Would switching to a synthetic oil be beneficial ?
01-02-2005 | 07:11 AM
#1
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Would switching to a synthetic oil be beneficial ?
I thought of adding this to the Mobil thread but it really is a different situation.
What would the benefits be of switching to a synthetic oil in my 2001 CL that has 78,000 miles?
Also if there has been any gunk build up in the engine is there any way to flush that out?
I bought it with 76,000 as a previously leased vehicle and had a Honda dealer changed the oil once and he put in castrol but the mobil 1 thread got me thinking of what benefits could be derived from a synthetic oil.
Are therre preferred brands of synthetic oil?
What would the benefits be of switching to a synthetic oil in my 2001 CL that has 78,000 miles?
Also if there has been any gunk build up in the engine is there any way to flush that out?
I bought it with 76,000 as a previously leased vehicle and had a Honda dealer changed the oil once and he put in castrol but the mobil 1 thread got me thinking of what benefits could be derived from a synthetic oil.
Are therre preferred brands of synthetic oil?
01-02-2005 | 07:19 AM
#2
Relevance is irrelevant
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From: Honolulu, HI
If there is a king of synthetic oil it is probably Royal Purple... Royal Purple on the web
Dyno tests have proven that this oil is the shiznit.
Search for Sea foam (I believe) if you want to know more about cleaning the inside of your engine.
Oil treatments claim to clean the engine, but I'm not sure I believe that.
Dyno tests have proven that this oil is the shiznit.
Search for Sea foam (I believe) if you want to know more about cleaning the inside of your engine.
Oil treatments claim to clean the engine, but I'm not sure I believe that.
01-03-2005 | 09:39 AM
#4
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I guess I will have to rephrase my question:
What are the preferred brands of synthetic oil?
What are the best ways to clean out any buildup of gunk in an engine?
I thought of just decreasing the interval for my first couple of oil changes .
Does using synthetic oil change the interval for an oil change? if so how
What are the preferred brands of synthetic oil?
What are the best ways to clean out any buildup of gunk in an engine?
I thought of just decreasing the interval for my first couple of oil changes .
Does using synthetic oil change the interval for an oil change? if so how
01-03-2005 | 01:07 PM
#6
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Yes. Synthetic oil is better. Better lubrication for the motor. More expenisve equals better. Well, not always, but in this situation it is. I'm sure certain synthetics are better than others, so choosing your oil is up to you. I've read Mobile 1 synthetic is one of the best. That's what i use in my 2002 Yamaha R1 sport bike.
01-03-2005 | 04:41 PM
#7
Lord Vader Moderator
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From: Bay Area, CA
Mobil 1 all the way.
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Comptech Icebox, Headers, Exhaust, Lowering Springs and Sway Bars. Mugen front grille. Inspire tailamps. MOMO Sport 18 X 7.5 +42 offset. Axxis Metal Master front/rear pad. 2 Polk/MOMO 10" subs, Orion Xtreme 500.4 amplifier and Alpine CD changer.
02-07-2005 | 09:51 AM
#8
WRX cuz Honda won't wagon
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From: San Jose, CA
I did a little research before I used synthetic.
Royal Purple seems to be "the best". It's also the most expensive and you can't just go to Kragen or Target to get it. On the other hand, Mobil1 is a "good synthetic" and is cheaper than RP and can be found at Kragen, Target, and even Costco. Since most of us aren't professional racers, I'd go with the overall accessibility of Mobil1.
BTW, I had been using 5w-30 regular oil in my civic, changing regularly at 4-5k; and had effectively zero consumption. At 92k miles, I swiched to 10w30 Mobil1. I was concerned about leaks with the "more slippery synthetic". Now, my engine consumes about 1/2 qt every 4k miles. Runs nice and smooth though.
Royal Purple seems to be "the best". It's also the most expensive and you can't just go to Kragen or Target to get it. On the other hand, Mobil1 is a "good synthetic" and is cheaper than RP and can be found at Kragen, Target, and even Costco. Since most of us aren't professional racers, I'd go with the overall accessibility of Mobil1.
BTW, I had been using 5w-30 regular oil in my civic, changing regularly at 4-5k; and had effectively zero consumption. At 92k miles, I swiched to 10w30 Mobil1. I was concerned about leaks with the "more slippery synthetic". Now, my engine consumes about 1/2 qt every 4k miles. Runs nice and smooth though.
02-10-2005 | 06:18 AM
#10
Noob '01 CL (non S-Type)
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: SW Ohio
Synth for your '01 CL
I just recently purchased a 2001 CL with 47k on the clock. It was certified, but I did not buy it with the certification. I also have an '02 Audi S4 and '00 Passat GLX (2.8 litre 30V engine). I use nothing but M1 0w-40 in the german cars, but they were both purchased new. I know that Honda's like thinner oil (mainly for fuel economy reasons, IMO) but I am a confirmed believer in sythntic oil for any vehicle that you care about and have been using it for the past 10 years at least.
M1 is good quality and relatively cheap (for synth oils). If you want the absolute best, Motul and Redline, along with Amsoil are great; but also cost top$. Royal Purple is likely very good, but the guys on AudiWorld (my primary home) have not gotten as good of results as with the Motul, Amsoil, etc. They have a lot of actual oil analyses done by Blackstone Labs to back up the talk, not just blowing smoke out their a$$.
