synthetic + VTEC

on the late great purehonda, someone once said that using synthetic oil in our vtec engines caused the v-tec to work improperly. i was just wondering how much truth there was in that statement

I don't remember ever hearing that one... :uhoh:

Anyway. It's BS. A good sythetic is great for Honda engines, VTEC or no.

Personally, I've been using Castrol Syntec 10W30 on my Prelude SH with nary a problem.
:cool:

i have been running conventional oil since i got the car....about 30,000 miles.....if i switched to synthetic, would i need to flush the engine before hand? also could i experience any problems with the switch?

Originally posted by white97ex
i have been running conventional oil since i got the car....about 30,000 miles.....if i switched to synthetic, would i need to flush the engine before hand? also could i experience any problems with the switch?


no flushing required. that's an old problem that has since been resolved. synthetics, about 10 years ago, were not blendable with dino juice... but now they work together just fine.


if not, then synthetic blends would be a gimmick.

cool thanx for the help. one more thing. do i need to worry about the synthetic removing carbon deposits? with it having 111111 miles on it. i don't want to do anything to decrease performance.....*sidebar* i never really realized how big a difference a new air filter made...hehehe. i put a new one on my car and a lot of the hesitation was gone..hehehe. again thanx for all the help

Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic has served me well for the past 9 years. 6 years of use in my 1st gen turbo and the engine internals were still spotless. It's currently used in my B16a2 and I've had no problems. I tried a semi-synthetic on one occasion and it sent me straight back to Mobil 1.
That's my own experience, I doubt you'll have any problems whatsoever.

using synthetic in a car that has used regular oil all its life, i read would screw your engine because it would break down carbon deposits or something like that... anyways would it be ok to use synthetic on a 93 civic w/ stock engine? (after using regular oil)

Originally posted by jaxle
using synthetic in a car that has used regular oil all its life, i read would screw your engine because it would break down carbon deposits or something like that


think about it... if you have carbon deposits anywhere the oil is, then you've got a problem with or without oil involved.

if you start burning oil in a high mileage motor when switching to synthetic, then your motor should be rebuilt anyways.

are synthetics better somehow than natural oil? ive always used regular oil, never tried anything else

I'll never go back to mineral oil, I've been using synthetic for years now and it just leaves mineral oil for dead. My SiR's B16A has 210,000 km on it and has always had synthetic in it since I've had it. When I first got it and did the oil change, it had Mobil 1 in it from what my mechanic said.

No smoke, no issues and it seems to be cleaner after 6000 km than other oils I've seen in other cars I've owned.

Just my 2c though :)

so synthetics protect better and keep your engine cleaner? I've really never even looked into getting synthetics... how much more is it for a case compared to regular oil?

I just want to know cuz I have a 90 accord (duh) with 120K on it. Like to keep it running as best as possible.

Originally posted by -=Evol90Accord=-
so synthetics protect better and keep your engine cleaner? I've really never even looked into getting synthetics... how much more is it for a case compared to regular oil?

I just want to know cuz I have a 90 accord (duh) with 120K on it. Like to keep it running as best as possible.

if its that old dont use synthetic oil, i dont know how to explain how it will ruin your engine so read the engine oil bible here (http://www.fernblatt.com/longhurst/index.html) its in there sumwhere

hmm... i might just try synthetic...

I also run Mobil 1 in my ex's '88 Accord. I haven't had any issues with it even though it was running mineral oil in it when I bought it 2 years ago. Original engine, only 125,000 km on the motor though.

I used to be Redline whore, now I use Mobil 1 and am very happy

im still nervous, i have 210,000 mi on my car and its a 93 and has been using mineral oil the whole time...i think, i should probably check the old receiepts (i jsut bought this car)

From here: http://www.fernblatt.com/longhurst/engineoil_bible.html

If you've been driving around with mineral oil in your engine for years, don't switch to synthetic oil without preparation. Synthetic oils have been known to dislodge the baked-on deposits from mineral oils and leave them floating around your engine - not good. I learned this lesson the hard way! It's wise to use a flushing oil first.

If you do decide to change, only go up the scale. If you've been running around on synthetic, don't change down to a mineral-based oil - your engine might not be able to cope with the degradation in lubrication. Consequently, if you've been using mineral oil, try a semi or a full synthetic oil. By degradation, I'm speaking of the wear tolerances that an engine develops based on the oil that it's using. Thicker mineral oils mean thicker layers of oil coating the moving parts (by microns though).

Switching to a thinner synthetic oil can cause piston rings to leak and in some very rare cases, piston slap or crank vibration.
Gaskets and seals! With the makeup of sythetic oils being different from mineral oils, mineral-oil-soaked gaskets and seals have been known to leak when exposed to synthetic oils. Perhaps not that common an occurance, but worth bearing in mind nevertheless.

Originally posted by jOYRiDe
hmm... i might just try synthetic...

What? to oil your shoes for walking :silly2:

Need a car first silly :p

I use Mobil 1 in my teg, and have never had any problems :)