Mileage: Synthetic vs. Dino Oil
 

:oAfter starting a thread on Mileage with Regular vs. Premium gasoline as the major topic. There has been considerable interest in a new thread concentrating on the benefits vs. additional cost of synthetic oil over conventional motor oil.

Having committed to changing to synthetic from dino in my 2010 Sport 5 speed, I would like to invite all of the oil experts to share their experiences and hopefully statistics. :vtec:

2010, Taffeta White
Sport, 5-speed

Honda does not recommend synthetic oil for the FIT. From my research I've learned that with a new engine it is best to allow the engine to break in with dino for approx 10000miles before switching to syn. This is from the oil research I've done. Talking to my Honda service tech he says go two oil changes then switch if I want, however stick to the 5W20 grade.

I might very well switch to a 0W20 for easy winter starts but I'm not sure of the availability of that grade syn. This is all new to me - known about syn oil for years but really never considered or understood why I would want to do that.

Well this is the 21st Century so why not get with it.

I also plan on following the MM to determine when I service the car. Right now I'm at 60% oil life and 5500miles. PHEW!! I'm a believer so I'm going with it, however, after the second oil change I am going with synthetic. Right now MobileOne looks good, but I'm open on that. I do believe that with these extended oil change intervals synthetic will be a good choice in the long run - 200K. So 5% of the engine life is spent breaking in with dino, then the rest is spent smoothly spinning along.

My FIT has 8,500+ miles and the Oil Life is at 30%. It might get to 10,000 miles before I get the first oil change.

I will switch to 5W-20 Royal Synthetic Motor Oil after that.

I have 3300 mile at 70 percent mm and plan on getting my free oil change around 6000. I like Mobil 1, but with the new oil coming out in Oct. I might just stay with dino. I have to wait until I learn more about the new oil before I make up my mind.

I developed my automotive habits long before there was ever any synthetic oils. Since I have never (key word being never) had a problem with an engine in any car, motorcycle or boat I've owned I can't see any reason not to continue using dyno oil.

When to change to synthetic
 

I am glad to hear that some of the time honored adages like 'make sure that the rings are well seated before you change' to synthetic or put in any special (read Slick 50) additives, still hold true.

My father says he first started using synthetic oil in the early 70's before Mobil 1. The military used to allow flight crew members to take used jet engine oil (the original purpose of the synthetic oil) and recycle it into their auto engines. Even though it was probably not the right grade, he swears that it helped his 60's era Vette make it to 200K miles.

As for me with 20K miles on my 2010 Fit, It looks like I can safely change right away. I really want to see if it improves mileage. I expect it to do so, but even if it only extends engine life by 50%, it will be worth it. :vtec:

been using Mobil1 5w20 on both my Fit's from the first oil change... which i think came after like 6k miles or something. no issue.

for me if i use dino i change it within 5k miles. for synthetic take it 10k/1yr or when the Fit says its 0% oil life left. last time i went under -500 miles or something. hahaha. :D

Using Mobil 1
 

Did you notice any improvement in mileage when you went to Moboil 1? :vtec:

The upper tier of oil producers have excellent products.
There are also some excellent www's.
Just need to understand the marketing a bit - stay technical. Documented quality tests-PDF

Corvette's loved that oil back then. I was putting it in a 67 Beetle on-base motor pool. DYI days. Bays would open and you could pull your ride in and do a brake job.

Changed my '07 to Castrol synth 5W-20 on the first oil change (about 6.5K miles 15% on MM). About to turn over 90K miles. On the last change I switched to Quaker State synth. No problems or oil consumption. Always follow the MM, which gives me about 6.5K on oil changes (I rev the piss out of my Fit.)

I am only using dino man. I don't use synthetic.

Has the oil change mileage stabilized or has it always been 6.5K?

EDIT: How about the stick level between changes?

What's your ride/mileage?

I've thought of this as well. Do what Honda recommends. 200K engine... follow the book. Spec it.

not that im aware of. i only use it because i use M1 on all my cars and i dont like changing oil more requently than the minimum recommendation by the manufacturer so use the locally available best... :wavey:

Mobil Jet, and all other mil-spec turbine oils are ester-based, nothing even close to the PAO chemistry of Amsoil, Mobil One, Royal Purple, etc. The closest thing you can buy that is actually formulated for internal combustion engines is Redline. The advantages of esters are extreme temperature resistance and polararity (molecules cling to metal). PAO is non-polar, it's main disadvantage. Disadvantages to esters are high cost and poor ability to handle moisture. Gas turbine engines have the oil lubricated parts well sealed from the outside world, while our engines see combustion blowby and are vented to the intake. Turbine oils have no detergents/dispersants for that reason. Redline has the additives. Because it was free, that 'Vette probably saw frequent changes of turbine oil to get rid of contaminants, but the lubrication performance was specatacular compared to Havoline straight 30 that was GM's spec oil back then.

