My truck will be getting it's first oil change very soon. I have considered trying synthetic but.......... I have probably put over 600,000 miles on my honda's in time past with just regular oil. And that was averaging 7,000 miles per oil change; 95% of my driving is highway.

So who uses regular oil in their Ridge and have you noctice any difference in performance and or MPG after the first oil change?

My truck will be getting it's first oil change very soon. I have considered trying synthetic but.......... I have probably put over 600,000 miles on my honda's in time past with just regular oil. And that was averaging 7,000 miles per oil change; 95% of my driving is highway.

So who uses regular oil in their Ridge and have you noctice any difference in performance and or MPG after the first oil change?

Hi Joe, I just changed ours to Mobil1 synthetic with a K&N oil filter in the driveway and everything seems fine. If you decide to do-it-yourself may I suggest using a piece of cardboard when removing the old filter because it drips directly onto the lower control arm of the front suspension. Another member suggested wrapping a clear food storage bag around the filter during the removal to prevent any spillage. ROC-on!

I would use dino oil for at least 10K miles. Allows the engine to break in.

I plan on using Honda oil and Puraltor filter for 10K miles, then switch to a Syn for CHEAP insurance.
Have not found solid proof that Syn is worth the coin, just makes me feel better using it ! :D

Our 01 Cobra runs full Syn Motorcraft oil, engine spins to 6800 RPM'S all the time :D

So in short, you can run whatever you want, just change it at the recommended intervols.............(fact)

I would use dino oil for at least 10K miles. Allows the engine to break in.
Just did a google search on dino oil and only came up with some chat forum about oil changes....Whats Dino oil?

Dino oil = dinosaur made, not man made.

Sorry about that, just two kinds of oil out there.

Synthetic (syn) and dinosaur (dino) oil :D

My first oil change was free from Honda with dino oil and Honda filter. Second change was done myself with Honda filter and Castrol (dino) oil.
My 3rd change, which is coming up soon (I'm at 20% and 20,300 miles) will be with the Purolator Pure One filter and dino oil (Valvoline, I think).

My mileage increased with the 3rd tank of gas, and has stayed about the same since then.

Good choices Swamper !!

Honda oil and filter. Saw 20 MPG last weekend for the 1st time.:D

Art:

Is it TRUE Honda oil or some other brand??
One dealer uses only Honda oil, the other uses Castrol.

I plan on Honda BRAND oil for break in.

Art:

Is it TRUE Honda oil or some other brand??
One dealer uses only Honda oil, the other uses Castrol.

I plan on Honda BRAND oil for break in.
Honda brand bulk oil. My dealer uses Honda dino or Mobil1 only.

There was no synthetic oil until late 80s’ and we were go by the 3000-mile oil change interval guild line. It is true that many cars passed unbelievable high mileage by using regular motor oil (maybe still go by the 3000-mile oil change interval). Indeed, the synthetic oil has many components not found in the regular motor oil. The benefits are high temperature tolerance and easy winter startup, to name a few (based on the study Synthetic Lubricants and High-Performance Functional Fluids
by Leslie R Rudnick, Ronald L Shubkin).

Many members here are car enthusiast and try the best to baby our RL and protect our investment. If I go by the maintenance minder for the over 5000-mile service interval I will use the synthetic.

I use and will continue to use dino oil. I used during my racing days and never had an oil related failure. My car was geared to be able to run 8,000 RPM consistently in fourth gear and I don't think the RL will ever see that kind of duty.

As ProHonda pointed out, oil change interval is the key.

If I used the regular motor oil I may not go by the maintenance minder. I will change it sooner than it recommended.

As ProHonda pointed out, oil change interval is the key.

If I used the regular motor oil I may not go by the maintenance minder. I will change it sooner than it recommended.

I concur moumou48 Some things change for the better.

If I used the regular motor oil I may not go by the maintenance minder. I will change it sooner than it recommended.
The MM was programmed for use with regular motor oil. I don't plan on second guessing some great engineering that is backed by long experience. Honda may have made some errors in other areas of the RL, but one thing Honda knows extremely well is engines.

I think I'm just going to stay with regular Valvoline 5-20 and a Wix Gold filter.

Honda Filtech filter and Havoline dino 5w20 when the 15% service due notice comes on - no longer. For my kind of driving I need nothing more. This is a very inexpensive and worry free way to keep this great Honda motor in good shape until long after you want to part with the vehicle.

If someone wants longer change intervals than indicated on the oil life monitor or has certain severe driving conditions to cope with then they just might need synthetic but, those considerations aside, I do not think synthetic is any better than top brand dino at protecting your engine.

