Helo guys,

I own a Fit (Jazz) in a tropical country (Asia), I am thinking of switching from conventional to full synthetic oil and Mobil 1 caught my attention from their advertising stance.

I also read in this forum that quite many people use mobil 1 synthetic for their engine.

However, there is not many options available for the Mobil1 synthetic variants here besides the conventional counterparts.

I can understand that because mobil 1 is not very widely used oil here due to its much higher price than other competing brands, notably dominated by local, even some China brand.

Not many people keen to use full synthetic oil in this demographic. That explains the very limited supply of full synthetic oil variants here. People tend to use more conventional ones.

Usually only top end buyers would want to consider filling up with full synthetic here

For some reason, the only variant of mobil 1 synthetic oil available here is the one with SAE 5W-50.

As u guys all (should) know, the Fit owners manual oil selection chart only recomends as high as SAE 5W-40 for higher climate.

Can anyone share a thought in this matter?

Thank you very much

Cheers

 

You can use any synthethic oil, but the 5w-50 grade I find it is way too thick for the L15A at higher temperature as it won't lubricate and flow properly.

Usually 5w-50 grade oil is used in older model engines, high-revving, or fully built motors/turbocharged/supercharged. The L15a is more of a conservative engine; and with oil grades Honda recommends the one that gives the best gas mileage and performance - in this case the 5w-20.

Unless you live in a hotter climate, 5W-40 is necessary because the oil gets thinner at the higher temperature, but it maintains its thickness. Its still thinner that than the 5w-50.

I use 10w-30, but you should stick with the 5w-20 since you live in a more, cooler geographical area.

 

Thank you for your kind reply sir neebs, so are u saying that the higher the viscosity number, the worse it is for fuel ecconomy at any given temprarure? The highest temprature here is about 32-34 celcius during the year. Why would honda recommend as thick as 0w40 knowing it gives worse fuel economy in any given operating temp given my engine is stock? Cheers

 

For the L15A, at any temperature, it's simply still to thick and produces fluid restriction causing the oil pump to work harder and consume more fuel. However, depending on the state of the engine and engine itself, a thicker viscosity oil can still produce good fuel economy and performance, but probably not for a stock L15A. The 50 weights will operate at a higher temperature.

The 0w-40 is thinner and usually used in winter, but some use it in summer.

 

I think the manual has an extended chart mainly because 5w-20 may not be as widely available worldwide, so the mention of things like 5w-40 is a supported oil that won't cause damage, but not the optimal oil.
If you can get 5w-20 (or 0w-20) I would just stick with that...even a conventional offering, instead of going with 5w-50 just because it is the only "synthetic" available..

 

Thanks again for the opinion. So as was said above, anything thicker than VI 20 at operating temp will not be optimal right?

Since for some ridiculous reason 5w20 oil is rare in here, what would u think of 0W30? Will it be considered efficient, given the hottest climate here during the summer reaches 34C, while it averages around 29-32 all season long (tropical country).

The only brand (I already searched on the internet for availability) that sells 0w30 is PETRONAS Syntium 5000, a Malaysian made.

Im not sure if u have it in the states, what do u guys think of it? Petronas is quite a popular name thanks to its involvement with Formula One Mercedes GP team.

There is another brand here that has 0w20 (quite rare, very few store has it, and only car enthusiasts here would recommend it), that is FK MASSIMO (FK Trinity 0w20). Its a Japan made oil.

Both product is competing closely in terms of price and it is not an issue for me, i just want the best for my ride

I searched on the net about the FK, and I realized only people in this country talks a lot about it, but not many forums worldwide talks about it as far as I searched. So i concern it is not as world-widely accepted as the likes of the more established names such as Shell, Castrol, Penzoil, Mobil, etc.

For more info about the situation here, the majority of popular brands here (ones mentioned above) have only as low as 5w40 VI for their products.

Since you guys would recommend ones with less than 40 VI, I believe thats the most optimal option to go with, given I am currently running on 10w-30 Valvoline Semi-Synth.

And the reason I decide to switch to synthetic is because i run a long drain interval. My daily routine and driving habit yields a steady 8 Months, 3000mile interval during the past 2 years and I expect this to continue. I don't do short distances, the car mainly sits in the garage during the working hour due to severe road condition to my office, so I opted to borrow company's pickup truck and use it instead. (The Fit is lowered) I run he car to go elsewhere other than work during weekends, and as a grocery getter. That explains the long interval. Thats why i feel i absolutely needs something more than conventional.

I am not sure the credibility of the two brands i said above as they are not as known as the more-established ones worldwide.

Any further thought? Once again thank you guys for staying with me the whole time with this lengthy topic. I appreciate it.

Have a great day

Cheers

 

I think per your manual, both the 30 and 40 oils are acceptable. 30 will be of course closer to the "optimal" 20. so that should be the preferred choice over 40.

Since your mileage is actually LOW, I would suggest that actually using conventional oil is a smarter choice. With low miles you can go by the suggested time schedule and change your oil yearly which should be around 5000miles for you; at that mileage, both conv. and synth oil will have plenty of life left in the Fit.

What really matters is just how much of a price difference between your oil choices.
I don't think it is smart choice to get the synthetic oil if you are going to great lengths and expense to obtain it.

