What is the difference between sw-20, ow-20 and sw-30 oil? My civic hybrid (85000 miles) has always had oil changes with sw-20 or ow-20 and today i went to a new shop that put sw-30 maxlife in it (although i asked that they put honda’s recommended oil for the hybrid, which they claimed they did). What affect will using sw-30 after so many miles of sw-20 have on my hybrid? What do you recommend I do? help please, i love this car…thanks!!!
I recommend that you follow the instructions in your owner’s manual. As hard as it may be to believe, the people who designed and built your engine know more about it than the guys in the local shop.
I would not worry about it. I WOULD assure that next time the specified weight is put in there. You may lose some fractional fuel economy due to the slightly heavier fluid. Why they put MAXLIFE, a high mileage oil, in there is beyond me. I hope that it was a synthetic 5w-30 and not a conventional.
No, they didn’t put a specified oil in there for ANY HONDA (the S2000 being the exception).
The difference between 5w and 0w isn’t apparent at most sensible temperatures. Let’s put it this way, the 0w has the same limits as the 5w except -5F colder. The fluid could actually be heavier at any sensible flow. They will both be like cold molasses at those temps. 20 is a range of viscosity. They’ll both be 20 weights @ 100C and they tend to be just below the 30 range of viscosity. 30 grade runs from 9.3-12.49 cSt @ 100C and 20 runs from 5.6-9.29 cSt with most 20 weights running in the mid to high 8’s. Both 20 and 30 grades will be like water at 100C.
Edit: A 0w-20 MUST be a synthetic. There is no other way to achieve the 0w rating. A 5w-20 can either be a synthetic or a conventional.
What’s important is that you changed it and and refilled the crankcase with a fluid called “Motor Oil”. The engine will tolerate almost any fluid so labeled…
There is a booklet in the glove box called “The Owners Manual”. It will spell out the exact TYPE of Motor Oil Honda would like you to use.
There is a booklet in the glove box called “The Owners Manual”. It will spell out the exact TYPE of Motor Oil Honda would like you to use.
You make it sound like he’s ignorant of the document/publication …implying that he’s been negligent.
He’s more a victim of lazy professionals that used what was on hand instead of attaining the approved fluid. It’s quite obvious by him making this post that he’s aware that something was “unright”.
What you say may well be true, but it would be really good if the OP learned that it is 5W-20 and 5W-30 motor oil, rather than SW-20 & SW-30 oil. Seeing the specifications in print, in the Owner’s Manual, just might clarify for the OP exactly what the specification actually is.
When I first saw the title of the thread, I was wondering if there is a new type of oil just for people living in The South West.
The difference between 5w and 0w isn’t apparent at most sensible
temperatures. Let’s put it this way, the 0w has the same limits as
the 5w except -5F colder.
I’m not sure what was mean by “execpt -5F colder”.
Unless they changed the rating procedure, the first number describes how the oil will behave (pour point & flow characteristics) at 0 degrees C. Meaning a 0W-20 will behave like a 0 weight oil at 0C, and a 5W-20 will behave like a 5W oil at 0C. That’s all the first number is indicating.
^ He, he, he
Good one VDC 
South West Oil :-))))
When I Saw That It Was A Hybrid, I Figured It Stood For Save the Whales -30 Oil, A Water Soluble, Non-Toxic Type Oil. Had Me Going For A Minute.
CSA
The fact that the shop workers didn’t listen to you is reason enough not to go there again. The 5W-30 oil will stay a bit thicker at operating temps and that means a slight reduction in your fuel mileage. There should be no long term harm or extra wear on the motor.
www.carbibles.com has a good primer on oils. I recommend a visit.
5W-30 may well be the recommended oil for your hybrid. They may have done nothing wrong. Check your owner’s manual and see if it meets your manufacturer’s recommendations. I’ll bet it does. Many manufacturers recommend more than one oil option for the engine.
Post back after you’ve read the manual. We’ll talk then.
Unless they changed the rating procedure, the first number describes how the oil will behave (pour point & flow characteristics) at 0 degrees C. Meaning a 0W-20 will behave like a 0 weight oil at 0C, and a 5W-20 will behave like a 5W oil at 0C. That’s all the first number is indicating.
0w is xxx cps @ -35F 5w is xxx cPs @ -30F - the limits of stress under the CCS (Cold Crank Simulator) are the same.
MRV rating is more indicative of the differences. Some people think that all 5w’s are the same at sensible flows …as though they get some “free ride” up to operating temperature. A heavier fluid is ALWAYS a heavier fluid. This just means it’s pumpable and not spinning around in a gelatinous mass.
