not sure if this is the correct forum, mods move if neccesary.

so i been running mobil 1 in my civic (daily driver, stock). i spent the past 2 days looking for m1 in 5w-20 and no luck. im pretty due for an oil change as its been 5000 miles already. so i went ahead and bought an alternative: Castrol "syntec" Fully Synthetic 5w-20. how does this compare to m1? will i notice anything different or am i fine since its gonna be the only and maybe first time running castrol fully syn motor oil?

 

it will feel better... i use castrol syntec

 

you probably wont notice any diffrence in switching from mobil to castol oil of the same grade.....they both make good oil so i would not worry about switching....

 

As far as I know, the Syntec isn't synthetic, just regular oil that goes through some extra processing. Here's a rundown of who's doing what with synthetics (some interesting info, just biased toward the people who published it):

http://www.synlube.com/synthetic.htm

I've been using Mobil1, recently switched to the Mobil1 Extended Performance for my new motor. I know Mobil1 makes a 5w-20, but don't know about the availability as I use 10w-30 (non-stock motor).

 

5W-20 is way too thin!

 

that link is bogus.
i clicked on the "5w-20" button link and it says...
"You get about 1% better fuel economy, but you get 30% shorter engine life !

The above statement is based on real life experience and is comparison to SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil."




but its winter season and its gonna be chilly, so i stuck with what Honda recommends; 5w-20. i usually fill up with 5w-30 during summer/spring when the heat wave comes through the bay area

 

I run Redline 5w20 and do an oil analysis every 10k miles, and so far there has been minimal wear on the motor. The motor has 70,000 miles and it has been running the 5w20 since new.

 

5w-20 is not too thin @ all for a Honda engine. You usually wont 'feel' anything from an oil change. Even conventional to synthetic under the best conditions is worth 3hp which is tough to feel from the drivers seat. Mobil1 does make a 5w-20, as well as a 0w-40 thats excellent. They also produce a stud oil thats not EPA certified marketed as race oil. 0w-30. Its about $8 a quart, but worth every penny.

 

you can run 5w-20 and it will be fine. if you want to use synthetic, then castrol syntec 5w-20 will be fine. you can also just run a conventional or synthetic blend 5w-20 if you want to save money. dont change your synthetic oil before 5k miles.

 

i learned my service man had filled my engine with 10w-50. it's a 1.5L idsi engine and ambient temp in my area is 27~31C, could this lead some bad FC significantly?