5W-20 oil is a lighter viscosity than a 5W-30 oil and therefore has less internal engine frictional losses, or less drag on the crankshaft, pistons and valvetrain, which in turn promotes increased fuel economy. For model year 2001, the change to a 5W-20 oil will allow Ford and Honda’s overall CAFE to increase by a very small amount, typically in the tenths of a mile per gallon range. In order for a vehicle manufacturer to continue selling profitable large trucks and SUV’s, which typically have poor fuel mileage ratings, as compared to smaller cars, and still meet mandated CAFE requirements, they must also sell enough of the smaller cars which have much better fuel economy ratings to offset the poor fuel economy ratings of the larger vehicles. Minimum CAFE levels are specified by the Federal Government, and financial penalties are large if they fail to meet the minimum. The main reason 5W-20 was specified for your engine is to increase the CAFE reported to the Federal Government. CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) is the combined average fuel economy of all of a vehicle manufacturers product line. Once you know the facts and the Federal Magnusson Moss Act law you will be much better informed to protect your rights and use the type of oil you want to use. That is a tactic that some dealerships use to scare customers. (See 2007/2016 note below for detailed explanation.)ĭo not let your dealer scare you by telling you that you have to use it for your warranty. We know that even OEM Lubrication Engineers do not agree with Ford and Honda’s calling for a 5W-20 oil, because the engines are designed for 30-weight oil, and engineers believe that a 20-weight oil will decrease engine life. Do I really need to use 5W-20 oil and why did my 2000 model year vehicle require a 5W-30 oil, while the exact same engine in my 2001, 2002 and newer engines “requires” a 5W-20 oil?Īnswer: You do not need to use a 5W-20 oil.
#HONDA GENUINE ULTIMATE FULL SYNTHETIC 0W 20 MOTOR OIL MANUAL#
Question: My owners manual species 5W-20 oil. (Previously Updated October 2007, with major Special Note revisions in February 2016, and August 2018 – see below) Here are the facts behind why OEM’s now recommend 5W-20 and 0W-20 for 5W-30 engines: