Need oil recommendation for high rpm Honda

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sds

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Dec 3, 2014
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2011 Civic Si. ~71000 miles.

Unmodified for 60K miles, didn't consume much oil then (maybe 1/3qt every 5K). It was run with whatever oil I had on the shelf basically (PP or M1 EP 5W30, didn't matter).

Currently modified with bigger cams, slightly ported oil pump, slightly larger sump, and too many bolt ons to list, making about 240whp/165wtq, revving to ~8600RPM. The car is otherwise meticulously maintained.

As I live in the city, most of my drives consist of a cold start and maybe 1-5 miles of driving. This is exacerbated in the winter since I don't really drive except for around-town errands in Boston. I never push the motor on it until it's warm, but I do drive hard when I get the chance. I'm mildly concerned because it's burning a bit more oil now, on the order of 1/2-2/3 qt every 3K.

I know I'm not going easy on this motor with the combination of:

  • (sometimes very) cold starts and short trips
  • very high rpm


Is there anything I should be doing with regards to choosing my oil more carefully? I've been spoiled with all my Hondas as they haven't really cared what oil I use, but this setting is certainly a bit more extreme. Many thanks in advance!
 
Sounds like a fun car.
I would definitely up the HTHS (3.0+) as it sounds like this Si is pushed hard and probably trashes oil during high RPM runs.

Edge 0W40
M1 0W40
PP 0W40
PP Euro L 5W30?

All can be bought at Walmart for under $26 a 5qt jug.
 
M1, 0W-40 may be an excellent choice. It's HTHS is great, and it's excellent at cold temps too. Great all around oil.

FWIW, I use 15W-50 in my 407RWHP S2000 with 2.2L engine. But I am running 19.5 PSI boost without an external oil cooler. So the higher viscosity choice is partially to combat higher oil temps and very high loading.
 
Okay great--headed off to Walmart to exchange the M1 EP 5W30 I have sitting here for some M1 0W40.

Would this oil also be appropriate for winter usage? (New England, think 0F to 40F).
 
Originally Posted By: sds
Okay great--headed off to Walmart to exchange the M1 EP 5W30 I have sitting here for some M1 0W40.

Would this oil also be appropriate for winter usage? (New England, think 0F to 40F).


Why wouldn't it be? It's a 0W you aren't going to get any better cold weather performance than that. Not that you'd need it above 0F though.
 
I've run M1 0W-40 in my AP1 S2000 and NSX. It ought to work. I will admit that I've recently moved to Red Line 10W-30, but not for any good reason other than "I wanted to". Both cars see a fair amount of track time.
 
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I'd use 40 weight. M1 0w40 and Rotella T6 5w40 are some good options.

Sounds like a fun car! Make sure you check your spark plugs and valve adjustment frequently.

8600 rpm is not that high at all, the weak point is the oil pump for k20z3. If you use k20a2 (plug & play) or s2000 (need modification) oil pump, it can rev up to 9000-9200 rpm safely.
 
Originally Posted By: dgunay
I'd use 40 weight. M1 0w40 and Rotella T6 5w40 are some good options.

Sounds like a fun car! Make sure you check your spark plugs and valve adjustment frequently.

8600 rpm is not that high at all, the weak point is the oil pump for k20z3. If you use k20a2 (plug & play) or s2000 (need modification) oil pump, it can rev up to 9000-9200 rpm safely.


I have an FD2 oil pump--the rev limit is there to protect the valvetrain with the bigger cams. Will do on the 40 weight--just bought some 0W40 and will probably just mix it 50:50 with the existing 5W30 that I have.
 
Originally Posted By: sds
Okay great--headed off to Walmart to exchange the M1 EP 5W30 I have sitting here for some M1 0W40.

Would this oil also be appropriate for winter usage? (New England, think 0F to 40F).



OW40 will take care of you from PLUTOSUN.
 
Since Castrol Edge 0w30 isn't sold here anymore, maybe you'd be happy with PP Euro L 5w30 at Walmart.

Another good choice is Napa Synthetic 5w30, on sale for $3.49/qt and will be good for the MM-suggested OCI
smile.gif
 
Man, now I miss my 07 Si. I also revved to 8,600rpm every day of the week for 110,000 miles. Burned half a quart - 1qt with this abuse. Wasn't an issue. Just check the oil every few weeks and top off as needed. A few cup of oil in the block every so often is a good thing. Recharged the oil additives and keeps the Lube healthy
 
Originally Posted By: dgunay
Do you have stage 1 or 2 cams?


Drag Cartel DIC. It's hard to categorize these cams as a "stage". They have more non-VTEC "low lobe" lift and duration than the average "stage 2" cam (think IPS K2), but slightly less VTEC duration and lift because they're designed to work at the limit of the stock valvetrain, whereas a "stage 2" cam wouldn't get by without aftermarket springs/retainers. Also VTC would be limited on stock pistons. They work well with a stock K20 as long as you have a long header and a long intake to take advantage of the low-lobe lift/duration.

The point was to maintain OE service intervals, which meant sticking to stock shortblock and stock valvetrain (aftermarket retainers are notorious for wearing out quickly). A bigger cam would probably net me another 10whp, but I'm facing accelerating and decreasing marginal returns.
 
I run M1 10/40 high mileage in my S2000 all year(Calif.), but if you do two or more oil changes a year I'd go with a 0/40 in winter with the 10/40 for spring, summer and fall.

ROD
 
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