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poor mpg on exol 0w30

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Batman19524

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Location
Northern Ireland
Car
2008 accord cdti
Hi all. Recently bought 20 liters of excol 0w30. Changed the oil with new honda filter and reset computer as ive always done. To my amazment my mpg wouldnt go above 46. Car has always done 49-50 on castrol edge. I changed back to castrol and mpg is back to 49.8.
 
Is that combined or motorway mpg?

Currently on 5w30 in my diesel and wondering what to put in it next.
 
0w30 Matt nothing else
 
You don't say if the Castrol Edge was 0w30 or not.
If both brands are both 0w30 then I'd be surprised to find that much difference in mpg.
I'm not saying that all brands are equal, just that I wouldn't expect a difference.as noticeable as that.
 
Fahad, I'll definitely be going to 0w30 as per the book, but was wondering if anyone has actually done a long term comparison of oil vs mpg.

I have done so with fuel, and was surprised with the outcome. It returns the best mpg on Tesco diesel!!
 
I have just purchased a 20 litre drum of exol 0w/30 last week. Scheduled to service the accord at the end of the month.
I have been using castrol 0w/30 for a while now too but have finnaly got the space to store a drum of oil.
Will report on my mpg after i have serviced it.

Have you changed you diesel at all? V power/reg diesel or supermarket reg diesel?

Matt - would that be the vpower equivalent of tesco diesel?
 
Alex, i find it returns the best mpg on the cheap stuff.

Averages high 40's on Tesco regular
Low, 40's on V-power diesel, and is worst of all on BP ultimate.

I reckon the less refined the fuel, the longer the hydrocarbon chains, and the more energy it produces as it has more bonds to break.
The cleaners in the other fuels must dilute the dinosaur bits.
Running redex also dropped the mpg too, but clean injectors are always a good thing.
 
Have you checked your rear calipers and brake pads? My calipers were rusted in place which caused a drop in mpg. All tho this does sound like the oil. Which isn't good cos I have about 15 litres left.
 
I'm not 100% convinced that something else coincidentally caused an additional reduction in mpg, when they're both the same viscosity. Their temperature characteristic won't be 100% identical, nor their ability to lubricate evenly, but I can't see it affecting mpg that much. I've even seen some people who say that Castrol Edge is an over-rated brand anyway (although I use it in my 2.4).

It would need a "blind" test to convince me .... no pun intended LOL
 
For what it's worth, now I've done enough (4500) miles on 0w30 to draw a comparison......






......... it's made no difference to economy on my car. It returns exactly the same mpg on a 5w30 as a 0w30.
 
Still no reason to switch back to 5w30 oil Matt
 
I'm sure it's been done to death on here, but what's the supposed reasoning for 0w30 being the only choice, and 5w30 being a no-no?

My handbook says 5w30 is an acceptable alternative, but it'll affect economy.



The only difference I could see would be to cold starting, and given the winter temperatures in this country, I could hardly see that being an issue.

The fact I've seen no change in fuel economy could well be that my car does two 54 mile motorway journeys a day, and therefore the oil spends the majority of its time at an appropriate working temperature (also at which point there's no difference in viscosity)
 
Fahad, short of me ordering a drum of it, getting 0w30 round here is a nightmare. It's all 5w30!!

Also it's loads more expensive than 5w30 for some reason too.

I might switch back y'know. Winter weight matters less here in the tropical south.
Also going to change it more regularly.
Did the last load at 10k and flushed too. Can't say I fancy the book intervals much.
 
No you're right I don't believe 5w30 will break the engine as long as it's fully synthetic and meets the correct acea specs etc

However if we know the actual recommendation is 0w30 and given the importance of oil to the lifespan of your engine... It's a bit of a no brainer to me to stick to 0w30.

But as with anything you pays your money and takes your chances
 
True.

I'm starting to wonder if it is more to do with the hydraulic tensioners than the motor?

Anyone know what the handbook says in facelift diesels?
 
Yes it's more to do with ensuring adequate lubrication in an engine that has very tight clearances, aluminium block and pump.. and needs a lightweight oil
 
F6HAD said:
Yes it's more to do with ensuring adequate lubrication in an engine that has very tight clearances, aluminium block and pump.. and needs a lightweight oil
Click to expand...
And a 0W30 will provide a faster pressure build up and oil flow at start up and so provide better lubrication during this important period.
 
In my experience Castrol is good oil but not as good as all their fancy advertising would have you believe. Especially Magnatec which is the most over rated oil on the market.
I don't know what this other make of oil you mention is like but I've always used either Shell, Mobil or Valvoline. Especially Valvoline their Fully synthetic oils are always very good and they also do a range of fuel additives which are among the best you can get. If I had a diesel Honda I'd be sticking in Valvoline Synpower FE 0w20. Can't go wrong.
 
This time of year I fill mine with Pimms, you have to fish the cucumber bits out first though.

In the winter I switch over to tomato soup.
 
Questioned Opie Oils who have recommended a list of 5W-30 oils that meet the low SAPS 'C' specifications but as my car does not have a DPF then I only need A5/B5 performance.

More research required !
 
I think the main thing is that the 12k service interval's a load of nonsense.

It seems some honda dealers have been filling with 5w/30 for over a decade, despite 0w/30 being the recommended grade in the handbook.

Clean oil's the order of the day. I'm currently swapping oil every 6k.
 
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