Some serious misinformation going on here.
First off, an engine generally never needs 10k miles to 'properly break-in'. Many vehicles come from the factory with synthetic Mobil 1 already in the crankcase.
Secondly, synthetic oil has been around a long time. It's been in use in aircraft engines since the 1940's and in use in cars since at least 1972.
Thirdly, most group III and IV synthetics do provide superior protection over the majority of 'dino' oils. Will it make your Ridge last longer? Maybe so but not a given. Is it worth the cost? Maybe, especially to those that put the engine under higher stresses like towing or fast throttle starts. Other needs may be if you drive short trips and worry that the oil may not be getting up to temp before shut-down or perhaps if you live in an extreme climate region like Arizona or Minnesota. As someone here has stated, it is an added insurance that is worth the secure nature of the properties it affords. But will the Ridge do 100% fine without it? Probably so, but I want the best for an outstanding vehicle like this and feel great knowing that even under extreme circumstances my Ridge is protected the best that it can be.

After reading much of the info here on the ROC, I went with Mobil One synthetic oil and a Purolator Pur One filter.

Basically, I could not find a reason NOT to go with synthetic oil. The cost is simply not an issue, and it should provide a better safety margin. Do I need it, probably not, to quote basils.

I picked the Pur One out of cismo's summary recommendations, after also reading some of the reports that are linked here. I probably would have used the Honda A01 filter, but my dealer only had the A02 so I passed.

Hi Joe, I just changed ours to Mobil1 synthetic with a K&N oil filter in the driveway and everything seems fine.

5s Dude, has there been cases on honda about K&N filters oil messing with MAS chip? i've put a K&N in my Benz..and messed up the MAS chip and had to have it replaced $$$$. Have you had any problems with K&N? is there an alternative replacement besides K&N?

Art:

Is it TRUE Honda oil or some other brand??
One dealer uses only Honda oil, the other uses Castrol.

I plan on Honda BRAND oil for break in.
My dealer tells me that their oil are re-named Mobile oil. I don't know if that's true, either its full or half or full dino. The oil canister labled honda at the dealers Accessories dept. looks like a rebadge honda lable on Mobile 1 bottles.

Wow - so many opinions!

After extensive research, discussions with the dealer, reading the Owner's Manual and hubby's experience with vehicles here is what our plan is:

1st Oil Change: Follow Maintenance Minder Light, Comes on at 15% Oil Life Remaining, which was at approximately 6400 miles. Keep in mind that this may vary per vehicle due to driving habits and conditions. Used Honda Oil (specially made for our vehicle) and A-1 oil filter. There are two "Honda" oil filters that are used and interchanged for oil changes. Through this board, and in speaking with our dealer, we have heard that A01 is the better choice.

2nd Oil Change: Follow Maintenance Minder Light, will come on at 15% Oil Life. This should be around 10K. Repeat 1st Oil Change.

This will complete the Break In Period and then some.

3rd Oil Change: Follow Maintenance Minder Light. Will switch over, at that time, to Honda Synthetic Oil (this is renamed Mobil1) and appropriate filter.

Will continue to follow Maintenance Minder unless we have a change to our current driving conditions. I believe the folks that made the Ridgeline over the guys making a profit off of my oil changes.

You don't have to do what we did but we spent a lot of time on our plan and we are happy with it at this point. We will report back how this goes for us.

Incidentally, we have only had our oil changed once so far, but as others have experienced, our MPG improved and we expect further improvements after we change over to synthetic in the future.

Smoky

5s Dude, has there been cases on honda about K&N filters oil messing with MAS chip? i've put a K&N in my Benz..and messed up the MAS chip and had to have it replaced $$$$. Have you had any problems with K&N? is there an alternative replacement besides K&N?

Nada, so far so good. It was the suggested filter to use from our Hardin Honda service GM. I bought the Ridgeline at World Honda which we will not be returning to in this lifetime however we bought our son's 06' Si at Hardin. It's the same dealer I bought my 94' del-Sol from. Very good customer support and service.

I would HIGHLY recommend that Ridge owners DO NOT use a K&N air filter. I used one on an F150 and screwed up the intake sensors. The vehicle ran rough ever since.
Do what you want if you like rolling the dice.

I've decided to use Havoline 5W-20 (dino, regular) because of its high moly (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/moly.html) content. While the whole "best oil" issue is somewhat clouded with many opposing opinions, there seems to be a consensus that Honda engines respond favorably to moly rich oil. I'm presently using a Mobil 1 filter and I will change oil and filter together, whenever the MM calls for an oil change. I will consider synthetic oil and/or shorter oil change intervals only if I determine that I am operating the Ridge under severe conditions.

Pardon me if this has been discussed, but I don't recall seeing it in any of the oil threads....

What is the green/environmental side of the synthetic vs. dino oil discussion? Obviously oil is oil, but what resources are required to make and dispose of synthetic oil?

When they recycle used 'oil', do they put it all in the same drum or keep them separate? They would never know what was in your vehicle anyway, so I'm sure it's dumped in one.

Thoughts?

dino and syn can be mixed and recycled toghter just fine.

Still laughing about the K&N filter about hurting the engine. :rolleyes:

I doubt I will follow the MM at all, sounds like a gimmick to me. For lazy people that need reminding. :rolleyes:

I will push the factory oil till 4K miles then change it.

I look at color, smell, feel and what Blackstone labs tell me for change time.

