Synthetic to Non?

Joined
23 February 2008
Messages
121
The individual I purchased my car from used Royal Purple. I need an oil change so should I:
1. Switch to non-synthetic to save $$ or will it hurt my engine?
2. Use the synthetic Mobil-1 at my Acura dealer?
3. Bring them Royal Purple?
:confused:
I would like to keep cost down if possible. THANKS!!! :biggrin:
 
OOPS!! Can a mod please move this to the owners section? I was used to clicking on the second one down and I didnt notice the wiki took its place. Paaahhhhleeaaase? ;)
 
The individual I purchased my car from used Royal Purple. I need an oil change so should I:
1. Switch to non-synthetic to save $$ or will it hurt my engine?
2. Use the synthetic Mobil-1 at my Acura dealer?
3. Bring them Royal Purple?
:confused:
I would like to keep cost down if possible. THANKS!!! :biggrin:

Won't "hurt" your engine but its nice to have.

Buy some Mobil 1 at WalMart / Costco and have a local shop do the change. Its pretty easy to do yourseld too.
 
The individual I purchased my car from used Royal Purple. I need an oil change so should I:
1. Switch to non-synthetic to save $$ or will it hurt my engine?
2. Use the synthetic Mobil-1 at my Acura dealer?
3. Bring them Royal Purple?
:confused:
I would like to keep cost down if possible. THANKS!!! :biggrin:

huh? you want to put non synthetic into our engine? I mean don't go crazy and get Royal purple on every oil change, but at least get Mobil-1. I mean how often do you change your oil on the NSX? We don't even skimp on the oil filter since the NSX runs on a high pressure oil system which tends to blow out lesser oil filters causing permanent engine damage if you keep on driving with no oil ( duh ). So you would need to get OEM oil filter, and synthetic oil. Synthetic oil resists thermal break down, and will remain with the clean color much longer than crappy dino oil, and it won't slug up your engine over time.

Its a NSX please don't go cheap on it. In the end it would be you who might not be able to sleep at night worrying if those couple of bucks you saved was worth it in the long run.
 
go royal purple everytime. :biggrin:

i run this stuff in absolutly every thing.

my truck. my nsx. my beater. everything. i even run it in my mom's car :biggrin:

its cheaper then a new engine. :D
 
go royal purple everytime. :biggrin:

i run this stuff in absolutly every thing.

my truck. my nsx. my beater. everything. i even run it in my mom's car :biggrin:

its cheaper then a new engine. :D
Motul Biotch! :tongue:

Haha, jk.


Non-synthetic will be fine if you want to change your oil every 2,500 miles. Heck, many racecars use non-synthetic because they change the oil every race weekend.

Its easier to use synthetic as you can go longer between oil changes and it dosnt break down as quickly. But if you change your oil frequently (2,500miles) it really wouldn't make much of a difference between the two.

0.02
 
I would like to keep cost down if possible. THANKS!!! :biggrin:

5qts of Mobile1 10W-30 Full Synthetic is $21 at Wal Mart
OEM filter is $9
Filter wrench (removal only) is <$10
14mm wrench (drain plug) <$5
Drain pan <$5


$50 and 1/2 hour the first time
$30 and 15 mins each time there after

Good oil, good filter, good service, minimal time. Easy.
 
Honda sold it with 10w30 non-synthetic inside and the manual makes no recommendation for the synthetic.
The manual recommends a 7,500 mile service interval for the oil and filter.

You will not harm your engine if you decide to switch to non-synthetic.

I would run what you prefer but suggest you stick to a OEM oil filter.

Personally I change mine at about 3000 miles and use Mobil-1 as it is so easy to find.

I use Royal Purple 20w50 in the CTSC itself.

If this is a money issue I feel that if over your period of ownership the additional cost of the synthetic actually impacts your finances enough to be a consideration then you are in over your head.
 
^^ around $100 would be fine as I pay around $50 for my G but I was quoted $189 by Acura for a synthetic oil change with Mobil-1. That seemed way too expensive for an oil change!
 
even the dyno-oil will not break down before the filter is due for a change. unless you are racing or keep your oil in the engine for 10k miles and change the filter only, full synthetic is a waste of money- if it makes you feel good, go for it but do not spread rumors how it will 'save' your engine vs, dyno oil.
 
You can bring your own oil to the Acura dealer -- I bring Royal Purple all the time. They will obviously continue to charge you for the labor involved, but won't charge you for the oil. I would assume you can bring your own Mobil 1, or whatever you prefer. If they give you any problems about bringing your own oil, you probably don't want to give them your business.

I would also ask how many NSXs the dealership services regularly and about the qualifications of the mechanic at the dealer (not for an oil change, obviously, but if you decide to have any more significant work done there). Honda/Acura has NSX-specific training and upon the completion of this training the mechanic will be a master NSX tech. Others can probably tell you if that is worth anything or not, but to me it is additional credibility.
 
even the dyno-oil will not break down before the filter is due for a change. unless you are racing or keep your oil in the engine for 10k miles and change the filter only, full synthetic is a waste of money- if it makes you feel good, go for it but do not spread rumors how it will 'save' your engine vs, dyno oil.
Agreed, assuming you don't drive the daylights out of it, non-syn will be just fine. People really under estimate todays conventional oils. Castrol 10w30 GTX/Honda filter at every 3000 miles and you'll have no problems.
 
Some of the posts above imply the mistaken assumption that the advantage of synthetic oil is that it allows you to extend the interval between oil changes. This was sometimes advertised in the early days of synthetic oil but it is no longer widely promoted, and like many others, I do NOT recommend extending your oil change interval just because you are using synthetic oil.

The primary advantages of synthetic oil are that it is more resistant to breakdown when hot, and it has better flow characteristics when cold. The only disadvantage is the cost. And the cost difference isn't all that great, considering the relatively low mileage most of us put on our cars.

