built since 2003 can use either 5W-20 or 0W-20 oils.



I'm sure they can, but WHY 0w20 in the 3.5L that swills gasoline like a V8? What is 0w20 going to do for you over a 5w20 using Honda's MM for OCIs?

FWIW, I've got this engine in our 2008 Honda Odyssey LX and like it. I've done every oil change on our van since new. Even at a ~7K mile oil change interval with a synthetic 5w20, the oil is black and nasty and there is always some black graphite looking debris on the dirty side of the filter when I open them up.

My point is; Given the fuel these engines blow through, I don't think they're ideal candidates for extended OCIs. For the cost of 0w20, you're wasting your money if you change it at Honda MM intervals. These engines will go 300K miles on a cheap 5w30 changed at reasonable intervals.

I grasp what you are saying....but I prefer to use a higher quality oil in all of my engines. It's just me. I realize even the cheapest would suffice....but that's not what I want in my vehicle. And as far as mpg's.....I'm getting pretty decent with it. Averaging almost 20 in city and hwy.
 
Originally Posted By: stockrex
Rear diff go with Honda
Front diff, any good syn will work
Trans go with Honda

I use any major brand syn from my stash for engine.

Going to stick with Honda fluids for all that. Except the oil that is.
 
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The front differential is lubricated by the transmission fluid; it IS in the transmission. I think the "front differential" mentioned earlier is what Honda refers to as the transfer case. It's not a differential, but a simple hypoid gear set. I think the original spec is 80W-90 or similar.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: raffy


Most Honda engines built since 2003 can use either 5W-20 or 0W-20 oils.



I'm sure they can, but WHY 0w20 in the 3.5L that swills gasoline like a V8? What is 0w20 going to do for you over a 5w20 using Honda's MM for OCIs?

FWIW, I've got this engine in our 2008 Honda Odyssey LX and like it. I've done every oil change on our van since new. Even at a ~7K mile oil change interval with a synthetic 5w20, the oil is black and nasty and there is always some black graphite looking debris on the dirty side of the filter when I open them up.

My point is; Given the fuel these engines blow through, I don't think they're ideal candidates for extended OCIs. For the cost of 0w20, you're wasting your money if you change it at Honda MM intervals. These engines will go 300K miles on a cheap 5w30 changed at reasonable intervals.


I think your engine has VCM (according to gtcarlot anyway) which is harder on motor oil than the conventional 3.5L V6 that runs all cylinders all the time. The Ridgeline does not have VCM (i-VTEC) on any model year so far. My '08 Ridge runs quite clean even after 5K miles on an OCI. The regular V6's would be fine for extended OCI's based on the excellent 5K OCI UOA I got on our Odyssey; I'm thinking of going to 10K OCI's on it with Amsoil SS - will probably try 7K first, get a UOA and then take it from there. The Ridge doesn't get a lot of miles put on it so will probably go with a roughly once a year change. Since the Ridge engine is very similar to the non-VCM Ody engine, I think extended drain intervals are in order for someone who puts a lot of miles on a Ridge (say 15K or more) per year.

http://gtcarlot.com/data/Honda/Ridgeline/
 
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