Farmguy,
As far as I know synthetic oils require dino oil to be manufactured....perhaps just less of it. As an environmental bonus, a much longer OCI (oil change interval) can be used than dino oil thereby saving resources.
As far as recycling the used synthetic, because it is fully compatable with dino, it gets placed into the same used oil container as dino. (At least at my preferred shop it does).

Those that laugh at the confirmed evidence of K&N oil filters causing problems with a large number of intake sensors are exhibiting an over-abundance of product confidence. Sure, many will be just fine with their use, but why roll the dice?:rolleyes: Do whatever you choose but do yourself a favor folks, before using a K&N on your Ridge, do some unbiased research first.

Proof enough for me !!

7. Will a K&N filter cause my vehicle’s mass air sensor to fail?

At this time, K&N is unaware of any evidence that K&N air filter oil from a K&N air filter can damage or cause the malfunction of a MAF sensor, regardless of the make of the vehicle involved. K&N takes seriously any claim that one of its products is incompatible with its designated application or can damage or cause the malfunction of any automotive component. Such claims are thoroughly investigated and, when appropriate, testing is undertaken to determine their merit. In the case of MAF sensors, ongoing tests have shown that contamination from K&N air filter oil has not caused any failures or malfunctions of the MAF sensors in the test vehicles. K&N is aware that MAF sensors can become contaminated for a variety of reasons, unrelated to a K&N air filter (such as backfiring, blowby, leaking airbox or leaking intake duct) and that various methods have been used by some service departments and repair shops to clean a dirty or contaminated MAF sensor, such as spraying with an appropriate cleaner. K&N has not completed any tests as to the efficacy of such a process and, therefore, does not officially endorse or recommend any cleaning process. However, if given the choice of either replacing a MAF sensor or cleaning it, K&N recommends that the consumer ask his or her automotive dealer to attempt cleaning, before replacement. It should be noted that the presence of contamination does not mean the contamination was the cause of the MAF sensor failure. Sensors can fail for electrical or mechanical reasons, unrelated to any visible contamination.

7. Will a K&N filter cause my vehicle’s mass air sensor to fail?

At this time, K&N is unaware of any evidence that K&N air filter oil from a K&N air filter can damage or cause the malfunction of a MAF sensor, regardless of the make of the vehicle involved. K&N takes seriously any claim that one of its products is incompatible with its designated application or can damage or cause the malfunction of any automotive component. Such claims are thoroughly investigated and, when appropriate, testing is undertaken to determine their merit. In the case of MAF sensors, ongoing tests have shown that contamination from K&N air filter oil has not caused any failures or malfunctions of the MAF sensors in the test vehicles. K&N is aware that MAF sensors can become contaminated for a variety of reasons, unrelated to a K&N air filter (such as backfiring, blowby, leaking airbox or leaking intake duct) and that various methods have been used by some service departments and repair shops to clean a dirty or contaminated MAF sensor, such as spraying with an appropriate cleaner. K&N has not completed any tests as to the efficacy of such a process and, therefore, does not officially endorse or recommend any cleaning process. However, if given the choice of either replacing a MAF sensor or cleaning it, K&N recommends that the consumer ask his or her automotive dealer to attempt cleaning, before replacement. It should be noted that the presence of contamination does not mean the contamination was the cause of the MAF sensor failure. Sensors can fail for electrical or mechanical reasons, unrelated to any visible contamination.Sounds like a case of denial on K&N's website to me. ;)

:( I stand by my previous post.....RESEARCH BEFORE YOU USE THIS FILTER FOLKS!!!
Good point swampler!

I doubt I will follow the MM at all, sounds like a gimmick to me. For lazy people that need reminding. :rolleyes:
Thanks! It's always nice to be dissed (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dissed) for holding a different opinion.

It's always nice to be dissed (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dissed) for holding a different opinion.That's what I was thinking... :rolleyes:

Wow. That is one strong viewpoint. I doubt that the engineers that created the maintenance minder would agree that they made it for lazy people. I certainly don't think that using it makes one lazy or indicates that one is lazy. I am just using a feature that I paid for.

I just had mine changed by my local dealer (not who I purchased my truck from), and I asked them a barrage of questions...I got a lot of the same answers as most of the others did...I wanted to know WHOSE oil was going in my truck, he said it was Honda's oil, but basically from Mobil, and not synthetic, however they DO have that if I wanted it, but they would not change my oil for $22.50 like my coupon said. (I saved $2.45) I also had them rotate the tires ($18.00). I like doing tire rotations at 6,000 miles, I do this in my work vans and the tires seem to last longer.

I hope this helps.

I also had the K&N filter on my 2002 Acura 3.2TL-S and I put 50K on it and never had any problems. As a matter of fact, the only downside I can see with adding the K&N is more fuel consumption and more tire wear (I loved revving that engine AND rapping out the gears).

Cheers,
George

That is one strong viewpoint.

Yeah, can you believe that? Some people!! :p :p

What is the price of the Honda Syn oil?

Where I live, the Dealer uses Mobil 1 5-20W as the Honda authorized Syn replacement oil. I bought a 6 pack for $30. Only needed 4.5 quarts for the change. Dealer did the labor for free with my oil and filter while I was in getting other TSB related adjustments