First Oil Change / Better Gas Mileage?

As shingles said, we have pretty much beat this issue to death in various other threads re oil, interval changes, mileage/time factors, oil life monitor, etc. But I can't answer your question specifically as I only have about 2700 miles on my Ridgeline and the oil life monitor reads 70%. I too have heard that after the first oil change you do get better gas mileage. Maybe that is because the vehicle is broken-in better by that time, I don't know but I am sure it is on a case by case basis.

I will change my oil at 5000 miles which I estimate will be close enough to HAL's 15% service notice on oil. I could go a thousand, maybe even two thousand more miles but 5000 miles on a factory fill is fine for me. Usually I would change it out way before that but Honda is specific about keeping the factory fill oil in until service is due. The reason, IMO, is that they use a lot of moly as a factory lubricant when making their engines. This of course is mixed with the oil and Honda engines have a reputation for doing well with moly, which is an excellent break-in lubricant. I also intend to verify my opinions as to oil change intervals and brand by sending in an oil sample for analysis. I then can determine if the oil I have selected is doing the job with this engine for my driving conditions and change intervals. It will tell me if I can go longer with my intervals or if I need to change more often. If I find I must change more often, I may try a synthetic.

Honda, again, IMO, would like to see several thousand miles initially on their engines with a higher dose of moly than most oils contain. This really helps to protect the engine during this period. If you change oil sooner, Honda has no way of knowing what kind of oil you will use. There are some excellent addititve packages in some oils that contain no moly at all - there is more than one way to lubricate - but Honda goes the moly route. The factory fill, as I understand it, is not some super secret break-in oil but rather a Superflo like formula made for them by ExxonMobil. It is the factory engine lubricants that mix with the oil that Honda wants to keep in there during the first few thousand miles.

I intend to use Havoline 5w20 when it comes time to change oil. It has proven to be one of the very best "dino" oils from recent used oil analysis reports on a variety of cars and under a variety of conditions. It is also one of the most moly-loaded oils you can buy (as far as I know, only the synthetic Redline oil contains more moly). It is also a bargain as you can usually get a case on sale for about $1.50 a qt.

This entire topic is the result of the fact that the Ridge comes with only ONE choice of engines, ONE choice of transmissions and ONE choice of diferential gearing. No matter what your preferances are, you get what they offer, ONE package. As a result, the guy who wants to blow V-8 Silverado's and V-10 Dodges off the road is dissatisfied. The guy who wants the milage of a 4 cylinder mini-truck is dissatisfied. You can't satisfy everyone when there is only one choice.
If you want 255 horses and they happen at 5,000 rpm you are going to fill those 6 cylinders with gas 5,000 times in a minute. If you had a V-8 and it achieves 255 horses at 3,000 rpm you are only filling those 8 cylinders 3000 times in a minute. (It is actually 1/2 in both cases because these are 4 cycle engines). Here is the clincher: 6 cylinders X 5,000 rpm = 30,000 cylinders of gas. 8 cylinders X 3,000 rpm = 24,000 cylinders of gas. If you NEED 255 horses, the V-8 will do it cheaper and with less engine wear. That is why a V-8 is the engine of choice ina WORK truck. The Ridge is a SUT (SPORT Utility Truck). The horses are there if you need them but fuel economy is there also, if that is your real goal.
My Silverado 5.7 liter/5 speed manual transmission will get better gas mileage than my Ridge towing my boat, but without the boat the Chevy's milage is the virtually the same. On the other hand, without the boat my Ridge carrying 1,000 lbs of cargo in the bed, out performs the Chevy by 5 mpg.

I just did my first oil change this morning to Mobil 1 5-20. I have been keeping very detailed mileage statistics for my full 5200 miles (before and after winter formula change, before and after 87 to 89 octane test). I look forward to sharing my results (good or bad) of oil change impact after I take about a month of fill up statisitics. My driving style is very stable and the routes I take very consistant day in and day out and I always fill up at same gas station so this should be a good controlled test. So far, using 89 octane (last 4 fill ups have been winter formulation and also 89 octane so I will stick with it for another 4 or so fill ups) have generated an average of 16.5 mpg. I live in an congested traffic area and 90% of my driving is at 40 mph or less with lots of stop and go. With this type driving, this is basically the mileage numbers I expected. The best I ever got was around 19 on about a 50% highway tank during a trip out to Montauk Point (summer formulation).

rstribling said:

For All Those Worried About Gas Mileage, Let Me Offer You A Little "INSIGHT." They Were Sitting About 3 Rows Over From The Ridgelines At My Dealers Lot. 50 Mpg And No Room For All Your Weekend Toys. I Love My Ridge The More I Drive It And The Mpg's Are A Small Price To Pay For Such A Great Truck.

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rstribling.....not to get into a whizzing match with you.... but that's a little presumptious, don't you think?!? I think the people here in the ROC have every right to express their concerns about anything they want to about their truck. They earn that right with every monthly payment. If you don't like it.... Let me offer you a little "INSIGHT"....they are sitting right next to each other...in the Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums....a bunch of other threads you can read. A lot of talk about Ridgelines and no talk about mileage and I am sure you can find one where nobody is complaining.

Yes, there is definitely a trade off, depending on which vehicle you purchase. An Accord/Civic will give you great gas mileage, but there's no room to haul stuff. A Ridgeline gives you plenty of space but the mileage isn't so great. And, yes, we all bought into it when we drove off the lot....but to say the ROC members can't talk about it, just because it bugs you....well, that just ain't right.