Always 6.5 to 7K every time. The dip stick level is always still full when I change oil. That's why I stated "no problems or oil consumption" in my original post.

Do you recall whether your first oil change was later than your recent experience. My first was 9,000 miles and my last two have been more like 7,500 miles. :vtec:

2010 Taffeta White
5spd Sport

I've used both Royal Purple (fully synthetic) and FK/Massimo Super SS-X (mineral) - so far no substantial difference in terms of fuel economy. Maybe it's better for RP by about 0.5 km/L at best.

I'm already at 5000 km on the FK/Massimo oil and I'm switching back to Royal Purple pretty soon.

I have had two oil changes by Honda with their dino oil and Fram Oil Filters painted Honda blue. My next change is going to be to Castrol full synthetic 5w-20 with a Pure One oil filter. I hope to see a minor improvement in mileage, but more importantly an increase in engine life. As I am driving my Fit about 30K miles per year, it should not take a long time to find out. :vtec:

2010 Taffeta White
5spd, Sport

Very good write up, What oil to you recommend and why? Is dino oil Good till 10000 miles mostly highway say 25 miles trips? Thanks in advance

Oil changes at 6456, 13030, 19880, 26563, 33360, 40727, 47339, 53787, 60180, 67486, 73783, and 80609. You can do the math.

Switching to Synthetic
 

Spoke to the service manager at my local Honda dealer and was told that although Honda does not officially push synthetic oil for the Fit. Considering it's higher rev's and temperatures, he encourages it for all Honda vehicles "at the second oil change." I asked him why not any sooner and he said that due to the tight tolerances on the engine, it takes 10-15K miles to completely set all of the moving parts.

By the way his dealership will put in synthetic for an additional $30 at each oil change. :vtec:

How do they come up with $30 extra?

$30 extra
 

Sounds like an up charge beyond Honda dino oil of $7.50/qt, and I doubt that it is Royal Purple. More likely it is for the Mobil1 EP that Honda puts in the Acura RDX. :vtec:

Changed to Synthetic and sent oil to a test lab
 

I changed my oil with Castrol Edge Synthetic and a Pure One oil filter. I also sent a sample of the oil for analysis and the results came back today with minimal contaminants and few traces of metal. I don't know if anyone has sent in oil to an oil test lab, but I thought it would be a good investment as well as a starting point for switching to synthetic. :vtec:

2010 Taffeta White
Sport, 5 spd

GW folks have. Look here to get started, it's a good thread and this post links to analysis. Post yours in there some where. I, and many, would like to see the numbers.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...tml#post884794

Hmm..very interesting thread.
I'm at a little over 6000 miles and my oil life just dropped down to 20%. I had planned to switch directly over to synthetic but after reading some of the opinions I think I'll go one more round with Dino, then change.

My basic opinion is that as long as you are changing your oil, whatever your preference of belief is probably doesn't make a huge difference. Where people get into trouble, is when they simply do not change their oil or monitor oil levels.

That being said, one more Oil change interval should put me somewhere around 13000+ miles, and I plan to change to synthetic. Not because I necessarily believe it's going to magically offer me better gas mileage and/or protect my engine in a manner that will guarantee 100000's of miles but because I do think synthetics are a better product.

I'm admittedly anal. All my vehicles had oil changes at every 3000 miles. Which I now do believe is obssesive and unneeded. But I did it because IMO an oil change is relatively inexpensive and the peace of mind of knowing your oil isn't broken down, and your filter is relatively new...was worth it to me.

With the maintenance minder Oil Life monitor, it's actually been hard for me to keep driving so long without changing my oil. 6000+ is as long as I've ever gone. But after reading threads within here, and on the advice of The Dealership and Owners Manual, I'm keeping the break in Oil in until the maintenance minder lights up.

