Did the first few in dino and switched to mobile1 given input I found here. Started doing the DIY oil changes too after seeing the writeups here about how easy it is.

 

On my old Ridgeline, I used the synthetic blend (motorcraft) as it was the only stuff I could find. At 36000 miles I found Mobil 1 and have used that ever since.

FYI the Walmart fully synthetic is really good and If it came in 10W20 I would use it.

The 10W30 I use in the wife's Trailblazer. I follow their MM as well.

 

Mobil 1 full synthetic. If I can find the 5 qt container for 5w-20 Mobil 1 (extended performance), I'll use that instead. It's a group IV base stock.

 

I've only had the one oil change so far and it was with whatever the dealer used, so I'm guessing it was Honda's brand of oil, whichever that is.

 

I bought my 2006 Ridgeline in May '05. At that time there was a lot of talk about the importance of the break-in oil used by Honda during assembly. It had a high moly content which Honda considered important for proper break-in of our motor. I'm not sure if the molybdenum (a friction reducer) was the result of assembly lube or was actually an additive in the break-in oil installed at the factory. I am also not sure if the 2010 like you have is built the same way.

Because of this, I selected Havoline dino because it had one of the highest moly contents of any oil. I used it for the first two oil changes then switched to Penzoil Platnium and have not put another kind of oil in it since.

From everything I have read here and elsewhere, the Ridgeline will do just fine with name brand dino as long as you follow the maintenance minder. Part of the maintenance minder is oil life expectancy which is shown as a percentage. When the life expectancy of the oil reaches 15% left, you get a notice telling you to think about changing the oil. Follow that and you will be fine, assuming you are not towing trailers up and down mountains all day. For extreme conditions like that or if you want to extend your oil change intervals a bit, then go synthetic. Remember, the maintenance minder does not know what kind of oil you use and is calibrated for regular dino, not synthetic. Frankly, if you don't mind spending the extra bucks, I would use a good synthetic like Penzoil or Mobil no matter what your driving conditions are like.

 

199,000 miles, Dino oil the entire time.

 

A perfect example of what just following the MM will do for you.

I use synthetic simply for the improved cold flow characteristics, not for long oil change intervals.

 

Dino oil for me. Don't see any benefit for synthetic unless you're going to extend the oil change intervals. Or maybe if you do a lot of towing. Personally, as long as you change the oil, I doubt it would make one bit of difference what brand or type (dino or syn) you use.

 

I use the Mobile 1 with the mileage minder...I'm usually anywhere from 6500 to 7500 miles at 15%...
My dealership only offers Quaker State Dino oil so needless to say, I prefer to do my own oil changes..

 

used Mobil1 since first oil change Truck & SUV 5w-30

 

Use synthetic if you drive to different sites during the day and have to start the engine several times a day, tow, haul or like to drive it at high rpms.

If that is not the case I would use Castrol gtx 5w-20 or havoline oil. I used both with good results in other cars. I use mobil 1 on the ridge since I drive a few short and long trips a day.

Don't forget a good oil filter also.

 

Full synthetic here for the last 17,000 miles

 

70,000 here. Mobile 1 full synthetic since 24,000.

 

Mobil One 5-20 following the MM.

Thinking about switching the wife's CRV to Synthetic from Havoline (about 50k)

 

Oil is a cheep investment. For about 20 bucks at Walmart you can get 5 qts of full synthetic, proven to be superior to organic oil. Remember to get a good oil filter also.

 

I know people that claim their Super Tech oil and filters are very good. Obviously, they are made by a major mfr. But it is not that much more $ for M1, etc.
Then there is the other end of spectrum, Amsoil. As it is, I think even off the shelf syn is overkill, but I like the extra margin. Amsoil, while no doubt a fine product, is overkill of the overkill!
Plus, it is not readily available unless you buy it in quantity.

I'd rather use fluids I know I can get anywhere I am so I don't ever get stuck in a situation where I have to substitute. I've used M1 in all my vehicles for the last decade, at least.

 

Used synthetic since my first oil change. Also use it in the wife's 04 SI. I use it mainly for extended protection in cold-starting and when I tow.

 

I have been using Royal Purple since the odometer read 30,000, but still follow the MM intervals.

 

I changed the oil over to M1 when I bought my truck with 18K on the odometer. First oil change was 3,000mi later. Ever since then I have used the MM and continued using M1 with either an M1 Filter or the A01 from Honda when they have it in stock. I just turned 42K on the odometer.

 

Started using Mobil 1 Synthetic 0w20 since 1,500 Miles, now my baby is turning 37k and never look back. Warms almost instantly, no consumption and never any issues. I change it every 5k regardless of MM.

 

Bought my RL with 22k miles. Changed the oil at 29k and used Pennzoil Platinum w/Pure One filter. Went to a Walmart a couple of days ago and they had the new Pennzoil Ultra for $15 in the 5 qt jugs. I purchased 7 of them and 7 SuperTech filters so I'm set for the next 3 0r 4 years. :act024: Next oil change should be next week or so (<15% on MM) at around 35k miles.

 

Holy cow!! Good for you. Was at WalMart yesterday and the 5 qt. jug of Pennzoil Ultra was $28.

