I have a 99 civic with 95K running 5w-30 motor oil, is there a big + if I swith to Synthetic Oil?

Question

Now honda recommends 5W-20 for a 99 civic. But my friends says its bad and to thin for a car with high mileage. Help?

So if you change to synthetic oil, you have some chances of leaking from the gaskets, b/c they were previously sealed with regualar oil, and now synthetic can leak and penetrate this due to its formula. See honda manual states 5W-30, but I guess they tested things out for the present and now recommed 5W-20. However they dont state exactly if thats its good for a car with 95,000 miles on it. I guess stick to 5W-30 to be safe. And there are so many brands of synthetic oil, but I assume synthetic is synthetic right? One thing I know is for a fact, is that if u put in synthetic oil, u must stay to it, bc if u go back you can leak and damage the engine etc. Do u really feel extra Hp with synthetic on a 1.6L Vtec SHOC engine on synthetic. Thanks a lot. This is a cool site!!

Answer 1

10w 30 or 5w 30 will do provided that the engine is heathly. You may gain a few extra hp from switching to full synth, just dont switch back to regular motor oil once you already used synthetic. Synthetic oil permeates the walls of the cylinder to provide excellent lubrication. If you go back to standard oil after using synthetic, the smaller molecules in standard oil will literally slip by the rings because the synthetic oil has already become embedded in the cylinder wall. This will cause your engine to smoke like crazy. Just a heads up. And 95k isnt that high of a mileage on a honda, im sure it will be fine.

Answer 2

I would stick to 5W20 if that is what Honda recommends. Newer engines are built to tighter tolerances. If you use an oil that is too thick, it could damage your engine. Even though your engine is older, I wouldn't go for a higher viscosity. Also, do not switch to synthethic oil. The reason is that your gaskets and seals are conditioned with conventional oil. Synthetic oil will seep through your seals and gaskets and cause your engine to leak. There is nothing wrong with conventional motor oil and you should follow the manufacturers recommendation.

Honda does a great job designing and building cars. You can trust them to give you sound advice on maintaining the car.

Greg

Answer 3

ok i have an 89 civic hatch with an engine swap 80k on the new engine, i tried runnin 5w-30 in it and i have it all tricked out with headers exhaust, cold air intake and whatnot so i tried and put 5w in and i noticed that when i checked the oil the next time there was a greater amount of oil that was "burned off" compared to the 10w. the 10w is a bit heavier not causing it to burn off, so essentially the 10w oil sticks to your cams and pistons better and doesnt burn off. if i were you i would use 10W the people at honda(no offense to anyone out there) dont know crap about the real life of cars, they say to use this but the more expierience you have the better you will find what works, try out the 5w and then check the oil next week and then try the 10w and see which one keeps the oil fresher and in the cylinder longer.

Answer 4

Stay with the 5w-30, synthetic oils are just as effective as the oil that you are presently using. The only difference is that synthetic oil is pricey. 95,000 k's is absolutely nothing considering that you can get up to 400, 000 k's on your motor as long as it is taken care of.

Answer 5

I change my oil every 5-7k on full synthetic oil. My VW has 185k and still running great. I'm sure waiting till 10k won't hurt it... but changing it more often is usually a good idea. Good maintenance is key to increasing the life of your car.

Answer 6

The advantage to synthetic oils are longer time between changes and they don't turn to varnish or glue in your crankcase. If you car doesn't burn or leak oil, it probably won't hurt to use synthetic oil. The big plus is the price, so keep that in mind.

Answer 7

my 97 supra takes synth only because of its high rpms and heat generated by the 330hp engine. if you're running aftermarket performance parts on it, synthetic might not be a bad idea(at least partly synthetic) if you still are running stock, 5w30 should do all the engine needs protection wise.

Answer 8

Your choice of oil depends on where you live and the conditions that are in your area. For areas that are highaltitude and have lower temps, 5w30 is decent...What did Honda recommend for YOUR vehicle when it was manufactured? That is what you should use.

Answer 9

you will be fine with it.syn oil is the only way to go.thats why they come standard in high line vehicles. lower temps and dont burn much like reg. oil. dont have to change as often. and less deposits left in motor.trust me thats all i use.

Answer 10

I doesn't matter just as long as you always change the oil before it looks all black