I don't think it really would make a world of difference whether I went from break in, directly to a high quality synthetic, but I also don't think it will hurt it, to go one more cycle on Dino. So just in case there is some "piston ring seating" advantage to going an additional 6000, 7000 miles? I'll be conservative and stay with Dino.

I think the advantages for most normal, daily drivers, with most "normal" vehicles of running a synthetic probably limited. I think for me? It's mostly psychological. I like the idea that I'm running a better product, that breaks down slower. Especially if I'm driving over twice as long as I used to in every other vehicle I've owned. Also, most high performance vehicles ARE coming with Synthetics and the recommendation of using synthetics....and part of me believes if it's beneficial for a $80,000+ sports car? Then Power to The People! I'm running it in my Fit.

So that's my admittedly flawed and unfounded approach. Guess it will be about 8, 9 more months before I'll be able to offer an empirical opinion on whether I believe my gas mileage, or engine performance has improved with the useage of synthetic. But even if I don't notice a difference, I do think synthetics are the way to go...so it's happening...just a little later...as opposed to a little sooner.

This debate has been done to death yet, is still going strong on the BITOG website which is probably the best place on the internet for information and debate. There should be no material difference in gas mileage between synthetic and dino, that's not the reason to go with synthetic. Consumer reports ran a test in NYC taxis, then tore the engines down to see if there was any noticeable wear between synth and dino - no material difference in engine wear. Here's the rub - once those taxi's engines were started, they were never shut off for the duration of the test.

IMO, the advantage of synth over dino is less sludging on short trips, less chance of coking during overheat (not normal) and, depending which brand and type you get, better detergent package (e.g. mobile 1 appears to have enough detergents to help clean a dirty engine, not just keep a clean one clean). Some engines are known for sludge buildup, but not the Fits AFAIK. On these, there might be an advantage with synth.

That said, I run synthetic on all my cars mostly because we do a lot of short trips here in suburbia and I like to keep my cars for 10+ years. Since I DIY my oil changes, the extra cost for synth is tolerable.

Same conclusions I'm coming to.

The L15 your running will be purring and, by the second oil change, you'll have washed that oil baggage out of your hair and topped it off with a nice syn. Life is good.

I'm getting close to the acceptance. I like it - rotate the tires before the first oil change.

To look to our future here's what should be a 'classic post' by pb and h: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-...ual-sport.html

Amazing engine pictures.

Found a good link Oils: What motor oil should I use? Which oil is best for my Porsche or aircooled engine?

The high performance and highline import shops I know are all switching to Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic. Just so happens the dealer I bought my Fit from and will continue to use until they p*ss us off like all the Jacksonville dealers have, also uses the Pennzoil Platinum. I used it for the last three changes (5k miles each) in the Mazda I just treaded in on the Fit and it used about one third as much as it did with Mobil1. The Mazda was a CX7 with a turbo motor and it used abut 1 quart of Mobil1 in 5k miles.
My mid-engine german rocket fun car (06 Boxster S) uses Porsche spec Mobil1 and they go 20k miles on a change, although it has 12 quarts and triple filters.
I haven't decided for the Fit, but I have to say wifey's 02 Civic drives like new with 249k miles and daughter's 01 Prelude drives like new with 164k miles and both have had full synth since their first oil changes. The main reason to pay the extra for synthetic is the extra use range you get, but now, none of the manufacturers are allowing for it. Honda, Acura and Mazda all call for the same change schedule, regardless of oil used.
I've never seen anything that said synthetic was not as good as dino and with our experience using it in Hondas, I think it's not wise to try to fool mother nature.

I know that its a Porsche web site but the info is basically true about oil and cars in general. My dealer uses Mobil products and I used it for over 10 years in all my cars. In my new car I plan on using Dino oil for a while, the gf5 oils are coming out before I need to change the oil and might already be in cars made in 2010, so my 2010 Honda might already have it in there.

Oil companies make more money selling synthetic oil than selling dino oil made with some synthetics to get it to spec. They will use what ever base oil is on hand to get it into spec. so regular oil could be semi synthetic for the price of dino oil. I agree synthetics are worth the money for add security but regular oil has to be just as good for a lower price.

I found some info about Honda cars from the site in Japan. Need to have browser translate but you can see what Honda recommends. Honda | �ƒ�³ƒp�[ƒc�•ƒAƒNƒZƒTƒŠ�[ | ƒGƒ“ƒWƒ“ƒIƒCƒ‹ | ƒEƒ‹ƒgƒ‰ Green