Even with oil highly available in the US, and perhaps at only $2-$3 USD difference/quart. There is still debatable whether it's better for the car to just use conventional oil and change the oil twice as frequently versus spending money on synthetic oil.

The largest benefits of synthetic oil is it's durability. Fresh out of the bottle, conventional oil will perform more than adequately and very close in behavior to synthetic. Since you are not even reaching even the middle of the life of conv. oil, you are not getting to a point to where it is much different than the synthetic in terms of behavior.

So I think you need to consider the actual price differentials in your choice, if you feel a need to baby your car via oil, you could change the oil more frequently (even though it is not needed). However, with the same money, you could spend it on fuel or a set of performance tires which might provide more enjoyment.

As far as the specific choices for brand, I am not familiar with the foreign brands. In the US oils are graded by the SAE to fall into service rating levels. In general, anything that meets the service level is good enough especially for our relatively ordinary non-exotic car. However, I would choose whichever oil is marketed as "newer" in terms of formulation, as newer usually reaps the latest in technological improvements by the oil companies(i.e. SN rated oil)

 

5W50 will be a bit thick in your car. I've run 10W40 plenty and it's given me a tiny mpg drop. Your car won't blow up if you run 5W50. But I wouldn't pay extra money to run an oil that's NOT going to really be of any benefit. 5W20 is fine in warm weather, or whatever your manual specs for year round use. Coincidentally, 0W40 is fine for year round use in cars that spec it, such as my previous car, a SAAB 9-5.

 

thanks a lot for the replies once again. Now im certain to get no thicker than 0w40 for the car.

Any thoughts on the brand tough?

 

Hi j3ss13.i live in thailand.my first car here was a 8year old lancer.sins dez.08 i drive a new jazz.i always use mobile1 5w-50.i think its perfect and most of u got it wrong... The 50 means it can handle heat much better.here in chiang mai its very hoooot.mobile 1 makes more shure there is no oil film brake in extreme high temp.like in thailand...sorry my riding,im from switzerland. So , j3ss13 , go for it and ask for promotions like camping chairs,umbrella and more. 4 litre for thb 1700. Ok ?? Have a nice ride

 

Hi j3ss13. Its me again,thaijazzy. If u live in thailand 2 and have more questions u can call me...084/778 7050.no problem

 

Sorry thaijazzy but I just can't agree with you. Oil thickness is not the ultimate determining factor in how well an oil can handle heat. Flow is also important as well as the make up of the base stock and the additive package. As a matter of fact, a quicker flowing thinner oil will dissipate heat from hot spots in the engines better. While yes, 50 weight oil is not as thick as you'd imgine at full operating temp, it is not necessary for extreme conditions. Parts of the US are not exactly a mild temperate climate such as the hot/humid Southeast and the hot/dry Southwest. Millions of Americans run 5W20 oils in summer conditions in these climate zones without worry year round. If you feel uneasy about that, a 30 weight oil is fine but after more than a decade of being the standard oil for a large chunk of the US fleet, there have been no mass engine failures due to thin 20 weight oil.

In the end, run what you want. But please don't think you NEED a super thick oil to adequately protect this engine in harsh driving conditions.

 

I'd be all over that 0w-20 oil. The Honda and Toyota 0w-20 oils sold here are excellent oils.

For more and better oil advice, check out the forums at bobistheoilguy . com. Those forums are all about motor oils, coolants, and other mechanical bits that make a car function.

 

I too see NO need to run anything heavier than 5w30 Mobil 1 in the Fit

 

Thank you for all the replies,


@thaijazzy : I live in the islands of Indonesia. Glad that we share quite common grounds for driving condition here Does Thailand have anything thinner than 5w-50 for Mobil1? I suspect we have similar case in oil diversity here.

@everyone : updates on oil products situation here, we have a 5w-30 MINERAL oil here which seems to be a lot of ppl quite liking it for their daily. Some even claim it shares the same property with those of 100% synthetics

What do u guys think about minerals? pros and cons?

Thanks

 

Go 5w30 in your climate. Mineral or synthetic will be fine.

But if you'll be spending hours on a circuit track in 40*C weather I would go synthetic.

I would be worried about excessive oil pressure with a 50w. I would take any oil info you get here with a grain of salt, not talking about anyone in particular but all oil discussions, like fuel discussions, here degenerate into a misinformed pissing match in short order..

 

Mineral oil is usually cheaper than synthethic oil, but the oil change interval will be shorter than synthetics and it gets dirty quicker, depending on driving condition.

In hot climate or harsh condition, I probably wouldn't recommend the mineral oil, as it gets pretty thin. I don't think this will be a problem in your area.

I'm not sure if they have same properties, but I know sythenthics does have a proportion of mineral oil in it.

 

He lives in Indonesia this is the 2nd time in this thread you mentioned his area and not associating it with hot temps year round. I don't want to beat you with a stick, but are you not aware as to where Indonesia sits on a world map?

 

Ummm, I'm speaking to include the entire area outside of Indonesia and not just Indoensia alone.

 

I use 15W40 diesel oil.... lost some mgp but at 3000 oil is still yellow and clean have 52000 miles on my car and my father has a GD also running 15W40 same as me he has 120000 on his works fine