 

I've been using Castrol for about 18 years, and it's never let me down. I have slowly progressed over those years from dino to blend, and then full synthetic. It is mostly a matter of confidence in the product, and partly that I can afford "better" oil now.

 

I use synthetic, usually Mobile one. In the past i have used Royal Purple but it is expensive. I asked a mechanic once about why he does not offer synthetic for oil changes? He said it does not matter as long as you change the oil at 3k miles. I don't buy that. Amsoil did a study, and i'm sure there are others out there, but the biggest danger to oil is the heat. So if they can make a oil that has a higher thermal break down, then the oil will last longer. The key at this point is to have a highly efficient oil filter to keep the oil clean. Hence, the reason ships and fleet vehicles use multiple filters and they just change the filters instead of gallons of oil.
So the ultimate combo, and missing link, if we are using synthetic in our Ridgeline's, is to have a high efficient oil filter. The paper filters i have seen don't seem to convince me that they do a great job. It's like the vacuum cleaners out there, paper bags vs Hepa filters... what's cleaner?

If anyone knows of good quality oil filters please post. I saw a cutout of an Amsoil filter once and it was much different than the paper ones today.

 

That's exactly why I've been considering this for a long time http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G4986/ . Twice the filtering, more oil (in the hoses), and I could just change the filters every 3-6 months and take an oil sample to have tested and track it's effectiveness.

 

All this is fine and good (especially if you have the money) but it seems to me to be excessive for normal driving. As I said in a previous post, this does not mean towing trailers up and down mountains all day. Extreme driving conditions require extra measures to be taken and that goes without saying.

I know everyone wants to have the best possible protection for their motors but sometimes it seems we go overboard. Honda has a reputation for building great, reliable and long lasting motors, be it lawn mower motors right up to truck motors - as long as you follow their maintenance instructions. They know what they are doing when it comes to motors, at least in this regard.

If they say change oil when the oil life expectancy reaches between 15% and zero (and it is calibrated with simple, old dino oil in mind, not synthetic or some exotic kind of oil) they pretty much know from experience and testing that the engine will last and perform well for many miles. If a problem develops it is probably not related to the fact you put in Quaker State as opposed to Royal Purple.

And filters are another thing. There is no doubt some filters are better built than others and Fram takes a lot of heat around here for being "junk". But Fram has sold millions of filters over a good many years for all kinds of cars and trucks and every possible driving and climate condition. I can't tell you how many motors have had sludge or other filter related problems that was Fram's fault directly, but I can tell you they are still in business after all these years and probably still selling more filters than anyone else. I too was scared off of Fram and use the A1 filters (a bunch of which I purchased from Joe (Csimo) here at the forum) right after I got my Ridgeline. But I use to use Fram filters all the time (for probably 40 years) with no problems whatsoever. I would not hesitate to use a Fram if I had to.

I have also used dino in my Ridgeline although I can afford synthetic and now use that instead, only because I don't put enough miles on my truck and change oil about once every ten to twelve months. I've taken oil samples and had analysis performed by Blackstone Labs and Terry Dyson, (I installed a Fumoto valve so that it would be easy to take oil samples whenever I wanted) and I've done all the other stuff we "overboard" kind of people do. But in the end, I look back and say to myself that I don't think any of this stuff is really important - other than follow the maintenance minder.

 

And filters are another thing. There is no doubt some filters are better built than others and Fram takes a lot of heat around here for being "junk". But Fram has sold millions of filters over a good many years for all kinds of cars and trucks and every possible driving and climate condition. I can't tell you how many motors have had sludge or other filter related problems that was Fram's fault directly, but I can tell you they are still in business after all these years and probably still selling more filters than anyone else. I too was scared off of Fram and use the A1 filters (a bunch of which I purchased from Joe (Csimo) here at the forum) right after I got my Ridgeline. But I use to use Fram filters all the time (for probably 40 years) with no problems whatsoever. I would not hesitate to use a Fram if I had to.

You might be right but after seeing what is inside a fram filter, how they are build, gaskets coming off after removing them, I would not use it. I think it is a marketing thing they have going and chain stores buy them so cheap, they make more money selling those. I asked a worker from a major retail auto part chain store before, what filter to buy fram, stp, bosch? he said fram because fram is a filter company the others are not. I used stp before, I started using fram in an old toyota truck i had and my oil looked very dirty after 150 miles with fram filters while stp being cheaper never looked that dirty even after 1500+ miles. I even tried the extra guard fram purchased on one of those 5 q filter deals and the same thing and the gasket came off when I removed the filter when i was doing my next oil change. Now I only use wix (napa gold), walmart super tech and the oil looks very good even after 2.5K 3k miles.

 

I have had the Ridgeline RL/SR for 60 months in April. When I had my first oil change back at 4500 miles I switched to Castrol Syntex 5W-20W. The first thing that I noticed was the fact that the temp gage read lower temps when the engine warmed up. I dont know what that means in degrees but the point where the gage needle stopped is very significant.:car004:

 

Hey Caj - You know I noticed the same thing with my switch to syn. No kidding!

CS

 

debating on using Royal Purple on my next change, Normally I go with Mobil1 or Penzoil Pure Platinum, as far as filter I use super Tech from Wal-Mart.