Here’s Pennzoil’s hybrid 0w-20 CCS/MRV spec’s
MRV viscosity, cP (?C) ASTD D-4684 16,800 (-40)
CCS Viscosity, cP (?C ) ASTM D-5293 5,600 (-35)
Penzoil’s Ultra 5w-20
MRV viscosity, cP(?C)ASTD D-4684 11,700 (-35)
CCS Viscosity, cP(?C)ASTM D-5293 4,250 (-35)
Here’s Mobil’s M1 0w-40 @ -40C (MRV only)
MRV at -40?C 26242 cP
In other words, just because you see a 0w doesn’t mean that it’s not a heavier fluid at that temp in any rational sense. A 0w-20 could indeed be a heavier fluid than a comparative 5w-20 at any temp yet have the CCS and MRV spec’s that the 5w-20 cannot meet. That’s the case with Mobil’s M1 0w-30 vs. 5w-30
It’s an extremely hard concept to wrap around if you aren’t some physics major. I’m not one. We’re used to dealing with (what’s called) Newtonian fluids. When those fluids are described in their non-Newtonian terms, it’s not easy to understand.
Good post.
I should add that the differences in the second number are accomplished by the addition of “viscosity modifiers”. These are microscopic coiled polymers that uncoil when heated and affect the ability of the base oil to flow, affect its “viscosity”.
But the real question is “did the shop put the correct oil in my [the OP’s] car?”.
My guess is that a quick check into the owner’s manual will show 5W-30 to be acceptable.
The OP didn’t specify what year his car is but this is straight from the 2008 owners manual:
“A very low-viscosity, fuel-efficient
0W-20 oil is the preferred engine
lubricant for your Civic Hybrid. This
special oil is formulated to help your
engine use less fuel. It is available at
your dealer. A 5W-20 oil may be used
if 0W-20 is not available.”
Sure. But think about it for a minute if you’re looking at some “liability” in terms of prohibition on using some thing slightly heavier.
Between Canada and Texas, how does the same car manage to survive on 5w-20? 100F+ or -30F???
If I were to argue that a Texas 5w-20 spec’d engine would “be damaged” by the use of a 10w-40 or (for that matter) a 20w-50 …given that the Canadian engine endures EVEN HIGHER VISC FLUID over the winter …and lives to tell about it, how would the argument hold water?
All engines transition through higher viscosity states when approaching normalized engine oil temps. That is, a nearly fully warmed engine with 5w-20 appears as though it’s using a 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 …and off the SAE visc chart. Every engine lives to tell about it and every engine lives (on average) in the elevated viscosity state. It typically takes 20 minutes to reach normalized oil temp and the average trip length is less than that. That’s why the movement is to lighter fluids. They give the average unit of the rolling fleet a “head start” to full warm up viscosity.
Hybrids are, naturally, all wrapped around conservation of energy. They’re going to spec the lightest fluid available.
We all agree that 5W-30 will not harm the engine. But the other part of this is that the owner specified that only what was recommended by Honda be used. The shop doing the oil change used 5W-30 and then told the owner that is what’s specified by Honda. The bottom line is the shop lied and this owner should get his next oil change with the oil that Honda specifies and he requested Free of charge. Thanks for letting me rant.
Unless they changed the rating procedure, the first number describes how the oil will behave (pour point & flow characteristics) at 0 degrees C. Meaning a 0W-20 will behave like a 0 weight oil at 0C, and a 5W-20 will behave like a 5W oil at 0C. That’s all the first number is indicating.
If they changed the rating procedure it was more then 10 years ago.
10W, 5W, 0W, etc. Describe the lowest temperature at which an oil will meet certin specifications. There are a few different specifications, but in order to be rated for a specific cold temperature an oil needs to have a low temperature pumping viscosity of less then 60,000cP, and also meet a specification for cold cranking viscosity that varies depending on the rating. What this means is that a 0W oil peets the pumping viscosity standard down to -40C, but a 5W is only guarenteed to meet it down to -35C, and a 25W is only guarenteed to meet it down to -15C.
The relevant standard is SAE J300 if you want to look it up.
If I had one, I’d use Amsoil synthetic SAE 0W-20 and whatever works in the transmission, ie. Synthetic ATF. You didn’t mention the year or engine size, not that it matters much, just read your Owner’s Manual. I always bring my own oil to the service department and tell them to use mine instead of theirs.
These oil posts are amazing…addycake, the O.P. never posts back, yet 17 posters continue the dissection…
Oh, we’re all legends in our own minds when it comes to oil. Which is a good thing. Most learn oil ONCE in their life …if at all. That impression tends to be cast in stone for the rest of their lives as though it’s not an evolving thing like everything else. It’s a crippling affliction for those who got their feet wet in the 70’s.