For the CL, I decide to go with Valvoline full Synthetic (I think they call it SynPower). Castrol Syntech is also OK, IMO. Here's the deal on what I did: bought the car and although it had just had an oil change (with who knows what and it was also at least 1/2 qt overfilled - oil was like 3/4" above the top hole in the dipstick) I changed the oil and used a Purolator PureOne filter. The oil I used was NAPA brand synthetic - it is made by Valvoline and just repackaged under the NAPA name, and it cost $2.99 on special per quart.
The filter on there was some cheap Fram POS (I openly admit I HATE Allied signal and anything they produce, so realize I have bias against them even though they supposedly make the Honda brand oil filters).
I change oil every 3k, and only use synth. I know this is likely wasting $, but I like going the extra mile on my vehicles. If you want to go long drain intervals, I would recommend the M1 and would go with the 0w-30 weight if you live in the North (cold weather), or the 0w-40 when its summer.
The important thing to me is the ACEA ratings (European oil standards like the SAE "SL" ratings for the US) and the A3/B3 ones since they are for extended drain intervals and engine wear protection. The A1/B1 specs are for fuel economy only. The tiny (and I mean really tiny) filters on Honda products puzzle me, but the Japanese don't use any more of anything than is absolutely necessary (the Audi & VW use a filter that holds 1 qt of oil and the oil pans hold 7 qts and 6.5 qts respectively). The small filter is why I will change every 3k on the Acura, no matter what oil I end up using in the long run.
Main benefits to synth are superior lubrication, superior adhesion to engine parts (better for start-up wear), and also superior high temp stability (this also results in less oil volatility or boil-off). Some oil loss is due to the lighter fractions boiling off and getting sucked through the PCV valve into the cylinders and burned; synth greatly reduces this type of loss. Also the synth has much better viscosity stability versus dino-crap.
If your engine is in good shape (no oil burning or plug fouling) I would def. go synth if you don't mind spending a little extra (remember that the extra $ it costs for synth over dino oil is less than 1 tank of gas). Also, I highly recommend to change plugs before 100k miles - mine are getting changed within the month (at like 48k). They can rust-weld to the aluminum heads after 100k and you might damage the threads removing them and you are then screwed.
Good luck with your CL and hopefully both of us will be well over 100k with no problems (as long as the tranny doesn't blow up - be sure to change that fluid often!!!). Register on the Acura website and they can tell you if your tranny had the recall done and it also states the warranty extension on the tranny (7 yrs/100k miles).
M1 is good quality and relatively cheap (for synth oils). If you want the absolute best, Motul and Redline, along with Amsoil are great; but also cost top$. Royal Purple is likely very good, but the guys on AudiWorld (my primary home) have not gotten as good of results as with the Motul, Amsoil, etc. They have a lot of actual oil analyses done by Blackstone Labs to back up the talk, not just blowing smoke out their a$$.
For the CL, I decide to go with Valvoline full Synthetic (I think they call it SynPower). Castrol Syntech is also OK, IMO. Here's the deal on what I did: bought the car and although it had just had an oil change (with who knows what and it was also at least 1/2 qt overfilled - oil was like 3/4" above the top hole in the dipstick) I changed the oil and used a Purolator PureOne filter. The oil I used was NAPA brand synthetic - it is made by Valvoline and just repackaged under the NAPA name, and it cost $2.99 on special per quart.
The filter on there was some cheap Fram POS (I openly admit I HATE Allied signal and anything they produce, so realize I have bias against them even though they supposedly make the Honda brand oil filters).
I change oil every 3k, and only use synth. I know this is likely wasting $, but I like going the extra mile on my vehicles. If you want to go long drain intervals, I would recommend the M1 and would go with the 0w-30 weight if you live in the North (cold weather), or the 0w-40 when its summer.
The important thing to me is the ACEA ratings (European oil standards like the SAE "SL" ratings for the US) and the A3/B3 ones since they are for extended drain intervals and engine wear protection. The A1/B1 specs are for fuel economy only. The tiny (and I mean really tiny) filters on Honda products puzzle me, but the Japanese don't use any more of anything than is absolutely necessary (the Audi & VW use a filter that holds 1 qt of oil and the oil pans hold 7 qts and 6.5 qts respectively). The small filter is why I will change every 3k on the Acura, no matter what oil I end up using in the long run.
Main benefits to synth are superior lubrication, superior adhesion to engine parts (better for start-up wear), and also superior high temp stability (this also results in less oil volatility or boil-off). Some oil loss is due to the lighter fractions boiling off and getting sucked through the PCV valve into the cylinders and burned; synth greatly reduces this type of loss. Also the synth has much better viscosity stability versus dino-crap.
If your engine is in good shape (no oil burning or plug fouling) I would def. go synth if you don't mind spending a little extra (remember that the extra $ it costs for synth over dino oil is less than 1 tank of gas). Also, I highly recommend to change plugs before 100k miles - mine are getting changed within the month (at like 48k). They can rust-weld to the aluminum heads after 100k and you might damage the threads removing them and you are then screwed.
Good luck with your CL and hopefully both of us will be well over 100k with no problems (as long as the tranny doesn't blow up - be sure to change that fluid often!!!). Register on the Acura website and they can tell you if your tranny had the recall done and it also states the warranty extension on the tranny (7 yrs/100k miles).