rx8daniel

Does anyone know who makes the oil Mazda sells? Anyone have an opinion on brand recommendations? I've always been a fan of Castrol as it held it's viscosity better in older Consumer Reports testing. Lately it seems the differences are very small. I'll go with that unless someone suggests strongly something else or can tell me the mfgr of Mazda's 5W/20. thanks.

Doctorr

5w-20 is a new weight being specified for new Fords and Hondas, so it will get real popular, real soon.

In the meantime, it is pretty hard to find, but Quaker State makes one that should be available nationally.

It is expensive, too, about $3+ per quart, but will get cheaper when it is more popular.
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doc

rx8daniel

I saw several brands of it a couple weeks ago at my local Wal-Mart. I belive Castrol, Valvoline and perhaps Pennzoil and / or Quaker State. I don't think any were as much as it was from the dealer ($2.50 it seems like from Mazda). I obviously wouldn't mix a different weight - but does the brand mean as little as I suspect it does with SL grade in these modern times?

BTW, I think Mazda has 5W/20 specified for either their MPV or the Mazda 6 now as well.

CERAMICSEAL

Hey Daniel,
I was once told it was Mobil1, but I'm not sure that's accurate.
I recently spoke to Rick Engman ( One of the most experienced rotary engine builders in the world-30years) and the concept of running 5w20 was frightening to him. He insists he won't be using it.

RodsterinFL

I use catrol and Pennzoil and beleive they are the best. My dad used to race stock cars and has a strong dislike for Quaker state from what he saw years ago it did to engines (probably different now though)

They have sales locally on these two brands - $1.28 quart - just bought a case of Castrol.

Wankeler

Only 5W-20 I can find locally is Valvoline. Which is fine by me... been using Valvoline in my cars for last 7 years anyways.
I've been to over a dozen autoparts stores and superstores (Super-K, Super Wal-mart, Meijers and Sam's Club). I'm at 1500mi and no noticible oil drop yet... but I keep a couple of quarts in the trunk just in case.

Peace

funksoulbrother

In Canada the 5W20 used by all Mazda shops is made by Petro-Canada and can be bought at ALL service centers.

jtimbck2

$2.50-$3.00 per quart? As P.T. Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute." At Advance Auto (that's a local version of Pep Boys or Autozone), I saw no less than 4 brands of 5W-20 weight oil, all for $1.19 - $1.39 per quart.

Elara

I bought a quart of Pennzoil last week at WalMart for $1.69, and it was the only one I could find. But then, I was at WalMart .

Racer X-8

Pennsylvania crude oil is parafin-based. Yeah, like a candle. I used Quaker state a long time ago. In doing head jobs & stuff, it's obvious as to where the parafin goes. All over the innards of your engine. In my opinion, Quaker State is sold purely on the merits of its advertising, not on product. I never use Pennzoil cuz I won't give it the chance. Could be good. Don't care.

I use Castrol like I use deodorant. I found the brand that works best for me & I don't care what else is on the shelf.

Mitch Strickler

Honda engines hold up beautifully at high revs, and Honda is always in the forefront of using lighter oils. My mechanic wouldn't stock 5-30 for my Integra GS-R; I had to bring it to him. "That stuff is like water," he said. But he didn't have any answer when I told him about using it for two half hour lapping sessions at Watkins Glen under a broiling sun, most of the time over 7,000 revs, with absolutely no ill effects (not even using extra oil). For the wear problem that's most important, startup, lighter grades are better. If Mazda and Honda say 20 is OK, that's what I will use.
Mitch

Lee Chun

When I had an Integra GS-R I used only 5-30 too! Start ups were much smoother than 10-30, and I had absolutely no problems, smooth motor...

rotarymagic

My Mazda dealer said that the oil they get is from Mobil 1.

Mobil 1 and castrol seem to be the best from my research.

mx5-->rx8

Mobile 1... isn't that sythetic? Is sythetic recommended for the 8 since it is designed to burn some small % of the oil ??

Evolv

iTrader: (1)

Where did you get this info?

Racer X-8

Actually, it's the other way around.

If it wasn't exactly midnight & I have a full day ahead fully booked with things to do, I would try to find some evidence to that fact. Do a search here (yeah, sorry). The info abounds elsewhere on a few other threads.

mikeb

when mazda changed my oil the tech said 5-20 is best for car and non-synethic because it will burn

Racer X-8

Hey mikeb, could you please expound a little. I'm not sure I got what you said there...thanks

DisneyDestroyer

The Rotary engine burns oil. Synthetic is designed not to burn, and burns BADLY - leaves nasty deposits, etc. So never use Synthetic.

As for the 5W-20, I was under the impression that it's heavier, because the engine is hotter so a thinner oil will thin out too much with the heat and won't coat. No?

Racer X-8

No.

5W-20 is about the thinnest oil I know. The higher the number, the thicker it is.

I'm not going to worry about Mazda being wrong on this. This is way too important for them to be wrong. There are a lot of factors that go into determining the correct viscosity. If you play with it (you can only opt for a thicker viscosity here), you are subject to major problems.

Don't play with it. Use 5W-20 non-synthetic. Unless you hear different from someone who knows more than Mazda, that is.

mikeb

good points racer

MSMAMBA

I use Mobil1 Syn 10W-30 for my P5 and Pennzoil 5W-20 for my MPV.

I will go with the Pennzoil for the 8.

rXter

RacerX8---

I realize that this thread is old, but couldn't hold back. Dude, Pennzoil is a brand name, nothing more. The oil from Pennsylvania fields was depleted in the early 1900s. Ever heard of JD Rockefeller? All of the majors are getting their oil from wherever the stuff is being pumped out of the ground. Most likely the Middle East.

Matt RX8

I'm going with Castrol GTX 5W20. It's non-synthetic. They sell it at walmart.

army_rx8

royal purple here 5w20 and it's synthetic...do a search synthetic is no tbad for a rotary engine


wow super old thread hahaha