As for where to do it, any competent mechanic can do an oil change for you; like pbassjo, I recommend using the stock oil filter. Most dealers and independent mechanics do NOT normally stock synthetic oil in the 10W30 viscosity which is recommended for the NSX, and if they don't, they are nearly always happy if you can bring in your own oil rather than forcing them to run out and buy some for you.

Wal-Mart often has the best prices on synthetic oil, even lower than Sam's Club (go figure!) and Costco. They usually sell both Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum in 10W30, in one-quart bottles as well as five-quart jugs, and the Pennzoil is significantly cheaper.
 
"Some of the posts above imply the mistaken assumption that the advantage of synthetic oil is that it allows you to extend the interval between oil changes. This was sometimes advertised in the early days of synthetic oil but it is no longer widely promoted, and like many others, I do NOT recommend extending your oil change interval just because you are using synthetic oil."


tests of leading synthetic oils have shown virtually no breakdown after over 10k miles. simply said, when using synthetics the filter performance becomes the limiting factor so if you manage to keep the contamination at bay there is no reason why you could not extend your oil change intervals. a large part of contamination of the oil is actually NOT caused by the breakdown of the oil itself but by the by-products of combustion- ring blow-by, valve guide blow-by and recirculated oil vapors. look at heavy-duty equipment- they have independent filtration units allowing a filter change without oil change.

you are correct though when it comes to synthetic-blend oils as the advantage of protection against thermal breakdown is eliminated by presence of regular dyno oil. its thermal breakdown will increase contamination which can only be eliminated by oil change. the advantage of synth-blend is that during the normal 'oil change interval' when the dyno oil breaks down, there are sythetic molecules present to offer protection against friction but the oil is still getting dirty.
 
"Some of the posts above imply the mistaken assumption that the advantage of synthetic oil is that it allows you to extend the interval between oil changes. This was sometimes advertised in the early days of synthetic oil but it is no longer widely promoted, and like many others, I do NOT recommend extending your oil change interval just because you are using synthetic oil."
That's correct! You sound very intelligent. :tongue:

The manufacturers of synthetic oils do NOT recommend extending your oil change intervals beyond those recommended by your car's manufacturer. Period. If you like, you can look up the exact quote (for example, on the Mobil 1 website).

you are correct though when it comes to synthetic-blend oils as the advantage of protection against thermal breakdown is eliminated by presence of regular dyno oil. its thermal breakdown will increase contamination which can only be eliminated by oil change. the advantage of synth-blend is that during the normal 'oil change interval' when the dyno oil breaks down, there are sythetic molecules present to offer protection against friction but the oil is still getting dirty.
Well, we weren't talking about synthetic blends. But the statements in this paragraph are just plain wrong. 100 percent synthetic oil protects better against thermal breakdown than conventional oil. Synthetic blends protect better than conventional oil but they don't protect as well as 100 percent synthetic oil.
 
What if you put under 1000 / miles year, use Synthetic and don't track the car. How long do you think you can go without changing the oil?
 
I think any motor oil is still somewhat hygroscopic, ( it means that it will attract moister ). So over time it could still absorb enough moisture to cause corrosion. I would change the oil once a year just to be safe.
 
Greetings

your dealer is overcharging you. I pay $100 for synthetic at Acura -- I even think this is a little bit high, included is a pretty good job cleaning my car -- not that it is every very dirty.

Cheers,
Martin
 
Depends on every car. My engine is heavily tuned and DID NOT like Royal Purple AT ALL, hated it. Burned oil even. Switched to syntec blend Mobil 1 and it purrs like a kitten. I change the oil/filter every 2500-3000 miles.
 
^^ around $100 would be fine as I pay around $50 for my G but I was quoted $189 by Acura for a synthetic oil change with Mobil-1. That seemed way too expensive for an oil change!
$189 for an oil change is thiefery.


Some of the posts above imply the mistaken assumption that the advantage of synthetic oil is that it allows you to extend the interval between oil changes. This was sometimes advertised in the early days of synthetic oil but it is no longer widely promoted, and like many others, I do NOT recommend extending your oil change interval just because you are using synthetic oil.

The primary advantages of synthetic oil are that it is more resistant to breakdown when hot, and it has better flow characteristics when cold. The only disadvantage is the cost. And the cost difference isn't all that great, considering the relatively low mileage most of us put on our cars.

I recommend using the stock oil filter.

What Ken said. Even with synthetic, you need to change you oil at regular interval. It's the acid build-up in the oil (even when the oil does not break down) that will damage your engine. As for synthetic or dinosaur oil, I don't think it matters if you don't track your car and the oil is changed regularly. (just my opinion with my cars)
 
I think any motor oil is still somewhat hygroscopic, ( it means that it will attract moister ). So over time it could still absorb enough moisture to cause corrosion. I would change the oil once a year just to be safe.
I don't think motor oil is hygroscopic. (Unlike brake fluid, which definitely is.) However, I agree that it's a good idea to change the oil at least once a year, if you don't hit the mileage interval.

Honda's recommendation for the '91 NSX is to change the oil and filter every 7500 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. I do not know whether they changed that recommendation in later model years; however, I know that they lengthened the interval for the timing belt replacement beginning in '97, and I also know that on another non-NSX car (Integra), they changed the oil change recommendation from 7500 miles or 6 months to 7500 miles or 12 months, some time between 1994 and 1998. So I'm guessing that the recommendation for the NSX probably changed too.
 
I have been told that oil is DEFF. Hygroscopic by a mechanical engineer who specializes in oil in heavy machinery. He also says that synthetic is good till 45k as long as you keep changing the filters....he does not actually recommend doing this though.
 
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