Gordon: That is the most common sense response I've seen on this whole "oil thing" yet. You are absolutely, 100% correct. API specs are what matters and the Ferrari issue was very well known in certain circles.

Use what feels right for you, as long as it meets the Mazda specs; nothing else is pertinent (at least as to oil) to the life of your car.

 

Why 5-20? 'Cuz Mazda says so, and they know more about this engine than we ever will. Since they don't sell oil, they have no icentive whatsoever to tell us owners the wrong viscosity.

By the way, if you saw Rusty Wallace on MotorWeek this week, you learned that his race car uses 0-30 weight oil. So much for low-viscosity not having enough protection.....

 

I recently read up on oil and discovered there's lots of reasons why 5w-20 is used a lot these days. First of all, it's thinner and this is good for many reasons. For one thing, it being thin makes it easier to flow during startup when the engine is cold. This is good whether it's cold or hot outside; it's still thinner than other oils no matter what temp. For another thing, because it's thinner, it requires less energy to move around inside the engine, thus the engine doesn't have to work as hard to move pistons up and down and this leads to better gas mileage and reduced emissions. I'm guessing it's used in the rotary because it spreads more completely within the trochoid chamber which is essential for a long lasting rotary engine. These days engines are built with such precision that thicker oil doesn't always have to be used to seal moving parts such as pistons and chambers. These days thinner is better for all kinds of reasons. Probably the biggest reason is to make it easier for engines to meet emissions requirements in the U.S.

 

Been reading alot on this forum about type of oil 5w20 and the such...well im aksing about brands ...which brand of 5w20 would you consider the best...i know its not supposed to be synthetic.....the area I live ..ive found 2 options..

Penzoil ( 5w20 with PureBase *stop and go protection it says* ) not sure if its synthetic

MotorCraft (5w20 *premium synthetic BLEND*) ...it also says its designed and recommended by FORD

so what do you guys think brand wise..specially from the 2 ive listed..

thanks

 

Um, read this thread - Mazda now says 'upon further testing, synthetic is OK'.

Therefore - use Mobil1, Redline, Castrol Syntec, etc.

FWIW, I would avoid any pennsylvania crude-based oils. It's probably not the case any more, but Pennzoil and Quaker State oils used to be the very worst for wax and sludge build-up, a consequence of their source crude oil composition.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Gord, avoiding a Pennsylvania crude based motor oil shouldn't be too difficult considering that daily production in Pennsylvania is currently 6000 BPD (less than 1% of US production).

I see no good reason to avoid Pennzoil or QS based on ancient history or anecdotal evidence.

yrotory

 

Gordon,

Again, I'm no expert on oil. I used Mobil 1 in my previous ride. But don't you want to do an oil change to get to synthetic if that's the way you are going to go? I thought I heard you never mix synthetic with fossil? Or is that an old wise tail?

 

I think given a choice you'd rather have all of one or another, but most synthetics on the market are 100% compatible with regular dino oil and ought not cause any problems at all.

 

although politically incorrect, I think you meant "old wive's tale"

 

Castrol, 5W20, dino.

 

using Mobil1 SuperSyn 0w-20 here.

 

I just took my car in for its free 4 month check up/oil change and I just looked at the bill and it says 4 qts 10W30 oil!!! I really hope this is a typo.... no clue why the hell they wouldn't put 5W20 in like the manual and oil cap calls for.

Anyone think this is serious enough to hassle the dealer and waste more of my time? Will 10W30 be all that bad for winter??

 

think I saw a post a while back where same thing happened to someone else -- he/she pointed it out to the service folks, and they replaced the oil *two* more times to flush (most of) the wrong-spec oil.

I'd be sorely tempted to demand exactly that, since mazda (corporate) seems so persnickety about 5w20 SL...

 

call them and ask what they used

 

Yes this just happened to me, my dealer put 10w30 in. When I saw this I raised the issue with them. The response was since I'm on the freebie service plan if I want 5w20 I would have to pay for it because Mazda won't re-emburse them for going out and buying 5w20 because they don't stock it for services. The dealer claimed that 10w30 is just as good if not better. I'm not a happy camper.

 

In Australia the recommendation is 5w-30, not 5w-20. Although the my local dealer insists with the hot climate we have (in Adealde, South Australia, 40C last week - well over 100F) and lots of highway driving, then 5w-50 is an option worth considering.

One of the local rotary performance shops here uses 0w-30 on their race cars.

 

ok... now i'm going to call my dealer up on monday. If they are doing that to me too they have some hell to pay. Christ, every new Mazda takes 5W-20!!!

 

You need to get a manager at your dealer to sign on that, then call Mazda corporate. It's a requirement for them to be dealers to have all the proper supplies and if they wanna charge ya extra, they are looking at loosing their dealership (especially if you can find another couple of epople witht he same prob). They CANNOT be an authorized dealer and not service the cars with the required components. DONT let it slide! Call Mazda ASAP about this and report them.

 

hmm you make sense,
I will be back at that dealership the week after Christmas and I will do just what you describe. Either the manager replaces the oil or signs a statement saying his reason for not doing it. I will then take the issue up will mana.

Thanks!

 

I should be picking up my new RX8 today and I'm alreday thinking about doing my first oil change. Can we use Mobil 1 synthetic in these engines, if so what viscosity would be the best?

 

Ok, before any of the wolves can get to you first, there's a whole slew of posts on here about synthetic vs. conventional and whether or not it's okay. Even Mazda has come out and said ok but reversed themselves days later. Ultimately it'll be up to you. Take a look for these posts by using the search function at the top.

As for the rest of you - BACK!!! BACK!!! :D

 

Thanks much for the heads up !!!!!!

 

Hey,
10w30 is probably as good as 5w20, the only reason mazda recommends it is because of fuel economy. 5w20 has less friction and saves gas, but 10w30 is a better protection for your engine.

 

I called up and the service manager claims that 10w30 comes up by default on their computer system and unless the technician willfully changes it, it will always read 10w30. He claims they put the right weight oil in.

So if he's lying or not I have no idea unless I pay for an oil analysis which isn't going to happen.

 

I would make sure they put in 5-20. I don't see how 10-30 could/would be better protection. 5-20 will flow faster/easier in the cold (important during startup) and will have less 'drag' at operating temperature. With the 8, the less drag on the engine, the better for fuel economy.

I bring my own oil to the dealer for the oil changes and I only get charged for the filter and labor (approx 13 dollars).